Breakdown of De inbreker zal vanavond vermoedelijk ergens inbreken.
vanavond
tonight
ergens
somewhere
zullen
shall / will
vermoedelijk
presumably
de inbreker
the burglar
inbreken
to break in
Questions & Answers about De inbreker zal vanavond vermoedelijk ergens inbreken.
Why use zal here if he presumably breaks in? Doesn't zal just mean future tense?
While zullen often indicates the future, it is also frequently used to express an assumption or probability. By saying zal ... inbreken, the speaker is making a strong guess. The word vermoedelijk (presumably) reinforces that this is an assumption, not an absolute certainty.
Is there a good way to remember the word vermoedelijk?
Yes! It comes from the verb vermoeden, which means to suspect or to presume. The suffix -lijk is like the English -ly or -able, making vermoedelijk mean presumably.
Why is the word order exactly vanavond vermoedelijk ergens?
This follows the standard Dutch word order rule of Time-Manner-Place (TMP). Here, vanavond (tonight) is the Time, vermoedelijk (presumably) acts as the Manner, and ergens (somewhere) is the Place.
The verb inbreken is separable. Why aren't the parts separated in this sentence?
Because of the modal verb zal. When you use a modal verb in Dutch, the main verb is pushed to the very end of the sentence as a full, unbroken infinitive. So inbreken stays together as one word, instead of splitting into breekt ... in like it would in a simple present tense sentence.
Learn De inbreker zal vanavond vermoedelijk ergens inbreken 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