Borrowing and reading in a library | Learn Dutch in English

Sentence explanations

1. Deze bibliotheek is erg stil.

   This library is very quiet.

   Deze

   this

   bibliotheek

   library

   is

   is

   erg

   very

   stil

   quiet

   More detail

   Deze means “this” and points to one nearby or contextually identified noun. In this sentence it is the singular form used with a common-gender de-noun such as bibliotheek; with a singular neuter het-noun, Dutch uses dit instead. Example: Deze straat is druk. — “This street is busy.” bibliotheek means “library.” Its plural is bibliotheken: een bibliotheek — “a library”; twee bibliotheken — “two libraries.” The noun is the place being described here. is is the present-tense third-person singular form of zijn, “to be.” Dutch uses is with a singular subject: De kamer is groot. — “The room is big.” The plural present form is zijn: De kamers zijn groot. — “The rooms are big.” erg is an intensifier meaning “very” here. It comes before the adjective it strengthens: erg koud — “very cold.” It is not the adjective itself; it increases the degree of stil. stil means “quiet” here. In this sentence it is a predicate adjective after is, describing the library. Predicate adjectives generally do not take the noun's gender ending in this position. Example: De klas is stil. — “The class is quiet.” Together, Deze bibliotheek means “This library,” is links that subject to the description, and erg stil means “very quiet.” The complete utterance therefore means “This library is very quiet.”

2. We praten zacht, zodat mensen kunnen studeren.

   We keep our voices low so people can study.

   praten

   to talk

   zacht

   softly

   zodat

   so that

   mensen

   people

   kunnen

   can; be able to

   studeren

   to study

   More detail

   praten means “to talk” here. Its base form is the infinitive praten; with we in the present tense, it appears as we praten. Example: We praten thuis. — “We talk at home.” zacht describes how the talking happens here: softly or in a low voice. Dutch can use the same form zacht as an adjective (“soft/quiet”) and as an adverb (“softly”); its role here comes from modifying the verb praten. Example: Zij zingt zacht. — “She sings softly.” zodat introduces the intended result or purpose: “so that.” It begins a subordinate clause. In a Dutch subordinate clause introduced by zodat, the conjugated verb comes after the other clause material: zodat mensen kunnen studeren. mensen means “people” here. It is the plural of mens (“person” or “human being”). Example: Mensen lezen hier. — “People read here.” kunnen means “can” or “are able to” here. It is the present-tense plural form of the modal verb kunnen; its subject is mensen. A modal verb is followed by an infinitive, so kunnen studeren means “can study.” Present forms include ik kan (“I can”) and wij/we kunnen (“we can”). studeren is the infinitive “to study.” After the modal verb kunnen, it remains in the infinitive and comes at the end of this subordinate clause. Example: Zij kunnen morgen studeren. — “They can study tomorrow.” Together, We praten zacht means “We talk softly” or, in the fixed translation’s natural wording, “We keep our voices low.” zodat mensen kunnen studeren adds the purpose: “so people can study.” The complete utterance is therefore: “We keep our voices low so people can study.”

3. Ik wil dit boek lenen.

   I want to borrow this book.

   Ik wil

   I want

   dit

   this

   boek

   book

   lenen

   to borrow

   More detail

   Ik wil means “I want” here. wil is the present-tense form of willen (“to want”) with ik; the infinitive that follows remains unchanged. A useful pattern is Ik wil + infinitive: Ik wil lezen. — “I want to read.” dit means “this” and points to one nearby or contextually identified item. It is the form used with a singular neuter noun such as boek; with a singular common-gender noun, Dutch uses deze instead. Example: dit huis — “this house,” but deze tafel — “this table.” boek means “book.” Its plural is boeken: Ik lees twee boeken. — “I read two books.” In this sentence, boek is singular and is specified by dit. lenen means “to borrow” in this sentence: receiving a book temporarily with the intention of returning it. It is an infinitive after wil. Dutch also uses lenen for lending in some constructions, so the direction is understood from the sentence and context. The more explicit verb uitlenen means “to lend” or “to check out,” as in De bibliotheek leent boeken uit. — “The library lends books.” Together, Ik wil + dit boek + lenen gives “I want to borrow this book.” The subject is “I,” the desired action is borrowing, and dit boek is the specific object of that action.

4. Ik kan het boek bij de balie aan je uitlenen.

   I can check it out for you at the desk.

   Ik kan

   I can

   boek

   book

   bij

   at; by

   balie

   desk; counter

   aan je

   to you

   uitlenen

   lend out

   More detail

   Ik kan means “I can” here. kan is the present-tense form of kunnen for ik; kunnen expresses ability or possibility. A modal such as kan is followed by an infinitive, which appears later in this sentence. For example: Ik kan helpen. — “I can help.” boek means “book.” Its base form is boek; the plural is boeken. In the fixed sentence, het boek is the definite noun phrase “the book.” bij means “at” in this location phrase. It is a preposition, and bij de balie gives the place associated with the lending action. For example: Ik wacht bij de deur. — “I am waiting at the door.” balie means “desk” or “counter.” The phrase de balie uses the definite article de; the noun itself is not made plural by that article. The plural is balies. aan je means “to you,” identifying the person who receives the book. je is an unstressed form meaning “you”; jou is the stressed form used for emphasis or contrast. For example: Ik geef het aan jou. — “I give it to you.” uitlenen means “to lend out.” It is an infinitive and the final part of the separable verb uitlenen; in a finite main clause without a modal, the parts can separate: Ik leen het boek uit. — “I lend the book out.” After kan, the infinitive stays together at the end: Ik kan het boek uitlenen. Together, Ik kan states the speaker’s ability, het boek identifies the book, bij de balie specifies the desk as the place, aan je identifies the recipient, and uitlenen names the lending action. The complete meaning is that the speaker can lend the book to the listener at the desk, corresponding to the fixed translation “I can check it out for you at the desk.”

5. Waar moet ik het terugbrengen?

   Where should I return it?

   Waar

   where

   moet ik

   should I

   het

   it

   terugbrengen

   return

   More detail

   Waar means “where” and asks for a place. It is a question word, not a statement about the location. Example: Waar is de balie? — “Where is the desk?” moet ik combines the modal verb moeten with the subject ik. In this question, moet expresses what the speaker should or needs to do, matching the fixed translation “should.” Moeten is irregular here: ik moet, not ik moeten. Dutch questions commonly place the finite verb before the subject: Moet ik wachten? — “Should I wait?” het is the object pronoun meaning “it” here. It refers to the item being returned, without needing to repeat the noun. In Dutch, het is used as the singular object pronoun for a neuter referent; other singular referents can require hem or haar instead. The pronoun’s object role is shown by its position after ik and before the infinitive. terugbrengen is the infinitive meaning “to return” or literally “to bring back.” It is a separable verb: in a regular finite clause, the parts can separate, as in Ik breng het terug. — “I bring it back.” After the modal moet, the infinitive stays together at the end: Ik moet het terugbrengen. — “I have to return it.” Together, Waar asks for the destination, moet ik asks what the speaker should do, het identifies the object as “it,” and terugbrengen expresses bringing that object back. The whole utterance therefore means: “Where should I return it?”

6. Breng het terug naar de balie als je klaar bent.

   Bring it back to the desk when you are finished.

   Breng

   bring

   terug

   back

   balie

   desk; counter

   als

   when

   je

   you

   klaar

   finished; ready

   bent

   are

   More detail

   Breng is the imperative of brengen (“to bring”). In this utterance it gives a direct instruction. The imperative form Breng! can be used when addressing one or more people; Brengt! is also possible in plural or formal usage, so the observed form should not be treated as marking singular number by itself. With terug, it forms the separable verb terugbrengen, “to bring back” or “to return”: Breng het terug = “Bring it back.” terug means “back” here and completes terugbrengen. In a different sentence it can also describe movement back, but here it expresses returning the item. balie is a noun meaning “desk” or “counter.” The phrase naar de balie means “to the desk/counter”: naar marks the destination, and de is the definite article. The fixed translation identifies this destination as “the desk.” als introduces the time clause here and means “when.” It can also mean “if” in other contexts, so the intended meaning comes from this sentence’s temporal relation. Als je klaar bent means “when you are finished.” je is the informal second-person singular pronoun here. Its singular interpretation is supported by bent, the second-person singular present form of zijn (“to be”). klaar is an adjective meaning “ready” or “finished.” Here it describes the state of being finished. Example: Ik ben klaar means “I am finished” or “I am ready,” depending on context. bent is the present form of zijn used with singular informal je; in the subordinate clause introduced by als, it appears at the end: als je klaar bent. Together, Breng het terug naar de balie says to return the item to the desk. Als je klaar bent supplies the time condition, so the complete utterance means: “Bring it back to the desk when you are finished.”

7. De plek bij het raam lijkt comfortabel.

   The window seat looks comfortable.

   plek

   place; spot

   bij

   by; near

   raam

   window

   lijkt

   looks; seems

   comfortabel

   comfortable

   More detail

   plek means “place” or “spot.” In this sentence, the translation identifies it more specifically as a seat by the window. The noun is a de-word: de plek. Example: Dat is een goede plek. — “That is a good spot.” bij expresses location near or beside something. The reusable pattern is bij + noun: bij het raam means “by the window.” raam is a neuter noun, so it takes het: het raam. Example: Ik zit bij het raam. — “I am sitting by the window.” raam means “window.” Its plural is ramen: het raam — “the window,” de ramen — “the windows.” In the fixed sentence, het raam identifies the location of the plek; the translation makes the combined expression window seat. lijkt is the present-tense form of lijken for a singular third-person subject: de plek lijkt — “the place seems/looks.” The verb describes an impression, not a direct statement that the place definitely is comfortable. A useful contrast is is — “is,” which states the property more directly. Example: De stoel lijkt nieuw. — “The chair looks new.” comfortabel means “comfortable.” It is an adjective used after lijkt, describing de plek. In this position, it does not receive a separate ending: De stoel lijkt comfortabel. — “The chair looks comfortable.” Together, De plek bij het raam means “the place by the window,” and lijkt comfortabel means “looks comfortable.” The complete utterance is therefore: “The window seat looks comfortable.”

8. Je kunt daar zitten en lezen voordat je weggaat.

   You can sit there and read before you leave.

   Je kunt

   you can

   daar

   there

   zitten

   sit

   lezen

   read

   voordat

   before

   je weggaat

   you leave

   More detail

   Je kunt means “you can” here. je is the informal singular “you,” and kunt is the present-tense form of kunnen used with je. A modal verb such as kunnen is followed by an infinitive: Je kunt zitten = “You can sit.” daar means “there,” referring to a location supported by the context. It is a location adverb and does not change form. zitten is the infinitive “to sit.” After kunt, it stays in the infinitive rather than taking a present-tense ending. Example: Je kunt hier zitten. — “You can sit here.” lezen is the infinitive “to read.” It is coordinated with zitten, so Je kunt daar zitten en lezen means that the same “you” can sit there and read. Dutch places both lexical verbs in the infinitive after the modal: kunnen + zitten en lezen. voordat means “before” and introduces a subordinate clause. The event in that clause is presented as happening later than the sitting and reading: voordat ... = “before ...”. je weggaat means “you leave.” weggaat is the present-tense subordinate-clause form of the separable verb weggaan (“to leave/go away”): in a main clause, Je gaat weg means “You leave,” while after voordat, the verb elements appear together at the end: voordat je weggaat. The form gaat agrees with singular je; weg is the verb’s separable part. Taken together, Je kunt daar zitten en lezen says that you are able or permitted to sit in that place and read. voordat je weggaat adds the time relationship: those actions occur before you leave. The complete meaning is “You can sit there and read before you leave.”