Wij zullen een film kijken na het avondeten.

We will watch a movie after dinner.

Breakdown of Wij zullen een film kijken na het avondeten.

• wij: we
• na: after
• zullen: will
• kijken: to watch
• de film: the film
• het avondeten: the dinner

Questions & Answers about Wij zullen een film kijken na het avondeten.

Is there any difference between using "wij" and "we"?

Wij and we both mean "we," but wij is the more emphatic form. Native speakers often use we in everyday speech. You might choose wij to stress "we" in contrast to someone else.

Why do we use "zullen" here instead of other verbs like "gaan" or "willen"?

Zullen is commonly used to form the future tense in Dutch, similar to "will" in English. Gaan also indicates the future, but it often carries a sense of immediate intent (“going to”), while willen means "to want." Since this sentence simply states a future plan, zullen is a natural choice.

Why do we say "een film kijken" instead of something like "kijken naar een film"?

In Dutch, it's typical to say een film kijken (literally "a film watch") rather than kijken naar een film ("watch to a film"). While kijken naar is correct in some contexts (like "look at something"), the expression een film kijken is the standard idiomatic way to say "watch a movie."

Why is the verb "kijken" placed at the end of the clause "Wij zullen een film kijken na het avondeten"?

In sentences with an auxiliary verb like zullen (or gaan, willen, etc.), the main verb typically goes to the end in Dutch. So you get Wij zullen ... kijken rather than placing kijken immediately after the subject.

Does the phrase "na het avondeten" follow normal word order for time expressions?

Yes, time expressions like na het avondeten often come at the end in Dutch word order after the subject, auxiliary, object, and main verb. You can shift them toward the front, but the most common position is indeed at or near the end of the sentence.