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willen
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
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See also: Willen
Dutch
Etymology
From Middle Dutch willen, from Old Dutch willen, from Proto-West Germanic *willjan, from Proto-Germanic *wiljaną, from Proto-Indo-European *welh₁-. The variant past forms with ou go back to early Middle Dutch wolde(n), following the regular shift old, olt > oud, out.
Pronunciation
Verb
willen
- (transitive) to want, desire
- Ik wil een ijsje. ― I want ice cream.
- Wil je dat ik langskom? ― Do you want me to come by? (literally, “Do you want that I come by?”)
- (modal) to want to, will, be willing to
- Hij wil gaan slapen. ― He wants to go to sleep.
- (by ellipsis) to want to go somewhere (cf. English want in)
- Ze wilden het huis in. ― They wanted to get into the house. (literally, “They wanted into the house.”)
- (in the past tense or conditional) to wish, would like, would (as in dated English I would that)
- Ik wou dat ik dat kon. ― I wish I could do that. (literally, “I would that I could that.”)
Conjugation
- In the second-person singular present both jij wilt and jij wil are considered standard, the latter being more informal.
- In the third-person singular present only hij wil is standard, but hij wilt may be heard colloquially.
- In the past tense both wilde(n) and wou(den) are standard, the latter being more informal and perhaps somewhat regional. There is also a difference insofar as the singular wou is significantly more common than the corresponding plural wouden.
Derived terms
Descendants
References
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German
Etymology
Reflecting the oblique form of Wille due to the preposition um. This etymology is incomplete. You can help Wiktionary by elaborating on the origins of this term.
Pronunciation
Postposition
willen
- only used in um … willen
Related terms
Further reading
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Middle Dutch
Etymology
From Old Dutch willen, from Proto-West Germanic *willjan.
Verb
willen
Inflection
This verb needs an inflection-table template.
Descendants
Further reading
- “willen”, in Vroegmiddelnederlands Woordenboek, 2000
- Verwijs, E.; Verdam, J. (1885–1929), “willen”, in Middelnederlandsch Woordenboek, The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff, →ISBN
Middle English
Etymology 1
From Old English willan, wyllan (“to want, intend, be willing”), from Proto-West Germanic *willjan, from Proto-Germanic *wiljaną (“to want”).
Alternative forms
Verb
willen (third-person singular simple present wille, present participle willynge, first-/third-person singular past indicative and past participle wolde)
- to want something, wish for something
- to be willing, consent, agree
- to intend to do something, plan something
- to mean, signify something
- to direct, give directions
- to require, demand, dictate
- to be pleased with, like
- (auxiliary) A modal verb with several meanings:
- Expresses purpose, intent: will
- Expresses willingness: will
- Expresses certainty: will
- Expresses habitual action: will
- Expresses ability, capability: will, can
- Expresses futurity: shall, will
- Expresses expectation, conjecture: will
- Expresses imminence, impendence: will, to be about to
- Expresses a suggestion, proposal: let's
- Expressing a modest, polite wish: would like
- Expresses hypotheticals: might
- Expresses possibility, probability: to be likely to, may
Conjugation
1 Sometimes used as a formal 2nd-person singular.
Quotations
- c. 1360s (date written), Geffray Chaucer [i.e., Geoffrey Chaucer], “The Romaunt of the Rose”, in [William Thynne], editor, The Workes of Geffray Chaucer Newlye Printed, […], [London: […] Richard Grafton for] Iohn Reynes […], published 1542, →OCLC:
- I love no man in no gise, / That woll me reprove or chastise.
- (please add an English translation of this quotation)
Descendants
References
- “willen, v.(1).”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.
Etymology 2
From Old Norse; cognate with Faroese, Icelandic villa (“to stray, err”).
Verb
willen (third-person singular simple present willeth, present participle willende, willynge, first-/third-person singular past indicative and past participle willed)
References
- “willen, v.(2).”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.
Etymology 3
Alternative forms
Verb
willen
- present indicative/subjunctive plural of willen (“to want”)
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Old Dutch
Etymology
From Proto-West Germanic *willjan, from Proto-Germanic *wiljaną.
Verb
willen
Conjugation
Descendants
Further reading
- “willen”, in Oudnederlands Woordenboek, 2012
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Old English
Verb
willen
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