Planning tomorrow's breakfast groceries | Learn Dutch in English

Sentence explanations

1. Wat zullen we vandaag kopen?

   What should we buy today?

   Wat

   what

   zullen we

   shall we

   vandaag

   today

   kopen

   buy

   More detail

   Wat asks for an unspecified thing or things: “what?”. It can be used at the start of a question when the requested information is the object of the action. Example: Wat lees je? — “What are you reading?” zullen we combines zullen, the present-tense form used here with we, and the subject pronoun we (“we”). In this question, zullen we ...? proposes or asks about a joint action, matching “should we ...?” in the fixed translation. In a yes/no question, the finite verb comes before the subject: Zullen we gaan? — “Shall we go?” The infinitive follows it: zullen we kopen. vandaag is the adverb “today”, referring to the current day. It can also appear elsewhere in a Dutch sentence when the intended time is clear; here it specifies when the proposed buying would happen. Example: We werken vandaag. — “We are working today.” kopen is the infinitive “to buy”. After zullen, Dutch uses the infinitive for the proposed action. Its present-tense forms include ik koop (“I buy”), we kopen (“we buy”), and zij kopen (“they buy”); the observed form kopen is not itself marked for the subject here because zullen carries the finite verb position. Example: We willen brood kopen. — “We want to buy bread.” Together, Wat asks what the action concerns, zullen we presents the action as a joint proposal, vandaag sets the time, and kopen names the action. The complete utterance means: “What should we buy today?” In context, it is a reusable way to ask jointly which item or items to buy on the current day.

2. We hebben dingen nodig voor het ontbijt van morgen.

   We need things for tomorrow's breakfast.

   We

   we

   hebben … nodig

   need

   dingen

   things

   voor

   for

   het ontbijt

   the breakfast

   morgen

   tomorrow

   More detail

   We is the first-person plural pronoun, meaning the speaker together with at least one other person. It is used with the plural verb form hebben. Example: We kopen brood. — “We buy bread.” hebben ... nodig is the reusable Dutch construction for “to need.” In this sentence, the needed item, dingen, comes between the verb and nodig: We hebben X nodig. The form hebben is the present-tense form used with we; compare ik heb (“I have”) and hij heeft (“he has”). Here, the two words together express need, rather than simply possession. dingen means “things” here. Its base form is the singular noun ding; dingen is its plural. Example: We kopen twee dingen. — “We are buying two things.” voor means “for” and introduces what something is intended for. It is followed here by the noun phrase het ontbijt van morgen. Example: Dit cadeau is voor jou. — “This gift is for you.” het ontbijt means “the breakfast.” ontbijt is the noun “breakfast,” and het is its definite article. The article belongs to the noun phrase; it does not itself state a numerical quantity. Example: Het ontbijt is klaar. — “Breakfast is ready.” morgen means “tomorrow” and is a time word. In het ontbijt van morgen, van morgen specifies which breakfast: the breakfast associated with tomorrow, hence “tomorrow’s breakfast.” Example: Morgen werken we. — “Tomorrow we are working.” Together, We hebben dingen nodig says “We need things.” voor introduces the purpose or occasion, and het ontbijt van morgen identifies that occasion as tomorrow’s breakfast. The complete utterance therefore means: “We need things for tomorrow’s breakfast.”

3. Dan hebben we brood en boter nodig.

   Then we need bread and butter.

   Dan

   then

   hebben … nodig

   need

   brood

   bread

   boter

   butter

   More detail

   Dan means “then” here: it places this need in sequence with something already being discussed. It can also mean “than” in comparisons, but that is a different use. Example: Dan ga ik naar huis. — “Then I’ll go home.” hebben ... nodig is the Dutch construction for “to need.” Its two parts are separated in this sentence: hebben is the finite verb, while nodig comes at the end. The base form is hebben (“to have”); in the present tense, the form agrees with the subject: ik heb, jij hebt, hij/zij heeft, but we hebben. In this construction, hebben does not mean possession literally; together with nodig, it expresses a requirement. Example: We hebben water nodig. — “We need water.” brood means “bread.” It is a mass noun in this use, so the sentence does not specify a number of individual loaves or pieces. Example: Ik koop brood. — “I’m buying bread.” boter means “butter.” It is another food noun used here as something required, without specifying an amount. Example: We hebben boter nodig. — “We need butter.” The remaining small words connect the structure: we is the subject “we,” and en joins the two needed items. Dutch main-clause word order places the finite verb in the second position: Dan hebben we .... The object nouns come before the final part of the separated construction, giving brood en boter nodig. Together, Dan hebben we brood en boter nodig. means “Then we need bread and butter.”

4. Hebben we ook yoghurt nodig?

   Do we need yogurt too?

   Hebben we … nodig

   do we need …?

   ook

   too; also

   yoghurt

   yogurt

   More detail

   Hebben we ... nodig is the reusable Dutch question pattern for asking whether “we” need something. Hebben is the present-tense form of hebben used with we: we hebben means “we have,” but in a yes/no question the verb comes before the subject: Hebben we ...? The expression nodig hebben means “to need”; its two parts can be separated by the thing that is needed and by words such as ook. ook means “too” or “also.” Here it adds yogurt to the things being considered as needed. Its position before the noun phrase is natural in this question. yoghurt is the noun “yogurt.” Dutch spelling uses yoghurt; the word names the thing being asked about, not a quantity by itself. Putting the parts together, Hebben we ook yoghurt nodig? has the order “Need we also yogurt,” which natural English expresses as “Do we need yogurt too?” The question asks about the need for yogurt in addition to the other needed items; it does not itself assert that yogurt is needed.

5. Ik wil het met aardbeienjam eten.

   I want to eat it with strawberry jam.

   Ik wil

   I want

   het

   it

   met

   with

   aardbeienjam

   strawberry jam

   eten

   eat

   More detail

   Ik wil means “I want.” Ik is the first-person singular pronoun “I.” Wil is the present-tense form of willen (“to want”) used with ik; compare wij willen (“we want”). In Dutch, the subject pronoun and the finite verb show who has the desire. Het is the object pronoun “it” here. Its specific referent is not identified by the sentence itself, but the fixed translation confirms that it refers to something being eaten. Het can also be the definite article “the” before a singular neuter noun, so its function must be read from the sentence. Met means “with.” It introduces what accompanies or is used with the action. For example, Ik drink thee met melk means “I drink tea with milk.” Aardbeienjam is the compound noun “strawberry jam.” It combines aardbei (“strawberry”) with jam (“jam”). In this compound, aardbeien- identifies the flavor or ingredient, while jam is the main noun. Eten means “to eat.” It is the infinitive of the verb; its present-tense forms include ik eet (“I eat”) and wij eten (“we eat”). After wil, Dutch places the infinitive at the end: Ik wil eten means “I want to eat.” Together, Ik wil expresses the speaker’s desire, het is the thing eaten, met aardbeienjam specifies what accompanies the eating, and final eten completes the verb pattern. The whole utterance therefore means: “I want to eat it with strawberry jam.”

6. Dan kopen we yoghurt en jam.

   Then let's get yogurt and jam.

   Dan

   then

   kopen

   buy / get

   we

   we

   yoghurt

   yogurt

   en

   and

   jam

   jam

   More detail

   Dan means “then” here, marking the next step or choice in the sequence. It commonly appears at the start of a Dutch main clause. kopen means “to buy”; in this sentence, “get” is a natural translation. It is the infinitive and also the present-tense form used with we (the first-person plural subject). Compare: ik koop = “I buy,” but we kopen = “we buy.” we is the subject pronoun “we,” referring to the speaker together with at least one other person. Dutch uses we as the unstressed form; the stressed form wij can be used when the subject is emphasized or contrasted. yoghurt is the noun “yogurt.” The sentence names it as one of the things to buy. Example: We kopen yoghurt. — “We buy yogurt.” en means “and.” It joins the two listed items without changing their individual meanings. jam means “jam.” In the preceding context, aardbeienjam means “strawberry jam”; here the shorter noun jam refers to jam generally, without specifying a flavor. Together, Dan kopen we yoghurt en jam has the pattern Dan + verb + subject + item en item. Because Dan comes first, Dutch places the finite verb kopen before the subject we; this is a normal main-clause word order. The complete meaning is: “Then let’s get yogurt and jam.”