Breakdown of Wil je haar naam opschrijven?
willen
to want
de naam
the name
haar
her
je
you (unstressed form of jij)
opschrijven
to write down
Questions & Answers about Wil je haar naam opschrijven?
Why is opschrijven written as one solid word at the end of the sentence?
Opschrijven (to write down) is a separable verb. Normally, the prefix (op) splits off and moves to the end of the clause. But because we are using a modal verb here (wil), the main verb stays in its full, attached infinitive form at the very end of the sentence.
Why isn't the word order like English: "Wil je opschrijven haar naam?"
In Dutch, when you have a modal verb (wil) and a second verb (opschrijven), that second verb is pushed to the very end of the sentence. The object (haar naam) must be placed between the two verbs.
Why is it Wil je and not Wilt je?
The verb willen (to want) is slightly irregular. The standard forms are ik wil and jij wil (though jij wilt is also correct). When making a question, the verb comes before the subject, and the rule for je/jij is to drop any -t at the end of the verb. Therefore, it is always wil je.
How does the prefix op change the meaning of the verb?
The base verb schrijven simply means "to write." Adding the prefix op changes the meaning specifically to "to write down" or "to note down," just like adding "down" does in English.
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