Breakdown of Hij zal vast iets raars achterlaten.
hij
he / it (referring to a 'de'-word)
zullen
shall / will
iets
something
raar
weird / strange
vast
definitely, for sure
achterlaten
to leave behind
Questions & Answers about Hij zal vast iets raars achterlaten.
Why is zal used here with vast? Does it mean the future tense?
While zullen often translates to "will" for the future tense, here it expresses a strong assumption or probability. Combined with the adverb vast (surely / certainly), Hij zal vast... means "He will surely..." or "I strongly assume he is going to...".
Why does raar have an -s at the end in iets raars?
When you use words like iets (something), niets (nothing), or veel (much) followed by an adjective, that adjective gets an -s added to the end. So, iets raars means "something weird".
Is achterlaten a separable verb? Why isn't it split up in this sentence?
Yes, achterlaten (to leave behind) is a separable verb made of achter + laten. However, because the modal verb zal takes the conjugated second position in the sentence, the main verb achterlaten is pushed to the very end as a full, attached infinitive.
Could I use zeker instead of vast in this sentence?
Yes! Vast and zeker are very often used interchangeably to mean "surely" or "certainly" when making assumptions. You might even hear them combined for extra emphasis: Hij zal vast en zeker iets raars achterlaten.
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