Log inSign up

Dat zal vermoedelijk de inbreker zijn.

Dat zal vermoedelijk de inbreker zijn.
That is presumably the burglar.
From Lesson 180:Probability and assumption (zullen)·Dutch

Questions & Answers about Dat zal vermoedelijk de inbreker zijn.

Why does the sentence use zal (will) when the English translation just says 'is'?
In Dutch, zullen isn't only used for the future tense. As this lesson shows, it is very commonly used to express an assumption or probability about the present. By saying Dat zal... zijn, you are expressing 'I assume that is...' or 'That is probably...'.
Since zal already shows probability, is the word vermoedelijk redundant?
It might seem like it, but adding an adverb like vermoedelijk (presumably), vast (surely), or waarschijnlijk (probably) alongside zullen is very common. It reinforces the assumption and makes the sentence sound much more natural to a Dutch speaker.
Does vermoedelijk mean the exact same thing as waarschijnlijk?
They are very close synonyms, but vermoedelijk comes from the verb vermoeden, which means 'to suspect' or 'to presume'. This makes it a perfect word choice for a sentence about a suspected inbreker (burglar), whereas waarschijnlijk just means 'probably'.
Why is the verb zijn placed at the very end of the sentence?
This follows the standard Dutch word order rule for modal verbs that you learned in earlier levels. The conjugated modal verb (zal) takes the second position in the sentence, which pushes the main infinitive verb (zijn) to the very end of the clause.

Learn Dat zal vermoedelijk de inbreker zijn 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
Start learning Dutch →