Ik wil vanavond mijn kleren klaarleggen.

I want to lay out my clothes tonight.

Breakdown of Ik wil vanavond mijn kleren klaarleggen.

• ik: I
• willen: to want
• mijn: my
• vanavond: tonight
• de kleren: the clothes
• klaarleggen: to lay out

Questions & Answers about Ik wil vanavond mijn kleren klaarleggen.

Why does the verb klaarleggen come at the very end of the sentence?

Dutch has a common pattern: the conjugated verb goes in second position, and any other verbs go to the end of the clause.

• Ik (1st element)
• wil (conjugated verb, 2nd element)
• vanavond mijn kleren (middle part)
• klaarleggen (infinitive at the end)

Because wil is conjugated (from willen), it must stand in second position. Klaarleggen is the infinitive, so it is pushed to the end.

This happens with:

• modal verbs (willen, moeten, kunnen, mogen, zullen)
• gaan, laten, blijven, etc.

Examples:

• Ik moet morgen werken. – I have to work tomorrow.
• We gaan straks koken. – We are going to cook later.

What exactly does wil mean here? Is it like English “will” or “want”?

In this sentence, wil is from the verb willen, which means “to want”, not the English future “will”.

• Ik wil vanavond mijn kleren klaarleggen.
  = I want to lay out my clothes tonight.

If you want to express the future in Dutch, you normally use:

• gaan: to be going to
  Ik ga vanavond mijn kleren klaarleggen.
• or sometimes zullen:
  Ik zal vanavond mijn kleren klaarleggen.

So:

• wil = want (expresses desire/intention)
• ga / zal = (often) future

Why is klaarleggen written as one word, and how does it work in other tenses?

Klaarleggen is a separable verb: klaar + leggen.

• In the infinitive or after a modal verb, it’s written as one word:

  • Ik wil mijn kleren klaarleggen.
  • Ik moet alles klaarleggen.

• In a simple present main clause, the parts split:

  • Ik leg vanavond mijn kleren klaar.
    (verb leg in second position, particle klaar at the end)

• In the perfect tense, it joins again (but with ge- in the middle):

  • Ik heb mijn kleren klaargelegd.

So the pattern is:

• infinitive / at the end of a clause: klaarleggen
• main clause, present: leggen … klaar
• perfect participle: klaargelegd

Is the word order Ik wil vanavond mijn kleren klaarleggen fixed, or can I move vanavond somewhere else?

You can move vanavond; Dutch word order is flexible, but the meaning/emphasis can change slightly.

All of these are grammatically correct:

1. Ik wil vanavond mijn kleren klaarleggen.
   (neutral: This evening I want to lay out my clothes.)

2. Ik wil mijn kleren vanavond klaarleggen.
   (slight focus that the time is this evening, not another time.)

3. Vanavond wil ik mijn kleren klaarleggen.
   (stronger emphasis on “Tonight” – maybe contrasting with another day.)

General guideline:

• A common order for adverbials is Time – Manner – Place:
  • Ik wil vanavond thuis rustig eten.
    (Time: vanavond, Place: thuis, Manner: rustig)

Why is it mijn kleren and not just kleren? Could I leave out mijn?

You normally use a possessive pronoun like mijn (my) with clothes, because you’re talking about your clothes, not just any random clothes.

• Ik wil vanavond kleren klaarleggen.
  This is grammatically possible but sounds like “I want to lay out some clothes tonight” (unspecified whose, or some clothes in general).

• Ik wil vanavond mijn kleren klaarleggen.
  This is the natural way to say you’re preparing your clothes.

In everyday spoken Dutch, mijn is often reduced to m’n:

• Ik wil vanavond m’n kleren klaarleggen.
  (Very common in speech, informal in writing.)

What’s the difference between kleren and kleding?

Both relate to clothes, but they’re used differently:

• kleren

  • common, everyday word for clothes
  • plural noun
  • used like: mijn kleren, schone kleren, vieze kleren

• kleding

  • more general/collective, sometimes a bit more formal
  • uncountable in most uses
  • used like: werkkleding, sportkleding, kinderkleding

In this sentence, mijn kleren is the most natural choice:

• Ik wil vanavond mijn kleren klaarleggen.
  (I want to lay out my clothes tonight.)

You could say mijn kleding in some contexts, but it sounds more like “my wardrobe/my clothing in general” than specific items you’re laying out for tomorrow.

Is klaarleggen reflexive, like “to get myself ready”? Do I need a word like mezelf?

No, klaarleggen is not reflexive. It simply means “to lay (something) out / to put something ready” and takes a direct object:

• Ik leg mijn kleren klaar. – I lay out my clothes.
• Kun je de borden klaarleggen? – Can you lay out the plates?

You would only use a reflexive pronoun for verbs that describe an action on yourself, like:

• Ik kleed me aan. – I get dressed.
• Ik bereid me voor. – I prepare myself.

So your sentence is correct without any reflexive pronoun:

• Ik wil vanavond mijn kleren klaarleggen.

How do you pronounce the tricky sounds in klaarleggen?

Key points:

• aa in klaar

  • a long “a” sound, similar to the “a” in British English father, but a bit tenser.
  • one long vowel, not “a-a”.

• g in leggen

  • a guttural sound made in the back of the throat.
  • similar to the “ch” in Scottish loch or German Bach.
  • both g’s in leggen are pronounced this way.

Syllables:

• klaar – one syllable, long vowel.
• leg-gen – two syllables, with a short e in each; gg is pronounced like one strong /ɣ/ sound.

Can I say the sentence without mijn kleren, like Ik wil vanavond klaarleggen?

Grammatically, you can say Ik wil vanavond klaarleggen, but it sounds incomplete in normal conversation because klaarleggen almost always needs an object (what are you laying out?).

Native speakers would expect you to mention the thing:

• Ik wil vanavond mijn kleren klaarleggen.
• Ik wil vanavond alles voor morgen klaarleggen.

You could omit the object only if it’s very obvious from context, or in short answers:

• Wat ga je doen? – What are you going to do?
  Klaarleggen. – (I’m going to) lay things out.

Could I use another verb instead of klaarleggen, like klaarzetten or voorbereiden? Would that change the meaning?

Yes, but the nuance changes a bit:

• klaarleggen

  • specifically: to lay out items, often flat on a surface (bed, table, chair).
  • very natural for clothes.

• klaarzetten

  • to set something ready, often upright objects or things you place somewhere.
  • OK for clothes, but more often for items like glasses, chairs, equipment:
    • Ik zet de stoelen klaar. – I set the chairs ready.

• voorbereiden

  • to prepare (more general, can be abstract).
  • Ik wil vanavond mijn kleren voorbereiden is unusual; you’d more likely say:
    • Ik wil me voorbereiden. – I want to prepare myself.
    • Ik wil alles voor morgen voorbereiden.

For the idea “I want to lay out my clothes for tomorrow”, klaarleggen is the most natural and specific verb.