Ik wil een oud pand kopen.

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Breakdown of Ik wil een oud pand kopen.

• oud: old
• kopen: to buy
• willen: to want

Questions & Answers about Ik wil een oud pand kopen.

What does the word ik mean in this sentence?

Ik is the Dutch subject pronoun meaning “I” in English.

What is the role of the word wil in this sentence?

Wil is the conjugated form of the verb willen, which means “to want.” In this sentence, it expresses the speaker’s desire.

Why is the main verb kopen placed at the end of the sentence instead of immediately after the subject?

In Dutch, when a modal verb like willen is used, the main (non-finite) verb—here, kopen—is customarily positioned at the end of the sentence. This is a common word order rule in Dutch modal constructions.

What does the phrase een oud pand mean, and why doesn’t the adjective oud have an -e ending?

The phrase een oud pand translates to “an old building” or “an old property.” The adjective oud appears without an -e ending because pand is a neuter singular noun. In Dutch, when a neuter noun is preceded by the indefinite article een (without any additional modifiers), the adjective remains in its base form.

How would you negate the sentence to say you do not want to buy an old building?