Borrowing a Phone Charger | Learn Dutch in English

About This Lesson

Use Borrowing a Phone Charger to practice Dutch conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

Mag ik je telefoonoplader lenen?

MAHK ikh yuh tay-luh-FOHN-oh-PLAH-duhr LAY-nuhn? Can I borrow your phone charger?

Hij zit in het binnenvak van mijn tas.

hy zit in ut BIN-uh-vahk vun mine TAHS. It's in the inside pocket of my bag.

Zit de kabel erbij?

ZIT duh KAH-buhl er-BYE? Is the cable with it?

De kabel zit in het kleine hoesje.

duh KAH-buhl zit in ut KLINE-uh HOOSH-yuh. The cable is in the small case.

Ik heb ze allebei gevonden.

ik hep zuh ah-luh-BYE khuh-VON-duhn. I found both.

Doe de kabel alsjeblieft terug in het hoesje.

DOO duh KAH-buhl AHL-shuh-BLEEFT tuh-RUKH in ut HOOSH-yuh. Please put the cable back in the case.

Ik breng alles terug voordat ik wegga.

ik BRENG AHL-uhs tuh-RUKH VOHR-daht ik VEKH-ghahn. I'll return everything before I leave.

Dat is goed voor mij.

daht is KHOOT vohr MINE. That works for me.

Word by Word

Mag Mag means may or can here, as part of asking permission in “Mag ik je telefoonoplader lenen?”. It is the present form of mogen used at the beginning of a question, followed by the subject “ik” and an infinitive. Use it when politely asking whether you are allowed to do something.

ik ik means I and identifies the person asking to borrow the charger in “Mag ik je telefoonoplader lenen?”. It is the subject of the question and comes after “Mag”. Use ik when you describe your own action or request.

je je means your here and identifies the charger as belonging to the person being addressed in “Mag ik je telefoonoplader lenen?”. It is placed before the noun “telefoonoplader” to show possession. Use je before a thing that belongs to the person you are speaking to.

telefoonoplader telefoonoplader means phone charger in “Mag ik je telefoonoplader lenen?”. It is the object being borrowed and is formed from telefoon and oplader. Use it when asking for or talking about a charger for a phone.

lenen lenen means to borrow in “Mag ik je telefoonoplader lenen?”. It is the action allowed by “Mag ik” and appears in the infinitive form after that question pattern. Use “Mag ik ... lenen?” when asking to borrow a specific item.

Hij Hij means it here, referring back to the phone charger in “Hij zit in het binnenvak van mijn tas.”. The pronoun is used as the subject of the location statement. Use Hij when referring back to a masculine or de-word item that has already been mentioned.

zit zit means is located or is here in “Hij zit in het binnenvak van mijn tas.”. It describes where the charger is, with the location introduced by “in”. Use zit to say where an item is located, especially in a container or place.

in in means in and introduces the place containing the charger in “Hij zit in het binnenvak van mijn tas.”. It is followed by the noun phrase “het binnenvak”. Use in before a place or container when something is inside it.

het het means the before “binnenvak” in “Hij zit in het binnenvak van mijn tas.”. It is the article used with this noun phrase. Use het directly before a noun phrase that takes het in a definite expression.

binnenvak binnenvak means inside pocket in “Hij zit in het binnenvak van mijn tas.”. It identifies the particular compartment where the charger is located and is a compound referring to an inner pocket. Use it when specifying an inner compartment of a bag or similar item.

van van means of and links the pocket to the bag in “het binnenvak van mijn tas”. It introduces the thing that the pocket belongs to or is part of. Use van to connect an item with its owner or associated larger object.

mijn mijn means my in “het binnenvak van mijn tas.”. It shows that the bag belongs to the speaker and comes directly before “tas”. Use mijn before a noun when referring to something that belongs to you.

tas tas means bag in “het binnenvak van mijn tas.”. It identifies the larger object containing the inside pocket. Use it when talking about a bag that holds or carries personal items.

de de means the before “kabel” in “De kabel zit in het kleine hoesje.”. It identifies the cable as a specific item already known in the conversation. Use de before this noun when referring to that particular cable.

kabel kabel means cable in “De kabel zit in het kleine hoesje.”. It identifies the item stored in the small case and later returned with the charger. Use it when talking about a cable as a separate part of a device or charger.

erbij erbij means with it or included in “Zit de kabel erbij?”. It asks whether the cable is included with the charger being borrowed, while the full question supplies the meaning of the construction. Use erbij when checking whether something comes along with or is included with another item.

kleine kleine means small and describes the case in “De kabel zit in het kleine hoesje.”. It appears directly before “hoesje” in this noun phrase. Use kleine before a noun when describing an item as small in a similar phrase.

hoesje hoesje means case or small cover in “De kabel zit in het kleine hoesje.”. It identifies the container holding the cable, and the form refers to a small case. Use it when talking about a protective case or small cover for an item.

heb heb means have and helps form the completed-finding statement “Ik heb ze allebei gevonden.”. It appears after the subject “Ik” and works with “gevonden” to report that the items have been found. Use heb with a subject and a past participle when reporting a completed action.

ze ze means them in “Ik heb ze allebei gevonden.”. It refers to the charger and cable and functions as the object of “gevonden”. Use ze to refer to people or things already identified without repeating their names.

allebei allebei means both in “Ik heb ze allebei gevonden.”. It makes clear that the speaker found the two items, not only one of them. Use allebei after or near the object when referring to two known items together.

gevonden gevonden means found in “Ik heb ze allebei gevonden.”. It reports the result of locating the charger and cable and follows “heb” in this completed-action construction. Use gevonden with “heb” when saying that you have found something.

Doe Doe means put or do here in the instruction “Doe de kabel alsjeblieft terug in het hoesje.”. It is the command form used to tell someone what action to take with the cable. Use Doe at the start of a direct instruction when asking someone to carry out an action.

alsjeblieft alsjeblieft means please in “Doe de kabel alsjeblieft terug in het hoesje.”. It softens the instruction and appears inside the request rather than changing the requested action. Use it in a polite request or instruction to another person.

terug terug means back in “Doe de kabel alsjeblieft terug in het hoesje.”. It shows that the cable should be put back where it belongs, namely in the case. Use terug when an item or person returns to a previous place or condition.

breng breng means bring back or return in “Ik breng alles terug voordat ik wegga.”. It is the speaker’s form for promising to return the borrowed items and is combined with “terug”. Use breng ... terug when saying that you will return something to its owner or place.

alles alles means everything in “Ik breng alles terug voordat ik wegga.”. It refers collectively to the charger and cable rather than naming each item again. Use alles when referring to all the relevant things in a situation.

voordat voordat means before and introduces the time condition in “Ik breng alles terug voordat ik wegga.”. It connects the return of the items with the speaker’s departure. Use voordat before an action that must happen earlier than another action.

wegga wegga means leave or go away in “voordat ik wegga.”. It describes the speaker’s departure and appears after “ik” in the clause introduced by “voordat”. Use wegga when saying that you leave a place or go away.

Dat Dat means that in “Dat is goed voor mij.”. It refers to the return arrangement just mentioned rather than to a newly named object. Use Dat to point back to a plan, statement, or situation that has just been discussed.

is is means is in “Dat is goed voor mij.”. It links “Dat” with the evaluation “goed voor mij”. Use is to state what something is like or how an arrangement is evaluated.

goed goed means good or okay in “Dat is goed voor mij.”. It expresses that the proposed arrangement is acceptable to the speaker. Use goed to approve a plan or say that something is satisfactory.

voor voor means for in “goed voor mij.”. It introduces the person for whom the arrangement is acceptable. Use voor before a person or thing that is affected by or benefits from an arrangement.

mij mij means me in “Dat is goed voor mij.”. It identifies the speaker as the person for whom the arrangement is acceptable and follows “voor”. Use mij after voor when saying that something is for you or suits you.

Grammar Points

Doe ... terug / erbij

Doe de kabel erbij.

DOO duh KAH-buhl er-BYE.

Put the cable with it.

In a Dutch command, the verb comes first. A separable particle such as erbij can appear at the end.

Breng ... terug

Breng alles terug, alsjeblieft.

BRENG AHL-uhs tuh-RUKH, AHL-shuh-BLEEFT.

Bring everything back, please.

The imperative uses the verb stem without a subject; please is commonly added with alsjeblieft.

Dutch Vocabulary

allebei pron

ah-luh-BYE both

Ik heb ze allebei gevonden.

binnenvak noun

BIN-uh-vahk inside pocket

Hij zit in het binnenvak van mijn tas.

doen verb

DOON to put; to do Doe

Doe de kabel alsjeblieft terug in het hoesje.

erbij adv

er-BYE with it; included

Zit de kabel erbij?

hoesje noun

HOOSH-yuh small case; pouch

De kabel zit in het kleine hoesje.

kabel noun

KAH-buhl cable

Zit de kabel erbij?

klein adj

KLINE small kleine

De kabel zit in het kleine hoesje.

lenen verb

LAY-nuhn to borrow

Mag ik je telefoonoplader lenen?

tas noun

TAHS bag

Hij zit in het binnenvak van mijn tas.

telefoonoplader noun

tay-luh-FOHN-oh-PLAH-duhr phone charger

Mag ik je telefoonoplader lenen?

vinden verb

VIN-duhn to find gevonden

Ik heb ze allebei gevonden.

zitten verb

ZIT-uhn to be located; to sit zit

Hij zit in het binnenvak van mijn tas.

Quiz

Word Order

Arrange the words in the correct order.

Can I borrow your phone charger?

Show Answer

Mag ik je telefoonoplader lenen?

Is the cable with it?

Show Answer

Zit de kabel erbij?

I found both.

Show Answer

Ik heb ze allebei gevonden.

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

with it; included

Show Answer

erbij

inside pocket

Show Answer

binnenvak

small

Show Answer

kleine

cable

Show Answer

kabel