Learn Hardcore Dutch: Ik wil deze tekst foutloos schrijven. - I want to write this text without mistakes.

Wil is a modal verb. In Dutch, when you use a modal (like kunnen, moeten, willen, mogen, zullen), the modal takes the second position in the main clause, and the main verb (infinitive) goes to the end:

Ik wil deze tekst foutloos schrijven.
- wil = 2nd position (conjugated modal)
- schrijven = infinitive at the end

This is a standard Dutch word order pattern:
subject – [other parts] – conjugated verb (2nd) – [rest] – infinitive at the end.

Why don’t we use te before schrijven, like te schrijven?

With modal verbs such as kunnen, moeten, willen, mogen, zullen, Dutch does not use te before the infinitive:

✅ Ik wil deze tekst foutloos schrijven.
❌ Ik wil deze tekst foutloos te schrijven.

You do use te in other structures:

Ik probeer deze tekst foutloos te schrijven.
Om deze tekst foutloos te schrijven, moet ik goed opletten.

So the rule:

After willen, use the bare infinitive: willen + infinitive (no te).

Is foutloos an adjective or an adverb here?

Grammatically, foutloos is an adjective, but in this sentence it is used adverbially, describing how you write:

Deze tekst is foutloos. – Here foutloos is clearly an adjective describing tekst.
Ik wil deze tekst foutloos schrijven. – Here foutloos describes the manner of schrijven (write flawlessly).

In Dutch, many adjectives can also function as adverbs without changing form. There is no -ly ending like in English. So foutloos works both as “flawless” and “flawlessly,” depending on context.

Could I also say Ik wil deze tekst zonder fouten schrijven? Is there a difference?

Yes, you can say that. Both are correct:

Ik wil deze tekst foutloos schrijven.
Ik wil deze tekst zonder fouten schrijven.

The difference is nuance:

foutloos is a single word meaning flawless / error-free. It sounds a bit more compact and maybe slightly more formal or “neat.”
zonder fouten literally means without mistakes and sounds a bit more literal and neutral.

In most everyday contexts, they are interchangeable.

Why is it deze tekst and not dit tekst?

Dutch has two grammatical genders for nouns:

de-words (common gender)
het-words (neuter)

Tekst is a de-word: de tekst.
The demonstratives are:

For de-words: deze (this), die (that)
For het-words: dit (this), dat (that)

So you must say:

deze tekst – this text
die tekst – that text

Dit tekst is wrong because dit goes with het-words, like dit huis (this house).

Can I say Ik zou deze tekst foutloos willen schrijven? What’s the difference?

Yes, that sentence is correct, but the meaning shifts slightly.

Ik wil deze tekst foutloos schrijven.
- Direct, simple statement of desire: I want to write this text flawlessly.
Ik zou deze tekst foutloos willen schrijven.
- Literally: I would want to write this text flawlessly.
- Sounds more tentative, more polite, or more hypothetical.

In practice:

Use Ik wil… for a straightforward, neutral statement of what you want.
Use Ik zou … willen… (or Ik zou graag…) to sound softer, more polite, or to talk about a wish rather than a firm decision.

Could I drop wil and say Ik schrijf deze tekst foutloos?

You can say Ik schrijf deze tekst foutloos, but it doesn’t mean the same thing:

Ik wil deze tekst foutloos schrijven.
- Focus on your intention/desire: you want to write it without mistakes.
Ik schrijf deze tekst foutloos.
- Sounds like a statement of fact or a promise: I (will) write this text flawlessly / I’m (in the process of) writing this text flawlessly.

So:

Use Ik wil… when you’re talking about what you want to do.
Use Ik schrijf… when you’re describing what you do / are doing / will do, not the wish.

Can I also say Ik wil deze tekst foutloos opschrijven? What’s the difference between schrijven and opschrijven?

Yes, you can say that, and it is grammatically correct:

schrijven = to write (general)
opschrijven = to write down (onto paper, a document, a form, etc.)

Subtle difference:

Ik wil deze tekst foutloos schrijven.
- General act of writing the text (e.g. composing or typing it correctly).
Ik wil deze tekst foutloos opschrijven.
- Emphasises the act of writing it down, as in copying something or putting it onto a page or screen.

In many contexts they overlap, but opschrijven feels a bit more like recording something that already exists.

How would this sentence change in a subordinate clause, like “because I want to write this text flawlessly”?

In a subordinate clause, the conjugated verb goes to the end of the clause. With a modal + infinitive, you get a verb cluster at the end:

Main clause: Ik wil deze tekst foutloos schrijven.
Subordinate clause: … omdat ik deze tekst foutloos wil schrijven.
- omdat = because
- word order: subject (ik) → object (deze tekst) → adverb (foutloos) → schrijven (infinitive) → wil (conjugated modal last)

So the pattern is:
[subordinator] + subject + [rest] + infinitive + conjugated modal (last).

How do you pronounce Ik wil deze tekst foutloos schrijven naturally?

Approximate pronunciation (IPA-style):

Ik – /ɪk/ (like ik in ick but short)
wil – /ʋɪl/ (the w is a soft, almost v-like /ʋ/)
deze – /ˈdeː.zə/ (first syllable stressed, long ee sound)
tekst – /tɛkst/ (like English text, but a bit shorter)
foutloos – /ˈfɑʊt.loːs/ (first syllable stressed; ou like English out)
schrijven – /ˈsxrɛi̯.və(n)/
- schr = /sxr/ (a voiceless g
  - r)
- ij like English eye

In fluent speech, it flows as:
Ik wil deze tekst foutloos schrijven.
with main stress usually on foutloos or schrijven, depending on what you want to emphasize.