Almal wil vroeg vertrek.

to want

Breakdown of Almal wil vroeg vertrek.

• vertrek: to leave
• vroeg: early
• almal: all (people)

Questions & Answers about Almal wil vroeg vertrek.

What does almal mean, and is it singular or plural?

Almal means everyone / everybody / all people.

It refers to a group, but it is often understood as a single collective subject, much like English everyone. In this sentence, that does not affect the verb form very much, because Afrikaans verbs usually do not change form for different subjects.

So:

• Almal wil vroeg vertrek = Everyone wants to leave early

Is wil the same as English will?

No. Wil in Afrikaans usually means want to, not the future marker will in English.

So:

• Ek wil gaan = I want to go
• Sy wil slaap = She wants to sleep

If you want to express the future in Afrikaans, you often use sal:

• Almal sal vroeg vertrek = Everyone will leave early

That makes wil a very important false friend for English speakers.

Why is there no word for English to before vertrek?