Ik zal het gedicht binnen drie dagen uit mijn hoofd leren.

I will learn the poem by heart within three days.

Breakdown of Ik zal het gedicht binnen drie dagen uit mijn hoofd leren.

• ik: I
• leren: to learn
• de dag: the day
• zullen: will
• het gedicht: the poem
• drie: three
• binnen: within
• uit mijn hoofd: by heart

Questions & Answers about Ik zal het gedicht binnen drie dagen uit mijn hoofd leren.

What does binnen drie dagen mean in this sentence?

Binnen drie dagen is an adverbial phrase meaning “within three days.” It tells you that the speaker will finish memorizing the poem at some point before the end of the third day, counted from now.

How is binnen drie dagen different from in drie dagen and over drie dagen?

• Binnen drie dagen = within three days (any time before the third day is up)
• In drie dagen = in three days’ time, focusing on the duration needed to complete something (it will take exactly three days)
• Over drie dagen = in three days (pointing to a moment three days from now)
  Each one shifts the nuance between deadline, duration, and a future point in time.

What does uit mijn hoofd leren literally mean, and why is it used here?

Literally “to learn out of my head,” this is the standard Dutch idiom for “to memorize” or “to learn by heart.” You often see it with school subjects or poems: Ik leer de woorden uit mijn hoofd = “I’m memorizing the words.”

Why does the infinitive leren appear at the very end of the sentence?

In Dutch main clauses with an auxiliary or modal verb (here zal) the finite verb stays in second position, and any other verbs (infinitives) go to the end as a block. The structure is:

1. Subject (Ik)
2. Finite verb (zal)
3. Objects/adverbials (het gedicht … binnen drie dagen … uit mijn hoofd)
4. Non-finite verb cluster (leren).

Why is zullen used here instead of just using the present tense?

Dutch often uses the present tense for near‐future actions, but zullen + infinitive is the standard way to form a clear future tense. It also carries a sense of intention or promise. If you said Ik leer het gedicht… it could still mean “I’m planning to learn the poem…,” but Ik zal het gedicht… leren explicitly signals “I will (definitely) memorize the poem…”

Why is the poem introduced with het gedicht instead of de gedicht?

Gedicht is a neuter noun in Dutch, so its definite article is het, not de. You always say het gedicht, het boek, het kind, etc.

Could you use een gedicht instead of het gedicht here?

Yes, but it changes the nuance:

• Ik zal een gedicht… leren = “I will learn a (some) poem by heart,” you’re not specifying which poem.
• Ik zal het gedicht… leren = “I will learn the (specific, known) poem by heart.” Use het if both speaker and listener know which poem you mean.