Choosing an Event Activity | Learn Dutch in English

Dutch lesson set in a contemporary Amsterdam everyday setting: At an event desk, two adults ask a staff member about available activities and choose a guided walk..

EN → NL / Level: A1

About This Lesson

Use Choosing an Event Activity to practice Dutch conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

A

Pardon, aan welke evenementen kunnen we nu meedoen?

par-DON, ahn WELL-kuh ay-vuh-NAY-mun-tun KUN-uhn wuh NYOO MAY-doon? Excuse me, which events can we join now?
C

Je kunt kiezen tussen een rondleiding en een danssessie.

yuh KUN(T) KEE-zun TUS-un uhn RONT-lie-ding un uhn DAHNT-SESH-see. You can choose between a guided walk and a dance session.
B

Hoe is de rondleiding?

HOO iss duh RONT-lie-ding? What is the guided walk like?
C

Een gids leidt de wandeling in een rustig tempo.

uhn KHITS LITE duh WAHN-duh-ling in uhn RUS-tukh TEM-poh. A guide leads the walk at a slow pace.
C

Dus de rondleiding is makkelijk te volgen.

DYOOS duh RONT-lie-ding iss MAH-kuh-luk tuh VOL-khun. So it is easy to follow.
A

Dat klinkt haalbaar voor een eerste keer.

dat KLINKT HAAHL-bahr fohr uhn AYR-stuh KAYR. That sounds manageable for a first try.
B

Hoe actief is de danssessie?

HOO ahk-TEEF iss duh DAHNT-SESH-see? How active is the dance session?
C

Die gaat sneller, met eenvoudige passen in een groep.

dee KHAHT SNEL-ur, met AYN-VOW-duh-khuh PAH-sun in uhn KHROOP. It moves faster, with simple steps in a group.
A

De rondleiding past beter bij ons.

duh RONT-lie-ding PAHST BAY-tur BYE AWNS. The guided walk suits us better.

Word by Word

Pardon “Pardon” means “excuse me” and politely gets the staff member’s attention. It is used at the beginning of a question when asking for help at a desk or service point.
aan In “aan welke evenementen”, “aan” introduces the events that participation is directed toward. It is used here with meedoen in a question about joining an activity or event.
welke “Welke” asks which item or items from a known set are meant; here it selects the events being discussed. It comes directly before the selected noun, as in “welke evenementen”, when asking someone to identify an option.
evenementen “Evenementen” means events and names the activities available at the event desk. It is used after “welke” when asking which events people can join.
kunnen “Kunnen” expresses that something is possible or allowed; here it asks which events the speakers can join. It works with a following infinitive, in this case “meedoen”, to describe a possible action.
we “We” means “we” and refers to the speakers as a group including the person speaking. It is used as the subject before the action they may carry out, as in “we ... meedoen”.
nu “Nu” means “now” and limits the question to the present time. It is useful when asking what is currently available or possible at an event desk.
meedoen “Meedoen” means to join or participate; in “aan welke evenementen kunnen we nu meedoen?”, it refers to taking part in an event. A common reuse pattern is “aan ... meedoen” when talking about participating in an activity.
Je “Je” means “you” and addresses the person asking about the activities. In “Je kunt kiezen”, it introduces information about what the person can do; the pattern is useful when explaining available choices.
kunt “Kunt” expresses ability or possibility in “Je kunt kiezen”, meaning that the person can choose. It is used after “Je” and before an infinitive such as “kiezen” when describing an available action.
kiezen “Kiezen” means to choose; here it refers to selecting one of the offered activities. In “kiezen tussen een rondleiding en een danssessie”, it is used when deciding between named options.
tussen “Tussen” means “between” and connects the alternatives in “tussen een rondleiding en een danssessie”. The reusable pattern is “kiezen tussen A en B” when presenting two choices.
een “Een” introduces a nonspecific activity or person, as in “een rondleiding” and “Een gids”. It is used before a noun when that item is being introduced rather than identified as a specific one already mentioned.
rondleiding “Rondleiding” means a guided walk or tour and names one of the available activities. The dialogue first uses “een rondleiding” when introducing the option and later “de rondleiding” when referring back to it.
en “En” means “and” and joins the two activity options in “een rondleiding en een danssessie”. It is used to connect items in a list or alternatives.
danssessie “Danssessie” means dance session and names the second activity offered. It is used after “een” when introducing this option at the event desk.
Hoe In “Hoe is de rondleiding?”, “Hoe” asks what the guided walk is like. The pattern “Hoe is ...?” is useful when asking for a description of an activity or experience.
is “Is” links a subject with information about it; in “Hoe is de rondleiding?”, it introduces the description being requested. In “de rondleiding is makkelijk te volgen”, it connects the activity with the assessment that it is easy to follow.
gids “Gids” means guide and refers to the person leading the walk. In “Een gids leidt de wandeling”, it identifies who directs the activity; “een gids” is useful when introducing a guide for a tour.
leidt “Leidt” means leads and describes the guide’s action in “Een gids leidt de wandeling”. It can be reused in a pattern with a person as the subject and an activity or group as what that person leads.
de “De” identifies a specific noun, as in “de rondleiding”, “de wandeling”, and “de danssessie”. It is used when the activity or thing is already known in the conversation; at the start of a sentence it appears as “De”.
wandeling “Wandeling” means walk and names the walking activity being led by the guide. It is used with an article, as in “de wandeling”, when discussing that activity.
in In “in een rustig tempo”, “in” introduces the pace at which the walk takes place. The pattern “in een ... tempo” is useful when describing how quickly or calmly an activity proceeds.
rustig “Rustig” describes the tempo as calm and unhurried in “een rustig tempo”. It is used before “tempo” to explain that the guided walk proceeds slowly, for example when reassuring someone about a beginner-friendly activity.
tempo “Tempo” means pace and refers to the speed at which the walk proceeds. It commonly appears in “in een ... tempo” when describing the pace of an activity.
Dus “Dus” means “so” or “therefore” and introduces the conclusion that the tour is easy to follow. It is useful at the start of a sentence when connecting a result to information just given.
makkelijk “Makkelijk” means easy; in “makkelijk te volgen”, it says that following the tour does not require much difficulty. The pattern “makkelijk te” followed by an action is useful when assessing how easy an activity is.
te In “makkelijk te volgen”, “te” links the description “makkelijk” to the action “volgen”. It is used before the verb in this kind of expression to describe an action as easy to carry out.
volgen “Volgen” means follow; here it refers to keeping up with and understanding the guided walk. In “makkelijk te volgen”, it completes the expression used to assess the difficulty of an activity.
Dat “Dat” means “that” and refers back to the description of the guided walk in “Dat klinkt haalbaar”. It is useful for reacting to information or a situation that has just been mentioned.
klinkt “Klinkt” means “sounds” and expresses an impression based on what has been said, as in “Dat klinkt haalbaar”. The pattern “Dat klinkt + description” is useful when responding to someone’s explanation.
haalbaar “Haalbaar” means manageable or achievable; here the first attempt seems possible without being too difficult. It is useful when judging whether a plan or activity is realistic for someone.
voor In “voor een eerste keer”, “voor” means “for” and introduces the context of a first attempt or occasion. This phrase is useful when evaluating whether an activity is suitable for someone trying it initially.
eerste “Eerste” means “first” and identifies the initial occasion in “een eerste keer”. It is placed before a noun when marking something as the first occurrence or attempt.
keer “Keer” means “time” or “occasion”; in “een eerste keer”, it refers to an attempt or occasion. It combines with an ordinal such as “eerste” when describing which occasion something is.
actief “Actief” means active and describes the amount of physical activity in the dance session. In “Hoe actief is de danssessie?”, it is used to ask how physically demanding or energetic the activity is.
Die “Die” means “it” or “that one” and refers here to the previously mentioned dance session. In “Die gaat sneller”, it lets the speaker continue talking about that activity without repeating its name.
gaat In “Die gaat sneller”, “gaat” describes how the activity proceeds rather than simply where someone goes. The pattern “iets gaat + description of speed or manner” is useful when explaining how an activity develops.
sneller “Sneller” means faster and says that the dance session proceeds at a higher speed than the guided walk. It can follow “gaat” when comparing the pace of activities.
met In “met eenvoudige passen”, “met” means “with” and introduces what accompanies the dance session. The pattern “met + noun” is useful for describing the elements or features included in an activity.
eenvoudige “Eenvoudige” means simple and describes the steps in “eenvoudige passen”. It is useful before a noun when explaining that an activity component is uncomplicated, such as steps in a beginner dance session.
passen “Passen” means steps in “met eenvoudige passen” and refers to the movements used in the dance session. It is used with words describing the steps when explaining dance instructions or activity content.
groep “Groep” means group and refers to the people doing the dance session together. In “in een groep”, it describes a group setting for an activity.
past “Past” means suits or fits; in “De rondleiding past beter bij ons”, it says the guided walk is a better match for the speakers. The reusable pattern is “iets past bij iemand” when expressing suitability.
beter “Beter” means better and shows that the guided walk is preferred over the other activity for the speakers. It is useful with “past” when comparing how well different options suit someone.
bij In “past beter bij ons”, “bij” is part of the suitability pattern and marks the people for whom the activity is a good fit. Use “passen bij iemand” when saying that something suits a person or group.
ons “Ons” means “us” and refers to the speakers as the people the guided walk suits. In “bij ons”, it identifies the group for whom an activity is suitable.

Grammar Points

leiden → leidt

gids leidt

KHITS LITE

guide leads

In the present tense, a singular third-person verb often ends in -t: leiden becomes leidt.

bij + ons

bij ons

BYE AWNS

with us; for us

The preposition bij is used with the pronoun ons to express being with or belonging to us.

Dutch Vocabulary

aan prep
ahn to; at

Aan welke evenementen kunnen we nu meedoen?

danssessie noun
DAHNT-SESH-see dance session

Je kunt kiezen tussen een rondleiding en een danssessie.

evenementen noun
ay-vuh-NAY-mun-tun events

Aan welke evenementen kunnen we nu meedoen?

gids noun
KHITS guide

Een gids leidt de wandeling in een rustig tempo.

hoe adv
HOO how

Hoe is de rondleiding?

kiezen verb
KEE-zun to choose

Je kunt kiezen tussen een rondleiding en een danssessie.

meedoen verb
MAY-doon to participate; to join

Aan welke evenementen kunnen we nu meedoen?

nu adv
NYOO now

Aan welke evenementen kunnen we nu meedoen?

pardon intj
par-DON excuse me

Pardon, aan welke evenementen kunnen we nu meedoen?

rondleiding noun
RONT-lie-ding guided tour; guided walk

Je kunt kiezen tussen een rondleiding en een danssessie.

tussen prep
TUS-un between

Je kunt kiezen tussen een rondleiding en een danssessie.

welke det
WELL-kuh which

Aan welke evenementen kunnen we nu meedoen?

Quiz

Word Order

Arrange the words in the correct order.

What is the guided walk like?

Show AnswerHoe is de rondleiding?

How active is the dance session?

Show AnswerHoe actief is de danssessie?

The guided walk suits us better.

Show AnswerDe rondleiding past beter bij ons.

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

to participate; to join

Show Answermeedoen

between

Show Answertussen

guided tour; guided walk

Show Answerrondleiding

excuse me

Show Answerpardon