Learn Hardcore Dutch: Zullen wij de film kijken zodra wij klaar zijn met het huiswerk? - Shall we watch the film as soon as we are done with the homework?

In Dutch, zullen is often used to express a future intention, roughly equivalent to “shall” or “will” in English. While sometimes the present tense can also indicate future actions in Dutch, zullen makes it clear that we’re talking about a plan or proposal for the future.

Why does the sentence start with Zullen wij instead of Wij zullen?

This is an example of inversion (switching the subject and the verb), which is common in yes/no questions in Dutch. For a question, you place the verb at the beginning, then the subject follows right after.

What does zodra mean, and how is it used in this sentence?

Zodra means “as soon as” in English. In the sentence, it introduces a time clause: “zodra wij klaar zijn met het huiswerk” means “as soon as we are done with the homework.” It links the moment the homework is finished to the action (watching the film).

Why do we say klaar zijn met something? Could we use another expression?

In Dutch, klaar zijn met literally means “to be ready with” and is the common way to say you have finished something. You can also use expressions like afmaken (“to finish”) in different contexts, but “klaar zijn met” is perfectly natural in everyday speech.

Is it common to use de film like “the movie” without specifying which one?

Dutch uses de for many nouns, and it can mean “the” in a general sense, not always referring to a specifically identified film. If the context is clear (like a film everyone already knows about), de film is perfectly fine. If it were a random, unspecified film, you might hear something like een film (“a movie”).

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