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21
Infinitive
constructions
144
Sanne heeft dat kunnen zien aankomen.
Sanne could see that coming.
Note the consistency in the word order. The helping verb of the present
perfect hebben is the conjugated verb in second place. Within the
infinitive group, the proper modal verb comes first, the verb that can function
as a modal verb comes second, and the main verb is always last.
Sentences with two modal auxiliary verbs in the present perfect are less
common in speech. In speech, we prefer to use the simple past of the modal
verb:
Johan kon niet blijven eten. Johan couldn’t stay for dinner.
Erik wilde de auto niet laten Erik didn’t want to have the car
repareren. fixed.
Sanne kon dat zien aankomen. Sanne could see that coming.
The sentences with zullen in the future tense (again, in the form of a hypothesis
with wel or misschien) can also combine a group of three infinitives
at the end.
Johan zal wel niet kunnen blijven eten.
Johan probably can’t stay for dinner.
Erik zal misschien niet willen gaan vissen.
Maybe Erik won’t want to go fishing.
Sentences with zou in combination with one modal verb and a main verb
have three infinitives at the end of the sentence when used in the past
perfect.
Erik zou graag hebben willen vissen. Erik would have liked to fish.
Ik zou hebben moeten werken. I should have worked.
Note that such sentences are less common in speech. Instead of using zou
with three infinitives at the end, we might use the proper past perfect form:
had with two.
Erik had graag willen vissen. Erik would have liked to fish.
Ik had moeten werken. I should have worked.
However, sentences with zou in combination with two modal verbs and a
main verb in fantasy or wishful thinking or in a friendly (or formal) question
or suggestion are quite common in Dutch, in speech and writing. See
also the chapter on the conditional.