Borrowing small tools | Learn Dutch in English

Sentence explanations

1. Mag ik de schaar gebruiken?

   Can I use the scissors?

   Mag ik

   Can I?

   schaar

   scissors

   gebruiken

   use

   More detail

   Mag ik is a reusable Dutch way to ask for permission: literally “may I,” and naturally “can I?” here. mag is the present-tense form of mogen (“may, be allowed to”) with the subject ik. In a yes/no question, the finite verb comes before the subject: Mag ik ...? Compare the ordinary statement Ik mag ... (“I may ...”). Example: Mag ik binnenkomen? — “May I come in?” Here binnenkomen stays in the infinitive because it follows mag. schaar means “scissors” in this sentence. Dutch uses the singular noun de schaar for one scissors tool; its plural is scharen when more than one tool is meant. The fixed English translation uses “scissors,” but that does not make the Dutch noun plural. gebruiken means “to use.” It is the infinitive form, and after the modal mag it remains at the end of this question rather than being changed to a finite form. A useful pattern is Mag ik [object] gebruiken? — “Can I use [object]?” Example: Mag ik je pen gebruiken? — “Can I use your pen?” This example introduces a different object while keeping the same permission pattern. Together, Mag ik asks for permission, de schaar identifies the tool, and gebruiken supplies the action. The complete utterance therefore means: “Can I use the scissors?” It is a straightforward, polite request for permission.

2. Pak deze en houd de punten naar beneden.

   Take these and keep the blades pointed down.

   Pak

   take

   deze

   these

   houd

   keep

   de punten

   the blades

   naar beneden

   downward

   More detail

   Pak is the imperative of pakken (“to take” or “to grab”). A direct command can use this form: Pak de tape. — “Take the tape.” deze means “these” here. It is the demonstrative used with the plural object intended in the fixed translation. Dutch also uses deze with a singular de-word, while dit is used with a singular het-word; with plural nouns, the demonstrative is deze regardless of that distinction. houd is the imperative of houden (“to keep” or “to hold”). Here it tells the listener to maintain an orientation. Houd de deur open. — “Keep the door open.” de punten means “the blades” in the fixed translation. Punten is the plural of punt; outside this context, punt can mean “point” or “tip.” De is the definite article used with plural nouns. naar beneden means “downward” or “toward the bottom.” Naar marks direction, and beneden identifies the downward direction. Kijk naar beneden. — “Look down.” Together, Pak deze means “Take these,” and houd de punten naar beneden means “keep the blades pointed downward.” En joins the two imperative clauses, producing two coordinated commands.

3. Ik heb ook wat tape nodig.

   I also need some tape.

   Ik heb … nodig

   I need …

   ook

   also

   wat

   some

   tape

   tape

   More detail

   Ik heb … nodig expresses “I need …” in Dutch. Literally, heb is the present-tense form of hebben (“to have”) for ik, while nodig completes the fixed need-construction. The useful pattern is Ik heb [something] nodig. For example: Ik heb een pen nodig. — “I need a pen.” ook means “also” and adds this item to something already relevant in the conversation. Its position can vary for emphasis, but here it comes directly after heb: Ik heb ook … nodig. wat means “some” here. It indicates an unspecified amount rather than a precise quantity. In this use it commonly occurs before an uncountable substance or material, as in Ik heb wat water nodig. — “I need some water.” tape is the Dutch noun for “tape.” The following context identifies the intended material: De tape ligt in de la. — “The tape is in the drawer.” Dutch nouns have grammatical gender, but this sentence does not require stating that category to understand the noun or the quantity expression wat`. Together, Ik heb + ook + wat tape + nodig gives: “I also need some tape.” The speaker says that tape is an additional item they need, without specifying an exact amount.

4. De tape ligt in de la.

   The tape is in the drawer.

   tape

   tape

   ligt

   lies; is located

   la

   drawer

   More detail

   tape means tape here. Dutch uses the same noun for the material or item called tape; the context does not require a different sense. Example: Ik heb tape nodig. — “I need tape.” ligt is the present-tense form of liggen, “to lie” or “to be located.” In this sentence, it describes the tape as being located in the drawer, rather than emphasizing an action of lying down. Dutch commonly uses liggen for an object that is lying flat or is treated as lying in a place. Its present-tense forms include ik lig and hij/zij ligt. la means “drawer.” The fixed form here is singular; the common plural is laden. Together, De tape identifies the tape, ligt says where it is located, and in de la gives its location. The whole utterance therefore means: “The tape is in the drawer.”

5. Heb je ook een liniaal?

   Do you have a ruler too?

   Heb je

   do you have

   ook

   too; also

   liniaal

   ruler

   More detail

   Heb je is the question form of hebben, “to have.” In a yes/no question, the finite verb comes before the subject: Heb je ...? The ordinary statement order is Je hebt ... (“You have ...”). The verb is irregular in the present: ik heb, but je/jij hebt; after the verb in this question, je is the subject. ook means “too” or “also.” It adds the idea that having a ruler is included alongside something already relevant. Its exact position can vary with what is being emphasized, but here it follows je: Heb je ook ...? liniaal means “ruler,” the measuring tool. Its plural is linialen. In this sentence it appears with the indefinite article een, giving een liniaal; een marks an indefinite noun, but by itself it does not assert a numeric count in the explanation. Together, Heb je + ook + een liniaal forms Heb je ook een liniaal? The yes/no question asks whether the addressee has a ruler as well, matching “Do you have a ruler too?”

6. Ja, die ligt op mijn bureau.

   Yes, it is on my desk.

   Ja

   yes

   die

   it; that one

   ligt

   lies; is located

   op

   on

   mijn

   my

   bureau

   desk

   More detail

   Ja confirms the preceding question: “Yes.” It is a reusable affirmative answer and can stand alone. die refers here to the item being discussed—the ruler from the preceding question—and is translated as “it” in this context. Dutch die can function as a demonstrative pronoun meaning “that one” or “that”; its exact referent comes from the context. Here, it is the subject of ligt. ligt is the present-tense form of liggen (“to lie” or “to be located”) for a singular third-person subject. With an object or item as subject, liggen commonly describes its position: De pen ligt op de tafel. — “The pen is on the table.” The form is lig with ik, but ligt with hij, zij, het, or a singular referent such as die. op means “on” here and introduces the surface or place where something is located. For example, Het boek ligt op de plank. means “The book is on the shelf.” mijn means “my” and shows possession. Before a noun, it normally has this same form in contexts such as mijn bureau (“my desk”) and mijn boeken (“my books”); the noun, rather than mijn, indicates the number. bureau means “desk” here. It is also used in Dutch for an office or bureau in other contexts, so the surrounding phrase determines the intended sense. The phrase op mijn bureau specifically means “on my desk.” Together, die ligt means “it is located,” and op mijn bureau specifies the location. Thus Ja, die ligt op mijn bureau. means “Yes, it is on my desk.”

7. Je kunt die daar pakken.

   You can take it from there.

   Je kunt

   you can

   die

   it

   daar

   there

   pakken

   take

   More detail

   Je kunt means “you can” here. kunt is the present-tense form of kunnen used with je in this construction. A modal verb such as kunnen is followed by an infinitive: Je kunt komen. — “You can come.” die is used here as a standalone demonstrative pronoun referring to the item understood as “it” in the fixed translation. In Dutch, die can refer to a singular de-word or to plural things; its exact referent is supplied by context, not by the form alone. The related demonstrative form dat is used for a singular het-word. daar means “there,” pointing to a location. In this sentence it combines with the action to give the intended location meaning “from there.” Do not treat daar itself as meaning “from”; the preposition-like “from” meaning arises from the complete expression and context. pakken is the infinitive of pakken, meaning “to take” or “to grab.” It stays in the infinitive after kunt: Je kunt die pakken. — “You can take it.” The chunks combine as Je kunt + die + daar + pakken: “You can take it from there.” The subject is “you,” kunt expresses ability or permission in this context, die identifies the item, daar locates the taking, and pakken names the action.

8. Ik breng alles terug als ik klaar ben.

   I will return everything when I finish.

   Ik

   I

   breng

   bring

   alles

   everything

   terug

   back

   als ik klaar ben

   when I am finished

   More detail

   Ik is the first-person singular pronoun, meaning “I.” It identifies the speaker as the subject. Dutch also has jij/je for “you” and hij/zij/het for third-person singular subjects, but the form here is specifically first person. Breng is the first-person singular present form of brengen, “to bring.” In this sentence it combines with terug as the separable verb terugbrengen, “to bring back” or “to return”: Ik breng ... terug. The two parts are separated because breng is the finite verb in the main clause, while terug appears later. Example: Ik breng het boek terug. — “I return the book.” Alles means “everything.” It is an indefinite pronoun referring to all relevant things as a whole, without identifying those things individually. Do not replace it with iedereen, which means “everyone” and refers to people. Terug means “back” here. Together with breng, it completes terugbrengen, so breng ... terug means “bring back” or “return,” rather than merely “bring.” Als ik klaar ben is a subordinate time expression meaning “when I am finished.” In this sentence, the fixed translation supports the time reading “when,” rather than an alternative general “if” reading. Klaar means “finished” or “ready” in this expression. Ben is the first-person singular present form of zijn, “to be”; it does not itself mean “finish.” The expression klaar zijn describes being finished, and Dutch can use the present form ben for a future time that is expected to be completed before the main action. Example: Als ik klaar ben, ga ik naar huis. — “When I am finished, I will go home.” Together, Ik breng alles terug means “I return everything” or “I bring everything back.” Als ik klaar ben specifies when this happens: “when I am finished.” The present form breng can express the future meaning supported by the fixed translation, while ben describes the speaker’s finished state at that future time. Thus the whole utterance means: “I will return everything when I finish.”

9. Laat de liniaal bovenop liggen, zodat ik de liniaal later kan vinden.

   Leave the ruler on top so I can find it later.

   Laat

   leave; let remain

   de liniaal

   the ruler

   bovenop

   on top

   liggen

   lie; be lying

   zodat

   so that

   ik

   I

   later

   later

   kan

   can; be able to

   vinden

   find

   More detail

   Laat is the imperative of laten. In this sentence it means “leave” or “let remain.” A reusable pattern is Laat + object + infinitive: Laat de deur openstaan. = “Leave the door open.” de liniaal means “the ruler.” Liniaal is a Dutch de-word, and its plural is linialen. The noun appears again later as the object of vinden; together with the fixed translation, this identifies what “it” refers to. bovenop means “on top.” It describes the ruler’s position; the thing underneath is not specified here. liggen is the infinitive “to lie” or “to be lying.” With Laat, it describes the arrangement that should remain: the ruler is to be left lying on top. Dutch commonly uses staan for something upright and zitten for something seated or fitted in place. Example: Laat het boek daar liggen. = “Leave the book there.” zodat introduces a purpose or intended result: “so that.” It begins the clause explaining why the instruction is given. In this subordinate clause, the finite verb and the infinitive occur toward the end: ik de liniaal later kan vinden. ik is the first-person singular pronoun “I.” It is the subject of the zodat clause, so the speaker is the person who will be able to find the ruler. later means “later,” referring to a time after the instruction. Example: Ik bel je later. = “I will call you later.” kan is a present-tense form of the modal verb kunnen, “can” or “be able to.” In this clause, ik kan means “I can” or “I am able to.” The modal is finite, while the following verb remains an infinitive. Other present forms include jij kunt or jij kan and hij/zij kan; the exact form depends on the subject and construction. vinden is the infinitive “to find.” For comparison, ik vind means “I find” and hij vindt means “he finds”; the third-person singular form has -t. After the modal kan, the infinitive stays vinden rather than becoming finite. The first part, Laat de liniaal bovenop liggen, instructs someone to leave the ruler on top in a lying position. zodat ik de liniaal later kan vinden gives the intended purpose: the speaker will be able to find the ruler later. Together, the utterance means: “Leave the ruler on top so I can find it later.”