Breakdown of Ze willen misschien die gitaar kopen.
kopen
to buy
willen
to want
die
that / those (de-words and plurals)
de gitaar
the guitar
misschien
maybe
ze
they; she (unstressed form of zij) / them (object)
Questions & Answers about Ze willen misschien die gitaar kopen.
How do we know ze means "they" and not "she" here?
Look at the verb! Willen is the plural form (we/you all/they want). If ze meant "she", the verb would be singular: ze wil (she wants). Because we see the plural willen, ze has to mean "they".
Why is kopen (to buy) all the way at the end of the sentence?
This is the golden rule for modal verbs like willen (to want) and kunnen (to be able to). The modal verb takes the second spot in the sentence, and the main action verb (kopen) gets pushed to the very end in its full dictionary form.
The English sentence starts with "Maybe". Can I start the Dutch sentence with Misschien?
Yes, you can! But remember the Dutch rule that the conjugated verb must always be in the second position. If you put Misschien in spot number one, the verb willen stays in spot number two, and the subject pushes to spot three: Misschien willen ze die gitaar kopen.
Learn Ze willen misschien die gitaar kopen and more in Dutch
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free