Learn Hardcore Dutch: Ik wil niet gestoord worden tijdens het lezen. - I do not want to be disturbed while reading.

The speaker doesn’t care who does the disturbing—they just don’t want the action to happen. Dutch forms the passive with worden + past participle (gestoord). So Ik wil niet gestoord worden literally means “I don’t want to be disturbed,” with no need to name an agent.

How do you combine the modal verb willen with the passive infinitive? Why is there no te before gestoord worden?

In Dutch, a modal verb (like willen) is followed directly by the infinitive or passive infinitive without te. The structure here is:
• Subject (Ik)
• Modal (wil)
• Negation (niet)
• Passive infinitive (gestoord worden)
You never insert te between wil and gestoord worden.

Why is it gestoord worden and not worden gestoord in the infinitive construction?

In Dutch infinitive groups, the past participle comes immediately before the infinitive. So the passive infinitive is gestoord worden, while in a finite sentence you might say word ik gestoord (“am I disturbed”).

Why is niet placed before gestoord worden instead of at the very end of the sentence?

Niet negates the verb phrase, so it sits just in front of gestoord worden. Time or place expressions like tijdens het lezen usually come after the verb phrase, so niet must come first to correctly negate the action.

Can I move tijdens het lezen to the beginning of the sentence? What changes?

Yes. You can say:
“Tijdens het lezen wil ik niet gestoord worden.”
When you put tijdens het lezen first, the finite verb (wil) still occupies the second position (V2 rule), followed by the subject (ik).

What does tijdens mean, and could I use terwijl instead?

tijdens is a preposition meaning “during” and must be followed by a noun phrase (tijdens het lezen).
If you want a clause, use terwijl (“while”):
“Ik wil niet gestoord worden terwijl ik lees.”

Why is there a het before lezen in tijdens het lezen?

When you turn an infinitive into a noun phrase in Dutch (a gerund), it takes the neuter article het. So lezen becomes het lezen (“the reading”/“reading”).

Can I include an explicit agent (“by someone”) in this passive sentence?

Yes. Simply insert door + agent after the verb group:
“Ik wil niet door iemand gestoord worden tijdens het lezen.”

Could I instead say Ik wil niet dat ik gestoord word tijdens het lezen?

You can, but it’s longer and less idiomatic. Native speakers prefer the concise passive infinitive (Ik wil niet gestoord worden tijdens het lezen).