two or more verb placement

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Reza2018
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two or more verb placement

Post by Reza2018 »

I want to translate this sentence to Dutch:

I can practice speaking dutch by writing.

Google translate returns:
Ik kan oefenen met Nederlands spreken door te schrijven.

My own translation:

Ik kan het Nederlands spreken oefenen door te schrijven.

I think that because I used a modal verb then the "oefenen" should go to the end of the main clause and "spreken" is a verb-noun which I put it before "oefenen".

What is the proper translation?
Thanks in advance.
estarling
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Re: two or more verb placement

Post by estarling »

Conceptually this is a strange sentence. Try it another way.
Surely than you will be more successful getting into a dialog.
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BrutallyFrank
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Re: two or more verb placement

Post by BrutallyFrank »

The translator uses a prepositional object: "oefenen met iets" ('iets' is in this case 'Nederlands spreken'), which sounds better.

The problem I have with your sentence is that 'het Nederlands spreken' has become the direct object. And that sounds a bit odd in this sentence. Even though it's not incorrect, I would've left 'het' out.
"Moenie worrie nie, alles sal reg kom" (maar hy het nie gesê wanneer nie!)

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kwalijkje
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Re: two or more verb placement

Post by kwalijkje »

I often get thrown in conversation by verb-nouns that don't have an article right next to them. Maybe drop the modal or use a noun that's clearly a noun. "Ik oefen Nederlands spreken door te schrijven / Ik kan mijn Nederlands gesprek oefenen door te schrijven."
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Re: two or more verb placement

Post by ngonyama »

kwalijkje wrote: Sun Dec 02, 2018 11:26 am I often get thrown in conversation by verb-nouns that don't have an article right next to them. Maybe drop the modal or use a noun that's clearly a noun. "Ik oefen Nederlands spreken door te schrijven / Ik kan mijn Nederlands gesprek oefenen door te schrijven."
In this case you could use a noun like spreekvaardigheid (ability to speak)

Ik oefen door te schrijven mijn spreekvaardigheid in het Nederlands.
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Re: two or more verb placement

Post by BrutallyFrank »

Ik oefen door te schrijven mijn spreekvaardigheid in het Nederlands.

Ik oefen mijn spreekvaardigheid door te schrijven in het Nederlands.
"Moenie worrie nie, alles sal reg kom" (maar hy het nie gesê wanneer nie!)

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