Breakdown of Waarmee zal hij nu bezig zijn?
zijn
to be
hij
he / it (referring to a 'de'-word)
nu
now
zullen
shall / will
waarmee
with what
bezig
busy (occupied, engaged)
Questions & Answers about Waarmee zal hij nu bezig zijn?
Why is zal used here if the sentence isn't about the future?
In Dutch, the modal verb zullen (here conjugated as zal) isn't just for the future tense. It is frequently used to express an assumption, a probability, or a guess about the present. By using zal, the speaker is wondering: 'What do you suppose he is doing right now?'
How does waarmee translate to 'what ... with'?
In Dutch, you generally cannot use a preposition right before 'what' (you wouldn't say met wat). Instead, wat becomes waar, and the preposition attaches to it. So met (with) + wat (what) becomes the single word waarmee (with what).
Where is the word for 'with' in the phrase bezig zijn?
The standard Dutch expression is ergens mee bezig zijn (to be busy with something). In this question, the 'with' (met/mee) has already been combined into the question word waarmee at the start of the sentence, so you don't need to add another preposition later on.
Why is zijn placed at the very end of the sentence?
This is standard Dutch sentence structure. Because zal is the conjugated verb matching the subject hij, it takes the position right after the question word waarmee. Any other verbs, such as the infinitive zijn, are pushed to the very end of the clause.
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