Tom wil vanavond overwerken.

Tom

Breakdown of Tom wil vanavond overwerken.

• willen: to want
• vanavond: tonight
• overwerken: to work overtime

Questions & Answers about Tom wil vanavond overwerken.

Does wil mean future tense like English “will”?

No. wil is the present-tense form of willen and means wants (to), not future. To express the future, Dutch typically uses:

• gaat: Tom gaat vanavond overwerken. (Tom is going to work overtime tonight.)
• zal: Tom zal vanavond overwerken. (Tom will work overtime tonight; more formal/predictive.) Often simple present is enough for future plans: Tom werkt vanavond over.

Why is it Tom wil and not Tom wilt?

Because the 3rd person singular of willen is wil (no -t). Present conjugation:

• ik wil
• jij/je wil or wilt (both common; after inversion: wil je?)
• hij/zij/het wil
• u wilt (also wil in informal speech)
• wij/jullie/zij willen

Why is overwerken at the end of the sentence?

Dutch main clauses are verb-second. With modal verbs (like wil), the full verb stays as an infinitive at the end: Subject + finite verb (V2) + … + infinitive at the end.

• Tom wil … overwerken.

Is overwerken a separable verb? How does that affect word order?