Breakdown of Ich will das T-Shirt vorbestellen.
ich
I
wollen
to want
das T-Shirt
the T-shirt
vorbestellen
to pre-order
Questions & Answers about Ich will das T-Shirt vorbestellen.
Does will here mean the English future word will?
No. In German, will is the 1st person singular form of wollen, which means to want.
So:
- Ich will ... = I want ...
- not I will ... in the future sense
To talk about the future in German, you usually use werden, or very often just the present tense if the context is clear.
Examples:
- Ich werde das T-Shirt vorbestellen. = I will pre-order the T-shirt.
- Ich bestelle das T-Shirt morgen vor. = I’m pre-ordering the T-shirt tomorrow.
Why is vorbestellen at the end of the sentence?
Because will is a modal verb. In German, when you use a modal verb like wollen, the other verb usually goes to the end of the clause in the infinitive form.
So the pattern is:
subject + modal verb + object + main verb at the end
Here:
- Ich = subject
- will = modal verb
- das T-Shirt = object
- vorbestellen = infinitive at the end
That is why the sentence is Ich will das T-Shirt vorbestellen.
Why is there no zu before vorbestellen?