About This Lesson
Use Trying on shoes to practice Dutch conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.
Dialogue
A
Deze schoenen zien er comfortabel uit.
DAY-zuh SKHOO-nuhn ZEEN air kom-for-TAH-bul OWT. These shoes look comfortable.
B
Ze zijn gemaakt voor lange wandelingen.
ZUH ZAIN guh-MAHKT fohr LAHNG-uh VAHN-duh-ling-uhn. They are made for long walks.
A
Kan ik ze hier passen?
KAHN ik ZUH heer PAH-suhn? Can I try them on here?
B
Gebruik dit bankje als je ze aantrekt.
guh-BROYK dit BAHNG-kyuh als yuh ZUH AHN-trekt. Use this bench while you put them on.
A
Ze voelen een beetje klein aan.
ZUH VOO-luhn uhn BAY-chuh klain ahn. They feel a little small.
B
Probeer dit grotere paar.
proh-BAYR dit GROH-tuh-ruh pahr. Try this larger pair.
A
Dit paar zit beter.
dit pahr zit BAY-tur. This pair feels better.
B
Die maat zit goed.
dee maht zit KHOOT. That size looks right on you.Word by Word
Deze
In "Deze schoenen zien er comfortabel uit", "Deze" means "these" and points to the shoes being discussed. It comes before the noun "schoenen". Use it when indicating nearby items, such as the shoes a customer is looking at.
schoenen
In "Deze schoenen zien er comfortabel uit", "schoenen" means "shoes". It is the item being judged for comfort and later tried on. Use it when talking about footwear in a shop or about walking.
zien
In "Deze schoenen zien er comfortabel uit", "zien" helps express how the shoes appear: they look comfortable. The expression uses "zien", "er", and "uit" around an adjective. Use this construction when describing how something appears to you.
er
In "Deze schoenen zien er comfortabel uit", "er" is part of the expression that means the shoes look comfortable; it does not mean a physical "there" here. It occurs between "zien" and the description. Use the same position when describing how something appears.
comfortabel
In "Deze schoenen zien er comfortabel uit", "comfortabel" means comfortable and describes how the shoes appear. It is the adjective placed inside the appearance expression. Use it when commenting positively on shoes, clothing, furniture, or another item.
uit
In "Deze schoenen zien er comfortabel uit", "uit" completes the expression that says how something looks or appears. Its meaning here comes from the whole expression with "zien" and "er", not from a separate meaning of "uit". Use it at the end of this kind of appearance expression.
Ze
In "Ze zijn gemaakt voor lange wandelingen", "Ze" refers to the shoes and means "they". It is the subject of the sentence. The same Dutch form appears as lowercase "ze" in "Kan ik ze hier passen?", where it means "them"; use the form according to its position in the sentence.
zijn
In "Ze zijn gemaakt voor lange wandelingen", "zijn" means "are" and links the shoes with their purpose. The reusable expression "zijn gemaakt voor" introduces what something is intended for. Use it when explaining the purpose of a product.
gemaakt
In "Ze zijn gemaakt voor lange wandelingen", "gemaakt" means "made" and describes the shoes as intended for long walks. It is used with "voor" to introduce the purpose. Use this expression when describing what an item is made for.
voor
In "Ze zijn gemaakt voor lange wandelingen", "voor" means "for" and introduces the intended use of the shoes. It follows "gemaakt" in this purpose expression. Use it when saying what an item or activity is intended for.
lange
In "lange wandelingen", "lange" means "long" and describes the walks. It appears directly before "wandelingen". Use it when describing walks that take a long time or cover a long distance.
wandelingen
In "Ze zijn gemaakt voor lange wandelingen", "wandelingen" means "walks". It is the activity these shoes are intended for. Use it when discussing walking plans or suitable footwear.
Kan
At the start of "Kan ik ze hier passen?", "Kan" means "can" and begins a request for permission. The question pattern starts with "Kan ik". Use it in a shop when asking whether you may do something.
ik
In "Kan ik ze hier passen?", "ik" means "I" and identifies the person asking to try on the shoes. It follows "Kan" in this request. Use it when making a request about your own action.
hier
In "Kan ik ze hier passen?", "hier" means "here" and identifies the place where the customer wants to try on the shoes. It appears before "passen". Use it when asking about or indicating the place for an action.
passen
In "Kan ik ze hier passen?", "passen" means "try on" in this shoe-shop context. The shoes are the thing being tried on. Use it when asking to check clothing or shoes before buying them.
Gebruik
In "Gebruik dit bankje als je ze aantrekt", "Gebruik" means "use" and tells the customer what to do with the bench. It appears at the beginning of the instruction. Use it when directing someone to use a particular object.
dit
In "Gebruik dit bankje als je ze aantrekt", "dit" means "this" and points to the nearby bench. It comes before "bankje". Use it when indicating one specific object close to the speaker.
bankje
In "Gebruik dit bankje als je ze aantrekt", "bankje" means "bench" and names the seat used while putting on the shoes. It is the object of "Gebruik". Use it when referring to a bench in a shop or another place.
als
In "Gebruik dit bankje als je ze aantrekt", "als" means "while" or "when" and connects using the bench with putting on the shoes. It introduces the clause about the timing of the action. Use it to connect an action with the time or condition in which it happens.
je
In "als je ze aantrekt", "je" means "you" and identifies the person putting on the shoes. It comes before the action in this clause. Use it when giving someone instructions about what they do.
aantrekt
In "als je ze aantrekt", "aantrekt" means "put them on" and refers to putting on the shoes. The shoes are represented by "ze" before this form. Use it when telling or describing someone putting on clothing or footwear.
voelen
In "Ze voelen een beetje klein aan", "voelen" means "feel" and describes the sensation the shoes give the wearer. It works together with "aan" in this expression. Use this construction when reporting how an item feels when worn or touched.
een
In "een beetje klein", "een" contributes to the expression meaning "a little". It does not carry the full amount meaning by itself here. Use the complete expression to soften a description, as in the comment that the shoes are slightly small.
beetje
In "een beetje klein", "beetje" contributes the meaning "a little" and makes the description less strong. Together with "een", it modifies "klein". Use this expression when giving a mild or limited description.
klein
In "Ze voelen een beetje klein aan", "klein" means "small" and describes the shoes as slightly too small. It follows "een beetje" in the description. Use it when commenting on the size of an item.
aan
In "Ze voelen een beetje klein aan", "aan" completes the expression used to describe how the shoes feel. It is not translated separately as "on" here. Use it with this expression when reporting the feel of an object or item being worn.
Probeer
In "Probeer dit grotere paar", "Probeer" means "try" and gives the customer a suggestion or instruction. It comes before the pair being recommended. Use it when suggesting that someone test an item or option.
grotere
In "dit grotere paar", "grotere" means "larger" and identifies the pair as larger than the pair tried before. It describes "paar". Use it in a shop when comparing an item with one that is too small.
paar
In "Probeer dit grotere paar", "paar" means "pair" and refers to the two shoes as one set. It is the item the customer is asked to try. Use it when discussing shoes as a matching set.
zit
In "Dit paar zit beter", "zit" helps express how well the pair fits or feels when worn. The meaning comes from the whole expression with "beter". Use this expression when comparing the fit of different shoes or clothing items.
beter
In "Dit paar zit beter", "beter" means "better" and compares this pair with the earlier pair. It says that the current pair feels or fits more satisfactorily. Use it when choosing between options and reporting an improvement.
Die
In "Die maat zit goed", "Die" means "that" and points to the specific size being discussed. It comes before "maat". Use it when referring back to an identified item or option.
maat
In "Die maat zit goed", "maat" means "size". The sentence says that this size fits well. Use it in a shop when discussing whether a particular size is suitable.
goed
In "Die maat zit goed", "goed" means "well" or "right" in the expression describing fit. Together with "zit", it says that the size fits properly. Use this expression when approving the fit of shoes or clothing.
Grammar Points
er ... uitzien
Deze schoenen zien er comfortabel uit.
DAY-zuh SKHOO-nuhn ZEEN air kom-for-TAH-bul OWT.These shoes look comfortable.
The separable verb uitzien is split: zien comes early and uit goes at the end.
lange + meervoudig zelfstandig naamwoord
voor lange wandelingen
fohr LAHNG-uh VAHN-duh-ling-uhnfor long walks
Before a plural noun, the adjective usually takes -e: lange wandelingen.
Dutch Vocabulary
comfortabel
adj
kom-for-TAH-bul
comfortable
deze
det
DAY-zuh
these
gemaakt
verb
guh-MAHKT
made
hier
adv
heer
here
ik
pron
ik
I
lange
adj
LAHNG-uh
long
passen
verb
PAH-suhn
try on
schoenen
noun
SKHOO-nuhn
shoes
voor
prep
fohr
for
wandelingen
noun
VAHN-duh-ling-uhn
walks
ze
pron
ZUH
they; them
zien er comfortabel uit
phrase
ZEEN air kom-for-TAH-bul OWT
look comfortable
Quiz
Word Order
Arrange the words in the correct order.
These shoes look comfortable.
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Deze schoenen zien er comfortabel uit.They are made for long walks.
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Ze zijn gemaakt voor lange wandelingen.Can I try them on here?
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Kan ik ze hier passen?Spelling
Tap the letters to spell the word.
made
Show Answer
gemaaktlong
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langethese
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dezefor