Breakdown of Hoewel de reiziger niets wil aangeven, vermoeden zij dat hij wil smokkelen.
hij
he / it (referring to a 'de'-word)
zij
they
willen
to want
niets
nothing
dat
that (conjunction)
vermoeden
to suspect
hoewel
although
de reiziger
the traveler
aangeven
to declare
smokkelen
to smuggle
Questions & Answers about Hoewel de reiziger niets wil aangeven, vermoeden zij dat hij wil smokkelen.
Why does the second part say vermoeden zij (suspect they) instead of zij vermoeden?
Because the sentence starts with a subordinate clause (Hoewel... aangeven). In Dutch, this entire first clause acts as the first "block" of the sentence. To keep the main verb in the second position (the V2 rule), the verb vermoeden must come right after the comma, followed by its subject (zij).
Why are the verbs wil aangeven and wil smokkelen placed at the very end of their clauses?
Both hoewel (although) and dat (that) introduce subordinate clauses. In a Dutch subordinate clause, all verbs are pushed to the end. Since there are two verbs in each clause here (the modal verb willen and an infinitive), they cluster together at the end.
How would we change dat hij wil smokkelen into the perfect tense ("that he has wanted to smuggle") to practice this lesson's grammar?
You would say dat hij heeft willen smokkelen. This is the "double infinitive" rule you are learning. Normally, the perfect tense uses a past participle (like heeft gewild). But when a modal verb like willen is used alongside another verb (smokkelen), the past participle turns into an infinitive, giving you two infinitives at the end.
Aangeven (to declare) is a separable verb. Why isn't it split in this sentence?
Because it is used here in its full infinitive form after the modal verb wil (wants to). Separable verbs usually only split when they are the active, conjugated verb in a main clause. Since it is pushed to the end as an infinitive, it stays glued together as aangeven.
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