Taking the right bus | Learn Dutch in English

About This Lesson

Use Taking the right bus to practice Dutch conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

De bus is er.

duh BUHS iz AIR. The bus is here.

Denk je dat dit de juiste bus is?

DENK yuh daht dit duh YOW-stuh BUHS iss? Do you think this is the right bus?

Laten we het aan de chauffeur vragen voordat we instappen.

LAH-tuh wuh uht ahn duh shoh-FUR VRAH-ghun vohr-DAHT wuh in-STAHP-uhn. Let's ask the driver before we get on.

Pardon, gaat deze bus naar het station?

par-DON, ghaht DAY-zuh BUHS nahr uht stah-SHON? Excuse me, does this bus go to the station?

Het station is de laatste halte.

uht stah-SHON iss duh LAHT-stuh HAHL-tuh. The station is the last stop.

Dan is dit de juiste bus.

dahn iss dit duh YOW-stuh BUHS. Then this is the right bus.

Laten we instappen en verder naar binnen gaan.

LAH-tuh wuh in-STAHP-uhn en VEHR-dur nahr BIN-nuh(n) ghahn. Let's get on and move farther inside.

Ik ga in het midden staan.

ik ghah in uht MID-duh(n) stahn. I'll stand near the middle.

Word by Word

De “De” means “the” in “De bus is er.” The same article appears as lowercase “de” before “juiste bus” and “laatste halte”; it identifies a specific noun. A common reuse pattern is de + noun when referring to a specific thing.

bus “bus” means “bus” in “De bus is er,” referring to the vehicle at the stop. It is used with the article de in de bus. You would use it when talking about a bus, its route, or boarding.

is “is” means “is” in “De bus is er” and “dit de juiste bus is.” It links the bus with its location or identifies which bus it is; the citation form is zijn. A useful pattern is subject + is + information about it.

er “er” indicates the bus’s presence at the place in “De bus is er,” so the meaning here is “here.” The same word can refer to a place understood from the context. The reusable pattern X is er says that something is present at the relevant place.

Denk “Denk” means “think” in the question “Denk je dat dit de juiste bus is?” It is the form of denken used with je in this question; the citation form is denken. “Denk je dat” is a useful pattern for asking whether someone has a particular opinion.

je “je” means “you” in “Denk je dat dit de juiste bus is?” and refers to the person being asked. It forms the question with Denk. The pattern “Denk je dat” asks someone for their view about a following statement.

dat “dat” means “that” in “Denk je dat dit de juiste bus is?” and introduces the statement whose truth is being considered. It connects the question Denk je with the clause about the bus. The pattern “Denk je dat” is used to ask whether someone thinks something is true.

dit “dit” means “this” in “dit de juiste bus is,” pointing to the bus currently being considered. It functions as the thing identified as the right bus. You can reuse dit as a standalone pointer to something under discussion.

juiste “juiste” means “right” or “correct” in “de juiste bus,” identifying the bus that goes to the intended destination. It is the form used in this noun phrase before bus. A useful pattern is de juiste + noun when selecting the correct option.

Laten “Laten” helps express the suggestion “let’s” in “Laten we het aan de chauffeur vragen.” It introduces an action that the speaker proposes doing together with the listener; the citation form is laten. The pattern “Laten we” is used to suggest a joint action.

we “we” means “we” in “Laten we het aan de chauffeur vragen” and includes the speaker and the listener. It is the group invited to carry out the suggested action. A common pattern is “Laten we” followed by an action.

het Lowercase “het” means “it” in “het aan de chauffeur vragen,” referring to the information or question to ask. Capitalized “Het” means “the” in “Het station,” where it introduces the noun station. The exact function depends on the surrounding words, so keep the lowercase and capitalized uses separate.

aan “aan” means “to” in “het aan de chauffeur vragen,” marking the person who is asked. A reliable reuse pattern is iets aan iemand vragen, with the thing requested before aan and the person after it. Here, the person is the driver.

chauffeur “chauffeur” means “driver” in “aan de chauffeur vragen,” specifically the person driving the bus. It appears after aan because the passengers are asking this person. You would use it when addressing or referring to the driver of a vehicle.

vragen “vragen” means “ask” in “het aan de chauffeur vragen,” naming the action the passengers suggest. It is also the infinitive used after Laten we; the citation form is vragen. A useful pattern is iets aan iemand vragen, meaning to ask someone for or about something.

voordat “voordat” means “before” in “voordat we instappen,” introducing the action that must happen first. It connects asking the driver with the later action of boarding. The reusable pattern voordat + clause places one action before another.

instappen “instappen” means “get on” or “board” in “voordat we instappen,” referring to entering the bus as a passenger. After voordat, we comes before this verb in the clause. You would use it when boarding a bus, train, or another vehicle.

Pardon “Pardon” means “excuse me” in “Pardon, gaat deze bus naar het station?” It politely gets the driver’s attention before the question. You can use it at the beginning of a question to address someone respectfully.

gaat “gaat” means “goes” in “gaat deze bus naar het station?” and describes the bus’s route. It is the form of gaan used with deze bus; the citation form is gaan. The pattern gaat ... naar ...? asks whether a vehicle travels to a destination.

deze “deze” means “this” in “deze bus,” pointing to the bus at the current stop. It directly identifies which bus the speaker is asking about. A common reuse pattern is deze + noun when selecting a nearby or currently relevant thing.

naar “naar” means “to” in “naar het station,” marking the destination of the bus. It is used with the route question about where the bus goes. A useful pattern is gaan naar + destination.

station “station” means “station” in “Het station” and refers to the destination in this bus conversation. It appears with het in the dialogue. You would use it when discussing a train or bus station and routes to it.

laatste “laatste” means “last” in “de laatste halte,” identifying the final stop on the route. It tells the passengers that the station comes at the end of the bus journey. A useful pattern is de laatste + noun for the final item in a sequence.

halte “halte” means “stop” in “de laatste halte,” referring to a place where the bus stops. Here it is specifically the final stop, not the act of stopping. You would use it when discussing bus stops and a vehicle’s route.

Dan “Dan” means “then” in “Dan is dit de juiste bus,” showing a conclusion based on the driver’s information. It connects the new fact with the passengers’ decision. A useful pattern is “Dan is ...” when drawing a conclusion from what was just said.

en “en” means “and” in “instappen en verder naar binnen gaan.” It links the two actions the passengers should take. The reusable pattern X en Y joins two related actions or pieces of information.

verder “verder” means “farther” or “further” in “verder naar binnen gaan,” showing continued movement toward the inside of the bus. It adds the idea of moving beyond the current position. The exact pattern verder naar binnen describes moving farther inside.

binnen “binnen” means “inside” in “naar binnen gaan,” describing the inside of the bus as the direction of movement. With naar, it means moving toward the inside rather than simply being there. A useful pattern is naar binnen gaan for entering or moving farther inside.

gaan “gaan” means “go” in “verder naar binnen gaan,” describing movement toward the inside of the bus. It is the infinitive after verder naar binnen; the related form gaat appears in the route question. A common pattern is naar + destination + gaan.

Ik “Ik” means “I” in “Ik ga in het midden staan,” identifying the speaker as the person who will stand there. It is the subject of the sentence. A useful pattern is “Ik ga” when stating a next action or intention.

ga “ga” means “go” in “Ik ga in het midden staan,” but together with staan it expresses the speaker’s planned action of standing there. It is the form of gaan used with Ik; the citation form is gaan. The pattern Ik ga + action expresses what the speaker is going to do.

in “in” means “in” in “in het midden,” marking the position where the speaker will stand. It combines with the location phrase het midden. A common reuse pattern is in + place when describing where someone or something is located.

midden “midden” means “middle” in “in het midden,” referring to the central part of the bus. The phrase identifies where the speaker intends to stand. A useful pattern is in het midden staan for being or standing in the middle.

staan “staan” means “stand” in “Ik ga in het midden staan,” describing the speaker’s intended position. It follows ga and completes the action the speaker plans to do; the citation form is staan. The pattern Ik ga + place + staan expresses where someone will stand.

Grammar Points

naar binnen

naar binnen

nahr BIN-nuh(n)

inside

A fixed phrase meaning movement or direction to the inside.

in het midden

in het midden

in uht MID-duh(n)

in the middle

A fixed prepositional phrase used to describe a central position.

Dutch Vocabulary

bus noun

BUHS bus

De bus is er.

chauffeur noun

shoh-FUR driver

Laten we het aan de chauffeur vragen voordat we instappen.

Denk verb

DENK think

Denk je dat dit de juiste bus is?

er adv

AIR here; there

De bus is er.

gaat verb

ghaht goes

Pardon, gaat deze bus naar het station?

instappen verb

in-STAHP-uhn get on; board

Laten we het aan de chauffeur vragen voordat we instappen.

juiste adj

YOW-stuh right; correct

Denk je dat dit de juiste bus is?

Laten we phrase

LAH-tuh wuh let's

Laten we het aan de chauffeur vragen voordat we instappen.

naar prep

nahr to

Pardon, gaat deze bus naar het station?

Pardon intj

par-DON excuse me

Pardon, gaat deze bus naar het station?

voordat conj

vohr-DAHT before

Laten we het aan de chauffeur vragen voordat we instappen.

vragen verb

VRAH-ghun ask

Laten we het aan de chauffeur vragen voordat we instappen.

Quiz

Word Order

Arrange the words in the correct order.

The bus is here.

Show Answer

De bus is er.

The station is the last stop.

Show Answer

Het station is de laatste halte.

Then this is the right bus.

Show Answer

Dan is dit de juiste bus.

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

right; correct

Show Answer

juiste

get on; board

Show Answer

instappen

ask

Show Answer

vragen

before

Show Answer

voordat