Reviewing together after class | Learn Dutch in English

Sentence explanations

1. Wat doe je na de les?

   What do you do after class?

   Wat

   what

   doe

   do

   je

   you

   na

   after

   les

   class; lesson

   More detail

   Wat asks about a thing, action, or information: “what”. In this sentence it asks which activity the listener does. Compare Wie? (“who?”, asking about a person) and Waar? (“where?”, asking about a place). doe is the present-tense form of doen (“to do”) used with ik in a statement and with an inverted je/jij subject in a question: ik doe, but je doet in a normal statement and doe je...? in a question. Dutch questions commonly place the finite verb before the subject. Example: Wat doe je vandaag? — “What are you doing today?” je is the unstressed subject form meaning “you”. Here it identifies the person or people being asked, while the form itself does not establish whether this means one person or more than one. The stressed form jij can be used for emphasis: Doe jij dat? — “Are you doing that?” na is a preposition meaning “after” when it places one event or time after another. It is followed here by the noun phrase de les. Example: na het werk — “after work.” les is a noun meaning “class” or “lesson” in this context. Its common-gender singular form is de les; the plural is de lessen. Example: De les begint om negen uur. — “The class starts at nine o’clock.” Together, Wat doe je asks what activity the other person or people do, and na de les places that activity after class. The complete utterance means: “What do you do after class?”

2. Ik blijf hier en herhaal.

   I stay here and review.

   Ik

   I

   blijf

   stay

   hier

   here

   en

   and

   herhaal

   review

   More detail

   Ik means “I”: the first-person singular subject pronoun. It identifies the speaker as the person doing both actions. A useful contrast is jij (“you,” singular informal), as in Jij blijft hier — “You stay here.” blijf means “stay” here. Its base form is blijven (“to stay”); blijf is the present-tense form used with ik: ik blijf. The form changes with the subject: wij blijven means “we stay.” hier means “here,” referring to the place relevant in the situation. It is an adverb, so it does not change for number or gender. For contrast, daar means “there.” en joins the two coordinated actions: “and.” The same subject ik applies to the second verb, so Dutch does not need to repeat the pronoun: Ik blijf hier en herhaal. herhaal means “review” in the supplied translation, with the sense of going over material again. Its base form is herhalen (“to repeat; to review”); ik herhaal is its present-tense first-person singular form. In another context, this verb can more literally mean “repeat,” but “review” is the intended meaning here. Example: Ik herhaal de woorden. — “I review the words.” Together, Ik blijf hier says “I stay here,” and en herhaal adds a second action performed by the same speaker: “and review.” The complete utterance means: “I stay here and review.”

3. Kunnen we dit lokaal nog even gebruiken?

   Can we use this room for a while longer?

   Kunnen we

   Can we

   dit

   this

   lokaal

   room

   nog even

   for a while longer

   gebruiken

   use

   More detail

   Kunnen we means “Can we”. kunnen is the present-tense form of kunnen (can/be able to) for we; in a yes/no question, the finite verb comes before the subject: Kunnen we ...? The following lexical verb remains an infinitive. Example: Kunnen we beginnen? — “Can we start?” dit means “this”. It is the demonstrative used here with the neuter singular noun lokaal (het lokaal), so the phrase is dit lokaal. Dutch also has deze for common-gender singular nouns and for plural nouns, but the choice depends on the noun’s grammatical class and number, not simply on physical proximity. lokaal is a noun meaning “room” here, specifically a room used for an activity such as a lesson. Its plural is lokalen. Example: Het lokaal is open. — “The room is open.” nog even contributes “for a while longer” in this sentence. nog indicates continuation, and even makes the duration sound short or limited; together they make the request less absolute than simply asking to use the room without a time indication. The exact duration is not specified. gebruiken is the infinitive “to use”. It is the lexical verb selected by the modal kunnen; Dutch places this infinitive at the end of this question. Example: We kunnen de computer gebruiken. — “We can use the computer.” Together, Kunnen we dit lokaal nog even gebruiken? asks whether the speakers are allowed or able to continue using this room for a little longer: “Can we use this room for a while longer?”

4. We kunnen hier na de les blijven.

   We can stay here after the lesson.

   We kunnen

   we can

   hier

   here

   na

   after

   les

   lesson

   blijven

   stay; remain

   More detail

   We kunnen means “we can” here. we is the first-person plural subject, and kunnen is the present-tense form of kunnen (“can; be able to”) used with we. In a modal construction, the other verb stays in the infinitive and comes later: We kunnen blijven = “We can stay.” Compare Ik kan blijven = “I can stay”; kan is the singular form used with ik, while kunnen is used here with we. hier means “here,” referring to the place relevant in the situation. It is a location adverb and does not change for number or gender. Example: We werken hier. — “We work here.” na means “after” when it places one event or time after another. It introduces the following time expression: na de les = “after the lesson.” A related contrast is voor (“before”): voor de les = “before the lesson.” les means “lesson” here. It is a noun; with the article in the utterance, de les is the definite noun phrase “the lesson.” Dutch nouns with de are commonly called de-words; the article is part of the noun phrase, while les itself names the lesson. Example: De les begint. — “The lesson begins.” blijven means “to stay” or “to remain.” It is the infinitive form, and it follows the modal verb kunnen: kunnen blijven = “can stay.” The related verb gaan means “to go,” so We kunnen gaan means “We can go,” not “We can stay.” Together, We kunnen + hier + na de les + blijven gives “We can stay here after the lesson.” The subject is “we”; the modal expresses ability or possibility, hier gives the place, na de les gives the time, and blijven names the action.

5. Dat is handig om te weten.

   That is helpful to know.

   om te

   to

   More detail

   Dat means “that” here and functions as the subject. In Dutch, dat is the neuter singular form of the demonstrative pronoun; it can refer to a thing, situation, or previously mentioned idea. Here, the fixed translation supports the general meaning “that,” without identifying a more specific noun. Compare dit, meaning “this,” for a nearer or more immediate reference. handig means “helpful” here, with the practical sense “useful” or “handy.” It is an adjective. A Dutch adjective used predicatively after zijn (“to be”) appears in its uninflected form: Dat is handig means “That is helpful.” Example: Deze tip is handig. — “This tip is useful.” om te introduces an infinitive construction. In handig om te weten, it connects the adjective handig with the action expressed by weten, giving the reusable pattern [subject] is [adjective] om te [verb]: “[subject] is [adjective] to [verb].” The te belongs to this infinitive construction; it is not equivalent to English “to” in every context. weten is the infinitive meaning “to know,” specifically knowing information or a fact. Its present-tense forms include ik weet (“I know”), jij weet (“you know”), and wij weten (“we know”). The singular present form is irregular: weet, while the plural retains weten. Do not confuse it with kennen, which is commonly used for being acquainted with a person, place, or thing. Example: Ik weet het antwoord. — “I know the answer.” Together, Dat is handig says “That is helpful,” and om te weten specifies what is helpful: knowing it. The complete utterance therefore means “That is helpful to know.”

6. Dan gaan we hier samen herhalen.

   Then let's review here together.

   Dan

   then

   gaan we

   let’s

   hier

   here

   samen

   together

   herhalen

   review; repeat

   More detail

   Dan means “then” here. It links this utterance to what has just been said and places the action afterward. The same word can also mean “than” in a comparison, but that is not its role here. gaan we contains gaan (“go”) and we (“we”). In this sentence, gaan is the first-person plural present form of gaan, with we as its subject. Together with the infinitive herhalen, the pattern we gaan + infinitive expresses what “we are going to” do. In this context, the fixed translation naturally renders it as “let’s review,” but it is not an imperative form by itself. After Dan at the beginning of the clause, Dutch places the finite verb before the subject: Dan gaan we .... hier means “here” and identifies the place associated with the activity. It does not itself express movement; the movement meaning of gaan is part of the verb, while here gaan helps form the “going to do” construction. samen means “together.” It shows that the participants do the action jointly. For example: We leren samen. — “We learn together.” herhalen is the infinitive meaning “to repeat” or, in this learning context, “to review.” Its base form is herhalen; after the finite form of gaan, it remains an infinitive and appears at the end of this clause. The word can refer to repeating something generally, while “review” is the suitable meaning for revisiting learning material. The sentence follows the reusable pattern Dan + finite verb + subject + place + together + infinitive: Dan gaan we hier samen herhalen. Literally, it presents the plan as “Then we are going to review here together,” which matches the natural intended meaning “Then let’s review here together.”