Questions & Answers about Ik wil soep proeven.
Why isn’t there te before proeven like in English “to taste”?
In Dutch, modal verbs like willen, kunnen, and moeten are immediately followed by the bare infinitive—you never insert te. So you say ik wil proeven, not ik wil te proeven.
Why is the word order Ik wil soep proeven instead of Ik wil proeven soep?
Dutch main clauses obey the V2 rule: the finite verb (wil) must occupy the second position. After subject (Ik) and finite verb (wil), you place other elements in a logical sequence—here the object (soep) comes before the infinitive (proeven).
What is the difference between proeven and eten?
Proeven means “to taste” or “to sample,” implying you’re just trying it. Eten means “to eat,” i.e. consuming a meal. So Ik wil soep proeven is “I want to taste soup,” not necessarily eat a full bowl.
Why is there no article before soep in Ik wil soep proeven?
Here soep is used as a mass noun in general—like “some soup” or “soup in general”—so no article is needed. If you want to refer to a specific soup, you’d use the definite article: Ik wil de soep proeven.