Waiting in the right line | Learn Dutch in English

Sentence explanations

1. Is dit de juiste rij?

   Is this the right line?

   Is dit

   Is this …?

   juiste

   right; correct

   rij

   line; queue

   More detail

   Is dit forms a yes/no question. is is the third-person singular present form of zijn (“to be”); in a Dutch question, it comes before dit: Is dit ...? means “Is this ...?” Dit is a neuter singular demonstrative pronoun meaning “this.” Here it indicates the thing being identified. Example: Is dit jouw tas? — “Is this your bag?” juiste comes from the adjective juist, meaning “correct” or “right.” In de juiste rij, the adjective has the -e form because it comes before the noun inside a definite noun phrase. The ending is on juiste, not on rij. With this common-gender noun, the same form appears after een: een juiste rij. The uninflected form can occur with an indefinite neuter singular noun, for example een juist antwoord — “a correct answer.” rij is a noun meaning “line” or “queue” in this context. It is a common-gender de-word: de rij; its plural is rijen. Example: De rij is lang. — “The line is long.” Together, de juiste rij means “the right line.” The question asks whether the indicated thing is that line: Is dit de juiste rij? — “Is this the right line?”

2. Deze rij gaat naar de balie.

   It goes to the front desk.

   Deze

   this

   rij

   line; queue

   gaat

   goes

   naar

   to

   balie

   front desk

   More detail

   Deze means “this” here and points to the singular rij (“line/queue”). In Dutch, deze is used with singular de-words and with plural nouns; the singular form used with a singular het-word is dit. For example: Deze stoel is vrij. — “This chair is free.” rij means “line” or “queue.” Its useful article is de: de rij. The context supports the “line/queue” meaning here. gaat is the present-tense third-person singular form of gaan (“to go”). The pattern is ik ga, jij gaat, hij/zij/het gaat; the ending in gaat matches the singular subject deze rij. In this sentence, gaat describes where the line leads, rather than necessarily describing people physically walking. Example: De bus gaat naar Utrecht. — “The bus goes to Utrecht.” naar is the preposition “to,” used here to introduce the destination. A reusable pattern is iets gaat naar + destination: De trein gaat naar Amsterdam. — “The train goes to Amsterdam.” balie means “desk” or “counter.” With the article in the sentence, it is de balie; in this context, the fixed translation specifies the intended sense “front desk.” Together, Deze rij identifies the line, gaat naar says where it leads, and de balie gives the destination. The whole utterance means: “This line goes to the front desk.”

3. Is de balie daar vooraan?

   Is the front desk up ahead?

   Is

   is

   de balie

   the front desk

   daar vooraan

   up ahead

   More detail

   Is is the present-tense form of zijn (“to be”) for a third-person singular subject. In a yes/no question, Dutch commonly places the finite verb before the subject: Is ...? means “Is ...?” Compare the statement pattern De balie is .... de balie means “the front desk.” Balie is a noun; its definite article is de, so the reusable noun phrase is de balie, not a form based on the nearby words. For example: Waar is de balie? — “Where is the front desk?” daar vooraan is a short location expression meaning “up ahead.” daar points to a place (“there”), while vooraan specifies a position toward the front. Together, they identify the location rather than expressing movement. For example: De uitgang is daar vooraan. — “The exit is up ahead.” Putting the parts together, the question follows the pattern Is + noun phrase + location?: Is de balie daar vooraan? — “Is the front desk up ahead?”

4. We kunnen hem vanaf hier zien.

   We can see it from here.

   We kunnen

   we can

   hem

   it

   vanaf hier

   from here

   zien

   see

   More detail

   We kunnen means “we can”: kunnen is the present-tense form of kunnen for we and other plural subjects, expressing ability or possibility here. With a modal verb such as kunnen, the other verb stays in the infinitive and appears later in this sentence. Example: We kunnen wachten. — “We can wait.” hem is the object pronoun meaning “him” or, as in the fixed translation, “it.” Its exact referent is not identified here, but the form is a singular masculine object form. Dutch object pronouns include hem for a singular masculine referent and haar for a singular feminine referent; choose the form according to the referent’s grammatical properties, not simply its position in the sentence. vanaf hier means “from here.” vanaf marks the starting point of a range or action, and hier means “here.” The same pattern is reusable with another place: vanaf de ingang — “from the entrance.” zien is the infinitive “to see.” In this sentence it follows kunnen, so it is not conjugated for we; kunnen carries the finite verb form, while zien remains the infinitive. Example: We kunnen de uitgang zien. — “We can see the exit.” Together, We kunnen + hem + vanaf hier + zien forms “We can see it from here.” The subject is “we,” hem is the thing seen, vanaf hier gives the starting viewpoint, and zien supplies the action governed by kunnen.

5. Moet ik achter je gaan staan?

   Should I stand behind you?

   Moet ik

   Should I …?

   achter

   behind

   je

   you

   gaan staan

   stand

   More detail

   Moet ik combines the present form moet of moeten (“must/need to”) with the subject pronoun ik (“I”). In a question, the finite verb comes before the subject: Moet ik ...? means “Should I ...?” or “Do I need to ...?” Here it asks whether the speaker ought to take the action, rather than stating that the speaker must do it. Example: Moet ik wachten? — “Should I wait?” achter is a preposition meaning “behind” when it marks position relative to something or someone. It is different from voor (“in front of” or “for”) in relevant spatial contrasts. Example: De fiets staat achter het huis. — “The bicycle is behind the house.” je is the unstressed personal-pronoun form meaning “you” here, used after the preposition achter. Dutch also has the stressed form jou, as in achter jou when contrast or emphasis is important. The form je itself does not identify a specific referent beyond the addressee supported by the translation, and it does not by itself specify whether “you” is singular or plural. Example: Ik loop achter je. — “I walk behind you.” gaan staan is a reusable verb combination: gaan (“go”) plus the infinitive staan (“stand”). Together it commonly describes moving or changing position so that one ends up standing; in this sentence the intended meaning is simply “stand” behind the addressee. The infinitive staan stays unchanged after gaan; the finite verb is the form that carries the tense and person marking. The base form is staan: its present-tense forms include sta with ik, staat with hij, zij, or het, and staan with wij, jullie, and zij. Example: Ik ga naast de deur staan. — “I am going to stand next to the door.” Assembled, Moet ik achter je gaan staan? has the pattern Moet ik + [place] + gaan staan?: “Should I stand behind you?” The question places the speaker as the person considering the action, achter je specifies the position relative to the addressee, and gaan staan expresses taking up a standing position there.

6. Blijf dichtbij; er is niet veel ruimte.

   Stay close; there isn't much space.

   Blijf

   stay; remain

   dichtbij

   close; nearby

   er is

   there is

   niet veel

   not much

   ruimte

   space; room

   More detail

   Blijf is the imperative of blijven, “to stay” or “to remain.” The imperative stem is used for a direct instruction, with the subject normally omitted: Blijf hier. — “Stay here.” The form blijf can also be the present-tense form with singular ik, but in this utterance it is an instruction. dichtbij is an adverb meaning “close” or “nearby.” It describes the required distance without naming the place or person: Blijf dichtbij. — “Stay close.” It is different from an adjective that would describe a noun directly; here it modifies the staying action. er is is the common Dutch existential pattern “there is.” In this use, er introduces something that exists or is available, while is is the singular form of zijn (“to be”). Compare Er is ruimte. — “There is space.” With a plural noun, Dutch uses Er zijn ...: Er zijn stoelen. — “There are chairs.” niet veel means “not much” in this sentence. niet supplies the negation, and veel is a quantity word meaning “much” with an uncountable noun or “many” with a plural countable noun: veel tijd — “much/a lot of time,” but veel mensen — “many people.” The phrase does not itself specify an exact amount. ruimte means “space” or “room,” and is the noun being described as limited in amount here. Dutch commonly uses ruimte for available physical room as well as more general space: Er is genoeg ruimte. — “There is enough room.” Together, Blijf dichtbij gives the instruction to remain near, and er is niet veel ruimte explains the situation: there is not much available room. The complete utterance therefore means “Stay close; there isn't much space.”

7. De rij gaat langzaam vooruit.

   The line is moving slowly.

   rij

   line; queue

   gaat … vooruit

   moves forward

   langzaam

   slowly

   More detail

   rij means “line” here, specifically a line or queue of people or vehicles. Its base form is rij; the plural is rijen. Example: De rij is lang. — “The line is long.” gaat is the present-tense third-person singular form of gaan, meaning “goes” here. It agrees with the singular subject de rij. Example: De trein gaat vooruit. — “The train moves forward.” langzaam means “slowly” here and describes how the movement happens. The same form can be an adjective meaning “slow,” as in een langzaam proces — “a slow process.” Its opposite is snel (“fast”): De rij gaat snel vooruit. — “The line moves forward quickly.” vooruit means “forward.” Together with gaat, it forms the movement expression gaat ... vooruit; langzaam can appear between these parts to specify the manner of movement. Together, De rij identifies the line, gaat ... vooruit says that it moves forward, and langzaam specifies the speed. The complete meaning is: “The line is moving slowly.”

8. We kunnen nog iets langer wachten.

   We can wait a little longer.

   We kunnen

   we can

   nog

   still

   iets

   a little

   langer

   longer

   wachten

   wait

   More detail

   We kunnen expresses the subject we together with kunnen, the present-tense form of kunnen used with we. Kunnen is a modal verb meaning “can” or “be able to”; with a following verb, that verb normally remains an infinitive. The form is ik kan, but we kunnen, jij kunt/kan, and zij kunnen show that the form changes with the subject. Example: We kunnen beginnen. — “We can start.” nog means “still” here: the option or situation continues to hold at this point. Dutch nog can have other uses, such as “yet” in a question or negative statement, but this sentence presents continuing possibility rather than a question. iets means “something” in general, and in the combination iets + comparative it softens the comparison to “a little” or “somewhat.” Here it modifies langer, so it means a small additional amount of time, not a separately identified thing. Example: Blijf iets langer. — “Stay a little longer.” langer is the comparative form of the adjective lang, “long”: lang → langer (“longer”). It compares the proposed waiting time with the waiting time understood from the situation. Dutch commonly forms this comparative with -er; the superlative is langst (“longest”). wachten is the infinitive “to wait.” It is the lexical verb controlled by kunnen; after a modal such as kunnen, Dutch places the infinitive at the end of the clause. Example: We kunnen wachten. — “We can wait.” Together, We kunnen gives the possibility, nog marks it as continuing, iets langer specifies a small extension of duration, and wachten names the action. The complete utterance therefore means: “We can wait a little longer.”