Adjusting a Chair's Height | Learn Dutch in English

Dutch lesson set in a contemporary Amsterdam everyday setting: In a language classroom, two adults talk about a chair that is too low and how to change its height..

EN → NL / Level: A1

About This Lesson

Use Adjusting a Chair's Height to practice Dutch conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

A

Deze stoel is te laag.

DAY-zuh STOOL iss tuh LAHKH. This chair is too low.
B

Je kunt de hoogte veranderen.

yuh KOONT duh HOHKH-tuh vuh-RAHN-duh-run. You can change the height.
A

Hoe doe ik dat?

HOO doo ik daht? How do I do that?
B

Druk op de knop onder de zitting.

DRUHK awp duh KNAWP ON-dur duh ZIT-ting. Press the button under the seat.
A

Dat is beter. Dank je wel.

DAHT iss BAY-tur. DAHNK yuh VEL. That is better. Thank you.
B

Zeg het me als het nog niet goed is.

ZEKH ut muh ahls ut nawkh neet KHOOT iss. Tell me if it is still not right.

Word by Word

Deze In “Deze stoel is te laag”, “Deze” means “this” and points to the chair being discussed. It comes before the noun it identifies, so this form is useful when indicating a particular nearby object or person.
stoel In “Deze stoel is te laag”, “stoel” means “chair”, the object whose height is being discussed. It can be used after a describing word such as “Deze” when identifying a specific chair in a room.
is In “Deze stoel is te laag”, “is” means “is” and links the chair with its description. This is the form of zijn used with “Deze stoel”; use it when describing what something is like or what condition it is in.
te In “Deze stoel is te laag”, “te” means “too” and shows that the chair’s low height is a problem. It is placed before the describing word, as in “te laag”, when something exceeds an acceptable limit.
laag In “Deze stoel is te laag”, “laag” means “low” and describes the chair’s height. It follows “te” here, and it is useful when describing the position or height of an object.
Je In “Je kunt de hoogte veranderen”, “Je” means “you” and refers to the person who can adjust the chair. It is the subject before “kunt”; the lowercase form “je” also appears in “Dank je wel” as part of addressing the person being thanked.
kunt In “Je kunt de hoogte veranderen”, “kunt” means “can” and expresses that the other person has the ability or option to change the height. It is the form of kunnen used with “Je” and is followed here by “de hoogte veranderen”; use this pattern to say what someone can do.
de In “de hoogte veranderen”, “de” means “the” and identifies a specific height, namely the chair’s height. It comes directly before the noun and is useful when referring to a particular thing already understood from the situation.
hoogte In “Je kunt de hoogte veranderen”, “hoogte” means “height”, referring to how high the chair is. It is used with “de” here and can be used when discussing the height of an object that needs adjusting.
veranderen In “Je kunt de hoogte veranderen”, “veranderen” means “change” and describes the adjustment that can be made to the chair’s height. It follows “kunt” in this sentence; this pattern is useful for saying that someone can change something.
Hoe In “Hoe doe ik dat?”, “Hoe” means “how” and asks about the method for carrying out the adjustment. It begins a question about how an action is done and is useful when asking for instructions.
doe In “Hoe doe ik dat?”, “doe” means “do” in the question about carrying out the adjustment. It is the form of doen used with “ik”; together with “Hoe” and “dat”, it asks how to perform a specific action.
ik In “Hoe doe ik dat?”, “ik” means “I” and identifies the person asking how to make the adjustment. It appears after “doe” in this question, and it is useful whenever the speaker describes their own action.
dat In “Hoe doe ik dat?”, lowercase “dat” means “that” and points to the adjustment just mentioned. In “Dat is beter”, capital “Dat” points to the result after the chair has been adjusted; this form is useful for referring back to an action, object, or situation already understood.
Druk In “Druk op de knop onder de zitting”, “Druk” means “press” and gives a direct instruction. It is the instruction form of drukken and is useful when telling someone how to operate a button or control.
op In “Druk op de knop”, “op” means “on” and identifies the surface or control being pressed. It follows “Druk” in this instruction, so the pattern is useful when directing someone to press a particular button.
knop In “Druk op de knop onder de zitting”, “knop” means “button”, the control that should be pressed. It follows “de” and is useful when identifying a button as part of practical instructions.
onder In “de knop onder de zitting”, “onder” means “under” and locates the button below the seat. It comes before the thing used as the reference point and is useful for describing where an object is located.
zitting In “onder de zitting”, “zitting” means “seat”, specifically the part of the chair beneath which the button is located. It is used with “de” here and can help identify a particular part of a chair or similar object.
beter In “Dat is beter”, “beter” means “better” and evaluates the chair’s condition after the adjustment. It is the comparative form related to “goed”; use it when a new situation is an improvement over the previous one.
Dank je wel “Dank je wel” is the complete expression meaning “thank you” in the dialogue. “Dank” expresses thanks, “je” refers to the person being thanked, and “wel” completes this conventional expression rather than adding a separate word-for-word meaning here; use the whole expression when politely thanking someone.
Zeg In “Zeg het me als het nog niet goed is”, “Zeg” means “tell” and gives the instruction to report the situation. It is the instruction form of zeggen and is useful when asking someone to communicate information to you.
het In “Zeg het me”, “het” means “it” and refers to the situation or result that should be reported. It is the thing being communicated to “me”, so this form is useful when referring to an understood matter rather than naming it again.
me In “Zeg het me”, “me” means “me” and identifies the person who should receive the information. It follows the thing being reported in this sentence and is useful when telling someone who should be informed.
als In “als het nog niet goed is”, “als” means “if” and introduces the condition under which the other person should speak. It is useful for giving instructions that apply only when a particular situation occurs.
nog In “het nog niet goed is”, “nog” means “still” and shows that the problem may continue after the adjustment. It is useful when checking whether an earlier condition remains.
niet In “het nog niet goed is”, “niet” means “not” and negates the description “goed”. It is placed before the describing word here and is useful when stating that something does not meet the expected condition.
goed In “het nog niet goed is”, “goed” means “right” or “correct” and describes whether the chair’s adjustment is satisfactory. With “niet”, it forms the condition “not right”; use it when checking whether something works or feels as it should.

Grammar Points

De gebiedende wijs: werkwoordstam

Druk.

DRUHK.

Press.

In Dutch, the informal imperative often uses the verb stem without a subject.

Dutch Vocabulary

beter adj
BAY-tur better
dank je wel phrase
DAHNK yuh VEL thank you Dank je wel
doen verb
DOON to do doe
drukken verb
DRUHK-un to press Druk
hoe adv
HOO how Hoe
hoogte noun
HOHKH-tuh height
knop noun
KNAWP button
laag adj
LAHKH low
onder prep
ON-dur under; beneath
stoel noun
STOOL chair
veranderen verb
vuh-RAHN-duh-run to change
zitting noun
ZIT-ting seat

Quiz

Word Order

Arrange the words in the correct order.

This chair is too low.

Show AnswerDeze stoel is te laag.

You can change the height.

Show AnswerJe kunt de hoogte veranderen.

How do I do that?

Show AnswerHoe doe ik dat?

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

height

Show Answerhoogte

under; beneath

Show Answeronder

to press

Show AnswerDruk

chair

Show Answerstoel