About This Lesson
Use Checking the platform before boarding to practice Dutch conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.
Dialogue
A
Naar welk perron moeten we gaan?
nar velk peh-RON MOO-tun vuh gahn? Which platform should we go to?
B
Het bord wijst naar perron twee.
ut bort vayst nar peh-RON tvay. The sign points to platform two.
A
Ik kan de kleine letters vanaf hier niet lezen.
ik kahn duh KLAY-nuh LET-urs vuh-NAHF heer neet LAY-zun. I can't read the small letters from here.
B
Er staat dat de trein over tien minuten vertrekt.
ur staht dat duh trayn OH-vur teen mee-NOO-tun vur-TREKT. It says the train leaves in ten minutes.
A
Ik ga naar het toilet voordat we instappen.
ik gah nar ut twa-LET vohr-DAHT vuh IN-stah-pun. I'm going to use the restroom before we board.
B
Ik houd de tassen bij me.
ik howt duh TAH-sun bay muh. I'll keep the bags with me.
A
Blijf alsjeblieft bij dit bord.
blayf ahl-shuh-BLEEFT bay dit bort. Please stay near this sign.
B
Ik let op het bord voor het geval het perron verandert.
ik let op ut bort vohr ut khuh-VAHL ut peh-RON vuh-RAHN-durt. I'll watch the board in case the platform changes.Word by Word
Naar
The word appears as 'Naar' at the start of the question and as 'naar' later in the dialogue; both forms show a destination or direction: to or toward. A common reuse pattern is naar + destination when asking or stating where someone is going.
welk
In 'Naar welk perron moeten we gaan?', 'welk' asks which platform is intended. It comes directly before the noun 'perron', so the reusable pattern is welk + noun when selecting one option.
perron
Here 'perron' means the station platform where the speakers need to go and where the train will be boarded. It is used with a destination expression such as 'naar welk perron' or 'naar perron twee'.
moeten
In 'Naar welk perron moeten we gaan?', 'moeten' expresses what the speakers should or must do. It is followed by another verb in the infinitive, here 'gaan', and this pattern is useful for asking what action is required.
we
In 'moeten we gaan', 'we' means the speaker together with at least one other person. It is the subject of the question, and the same subject is used in 'voordat we instappen'.
gaan
In 'moeten we gaan', 'gaan' means go toward the platform. It follows 'moeten' in the infinitive and commonly combines with naar + destination.
Het
Here 'Het' is the definite article before 'bord', meaning the sign or board already relevant at the station. The same article appears as 'het' in 'het perron' and 'het toilet'.
bord
In 'Het bord wijst naar perron twee', 'bord' means the station sign, while in 'het bord' it means the board being watched for updates. The word is useful for referring to a sign or information board at a station.
wijst
The citation form is wijzen; 'wijst' means points in 'Het bord wijst naar perron twee'. The reusable pattern is wijst naar + destination, with the destination introduced by naar.
Ik
In 'Ik kan...' and 'Ik ga...', 'Ik' means I and identifies the speaker as the person acting or reporting something. It is commonly placed before the verb in a simple statement.
kan
The citation form is kunnen; 'kan' expresses ability in 'Ik kan de kleine letters vanaf hier niet lezen'. Together with 'niet', it says that the speaker is unable to read them. A common reuse pattern is kan + infinitive.
de
In 'de kleine letters', 'de' is the definite article meaning the. It identifies the particular letters on the sign, and it appears directly before the noun phrase.
kleine
The citation form is klein; 'kleine' means small in 'de kleine letters'. It describes the noun 'letters' and shows the useful pattern adjective + noun.
letters
The citation form is letter; 'letters' means the written characters on the sign. In 'de kleine letters', it refers to more than one character and is modified by 'kleine'.
vanaf
In 'vanaf hier', 'vanaf' means from, marking the starting point of the speaker's view. A common reuse pattern is vanaf + starting point, such as a place or time.
hier
In 'vanaf hier', 'hier' means here, referring to the speaker's current position at the station. It is commonly used after vanaf to state where something starts.
niet
In 'Ik kan de kleine letters vanaf hier niet lezen', 'niet' makes the statement negative. It shows that the speaker cannot read the letters, and in this structure it comes before the final infinitive 'lezen'.
lezen
In 'niet lezen', 'lezen' means read, referring to reading the small letters on the sign. It follows 'kan' as the infinitive in the pattern kan + activity.
Er
In 'Er staat dat...', 'Er' introduces an impersonal statement about information written on the sign; in English, the meaning is similar to 'it says'. This exact opening is useful when reporting what a sign or notice says.
staat
The citation form is staan; in 'Er staat dat...', 'staat' is used to report that information is written on a sign. The reusable pattern is Er staat dat + information.
dat
In 'Er staat dat de trein vertrekt', 'dat' introduces the information being reported: that the train leaves. It commonly follows a reporting expression such as 'Er staat' before the reported clause.
trein
In 'de trein vertrekt', 'trein' means the train that the speakers are waiting for. It is used as the subject of information about departure, and the common travel pattern is de trein + verb.
over
In 'over tien minuten', 'over' means in or after, measuring the time until the train leaves. A common time pattern is over + duration, as in the exact phrase 'over tien minuten'.
minuten
The citation form is minuut; 'minuten' means minutes in the time expression 'tien minuten'. It follows a number to state a duration or waiting time.
ga
The citation form is gaan; 'ga' in 'Ik ga naar het toilet' means I am going or am about to go. It is used with a destination introduced by naar when describing a planned movement.
toilet
In 'naar het toilet', 'toilet' means the restroom and names the destination of the speaker's movement. It is commonly used after naar when someone says where they are going.
voordat
In 'voordat we instappen', 'voordat' means before and connects the restroom visit with the later boarding action. The reusable pattern is voordat + clause to order two events.
instappen
In 'voordat we instappen', 'instappen' means get on or board the train. It describes the boarding action and completes the clause introduced by 'voordat'.
houd
The citation form is houden; 'houd' in 'Ik houd de tassen bij me' means keep or hold. The reusable pattern is houd + object + bij me when someone keeps something with them.
tassen
The citation form is tas; 'tassen' means bags, the items being kept with the speaker. In 'de tassen', it is the object of 'houd'.
bij
In 'bij me', 'bij' means with or close to, while in 'bij dit bord' it means near. The reusable pattern is bij + person or place to describe being with someone or near something.
me
In 'bij me', 'me' means me and refers to the speaker as the person carrying or keeping the bags. It follows the preposition bij in this expression.
Blijf
The citation form is blijven; 'Blijf' is a direct request to stay in 'Blijf alsjeblieft bij dit bord'. A common reuse pattern is Blijf + place, often softened by 'alsjeblieft'.
alsjeblieft
In 'Blijf alsjeblieft bij dit bord', 'alsjeblieft' means please and makes the request more polite. It can be added to a request or command such as 'Blijf'.
dit
In 'dit bord', 'dit' means this and points to the nearby sign or board. It comes before the noun to identify one specific item in the current situation.
let op
The expression 'let op' means pay attention to or watch. In it, 'let' supplies the action of paying attention and 'op' completes the fixed expression; together they direct attention to 'het bord'. A reusable pattern is 'let op' + object.
voor het geval
The expression 'voor het geval' means in case and introduces a possible situation that should be watched for. In it, 'voor' frames the condition, 'het' marks 'geval', and 'geval' means the case or situation. The reusable pattern is voor het geval + clause.
verandert
The citation form is veranderen; 'verandert' means changes in 'het perron verandert'. Here it describes a possible change to the platform, and the phrase is used after 'voor het geval' to state what might happen.
Grammar Points
over + tijdsduur
De trein vertrekt over tien minuten.
duh trayn vur-TREKT OH-vur teen mee-NOO-tun.The train leaves in ten minutes.
Use over with a period of time to say when something will happen in the future.
voordat + bijzin: werkwoord achteraan
Voordat wij instappen, blijft de tas bij het toilet.
vohr-DAHT vay IN-stah-pun, blayft duh tahs bay ut twa-LET.Before we board, the bag stays by the restroom.
After voordat, the conjugated verb usually comes at the end of the subordinate clause.
Dutch Vocabulary
bord
noun
bort
sign; board
gaan
verb
gahn
to go
hier
adv
heer
here
klein
adj
klayn
small
kleine
letter
noun
LET-ur
letter
letters
lezen
verb
LAY-zun
to read
perron
noun
peh-RON
platform
staan
verb
stahn
to state; to say in writing
staat
trein
noun
trayn
train
vanaf
prep
vuh-NAHF
from
welk
det
velk
which
wijzen
verb
VAY-zun
to point
wijst
Quiz
Word Order
Arrange the words in the correct order.
Which platform should we go to?
Show Answer
Naar welk perron moeten we gaan?The sign points to platform two.
Show Answer
Het bord wijst naar perron twee.I'll keep the bags with me.
Show Answer
Ik houd de tassen bij me.Spelling
Tap the letters to spell the word.
here
Show Answer
hiersign; board
Show Answer
bordsmall
Show Answer
kleineto point