Breakdown of Zullen we hier aanbellen?
hier
here
zullen
shall / will
we
we (unstressed form of wij)
aanbellen
to ring the bell
Questions & Answers about Zullen we hier aanbellen?
Is aanbellen acting as an impersonal imperative here, like on a sign?
No, in this sentence aanbellen is just a standard infinitive because it comes after the modal verb zullen. However, if you saw a physical sign on a door that just said Hier aanbellen (Ring bell here), that would indeed be the impersonal imperative taught in this lesson!
Since aanbellen is a separable verb, why isn't it split up in this sentence?
Separable verbs only split when they act as the conjugated main verb in a main clause, such as Wij bellen hier aan (We ring the bell here). In our sentence, zullen is the conjugated verb, which forces aanbellen to the very end of the sentence in its full, unsplit infinitive form.
Why use zullen here instead of just asking Bellen we hier aan?
Starting a question with Zullen we followed by an infinitive is the standard Dutch way to make a suggestion together, just like saying "Shall we..." or "Let's..." in English. Asking Bellen we hier aan? sounds more like a factual question ("Are we supposed to ring the bell here?") rather than a suggestion.
What is the difference between bellen and aanbellen?
While bellen can mean to ring a generic bell, it is most commonly used to mean making a phone call. By adding the prefix aan, the verb aanbellen specifically means to ring a doorbell at a house or building entrance.
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