Breakdown of Ja, und wir wollen das Konzert planen.
und
and
ja
yes
wir
we
planen
to plan
wollen
to want
das Konzert
the concert
Questions & Answers about Ja, und wir wollen das Konzert planen.
Doesn't wollen sound like the English word 'will'? Does this sentence mean 'we will plan the concert'?
No, wollen is a false friend! It looks and sounds like 'will', but it actually means 'to want' or 'to have the intention to'. If you want to talk about the future ('we will plan'), you have to use a completely different German verb. This sentence strictly means 'we want to plan'.
Why is the verb planen at the very end of the sentence?
This is the golden rule for using modal verbs like wollen! The modal verb (wollen) is conjugated to match the subject and takes the normal second position in the sentence. It then kicks the main action verb (planen) all the way to the end in its basic, unchanged dictionary form.
Does the word und count as the first position in the sentence?
No, und is what we call a 'position zero' word. It connects ideas but doesn't take up a numbered slot in the sentence order. Because of this, the subject wir is in position 1, which keeps the verb wollen correctly in position 2.
Why is it das Konzert? Doesn't the article change when it is the direct object?
You are correct that the concert is the direct object (the accusative case) because it is the thing being planned. However, Konzert is a neuter noun, and the neuter article das stays exactly the same in the accusative case. Only masculine nouns change their article (from der to den) when they become direct objects.
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