Dutch uses te + infinitive in several constructions that parallel English infinitives. After certain verbs, te + infinitive follows directly: proberen te (to try to), besluiten te (to decide to), weigeren te (to refuse to), beloven te (to promise to), vergeten te (to forget to). Example: “Ik probeer elke dag te oefenen” (I try to practice every day). Te sits immediately before the infinitive, which goes to the end of the clause.
After adjectives, te + infinitive expresses a consequence or judgment: “Het is moeilijk te begrijpen” (It is difficult to understand), “Het is leuk om te doen” (It is fun to do — note the om here), “Dit is gemakkelijk te lezen” (This is easy to read). The te construction without om tends to be more formal; the om…te construction is more colloquial and is covered separately.
With separable verbs, te inserts between the prefix and the base verb: opbellen → op te bellen. “Ik vergat hem op te bellen” (I forgot to call him). This insertion rule is a reliable sign that a verb is separable — if te splits it, the prefix separates in main clauses too. Modal verbs do not take te — they use a bare infinitive: “Ik wil leren” (I want to learn), not “Ik wil te leren.”