Wij willen veel lezen zodat wij onze kennis verbeteren.

We want to read a lot so that we improve our knowledge.

Breakdown of Wij willen veel lezen zodat wij onze kennis verbeteren.

• wij: we
• lezen: to read
• onze: our
• veel: a lot
• willen: to want
• zodat: so that
• de kennis: the knowledge
• verbeteren: to improve

Questions & Answers about Wij willen veel lezen zodat wij onze kennis verbeteren.

Why is the pronoun wij used at both the start of the sentence and again before onze kennis?

In Dutch, repeating the subject pronoun can be very natural when introducing a new clause, such as with zodat. It clarifies who is performing the action in each part of the sentence.

Why do we say veel lezen instead of something like lezen veel?

Dutch places adverbs (or adverbial phrases) such as veel (meaning a lot or much) before the main verb in a simple construction. So you’ll see wij willen veel lezen rather than wij willen lezen veel.

What does zodat actually do in this sentence?

zodat means so that or in order that, and it introduces a clause that describes the purpose or result of the main action. Here, it explains why you want to read a lot: to improve your knowledge.

Why do we use onze instead of ons before kennis?

Whether you use ons or onze depends on the gender and number of the noun that follows. Kennis is a feminine/masculine (de) noun, so you use onze kennis. Ons would appear if the noun were a neuter (het) noun in the singular (e.g., ons boek).

Is there anything special about the verb verbeteren in this sentence?

Not particularly, other than it’s in the present tense to indicate an ongoing or habitual action. It means to improve, and it matches the subject wij. Though it might look like an infinitive form, in this sentence it is conjugated for wij in the present tense (the form just happens to be the same as the infinitive).