Breakdown of Wir wollen das Weltall entdecken.
wir
we
wollen
to want
das Weltall
the universe
entdecken
to discover
Questions & Answers about Wir wollen das Weltall entdecken.
Does wollen mean "will" in English?
No, it's a classic "false friend"! wollen means "to want". If you want to say "We will discover the universe" (future tense), you would use the helping verb werden: Wir werden das Weltall entdecken.
Why is entdecken at the very end of the sentence?
This sentence uses the modal verb wollen (to want). In German, when you use a conjugated modal verb in the second position, the main action verb (entdecken) gets pushed to the very end of the sentence in its infinitive (dictionary) form.
How does the word Weltall literally translate?
das Weltall is a compound noun made of two words you might already know: die Welt (the world) and das All (space / the cosmos). Put together, it means the universe!
Is entdecken a separable verb?
No. The prefix ent- is always inseparable. Even though the verb is in its full infinitive form here, if you used it as a normal conjugated verb (like "I discover" - Ich entdecke), the ent- would stay securely attached to the front rather than moving to the end of the sentence.