Wir wollen morgen den Antrag stellen.

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Questions & Answers about Wir wollen morgen den Antrag stellen.

Does German wollen mean English “will” here?

No. wollen means want/intend. The sentence states an intention. To talk about the future, German usually uses the present with a time word, or werden for an explicit future.

  • Intention: Wir wollen morgen den Antrag stellen.
  • Scheduled plan: Wir stellen morgen den Antrag.
  • Explicit future: Wir werden den Antrag morgen stellen.
Why is stellen at the end?

German main clauses are verb-second (V2): the conjugated verb goes in position 2, and any additional non-finite verb goes to the end. Here, wollen is finite (2nd position), so the infinitive stellen is sent to the clause-final position:

  • With modal: Wir wollen … den Antrag stellen.
  • Without modal: Wir stellen morgen den Antrag.
Why den Antrag and not einen/dem?
  • den Antrag = accusative singular masculine (direct object of stellen)
  • der Antrag (nominative) would be the subject
  • dem Antrag (dative) is used with certain prepositions or indirect objects Use einen Antrag if you mean an unspecified application. den Antrag implies a specific one known in context. Examples:
  • Subject: Der Antrag ist fertig.
  • Object: Wir stellen den Antrag.
  • Indefinite: Wir stellen morgen einen Antrag.
What does the set phrase einen/den Antrag stellen mean? Why stellen, not machen?

It’s the standard collocation for filing/submitting an official application or motion. German often uses a light-verb construction (etw. stellen) with a specific noun. einen Antrag machen sounds off in this context. Alternatives:

  • One-verb option: etw. beantragen (to apply for sth.) → Wir wollen morgen den Zuschuss beantragen.
  • More formal: einen Antrag einreichen/abgeben
Can I drop the article and say Wir wollen morgen Antrag stellen?
No. Countable singular nouns in German normally need an article. Say einen Antrag stellen (indefinite) or den Antrag stellen (definite).
Where can morgen go?

All of these are fine, with slight differences in emphasis:

  • Wir wollen morgen den Antrag stellen. (neutral/default)
  • Morgen wollen wir den Antrag stellen. (emphasizes time)
  • Wir wollen den Antrag morgen stellen. (emphasizes the object/action more than the time) General tip: time adverbials tend to appear early (Time–Manner–Place), but German word order is flexible.
Is Wir wollen … too blunt?

As a plan/intention, it’s fine: Wir wollen morgen …. But using ich will to request something from someone can sound blunt. For polite or formal contexts, consider:

  • Wir möchten morgen den Antrag stellen.
  • Wir werden den Antrag morgen einreichen.
  • Wir beabsichtigen/planen, den Antrag morgen zu stellen.
What’s the difference between Antrag stellen and beantragen?

They mean the same; beantragen is the one-verb alternative to the light-verb phrase:

  • Wir wollen morgen den Antrag stellen.
  • Wir wollen den Antrag morgen beantragen. Use whichever fits your style; beantragen is compact and common in writing.
Do I need zu before stellen?

Not after modal verbs. With modals (dürfen, können, mögen, müssen, sollen, wollen), the infinitive appears without zu:

  • Correct: Wir wollen den Antrag stellen. Use zu with non-modals:
  • Wir planen, den Antrag morgen zu stellen.
What is Antrag exactly, and what’s its gender/plural?

Antrag is a formal application/request/motion. It’s masculine: der Antrag. Plural: die Anträge.

  • Examples: ein Visumantrag, ein Förderantrag, ein Antrag im Parlament
Pronunciation tips for the sentence?
  • wollen: German w sounds like English v → roughly “vollen”
  • Antrag: stress first syllable; final -g is devoiced like -k → “AN-trak”
  • stellen: initial st- in Standard German is pronounced “sht-” → “shtellen”
  • morgen: straightforward “mor-gen” (hard g)
Does Antrag mean a marriage proposal here?
No. In this context it’s an official application. For marriage you say Heiratsantrag (and the verb is typically machen: einen Heiratsantrag machen, not stellen).
Why is Antrag capitalized but morgen not?
All nouns are capitalized in German: der Antrag. morgen here is an adverb (tomorrow) and is lowercase. At the start of a sentence, Morgen would be capitalized simply because it’s sentence-initial. Contrast with the noun der Morgen (the morning).
How would this look in a subordinate clause?

Both infinitives go to the end, with the finite verb at the very end:

  • …, weil wir den Antrag morgen stellen wollen. Without the modal:
  • …, weil wir den Antrag morgen stellen.
Is am Morgen the same as morgen?

No.

  • morgen = tomorrow
  • am Morgen = in the morning (of a given day) For tomorrow morning, say morgen früh or morgen Vormittag, e.g., Wir wollen morgen früh den Antrag stellen.