wil

Wil is a verb meaning "to want" in Dutch and Afrikaans. In Dutch, it is the present tense form of willen and is used as the first-person singular ik wil and the third-person singular hij/zij/het wil; the present-tense forms for other subjects are wij willen, jullie willen, en zij willen. In Afrikaans, wil also means "to want" and has the same present-tense forms: ek wil, jy wil, hy wil, sy wil, ons wil, julle wil, hulle wil.

Etymology and cognates: Wil is cognate with English will and German wollen/wollen, all rooted in a common Proto-Germanic heritage that expresses desire or volition. The Dutch and Afrikaans forms are direct descendants of this family and retain the same basic meaning of wanting or willing.

Usage and examples: Wil expresses volition or desire rather than necessity. It is commonly followed by an infinitive, as in Ik wil graag een kopje koffie (I would like a cup of coffee) or Ik wil gaan (I want to go). In questions, it forms with subject-verb inversion: Wil je meegaan? (Do you want to come along?). To express a polite or hypothetical preference, Dutch often uses zou willen, as in Ik zou graag een kopje koffie willen (I would like a cup of coffee). In Afrikaans, similar constructions apply: Ek wil graag, Wil jy saamgaan?

Noun use: In Dutch, wil can also function as a noun meaning "will" or "volition," as in de wil om te slagen or een sterke wil. This nominal use is less frequent in everyday speech but appears in formal or literary contexts.