Log inSign up

Zou u mij willen terugbellen?

Zou u mij willen terugbellen?
Would you call me back?
From Lesson 380:Polite requests in the past tense·Dutch

Breakdown of Zou u mij willen terugbellen?

terugbellen
to call back

Questions & Answers about Zou u mij willen terugbellen?

Why is the past tense Zou used here when I am asking for a call back right now?
This is the tentative simple past. Just like in English ("Would you..." instead of "Will you..."), using the past tense of zullen makes the request softer, more tentative, and much more polite.
What role does willen play here? Does it mean "want"?
In this polite context, willen translates closer to "to be willing to". While Zou u mij terugbellen? simply means "Would you call me back?", adding willen softens it further, roughly meaning "Would you be willing to call me back?"
Why are both willen and terugbellen stacked at the very end of the sentence?
Because Zou is the conjugated verb in this yes/no question, it takes the first position. All other verbs (willen and terugbellen) are pushed to the end to form a verbal cluster. When stacking infinitives, the modal verb (willen) usually comes before the main action (terugbellen).
The verb terugbellen is separable. Why isn't it split up in this sentence?
Separable verbs only split when they are the conjugated verb matching the subject. Because Zou takes on that conjugated role here, terugbellen remains a full infinitive at the end of the sentence, keeping its prefix (terug) attached to the root (bellen).

Learn Zou u mij willen terugbellen 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
Start learning Dutch →