Moving Forward in a Shop Line | Learn Dutch in English

Sentence explanations

1. De rij schuift op.

   The line is moving forward.

   rij

   line; queue

   schuift op

   moves forward

   More detail

   rij means a line or queue: people or things arranged one behind another. Its plural is rijen. In this sentence, the intended meaning is a queue or line, not a written line of text. Example: Er staat een lange rij. — “There is a long queue.” schuift op comes from the separable verb opschuiven, “to move or advance along.” The observed form schuift is the present-tense third-person singular form of schuiven, with the particle op placed at the end: De rij schuift op. In this context, opschuiven describes the line advancing as space becomes available; it is not the ordinary verb for walking somewhere. Example: De auto schuift langzaam op. — “The car moves forward slowly.” Together, De rij identifies the line, and schuift op says that it is advancing. The whole utterance therefore means “The line is moving forward.”

2. We moeten nu naar voren gaan.

   We should step up now.

   We moeten

   we must / should

   nu

   now

   naar voren

   forward / ahead

   gaan

   go / move

   More detail

   We moeten combines we (“we”) with moeten, the present-tense form of the modal verb meaning “must” or, in this context, “should.” Moeten is followed by an infinitive: We moeten wachten means “We must wait.” The English translation selects the softer “should” sense here; the Dutch form itself can also express stronger necessity in other contexts. nu means “now” and places the action at the present time. It can move for emphasis: Nu moeten we gaan means “Now we must go.” naar voren is a directional phrase meaning “forward” or “toward the front.” Naar introduces a direction, while voren refers to the frontward direction in this expression. It is useful for movement or progress: Schuif naar voren means “Move forward.” gaan is the infinitive “to go.” After moeten, it remains in the infinitive rather than taking a present-tense ending. In this utterance, gaan combines with naar voren to describe moving forward, not merely going to an unspecified place. Together, We moeten naar voren gaan means “We should move forward now” or, naturally, “We should step up now.” The subject is we, the modal expresses the recommended action, naar voren gives its direction, and nu sets its timing. In the line-related context, the sentence can be reused for telling a group to advance toward the front.

3. Zijn wij aan de beurt?

   Are we next?

   Zijn wij

   Are we

   aan de beurt

   next / up

   More detail

   Zijn wij means “are we” here. zijn is the present-tense form of zijn (“to be”) for wij (“we”); in a yes/no question, the finite verb comes before the subject: Zijn wij ...? Compare the statement Wij zijn ... (“We are ...”). aan de beurt is a fixed expression meaning “next” or “whose turn it is.” The noun beurt means “turn”; the article is de, so the expression is aan de beurt. In a queue or sequence, it asks whether the people referred to by wij are now next. Example: Jij bent aan de beurt. — “It is your turn.” Together, Zijn wij + aan de beurt forms the yes/no question “Are we next?” The question uses the present form of zijn and the fixed turn-taking expression to ask whether the speaker’s group is next in the sequence.

4. Bijna, er staat nog één persoon voor ons.

   Almost, there is one person ahead of us.

   Bijna

   almost

   er staat

   there is / stands

   nog

   still

   één

   one

   persoon

   person

   voor ons

   ahead of us

   More detail

   Bijna means “almost” here. It is an adverb, so it does not change for person or number. Example: Ik ben bijna klaar. — “I am almost ready.” er staat is a useful Dutch existential pattern with staan (“to stand”). staat is the present-tense form for a singular subject; er introduces the situation rather than naming a specific place. With a person or object that is understood as standing or positioned somewhere, er staat ... can correspond to “there is ...” in English. Example: Er staat een fiets buiten. — “There is a bicycle outside.” nog adds the idea that the situation continues or remains: “still” or “yet.” In this utterance, one person remains ahead of the speakers. Example: Er staat nog iemand in de rij. — “There is still someone in the line.” één is the numeral “one.” The accent marks the numeral and can emphasize the exact number; it is different in function from the indefinite article een. Example: Ik heb één vraag. — “I have one question.” persoon means “person.” Its plural is personen. Example: Er wachten twee personen. — “Two people are waiting.” voor ons means “ahead of us” in this context. voor expresses the spatial relation, and ons is the first-person plural object form, “us.” The phrase therefore places the person in front of the speakers, as in a queue. Example: Er staat iemand voor ons. — “There is someone ahead of us.” Together, Bijna says that the speakers are nearly next, while er staat nog één persoon voor ons says that one person still remains ahead of them. The complete meaning is: “Almost, there is one person ahead of us.”

5. Ik heb mijn kaart bij de hand.

   I have my card ready.

   Ik heb

   I have

   mijn

   my

   kaart

   card

   bij de hand

   ready; at hand

   More detail

   Ik heb uses heb, the first-person singular present form of hebben (“to have”): ik heb, jij hebt, hij/zij heeft. Here it states possession or availability, not a past event. Example: Ik heb tijd. — “I have time.” mijn means “my” and identifies the possessor. It is a possessive determiner placed before the noun. Unlike English “my,” Dutch possessives do not change for the possessor’s gender. Example: Mijn boek is hier. — “My book is here.” kaart is the noun “card.” Its plural is kaarten. Here it refers to the speaker’s card, which is ready or available; the word can refer to different kinds of cards in other contexts. Example: Ik heb twee kaarten. — “I have two cards.” bij de hand is a fixed expression meaning “at hand” or “ready and available.” In this sentence it presents the card as readily available to the speaker. It is different from in de hand, which literally means “in the hand” and focuses on physical location. Example: Houd je paspoort bij de hand. — “Keep your passport ready and available.” Together, Ik heb mijn kaart says “I have my card,” and bij de hand adds that it is ready or readily available. The complete utterance therefore means “I have my card ready.”

6. Houd hem in je hand.

   Keep it in your hand.

   Houd

   keep; hold

   hem

   it

   in

   in

   je

   your

   hand

   hand

   More detail

   Houd is the imperative of houden (“to keep” or “to hold”). The imperative uses the stem houd here. The subject is understood as the person or people addressed; the form itself does not identify singular versus plural: Houd ... = “Keep ...” or “Hold ...”. hem is the object pronoun meaning “him” or, as fixed by this translation, “it.” It refers to the thing being kept or held, but the supplied sentence does not identify that thing more specifically. The form hem is an object form; it is not the subject form hij (“he”). in is the preposition “in.” In in je hand, it introduces the place where the object is to remain. je is the possessive form meaning “your” here. It is used before the noun and does not change for the noun’s gender or number: je hand = “your hand.” In Dutch, je can address one person or more than one person, so this sentence alone does not establish the number of people addressed. hand means “hand.” Its usual singular form is hand; the plural is handen. The phrase je hand identifies the hand as belonging to the person or people addressed. Together, Houd hem gives the command “Keep it” or “Hold it,” and in je hand specifies the location: “in your hand.” The complete utterance is therefore “Keep it in your hand.”

7. Ik ben klaar om te bestellen.

   I am ready to order.

   Ik ben

   I am

   klaar

   ready

   om te bestellen

   to order

   More detail

   Ik ben means “I am.” Ik is the first-person singular subject pronoun, and ben is the first-person singular present form of zijn (“to be”). The form changes with the subject: ik ben, but jij bent (“you are”) and wij zijn (“we are”). klaar means “ready” here. It is a predicate adjective describing the speaker’s state. In this position, it appears after ben and does not take an ending: Ik ben klaar (“I am ready”). om te bestellen means “to order.” bestellen is the infinitive “to order”; te bestellen is the infinitive with te. Dutch commonly uses om te plus an infinitive after an adjective when expressing readiness or purpose: Zij is klaar om te vertrekken means “She is ready to leave.” Together, Ik ben klaar (“I am ready”) and om te bestellen (“to order”) produce the complete meaning: “I am ready to order.”

8. Ze kunnen daarna onze bestelling opnemen.

   They can take our order next.

   Ze kunnen

   they can

   daarna

   next; after that

   onze

   our

   bestelling

   order

   opnemen

   take; record

   More detail

   Ze kunnen means “they can.” Ze is the third-person plural subject pronoun, and kunnen is the present-tense form of kunnen for “they.” As a modal verb, kunnen is followed here by an infinitive: subject + kunnen + infinitive expresses ability or possibility. For example: Ze kunnen helpen. — “They can help.” daarna means “after that” or “next.” It places the action after an earlier event. Example: Daarna gaan we naar huis. — “After that, we go home.” onze means “our” and identifies the order as belonging to the speaker and at least one other person. It is the possessive determiner used here before bestelling; its form is determined by the noun phrase, not by the number of owners. Compare onze bestelling — “our order” and ons plan — “our plan.” bestelling means “order,” as in an order for goods or food. The related verb bestellen means “to order.” Example: Ik plaats een bestelling. — “I place an order.” opnemen means “to take” or “to record” here: in this context, taking an order. It is an infinitive after the modal verb kunnen. Opnemen is a separable Dutch verb: in a finite main clause, the parts can separate, as in Ze nemen onze bestelling op. — “They take our order.” After kunnen, the infinitive stays together: Ze kunnen onze bestelling opnemen. Together, Ze kunnen + daarna + onze bestelling + opnemen produces: “They can take our order next.” The structure is subject + modal verb + time adverb + object + infinitive. Here, daarna marks the order-taking as the next action, while onze bestelling opnemen means taking or recording the order.