Breakdown of Zullen we vanavond afspreken, omdat we willen bijpraten?
willen
to want
vanavond
tonight
zullen
shall / will
we
we (unstressed form of wij)
Questions & Answers about Zullen we vanavond afspreken, omdat we willen bijpraten?
Why do we use Zullen we to say 'Shall we meet'?
The phrase Zullen we is the standard way to suggest or propose an activity in Dutch, just like 'Shall we' or 'Let's' in English. Because zullen acts as a modal verb here, it pushes the main verb (afspreken) to the end of that part of the sentence.
Could I use ontmoeten instead of afspreken to say 'meet' here?
Not naturally. Afspreken specifically means to meet up by prior arrangement or to make a date. Ontmoeten is mostly used for meeting someone for the first time, or bumping into someone by chance.
Why are the verbs willen and bijpraten grouped at the very end?
The word omdat (because) introduces a subordinate clause. This type of clause forces all of its verbs to the end. Since there are two verbs in this part (willen and bijpraten), they cluster together at the end of the sentence.
Is it also correct to say omdat we bijpraten willen?
Yes, it is! When you have a conjugated verb and an infinitive at the end of a subordinate clause, you can put the conjugated verb (willen) either before or after the infinitive (bijpraten). Both are perfectly fine, though willen bijpraten is often preferred in modern spoken Dutch.