Introduction: Expressing Desire

Continuing with modal verbs, this chapter focuses on willen, which expresses desire or intention. It translates to "to want (to)" in English.

Important Note: Do not confuse Dutch willen with the English auxiliary verb "will" used for the future tense. While related historically, Dutch willen means "to want". The future tense in Dutch is often formed using zullen or simply the present tense with context.

Conjugation of willen in the Present Tense

Willen is also an irregular modal verb. Here is its present tense conjugation:

Pronoun	Conjugated Form	Translation
ik	wil	I want
jij/je	wilt / wil*	you want (inf. sg.)
u	wilt	you want (form.)
hij	wil	he wants
zij/ze (sg.)	wil	she wants
het	wil	it wants
wij/we	willen	we want
jullie	willen	you want (inf. pl.)
zij/ze (pl.)	willen	they want

Note on jij form: Similar to kunnen, both jij wilt and jij wil are commonly used for the informal singular "you want". wilt is technically the standard form, but wil is very frequent in speech and increasingly in writing.

Sentence Structure with willen

The sentence structure follows the same pattern as with kunnen and other modal verbs:

Subject + Conjugated willen + (Object/Adverbials/Rest of sentence) + Main Verb (infinitive)

1. willen is conjugated to match the subject.
2. The main verb (the action the subject wants to do) goes to the end of the clause.
3. The main verb stays in its infinitive form.

Examples:

• Simple: Ik drink koffie. (I drink coffee.)
• With willen: Ik wil koffie drinken. (I want to drink coffee.)

• Simple: Jij eet een appel. (You eat an apple.)
• With willen: Jij wilt (or wil) een appel eten. (You want to eat an apple.)

• Simple: Zij gaat naar huis. (She goes home.)
• With willen: Zij wil naar huis gaan. (She wants to go home.)

• Simple: Wij kopen een auto. (We buy a car.)
• With willen: Wij willen een auto kopen. (We want to buy a car.)

Using willen without a Main Verb

Sometimes, especially when the desired object is a noun, the main verb (like hebben - to have) is omitted if the meaning is clear.

• Ik wil koffie. (I want coffee.) - Implies Ik wil koffie hebben/drinken.
• Wat wil jij? (What do you want?)
• Wij willen thee. (We want tea.)

Questions with willen

Form yes/no questions by inverting the subject and the conjugated form of willen:

Conjugated willen + Subject + (Rest) + Main Verb (infinitive)?

• Statement: Jij wilt meegaan. (You want to come along.)
• Question: Wil(t) jij meegaan? (Do you want to come along?)

• Statement: Zij wil een boek lezen. (She wants to read a book.)
• Question: Wil zij een boek lezen? (Does she want to read a book?)

• Statement: Jullie willen helpen. (You want to help.)
• Question: Willen jullie helpen? (Do you want to help?)

Willen (to want) is used to express desires or intentions. Remember its irregular conjugation and the typical modal verb sentence structure: Subject + willen (conjugated) + ... + Main Verb (infinitive). Be careful not to use it for the future tense as you would in English.