Breakdown of Weet je waarom de heks het gif heeft willen maken?
hebben
to have
maken
to make
willen
to want
het
it
waarom
why
weten
to know (a fact)
je
you (unstressed form of jij)
de heks
the witch
het gif
the poison
Questions & Answers about Weet je waarom de heks het gif heeft willen maken?
Why does the sentence use willen instead of the past participle gewild?
When a modal verb like willen is used in the perfect tense along with another verb (maken), Dutch uses the infinitive form instead of the past participle. This creates a double infinitive (willen maken).
Usually, the conjugated verb goes at the very end of a subordinate clause. Why does heeft come before the other verbs here?
This is the exact rule for double infinitives! In a subordinate clause with a double infinitive, the conjugated auxiliary verb (here, heeft) must be placed right in front of the infinitives. It cannot go at the very end.
Could I change the order to willen maken heeft?
No, that is incorrect. While you can swap the verb order at the end of a subordinate clause when there is a regular past participle (like heeft gemaakt or gemaakt heeft), double infinitives are strict. The auxiliary heeft must lead the cluster.
Does het gif mean the gift?
No, het gif is a false friend! In Dutch, it means poison or toxin. If you want to say the gift, you would use het cadeau or het geschenk.
Why is there no te before maken?
Modal verbs like willen (to want), kunnen (to be able to), and mogen (to be allowed to) never take te before the infinitive that follows them.
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