Breakdown of De bakker wilde ons gratis brood aanbieden.
het brood
the bread
willen
to want
de bakker
the baker
ons
us
Questions & Answers about De bakker wilde ons gratis brood aanbieden.
What part of speech is wilde, and why do we use wilde instead of wou?
wilde is the simple-past (imperfectum) form of the verb willen (“to want”) for singular subjects. In standard Dutch you say ik wilde, jij wilde, hij wilde, etc., and wij wilden for the plural. In informal speech many people say wou/wouden, but in writing and formal speech you stick with wilde/wilden.
Why is aanbieden written as one word, and when would the prefix aan split off?
aanbieden is a separable verb composed of the prefix aan + the root bieden. In the infinitive you write them together. In a main-clause finite form you split the prefix and move it to the end. For example:
• Present: De bakker biedt ons brood aan.
• Simple past: De bakker bood ons brood aan.
Why does the infinitive aanbieden appear at the end of the sentence?
Dutch main clauses follow the V2 (verb-second) rule: the finite verb (wilde) occupies the second position, and any infinitives or non-finite verbs go to the end. That’s why aanbieden ends up after the objects.
How can I tell if ons is a possessive pronoun or an object pronoun here?