Preparing for a sunny walk | Learn Dutch in English

Sentence explanations

1. Het is zonnig buiten.

   It's sunny outside.

   Het is

   It is

   zonnig

   sunny

   buiten

   outside

   More detail

   Het is is the fixed Dutch weather-expression frame meaning “it is.” Here het is an impersonal subject: it does not identify a particular person or object. is is the present-tense form of zijn (“to be”) for singular het (and also for hij and zij in other contexts). Example: Het is koud. — “It is cold.” zonnig means “sunny” here. It is a descriptive adjective formed from zon (“sun”) and uses the ending -ig in this word. Its comparison forms are zonniger (“sunnier”) and het zonnigst (“the sunniest”). Example: Vandaag is het zonniger. — “Today it is sunnier.” buiten means “outside” in this sentence. It is used here as an adverb, telling where the weather condition applies. The same word can also function in other structures, such as buiten het huis — “outside the house”; the preposition-like use is shown by its position before the noun phrase. Together, Het is zonnig buiten. follows the reusable pattern Het is + descriptive word + buiten: “It is sunny outside.” The impersonal het is presents the weather condition, zonnig describes it, and buiten specifies the location.

2. Neem je zonnebril mee.

   Bring your sunglasses.

   Neem … mee

   bring along

   je

   your

   zonnebril

   sunglasses

   More detail

   Neem ... mee is the imperative construction from the separable verb meenemen, “to bring/take along.” In this sentence, Neem is the imperative form addressed to one person, and mee completes the verb after the object. Dutch separable verbs split in a main-clause imperative: Neem je tas mee. — “Bring your bag along.” The infinitive keeps the parts together: meenemen. je means “your” here and is the possessive determiner placed before the noun. The same written form can also be a subject or object pronoun in other sentences, so its function comes from its position and the surrounding structure. jouw is an emphatic alternative when “your” needs contrast: Neem jouw zonnebril mee. — “Bring your sunglasses.” zonnebril is a singular Dutch compound noun meaning “sunglasses” as the item being brought. It is built from zon (“sun”) and bril (“glasses”), but it functions as one noun in this sentence. A plural form is zonnebrillen, “sunglasses” when referring to multiple pairs. Together, the imperative Neem ... mee tells the listener to bring something along; je zonnebril identifies that item as the listener’s sunglasses. Thus the utterance means: “Bring your sunglasses.”

3. Is het te warm voor een wandeling?

   Is it too hot for a walk?

   Is het

   is it

   te warm

   too warm

   wandeling

   walk

   More detail

   Is het uses the verb before the subject to form a yes/no question. The ordinary statement order is Het is ... (“It is ...”); changing it to Is het ...? makes the question. het is the neuter singular subject pronoun here, meaning “it.” te warm means “too warm/hot.” warm is the adjective “warm,” and te before an adjective means that the degree is excessive for the relevant purpose. The pattern te + adjective is reusable: te koud means “too cold,” and te duur means “too expensive.” This is different from heel warm (“very warm”), which describes a high degree without saying that it is excessive. voor een wandeling means “for a walk.” voor introduces the activity or purpose being considered, while een is an indefinite article. wandeling is the noun “walk,” related to the verb wandelen (“to walk”), but it is a noun here. The noun is singular; wandelingen is its plural form. Example: We maken een wandeling. — “We are taking a walk.” Together, Is het + te warm + voor een wandeling? asks whether the temperature is excessively high for going on a walk: “Is it too hot for a walk?”

4. Het is warm, maar we kunnen nog steeds gaan.

   It's warm, but we can still go.

   Het is

   it is

   warm

   warm

   maar

   but

   we kunnen

   we can

   nog steeds

   still

   gaan

   go

   More detail

   Het is introduces the impersonal “it is” pattern. In Het is warm, het is a dummy subject for the general conditions; it does not identify a particular object. is is the present-tense form of zijn (“to be”) used with het and other third-person singular subjects. Example: Het is koud. — “It is cold.” warm means “warm” here and describes the conditions. It is an adjective. Dutch adjectives may have different forms in other noun phrases, but after zijn in this pattern, warm appears in this form. Example: De kamer is warm. — “The room is warm.” maar means “but” and links two clauses with a contrast: the warmth is one fact, while the ability to go remains another. Example: Ik ben moe, maar ik werk. — “I am tired, but I work.” we kunnen expresses “we can.” we is the first-person plural pronoun, and kunnen is the present-tense first-person plural form of kunnen, whose infinitive is also kunnen (“to be able to/can”). In a main clause, a modal verb such as kunnen is commonly followed by another verb in the infinitive, which appears later in this sentence. Example: We kunnen zwemmen. — “We can swim.” nog steeds means “still”: the possibility continues despite the warm conditions. It is a two-word adverbial expression, so it is best learned as a unit. Example: Zij woont nog steeds hier. — “She still lives here.” gaan is the infinitive “to go.” With kunnen, it names the action that remains possible: we kunnen gaan means “we can go.” The infinitive is used here because it follows the modal kunnen. Example: We kunnen morgen gaan. — “We can go tomorrow.” Together, Het is warm says that conditions are warm, and maar sets up a contrast. we kunnen ... gaan says that we are able to go, while nog steeds emphasizes that this ability remains. The complete meaning is: “It’s warm, but we can still go.”

5. We kunnen in de schaduw blijven.

   We can stay in the shade.

   We kunnen

   we can

   in

   in

   schaduw

   shade

   blijven

   stay

   More detail

   We kunnen means “we can”: we is the first-person plural pronoun, and kunnen is the present-tense form of kunnen (“to be able to; can”) used with we. A modal verb such as kunnen is followed by another verb in the infinitive, which appears later here as blijven. In the supplied context, this expresses ability or possibility, not a command. in introduces the place or setting. Here it combines with de schaduw to mean “in the shade.” The preposition itself does not mean “shade”; it marks the location. schaduw is the noun “shade.” The full noun phrase is de schaduw; de is the definite article belonging to this noun phrase. The word schaduw refers to shade as a place or condition that can provide protection from direct sunlight. Example: We zitten in de schaduw. — “We are sitting in the shade.” blijven is the infinitive “to stay; to remain.” With the modal verb kunnen, it keeps the infinitive form: kunnen blijven (“can stay”). Dutch infinitives commonly follow modal verbs such as kunnen, moeten (“must”), and willen (“want to”). Together, We kunnen + in de schaduw + blijven forms “We can stay in the shade.” The subject is “we,” kunnen expresses the possibility or ability, in de schaduw gives the location, and blijven describes continuing to be there. The sentence does not say that staying has already happened; it presents it as an available option.

6. De bomen zullen ons wel koel houden.

   The trees should keep us cool.

   bomen

   trees

   zullen

   will; should

   ons

   us

   wel

   probably; indeed

   koel

   cool

   houden

   keep

   More detail

   bomen means “trees” here. It is the plural of boom (“tree”): boom → bomen. The form bomen refers to more than one tree; the definite article De makes the noun phrase “the trees.” zullen is a present-tense form of zullen, used here with an infinitive to express a future expectation: zullen + houden = “will keep.” In this sentence, the fixed translation renders that expectation naturally as “should keep.” The form zullen is used with de bomen, a third-person plural subject. For example: De kinderen zullen komen. — “The children will come.” ons is the object form meaning “us.” It refers to the speaker together with at least one other person, as identified by the fixed translation. Dutch distinguishes ons (“us”) from wij or we (“we”), which is used for the subject: Wij zien ons. — “We see us.” wel adds a confident or reassuring expectation in this context. Together with zullen, it helps make “should keep” a natural rendering rather than a bare, categorical “will.” Its exact force depends on context; here it does not mean the English word “well” as an adverb of manner. koel means “cool.” It is a descriptive adjective used after houden in the pattern iemand/iets koel houden, “to keep someone/something cool.” In this sentence it describes the state the trees are expected to maintain for ons. For example: Deze drank houdt het water koel. — “This drink keeps the water cool.” houden is the infinitive “to keep” in the construction koel houden. The subject De bomen is expected to cause ons to remain cool; ons is the object affected by that action. Because zullen carries the finite verb function, houden remains in the infinitive. As a whole, De bomen (“the trees”) is the subject, zullen ... houden expresses the expected future action, ons is the affected group (“us”), and koel states the resulting condition. Thus De bomen zullen ons wel koel houden. means “The trees should keep us cool.”

7. Ik neem een fles water mee.

   I'll bring a bottle of water.

   Ik

   I

   neem … mee

   bring along

   fles

   bottle

   water

   water

   More detail

   Ik is the Dutch first-person singular pronoun: “I.” It identifies the speaker as the person doing the action. The corresponding plural pronoun is wij or we, meaning “we,” as in Wij nemen water mee. — “We bring water along.” neem ... mee comes from the separable verb meenemen, “to take or bring along.” In this sentence, neem is the present-tense first-person singular form of nemen, while mee is the separated particle. Dutch commonly places the particle at the end of a main clause: Ik neem een jas mee. — “I bring a coat along.” The combination here is translated as “I’ll bring,” because the utterance presents the speaker’s intended action; the Dutch present tense itself is neem, not a separate future form. fles means “bottle.” The phrase een fles means “a bottle,” with een as an indefinite article. It introduces the noun without itself stating a specific numeric count as a grammatical meaning. The plural is flessen: twee flessen — “two bottles.” water means “water.” It is commonly used as an uncountable substance noun, as in Ik drink water. — “I drink water.” A container can make the amount more concrete: een fles water means “a bottle of water,” where water specifies what the bottle contains rather than naming a second container. Together, Ik neem een fles water mee. means “I’ll bring a bottle of water.” The structure is Ik + the separated verb neem ... mee + the noun phrase een fles water: the speaker will bring along a bottle whose contents are water.

8. Die komt goed van pas tijdens de wandeling.

   It'll come in handy during the walk.

   Die

   it

   komt goed van pas

   comes in handy

   tijdens

   during

   de wandeling

   the walk

   More detail

   Die is a Dutch demonstrative pronoun functioning as the subject here, with the intended meaning “it.” Dutch die is used for a singular common-gender noun or for plural nouns; dit is used for a singular neuter noun. The supplied sentence and context do not uniquely identify the pronoun’s exact referent, so the safe reusable lesson is its form and grammatical use. Example: Die is handig. — “That is handy.” komt goed van pas is a useful fixed expression meaning “comes in handy” or “is useful in the situation.” Komt is the present-tense third-person singular form of komen (“to come”): ik kom, hij/zij/het komt. In this expression, goed van pas expresses usefulness rather than physical movement. Example: Deze tas komt goed van pas. — “This bag comes in handy.” 'tijdens is a preposition meaning “during” and introduces the period in which something happens. Example: Tijdens de les lees ik.` — “I read during the lesson.” de wandeling means “the walk.” Wandeling is a singular noun; its plural is wandelingen. De is used with singular common-gender nouns and with all plural nouns; it does not itself state a numerical count. The related verb wandelen means “to walk” or “to go for a walk,” while wandeling names the walk. Example: De wandeling duurt een uur. — “The walk lasts an hour.” Together, Die refers to the useful thing being discussed, komt goed van pas says that it will be useful, and tijdens de wandeling specifies when. The whole utterance means: “It’ll come in handy during the walk.”