_Zullen_ is a helper verb (a verb that works together with an infinitive, the basic verb form like _sturen_) with four jobs: promising (_Ik zal het morgen sturen_), suggesting (_Zullen we koffie drinken?_), guessing (_Dat zal wel kloppen_) and the formal future (_De trein zal later vertrekken_). For plain plans in everyday talk, Dutch usually prefers the present tense or [gaan](#/lesson/future-gaan), so _zullen_ tends to carry an extra message: I promise, shall we, or I suppose.
The pattern
_Zullen_ plus an infinitive at the end of the clause. In speech it usually adds a promise, an offer, a suggestion or a guess; as a neutral future it mostly belongs to formal and written Dutch.
- Forms: _ik zal_, _jij zult_ (in speech often _jij zal_), _hij zal_, _zij zal_, _het zal_, _wij zullen_, _jullie zullen_, _zij zullen_.
- The infinitive goes to the end: _Ik zal het morgen sturen._
- In a [subordinate clause](#/lesson/subordinate-clauses) (a side clause starting with a word like _dat_ or _omdat_), _zal_ moves to the end as well, usually right before the infinitive: _dat ik het morgen zal sturen_.
- Promise or decision: _ik zal_, _we zullen_.
- Offer: _Zal ik ...?_ Suggestion: _Zullen we ...?_
- Guess: _zal wel_ or _zullen wel_ plus an infinitive.
- Formal future: announcements, the news, letters from organisations.
Examples
| Ik zal het morgen sturen. | I will send it tomorrow. |
|---|---|
| Priya en Daan beloven dat ze de sleutel bij de buren zullen afgeven. | Priya and Daan promise that they will leave the key with the neighbours. |
| Zullen we zaterdag naar de markt gaan? | Shall we go to the market on Saturday? |
| Zal ik het raam even dichtdoen? | Shall I close the window? |
| Bas is er nog niet, die zal wel in de file staan. | Bas isn't here yet, probably stuck in traffic. |
| Fatima heeft de rekening gecontroleerd, dus dat zal wel kloppen. | Fatima has checked the bill, so it's probably correct. |
| Yara en Joris hebben de hele week nachtdienst gehad, dus ze zullen wel moe zijn. | Yara and Joris have worked night shifts all week, so they must be tired. |
| De trein naar Utrecht zal tien minuten later vertrekken. | The train to Utrecht will depart ten minutes later. |
| De gemeente zal u binnen vier weken een brief sturen. | The municipality will send you a letter within four weeks. |
Why it works this way
Here is a mental model that ties the four uses together: what follows _zullen_ is not a plain fact yet. It is something you vouch for, offer, suspect or officially announce. Compare:
- _Ik bel je morgen._ is simple information. _Ik zal je morgen bellen._ is a promise: you can hold me to it.
- _We gaan koffie drinken._ is already decided. _Zullen we koffie drinken?_ hands the decision to the other person.
- _Het restaurant is vandaag dicht._ is what you know. _Het restaurant zal vandaag wel dicht zijn._ is what you suppose.
English has no single word for all four jobs. For offers and suggestions, English often uses shall: _Zal ik?_ is Shall I? and _Zullen we?_ is Shall we? In promises and future statements, _zullen_ usually corresponds to will, and in guesses it often corresponds to probably or must. Beware the [false friend](#/lesson/false-friends) _wil_: it means want, so _Ik wil je bellen_ is I want to call you. German speakers, keep _worden_ for become and the passive; Dutch does not build its future with it.
Tone matters with _wel_. _Dat zal wel kloppen_ is a friendly guess, while _Dat zal wel._ on its own can sound sceptical, like if you say so.
The past form _zou_ has a lesson of its own: [Zou and zouden](#/lesson/zou-would).
Remember: your agenda speaks with the present tense or _gaan_; your promises, offers and hunches speak with _zullen_.
Watch out
- Not: _Ik zul je helpen._ Say: _Ik zal je helpen._ (the ik form is irregular: _zal_)
- Not: _Ik zal sturen het morgen._ Say: _Ik zal het morgen sturen._ (the infinitive goes to the end)
- Not: _Ik beloof dat ik zal het morgen sturen._ Say: _Ik beloof dat ik het morgen zal sturen._ (after _dat_, both verbs go to the end)
- Not: _Ik word je morgen bellen._ Say: _Ik zal je morgen bellen._ (_worden_ means become, it does not make a future)
Quick check
- Fill in the correct form of _zullen_: _Maak je geen zorgen, ik ... de kat eten geven._
- Mei and Ahmed are bored on a rainy Sunday. Mei asks: _... we pannenkoeken bakken?_ Choose _zal_ or _zullen_.
- Fix the word order: _Carlos zal bellen je vanavond._
- Joris is not at work today. Turn this fact into a guess with _zullen_ and _wel_: _Joris is ziek._
Answers
- _zal_: the ik form of _zullen_ is _zal_, not _zul_.
- _zullen_: _we_ needs the plural form, and this is a suggestion.
- _Carlos zal je vanavond bellen._ The infinitive goes to the end.
- _Joris zal wel ziek zijn._ _Zal wel_ makes it a guess, and _is_ becomes the infinitive _zijn_ at the end.
Use it today
Send one message today that makes a suggestion and a promise, for example to a colleague: _Zullen we vrijdag samen lunchen? Ik zal een tafel reserveren._