Thread:User talk:CodeCat/Dutch auxiliary doen/reply (6)

Dutch allows both and  as auxiliaries to create causatives (which is interesting because they are antonyms in one sense). The difference is that means that the subject's actions are the direct cause, while with  the cause is indirect and implies a certain neglect or "allowing" it to happen. So for example one might say zwaartekracht doet dingen vallen "gravity makes things fall" but not zwaartekracht laat dingen vallen "gravity lets things fall". On the other hand, is the normal translation of English  (transitive).