What does 'ik wil X worden' mean in Dutch?
Wedstrijd voor jonge uitvinders in Technopolis
A2 Dutch listening practice · Flemish Dutch · Picked for people who know a little
The Dutch ik wil X worden construction is how speakers describe future-self ambitions. Worden literally means to become, and Dutch uses it where English uses to be: Ik wil dokter worden (I want to be a doctor), Ik wil uitvinder worden (I want to be an inventor), Ik wil ouder worden (I want to grow older). Dutch worden keeps the becoming visible.
This Karrewiet clip from Technopolis (Flanders' science discovery center) catches kids pitching their inventions and dream careers: « Ik wil graag een uitvinder worden » (I want to be an inventor), « Ik wil een researcher worden » (I want to be a researcher), « Ik wil een ingenieur worden, zodat ik machines kan bouwen » (I want to be an engineer so I can build machines).
How common are the words?
How common are the words in this A2 Dutch listening practice video?
How common in written Dutch
How common in spoken Dutch
Harder words in this video
These words are harder than A2. Here is what they mean.
Source: wordfreq 3.1.1 (general) · SUBTLEX-NL 2014 (spoken). These numbers are close, not perfect.
- ▸In Dutch school career-day events and pre-university orientation at Technopolis (Mechelen) and NEMO Science Museum (Amsterdam) where kids pitch their futures
- ▸In Dutch and Flemish kids' programming on Ketnet and NTR Schooltv on NPO where the wat wil je later worden? question opens countless segments
- ▸In Dutch parenting content on Ouders van Nu and Klasse when columnists ask whether to push worden toward STEM or art
- ▸In Dutch HR and recruiting copy on Indeed.nl and LinkedIn where job ads pitch Word X bij ons (become X with us) as the headline