Cleaning up spilled water | Learn Dutch in English

Sentence explanations

1. Er ligt water op de vloer.

   There is water on the floor.

   Er ligt

   there is ... lying

   water

   water

   op

   on

   vloer

   floor

   More detail

   Er ligt is a common Dutch way to say that something is present in a lying or spread-out position. Er is an existential subject marker here, while ligt is the third-person singular present form of liggen (“to lie”). The choice of liggen presents the water as lying on a surface; Dutch can use other position verbs when the situation is different. For example: Er ligt een boek op de tafel. — “There is a book lying on the table.” water means “water.” It is an uncountable mass noun in this sentence, and the singular form of ligt agrees with it. This does not assert a particular amount; it simply states that water is present. op means “on” when something is located on a surface. It introduces the location of the water. For example: De sleutel ligt op de tafel. — “The key is on the table.” vloer means “floor.” In the sentence, it appears in the definite noun phrase de vloer, meaning “the floor”; de is the Dutch definite article used with this noun. The phrase identifies the surface on which the water lies. Together, Er ligt + water states that water is lying or present, and op de vloer specifies its location: “There is water on the floor.”

2. Het verspreidt zich naar de deur.

   It is spreading toward the door.

   Het

   it

   verspreidt

   is spreading

   zich

   itself

   naar

   toward

   deur

   door

   More detail

   Het is the subject pronoun “it.” In this sentence it is the third-person singular neuter form. Dutch uses het for a neuter singular noun or noun phrase; the pronoun’s form is grammatical, while the surrounding context determines what “it” refers to. verspreidt comes from verspreiden, “to spread” or “to distribute.” Here it is the present-tense third-person singular form: het verspreidt. The verb is used with zich in zich verspreiden when something spreads or disperses. Compare ik verspreid me (“I spread/disperse”) and het verspreidt zich (“it spreads/is spreading”). zich is the reflexive pronoun used with a third-person singular subject. Together, verspreidt zich expresses that the subject spreads rather than actively spreading a separate object. Reflexive forms change with the subject: for example, ik verspreid me (“I spread/disperse”) and zij verspreidt zich (“she spreads/is spreading”). naar marks direction toward a destination. It can be used in patterns such as naar de deur (“toward the door”) or naar huis (“homeward/to home”). deur is the noun “door.” Its singular definite form is de deur; the quoted word is the noun itself, while de is the definite article. A useful plural form is deuren (“doors”). Together, Het verspreidt zich means “It is spreading,” and naar de deur adds the direction “toward the door.” The complete utterance therefore means “It is spreading toward the door.”

3. Het kleine flesje is kapotgegaan.

   The small bottle broke.

   kleine

   small

   flesje

   small bottle

   kapotgegaan

   broken

   More detail

   kleine describes the noun flesje as small. Its base form is klein; before a definite noun phrase such as het kleine flesje, Dutch uses the form kleine. This adjective form agrees with the noun phrase here, while the noun itself carries the diminutive ending. flesje means “small bottle” here. Its base word is fles (“bottle”), and -je forms a diminutive: flesje means a small bottle. This diminutive is a neuter noun, which is why it occurs with het in het kleine flesje. The diminutive ending is part of the noun’s grammatical form and can express smallness; in some contexts, diminutives can also convey familiarity or a particular attitude. kapotgegaan is the past participle of kapotgaan, meaning “to become broken.” The complete verb kapotgaan should be learned as the expression for becoming broken, rather than as an ordinary action of breaking another object. In the fixed sentence it describes a change affecting the bottle itself. With is, as in is kapotgegaan, it forms the Dutch perfect tense, meaning “has broken” or, in this translation, “broke.” Together, Het kleine flesje identifies the small bottle as the subject, and is kapotgegaan states that it became broken. The complete meaning is: “The small bottle broke.”

4. Ik ga een droge handdoek pakken.

   I will get a dry towel.

   Ik ga

   I am going to

   droge

   dry

   handdoek

   towel

   pakken

   get; take

   More detail

   Ik ga means “I am going to” here. Ik is the first-person singular pronoun “I,” and ga is the present-tense form of gaan for ik. With an infinitive after it, Dutch gaan + infinitive commonly expresses a planned or imminent action: Ik ga slapen. = “I am going to sleep.” In this sentence, it contributes the future-oriented meaning “I will” rather than simply “I go.” droge means “dry” and describes handdoek. Its base form is droog; the observed form is droge because an attributive adjective before this singular common-gender noun takes -e in een droge handdoek. For example, een grote handdoek means “a large towel”; grote is likewise the inflected form of groot in this position. handdoek means “towel.” It is a compound noun: hand (“hand”) + doek (“cloth”), but its meaning here is the ordinary word “towel.” The phrase een droge handdoek means “a dry towel”; een introduces an unspecified singular noun, without by itself asserting a numerical count as the focus. pakken means “get” or “take” here, specifically obtaining the towel. It is the infinitive of pakken, and it follows ga in the pattern gaan + infinitive. In another context, pakken can also mean “grab” or “pick up,” depending on what is being obtained or handled. Example: Ik ga mijn jas pakken. = “I am going to get my coat.” Together, Ik ga + een droge handdoek + pakken gives “I will get a dry towel.” The sentence presents getting the towel as the speaker’s intended or forthcoming action.

5. Kun je eerst de tas verplaatsen?

   Can you move the bag first?

   Kun je

   can you

   eerst

   first

   tas

   bag

   verplaatsen

   move

   More detail

   Kun je is the Dutch question pattern “can you …?” Here kun is the present-tense form of kunnen used with je. The infinitive kunnen has present forms such as kan and kunt; kun je is the usual inverted question order. After this modal verb, the other verb stays in the infinitive, without te. eerst means “first” or “before doing something else.” It places the requested action earlier in the sequence. For example: Lees eerst de vraag. — “Read the question first.” tas means “bag.” In this utterance it appears as de tas, with the definite article presenting the bag as identifiable in the situation. The plural is tassen; an indefinite singular example is een tas (“a bag”). The noun itself does not carry the article’s de marking. verplaatsen means “to move” or “reposition” something. It is the infinitive required after kun in this question. Useful forms are verplaatsen (infinitive), verplaatste (past singular), and verplaatst (past participle). Unlike a verb such as opruimen, it is not a separable-verb pattern: the prefix remains attached in verplaatsen. Together, Kun je asks whether the listener can perform the action, eerst places that action first, and de tas verplaatsen means “move the bag.” The complete utterance is therefore “Can you move the bag first?” It is a direct, ordinary way to make a request.

6. Ik zet hem op de stoel.

   I will put it on the chair.

   Ik

   I

   zet

   put

   hem

   it

   op

   on

   de stoel

   the chair

   More detail

   Ik is the first-person singular subject: “I.” It identifies the speaker as the one carrying out the action. The subject form contrasts with object forms such as mij (“me”). zet is the present-tense form of zetten for ik: ik zet. In this sentence, zetten means “to put” or “to place,” especially an intentional placement. The form zet is used with ik; other subjects can require other present-tense forms, for example hij zet (“he puts”). hem is the object form meaning “him” or, as fixed by the translation here, “it.” It is the direct object of zet: the thing being placed. Dutch uses hem rather than the subject form hij when this pronoun is the object. The sentence does not identify what hem refers to beyond the fixed meaning “it.” op is a preposition meaning “on” here. With a placement verb, op indicates the surface or location onto which something is put. A reusable pattern is iets op ... zetten, “put something on ...”. de stoel means “the chair.” stoel is a singular noun; its plural is stoelen (“chairs”). The definite article de marks this as a specific chair in the intended context. The phrase op de stoel functions as the location of the placement. As a whole, Ik zet hem op de stoel has the structure “I put it on the chair”: subject + placement verb + object + location. Dutch present tense can express a present action or an intended/immediate action; the fixed English translation presents this one as “I will put it.” Example: Ik zet het boek op de tafel. — “I put the book on the table.”

7. Dan kunnen we de vloer schoonmaken.

   Then we can clean the floor.

   Dan

   then

   kunnen we

   we can

   de vloer

   the floor

   schoonmaken

   clean

   More detail

   Dan means “then” here: it links this action to an earlier point or condition in the conversation. It is commonly used at the start of a sentence for a resulting or subsequent action. Example: Dan ga ik naar huis. — “Then I go home.” kunnen we combines the modal verb kunnen with the subject pronoun we. Kunnen means “can” or “be able to”; with we, it is the present-tense form for “we can.” After a modal verb, Dutch normally places the other verb in the infinitive, often at the end of the clause. Example: We kunnen morgen komen. — “We can come tomorrow.” de vloer means “the floor.” Vloer is a singular noun with the definite article de; its plural is vloeren, as in de vloeren — “the floors.” The article belongs to the noun phrase and is not a numeric statement. schoonmaken means “to clean.” It is an infinitive, which is required here after the modal kunnen. In a sentence without a modal, the finite verb changes with the subject: We maken de vloer schoon. — “We clean the floor.” Dutch can thus express the same action with schoonmaken as an infinitive after a modal, or with maken ... schoon as a finite separable-verb construction. Together, Dan marks the action as happening then, kunnen we says that the group including the speaker is able or permitted to do it, de vloer identifies the object, and schoonmaken supplies the action. The complete meaning is: “Then we can clean the floor.”

8. De tas blijft daar droog.

   The bag will stay dry there.

   tas

   bag

   blijft

   stays; remains

   daar

   there

   droog

   dry

   More detail

   tas means “bag” here. Its base form is tas; the plural is tassen. The noun takes the definite article de: de tas means “the bag.” blijft is a form of blijven, “to stay” or “to remain.” Here it agrees with the singular subject de tas. Useful forms include blijven (infinitive), blijf (I stay; also used in an imperative), blijft (you singular with the subject pronoun jij, or he/she/it), and blijven (we/you plural/they). Dutch present tense can describe a future situation when the context supports it, which is why this form corresponds to “will stay” in the fixed translation. Example: Het blijft hier warm. — “It will remain warm here.” daar means “there,” a location adverb. It does not change for number or gender. Its useful contrast is hier, “here.” Example: De stoel staat daar. — “The chair is there.” droog is the adjective “dry.” After a linking verb such as blijven, it remains uninflected: De tas blijft droog. — “The bag remains dry.” Before a noun with the definite article, the attributive form normally has -e: de droge tas — “the dry bag.” Here droog describes the bag’s condition. Together, De tas identifies the bag, blijft says that it remains in the stated condition, daar gives the location, and droog gives the condition. The complete meaning is: “The bag will stay dry there.”