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    Selected preposition + infinitival clause
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    An R-pronoun usually doubles an infinitival clause functioning as a prepositional complement. This is optional, however, for the preposition mei with.

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    Infinitival clauses are allowed after prepositions which are selected, just in case two conditions are met. First, the preposition must be doubled by an R-pronoun. Otherwise the result is ungrammatical:

    1
    a. Ik hope der op de trein noch te heljen
    I hoped it.R on the train yet to catch
    I hoped to catch the train yet
    b. *Ik hope op de trein noch te heljen
    I hoped on the train yet to catch
    I hoped yet to catch the train

    Second, the infinitival clause must be selected by a verb with a non-factive interpretation, although this may be true of infinitival clauses in general. The following pair of sentences shows that the infinitival clause must be selected by a verb allowing a non-factive interpretation.

    2
    a. Ik hope der op de trein noch te heljen
    I hoped R on the train yet to catch
    I hoped to catch the train yet
    b. *Ik betanke him der foar de trein noch te heljen
    I thanked him it.R for the train yet to catch
    I thanked him for catching the train

    Ungrammatical examples with a factive interpretation improve slightly if a perfect infinitive is used, although such examples are rarely used in spoken language:

    3
    ?*Ik betanke him der foar de trein noch helle te hawwen
    I thanked him it.R for the train yet caught to have
    I thanked him for having caught the train

    The situation is actually more complicated since some prepositions such as mei with can be followed by an infinitival clause, which receives a factive interpretation. This is exemplified below:

    4
    a. Jim hawwe yn 't foarige al genôch tiid ferdien mei te dwaan wat de heidens foarhawwe
    you have in the preceding DcP enough time wasted with to do what the heathens intend.to
    You have already wasted enough time in the past in doing what the heathens want you to
    b. Hy begûn mei te sizzen dat gjinien it mei him iens hoegde te wêzen
    he began with to say that nobody it with him agreeing needed to be
    He began by saying that no one needed to agree with him

    The R-pronoun can be present in such examples:

    5
    a. Jim hawwe yn 't foarige al genôch tiid dermei ferdien te dwaan wat de heidens foarhawwe
    you have in the preceding DcP enough time it.R.with wasted to do what the heathens intend.to
    You have already wasted enough time in the past in doing what the heathens want you to
    b. Hy begûn dermei te sizzen dat gjinien it mei him iens hoegde te wêzen
    he began R.with to say that nobody it with him agreeing needed to be
    He began by saying that no one needed to agree with him

    It is unclear why the preposition mei with behaves differently from the other prepositions reviewed in this section.

    References
      About this article
      Author(s): Eric Hoekstra
      Category: Frisian Syntax
      Keywords: R-pronoundoubled infinitival clause
      Version: 1.0, December 2015
      Version history:
      version editor(s) date remarks
      1.0 Eric Hoekstra December 2015
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