Understanding a lesson question | Learn Dutch in English

Sentence explanations

1. Ik begrijp dit deel van de les niet.

   I don't understand this part of the lesson.

   Ik

   I

   begrijp

   understand

   dit

   this

   deel

   part

   les

   lesson

   niet

   not

   More detail

   Ik is the Dutch first-person singular subject pronoun: “I.” It identifies the speaker as the one who understands or does not understand. Compare jij/je for “you” when addressing one person. begrijp means “understand” here. It is the present-tense first-person singular form of begrijpen (“to understand”): ik begrijp. The infinitive loses its ending -en to form the stem begrijp; the observed form is that stem used with ik. Example: Ik begrijp de vraag. — “I understand the question.” dit means “this.” It is the demonstrative form used here with the singular neuter noun deel, which is a het-word: dit deel (“this part”). Dutch also uses deze with singular de-words and with plural nouns, for example deze vraag (“this question”). The demonstrative’s grammatical form is determined by the noun construction; the sentence itself does not specify anything more about what the part refers to. deel means “part” or “section.” Its useful basic contrast is een deel (“a part”) versus het deel (“the part”); as a neuter singular noun, it combines with dit in dit deel. Example: Dit deel is moeilijk. — “This part is difficult.” les means “lesson.” In de les, it is a singular de-word. Here van de les means “of the lesson,” and van links deel to the whole that it belongs to: een deel van de les means “a part of the lesson.” niet means “not.” At the end of this sentence it negates the stated understanding: the speaker does not understand the part. Its position can vary in Dutch depending on what is being negated, so its exact scope is learned from the surrounding structure rather than from the word alone. The full structure is Ik begrijp dit deel van de les niet: Ik is the subject, begrijp is the present-tense verb, dit deel van de les is the thing understood, and final niet negates that understanding. Together, the utterance means “I don’t understand this part of the lesson.”

2. Welke vraag vind je moeilijk?

   Which question is giving you trouble?

   Welke

   which

   vraag

   question

   vind

   find; consider

   moeilijk

   difficult

   More detail

   Welke asks the listener to identify one item from a relevant set. Here it is used before vraag, so it agrees with the noun phrase in function rather than standing alone: welke vraag = “which question.” For comparison, welk is used before a singular neuter noun, as in welk antwoord? (“which answer?”); welke is used with vraag and with plural nouns. vraag means “question.” Its base form is singular; the plural is vragen. In this sentence it is the noun being identified by welke, not the person who is having difficulty. vind is the present-tense form of vinden (“to find”) used with the subject je (“you”). Dutch commonly uses the pattern iets moeilijk vinden, literally “find something difficult,” to express judging or experiencing something as difficult. For example: Ik vind deze oefening moeilijk. — “I find this exercise difficult.” The form vind is not the form used with hij or zij; those use vindt in the present tense. moeilijk is an adjective meaning “difficult.” It describes how je assesses the question in this construction. The comparative is moeilijker (“more difficult”), as in Deze vraag is moeilijker. — “This question is more difficult.” In the full question, welke vraag is the object being asked about, je is the person making the assessment, and vind ... moeilijk expresses that assessment. Dutch places vind before the subject je in this question structure: Welke vraag vind je moeilijk? The intended meaning is “Which question is giving you trouble?” or more literally, “Which question do you find difficult?”

3. Het antwoord hier is voor mij niet duidelijk.

   The answer here doesn't make sense to me.

   antwoord

   answer

   hier

   here

   voor mij

   for me

   niet

   not

   duidelijk

   clear

   More detail

   antwoord means “answer” here. Its base form is antwoord; the plural is antwoorden. Dutch nouns are normally used with an article, so het antwoord is the singular form in this sentence. Example: Ik weet het antwoord. — “I know the answer.” hier means “here” and locates the answer in the relevant place or text. It can also be used independently: Kom hier. — “Come here.” voor mij means “for me,” identifying the person for whom something has a particular status or effect. mij is the object form of the first-person pronoun; compare subject ik (“I”) with object mij (“me”). Example: Dat is belangrijk voor mij. — “That is important to me.” niet is the ordinary Dutch negation word “not.” Here it negates the description duidelijk, rather than negating the existence of the answer. Example: Ik begrijp het niet. — “I do not understand it.” duidelijk means “clear” or “understandable.” The related comparative is duidelijker, “clearer,” and the superlative is het duidelijkst, “the clearest.” Example: De uitleg is duidelijk. — “The explanation is clear.” The clause Het antwoord hier is ... presents “the answer here” as the thing being described. is is the present-tense form of zijn (“to be”) for a singular subject. The phrase voor mij specifies whose perspective is relevant, and niet duidelijk says that the answer is not clear or understandable from that perspective. Together, Het antwoord hier is voor mij niet duidelijk. means “The answer here doesn't make sense to me.”

4. Laten we eerst de zin lezen.

   Let's read the sentence first.

   Laten we

   let’s

   eerst

   first

   zin

   sentence

   lezen

   read

   More detail

   Laten we is a reusable way to suggest an action that the speaker and the listener(s) should do together: “let’s …”. It is followed by an infinitive, here lezen. For example: Laten we beginnen. — “Let’s begin.” This construction expresses a suggestion, not a statement that the action has already happened. eerst means “first” here, referring to the order of the actions. It commonly appears near the beginning or before the part it places first. For example: Lees eerst de vraag. — “Read the question first.” zin means “sentence.” The form is unchanged here because Dutch nouns do not generally mark singular by changing this noun itself; de zin is the singular noun phrase, while de zinnen is the plural form. For example: Ik lees een zin. — “I am reading a sentence.” lezen is the infinitive “to read.” Its present-tense forms include ik lees (“I read”), jij leest (“you read”), and wij lezen (“we read”). After Laten we, Dutch uses the infinitive: Laten we lezen — “Let’s read.” Together, Laten we eerst de zin lezen means “Let’s read the sentence first.” The suggestion is for the speaker and listener(s) to read de zin; eerst places that reading before a later action. The period marks the utterance as a statement-like suggestion rather than a question.

5. Controleer dan het antwoord.

   Then check the answer.

   Controleer

   check

   dan

   then

   antwoord

   answer

   More detail

   Controleer means “check” here and is the imperative form of controleren (“to check”). In this form, the instruction can address one person or more than one; Dutch uses the same imperative form here. Dutch imperatives commonly use the verb stem: Controleer het antwoord. — “Check the answer.” This form gives a direct instruction, not a statement that someone checks something. dan means “then” here. It places the checking after an earlier action in the sequence. A reusable pattern is Eerst ..., dan ... — “First ..., then ...”. antwoord means “answer”. Its base form is antwoord; its plural is antwoorden. In het antwoord, the noun has the definite article het, so the phrase means “the answer”—an answer identifiable from the situation. An example is Controleer het antwoord. — “Check the answer.” Together, Controleer + dan + het antwoord produces the instruction “Then check the answer.” The verb is imperative, dan marks this step as subsequent, and het antwoord is the object being checked.

6. Kun je de zin hardop lezen?

   Can you read the sentence aloud?

   Kun je

   can you

   zin

   sentence

   hardop

   aloud

   lezen

   read

   More detail

   Kun je is a question pattern meaning “can you …?” Here kun is the second-person singular form of kunnen (“to be able to/can”), and je is the subject “you.” In a question, the finite verb comes before the subject: Kun je ...? Compare the ordinary statement order Je kunt ... (“You can ...”). The following verb stays in the infinitive. zin means “sentence.” Its base form is zin; the plural is zinnen (“sentences”). In de zin, de marks this as a definite noun phrase: “the sentence.” hardop is an adverb meaning “aloud,” describing how the reading is done. It is written as one word. For example: Lees de tekst hardop. — “Read the text aloud.” lezen means “to read.” It is the infinitive, used here after kun. A useful present-tense contrast is ik lees (“I read”) and je leest (“you read”) when the verb is finite; after kun je, Dutch uses the infinitive lezen instead. Together, Kun je asks about ability, de zin identifies what is read, lezen supplies the action, and hardop specifies the manner. The whole utterance is therefore: “Can you read the sentence aloud?” The wording is a direct, neutral request or question.

7. Ik lees hem langzaam.

   I'll read it slowly.

   Ik

   I

   lees

   read

   hem

   it

   langzaam

   slowly

   More detail

   Ik means “I” and is the first-person singular subject pronoun. It identifies the speaker as the person doing the reading. Dutch also has jij/je for “you” and hij/zij/ze for third-person subjects, but Ik is the form used for the speaker. lees is the present-tense first-person singular form of lezen, “to read”: ik lees = “I read” or, depending on context, “I’ll read.” Dutch commonly uses the present tense for a future action when the context makes the future timing clear. Here, the fixed translation presents the reading as the speaker’s intended next action. The form changes with the subject: ik lees, but hij leest. hem is the singular object pronoun “him” or “it” in this use. It is the object of lees, so the speaker is reading the item referred to by hem; with the supplied context, that item is the sentence mentioned previously. Compare the subject form hij (“he”) with the object form hem (“him/it”). langzaam means “slowly” here and describes how the reading happens. The same form can also be the adjective “slow” before a noun, as in een langzaam proces (“a slow process”). As an adverb, it does not change to agree with the thing being read. Together, Ik supplies the reader, lees expresses the reading action, hem identifies what is read, and langzaam specifies the manner. The whole utterance means: “I’ll read it slowly.”

8. Ik schrijf de belangrijkste woorden in mijn schrift.

   I'll write the key words in my notebook.

   schrijf

   write

   belangrijkste

   most important; key

   woorden

   words

   mijn

   my

   schrift

   notebook

   More detail

   schrijf is the first-person singular present form of schrijven, “to write.” Dutch present tense can also describe a planned action when the context makes the future timing clear; here the fixed translation gives that intended reading, “I’ll write.” The same form is also used for a present action: Ik schrijf een brief. — “I am writing a letter.” belangrijkste means “most important” here. It is the superlative form of the adjective belangrijk (“important”): belangrijk → belangrijker (“more important”) → belangrijkste (“most important”). The ending -ste marks the superlative in this noun phrase. woorden is the plural of the noun woord, “word.” The plural ending is -en: een woord — “a word”; woorden — “words.” mijn is the possessive word “my.” It identifies the notebook as belonging to the speaker. In this phrase, mijn comes before the noun: mijn boek — “my book.” schrift means “notebook” here. The phrase mijn schrift means “my notebook”; in mijn schrift means “in my notebook.” Together, de belangrijkste woorden means “the most important words,” and in mijn schrift specifies where they will be written. The complete utterance is therefore “I’ll write the key words in my notebook.”

9. Laten we het antwoord nog een keer proberen.

   Then let's try the answer again.

   Laten we

   let’s

   antwoord

   answer

   nog een keer

   again

   proberen

   try

   More detail

   Laten we is a reusable Dutch pattern meaning “let’s …”. Laten is the base verb laten (“let”); in this construction, we forms a suggestion or proposal, and the following verb remains in the infinitive. Example: Laten we beginnen. — “Let’s begin.” antwoord means “answer.” Its base form is antwoord, and its plural is antwoorden. Here, het antwoord means “the answer”: antwoord is a neuter Dutch noun, so it takes the definite article het. nog een keer is a common time expression meaning “again” or “another time.” As a whole, it indicates that the action is repeated. In this expression, do not treat the indefinite article een by itself as proof of a numerical count; the complete expression supplies the relevant time meaning. proberen means “to try” or “to attempt.” It is the infinitive form and remains an infinitive after Laten we. Related present-tense forms include probeer (“I try” or informal “you try”) and probeert (“he/she/it tries,” or formal “you try”). Example: Ik probeer het opnieuw. — “I try it again.” Together, Laten we introduces the proposal, het antwoord identifies what is being tried, nog een keer indicates repetition, and proberen names the proposed action. The whole utterance means: “Then let’s try the answer again.”