Questions & Answers about Ik wil graag rijden.
Why does the translation say 'would like' when wil means 'want'?
Is wil a future tense word like the English 'will'?
No, they look similar, but willen is a 'false friend'! In Dutch, willen (and its forms like wil) always means 'to want' or 'to desire'. If you want to talk about the future in Dutch, you must use a completely different verb.
Why is rijden placed at the end of the sentence?
This is an important rule in Dutch when using modal verbs like willen. The modal verb (wil) takes the normal second position in the sentence, but it pushes the main action verb (rijden) all the way to the very end.
Why doesn't rijden change to rijd to match ik?
Because the modal verb (wil) is already changed to match ik, the action verb (rijden) stays in its full dictionary form (the infinitive). You only conjugate the first verb in a Dutch sentence.
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