Tom wil zijn boek terugkrijgen.

Tom wants to get his book back.

Breakdown of Tom wil zijn boek terugkrijgen.

• Tom: Tom
• het boek: the book
• zijn: his
• willen: to want
• terugkrijgen: to get back

Questions & Answers about Tom wil zijn boek terugkrijgen.

Why is it wil and not will or wilt?

Dutch has the verb willen (to want), and it’s conjugated like this in the present tense:

• ik wil – I want
• jij / je wilt (or wil after inversion) – you want
• hij / zij / Tom wil – he / she / Tom wants
• wij / jullie / zij willen – we / you (pl.) / they want

So with Tom (3rd person singular), you must use wil, not wilt.
Will (with double l) is English, not Dutch, and doesn’t exist as a correct Dutch form here.

Does wil mean the same as English will (future tense)?

No. This is a classic false friend.

• Dutch wil = wants (expressing desire or intention)
• English will usually forms the future tense

Tom wil zijn boek terugkrijgen. = Tom wants to get his book back.
It does not simply mean “Tom will get his book back.”

Is zijn here the verb to be (zijn), or the possessive his?

In Tom wil zijn boek terugkrijgen, zijn is the possessive pronoun meaning his.

It’s spelled the same as the infinitive of to be (zijn), but:

• As a possessive: it comes before a noun (zijn boek = his book).
• As the verb to be: it would be the main verb and would not be directly followed by a noun like this.

So here, grammar and position make it clear that zijn = his, not to be.

Why is it zijn boek and not something like het boek van hem?

Both are possible, but they’re used differently:

• zijn boek = his book (normal, neutral, most common way)
• het boek van hem = the book of him / the book belonging to him

Het boek van hem is usually used:

• for emphasis (e.g., to contrast with someone else’s book)
• in spoken language when you stress hem: Dat is het boek van hém, niet van jou.

In a simple sentence like this, zijn boek is the natural choice.

Why is terugkrijgen written as one word?

Terugkrijgen is a separable verb:

• base verb: krijgen (to get, receive)
• separable prefix: terug (back)
• combined meaning: to get back / to get something back

In the dictionary and in infinitive form (after another verb like wil), separable verbs are written as one word:

• terugkrijgen (to get back)
• opbellen (to call up)
• meedoen (to participate)

So in Tom wil zijn boek terugkrijgen, the infinitive stays together at the end, therefore one word: terugkrijgen.

Can I write Tom wil zijn boek terug krijgen with a space?

In standard written Dutch, that spelling is incorrect here.

Rule for separable verbs:

• As an infinitive or in the dictionary: one word → terugkrijgen
• When the verb is conjugated and the prefix “jumps” away: two words → Tom krijgt zijn boek terug.

So:

• ✔ Tom wil zijn boek terugkrijgen.
• ✔ Tom krijgt zijn boek terug.
• ✘ Tom wil zijn boek terug krijgen. (incorrect spelling in standard Dutch)

Why does terugkrijgen go to the end of the sentence?

Dutch word order with a modal verb (like wil) works like this:

1. The conjugated (finite) verb goes in second position: here, wil.
2. The full verb (infinitive) goes at the end of the clause: here, terugkrijgen.

Basic pattern:
[Subject] + [finite verb] + ... + [infinitive]

So:

• Tom (subject)
• wil (finite verb, 2nd position)
• zijn boek (object)
• terugkrijgen (infinitive, at the end)

That’s why we get: Tom wil zijn boek terugkrijgen.

What’s the difference between Tom wil zijn boek terugkrijgen and Tom krijgt zijn boek terug?

They describe different things:

• Tom wil zijn boek terugkrijgen.
  = Tom wants to get his book back.
  Focus: his desire or wish.

• Tom krijgt zijn boek terug.
  = Tom is getting / will get his book back.
  Focus: the fact that it (is) actually happening.

So the first talks about what Tom wants, the second about what actually occurs (or is planned/expected).

Could you also say Tom wil zijn boek terug without krijgen?

You can say Tom wil zijn boek terug, and it will usually be understood as “Tom wants his book back,” but:

• Tom wil zijn boek terugkrijgen. is more complete and precise, especially in careful or written Dutch.
• Tom wil zijn boek terug. is more colloquial, slightly shorter, often used in speech.

Grammatically, in Tom wil zijn boek terug, terug functions more like an adverb modifying the idea of having the book again, while terugkrijgen explicitly encodes the action “get back.”

Where would I put graag if I want to say “Tom would like to get his book back”?

You insert graag near the modal verb wil. Common options:

• Tom wil graag zijn boek terugkrijgen.
• Tom wil zijn boek graag terugkrijgen.

Both are correct. The first (Tom wil graag...) is the most natural and common.
Graag softens the wish and sounds more polite, like English would like.

How would this change in the plural, for example “Tom and Anna want to get their book back”?

Two main changes: the verb willen and the possessive pronoun.

• Subject: Tom en Anna → 3rd person plural
• Verb: willen (not wil)
• Possessive for plural owners: hun (their)

So:
Tom en Anna willen hun boek terugkrijgen.

If they each have their own book (plural books), you’d usually say:
Tom en Anna willen hun boeken terugkrijgen.

How do you pronounce wil, zijn, and terugkrijgen?

Approximate English-based hints (not IPA-perfect, but helpful):

• wil

  • Similar to English “will”, but shorter and a bit tenser.

• zijn (his)

  • Sounds like “zine” (rhymes with wine), with a voiced z at the start.

• terugkrijgen

  • terug ≈ te-RUkh
    
    • te like the te in terrible
    • rug has a guttural g at the end (like the ch in German Bach)
  • krijgen ≈ KRAI-ghen
    
    • krai rhymes with cry
    • final g again guttural, -en is weak, almost like uhn.

Spoken together: te-RUkh-KRAI-ghen, with the stress typically on krijg-.