Basic invitations and shared action | Learn Dutch in English

Sentence explanations

1. Laten we nu gaan.

   Let us go now.

   Laten we

   let’s; let us

   nu

   now

   gaan

   go

   More detail

   Laten we is a fixed Dutch construction for making a suggestion that includes the speaker and others: “let us” or, naturally, “let’s.” It is followed by an infinitive: Laten we eten means “Let’s eat.” In the supplied context, Laten we samen eten shows the same reusable pattern with a different verb. nu means “now,” referring to the present time. It can be moved for emphasis in other sentences, but here it directly specifies when the suggested action should happen. gaan means “go” here. Its base form is the infinitive gaan; after Laten we, the infinitive is used without an extra marker. For example, Laten we wachten means “Let’s wait.” Together, Laten we gaan makes the suggestion “Let’s go,” and nu adds the time: “Let’s go now.”

2. Laten we samen eten.

   Let us eat together.

   Laten we

   let's; a suggestion to do something together

   samen

   together

   eten

   eat

   More detail

   Laten we is a fixed Dutch pattern for making a suggestion that includes the speaker and the addressee: “let us” or, naturally, “let’s.” The verb follows in the infinitive: Laten we gaan = “Let’s go,” and Laten we beginnen = “Let’s start.” Here, laten is part of the suggestion pattern; it is not being used with its separate meaning “to allow” or “to let” someone do something. samen means “together.” It describes the activity as shared by the people included in we. For example: We werken samen. = “We work together.” eten means “to eat.” This is the infinitive form, used after the suggestion pattern. A useful contrast is eten = “to eat” and eet = “eat/eats” in forms used in other sentence structures; the exact finite form depends on the subject and construction. Together, Laten we samen eten means “Let’s eat together”: Laten we introduces the suggestion, samen says that the activity is shared, and eten names the proposed activity. The wording is a direct, ordinary way to suggest this activity.

3. Laten we nu beginnen.

   Let us start now.

   Laten we

   let us

   nu

   now

   beginnen

   start; begin

   More detail

   Laten we is a reusable Dutch construction for making a joint suggestion: “let us …” or, naturally, “let’s …”. In this pattern, we refers to the speaker together with one or more other people, while laten is the form used in the suggestion construction. The next verb normally stays in the infinitive. nu means “now” and places the action at the current time. It can also appear elsewhere in a Dutch sentence when the intended emphasis or information order changes. beginnen means “to start” or “to begin” here. It is the infinitive used after laten we. Useful forms include beginnen (infinitive), ik begin (“I start”), and wij beginnen (“we start”); the vowel pattern changes in the singular form, so beginnen should not simply be treated as an unchanged form in every sentence. Together, laten we + nu + beginnen produces “Let us start now.” The construction proposes that the speaker and the other participant(s) begin at the present time. The same reusable pattern appears in Laten we samen eten (“Let us eat together”) and Laten we hier stoppen (“Let us stop here”).

4. Laten we hier stoppen.

   Let us stop here.

   Laten we

   let us; a suggestion construction

   hier

   here

   stoppen

   stop

   More detail

   Laten we is a reusable Dutch construction for making a suggestion together: “let us” or “let’s.” It is followed by an infinitive, the basic verb form. For example: Laten we beginnen. — “Let’s begin.” hier means “here,” referring to the place relevant in the situation. It is an adverb, so it does not change form for number or gender. Its opposite is daar, “there.” stoppen means “to stop.” In this sentence it is the infinitive required after Laten we; it names the suggested action rather than marking a separate person or tense. A related contrast is beginnen, “to begin.” Together, Laten we + stoppen makes the suggestion “let’s stop,” and hier specifies the place: “Let us stop here.”

5. Kom met mij mee.

   Come with me.

   Kom

   come

   met mij mee

   along with me

   More detail

   Kom is the imperative of komen, “to come.” The imperative addresses one or more people directly and gives a command or invitation. The present-tense form for “I come” is ik kom; the same form kom is used here as the direct command. met mij mee expresses moving along with the speaker: “with me.” Met means “with,” and mij is the stressed form of “me.” Dutch also has the unstressed object form me; mij gives stronger contrast or emphasis. Mee adds the sense of accompanying someone or going along, so it is an important part of this reusable pattern. Compare Kom mee. — “Come along.” Together, Kom + met mij mee means “Come with me.” The command is directed at the listener, and met mij mee specifies that the listener should accompany the speaker. Dutch commonly places mee after the accompanying phrase in this pattern: Kom met ons mee. — “Come with us.”

6. Wacht op mij.

   Wait for me.

   Wacht

   wait

   op mij

   for me

   More detail

   Wacht is the imperative of wachten (“to wait”). The infinitive ends in -en; the imperative uses the stem wacht: Wacht! = “Wait!” Here it is an instruction to the addressee, not the first-person present form “I wait.” op mij uses op with mij in the Dutch construction wachten op (“to wait for”). Mij is the stressed object form of “me”; the unstressed form me is also common in less emphatic speech. Example: Ik wacht op de bus. = “I am waiting for the bus.” Together, Wacht + op mij gives the complete instruction: “Wait for me.”