Checking before leaving | Learn Dutch in English

Sentence explanations

1. Hebben we alles voordat we weggaan?

   Do we have everything before we leave?

   Hebben

   have

   alles

   everything

   voordat

   before

   weggaan

   leave; go away

   More detail

   Hebben is the present-tense form of hebben, “to have.” In a yes/no question, Dutch commonly places the finite verb before the subject: Hebben we ...? means “Do we have ...?” The form hebben is used here with we (first-person plural). Singular forms include heb and heeft; jullie and zij also use hebben in the present tense. Alles means “everything” or “all things.” It is an indefinite pronoun referring to the complete relevant set without naming its members. Example: Alles is klaar. — “Everything is ready.” Voordat introduces a time clause meaning “before.” In voordat we weggaan, the leaving is later than the having of everything. In a subordinate clause introduced by voordat, the finite verb typically appears at the end: voordat we weggaan — “before we leave.” Weggaan means “to leave” or “to go away.” It is a separable verb made from weg (“away”) and gaan (“to go”). Here it appears as the full infinitive at the end of the subordinate clause. In a present-tense main clause with we, the parts separate: We gaan weg. — “We are leaving.” Together, Hebben we alles asks whether the group has the complete relevant set of things. voordat we weggaan sets the time relation “before we leave.” The whole utterance therefore means: “Do we have everything before we leave?”

2. Laten we het nu controleren.

   Let's check now.

   Laten we

   let’s

   het

   it

   nu

   now

   controleren

   check

   More detail

   Laten we is the Dutch construction for proposing a joint action: “let’s.” In this use, laten is part of a hortative construction with we; it is not functioning as an ordinary infinitive meaning “to let,” even though laten is also the infinitive form. The reusable pattern is Laten we + (object) + infinitive. For example, Laten we beginnen. means “Let’s begin.” het is a third-person singular pronoun used here as the object of the action, corresponding to “it.” The fixed sentence does not specify what it refers to. Dutch het can have other grammatical roles in other sentences; here it is the thing being checked. nu means “now” and places the action at the present time. Here it appears between the object and the infinitive. controleren is the infinitive “to check.” After Laten we, the infinitive names the proposed action and does not mark the person of the subject; we supplies the joint subject. Together, Laten we het nu controleren means “Let’s check it now”: Laten we proposes a shared action, het is its object, nu sets the time, and controleren names the action.

3. Heb je je sleutels?

   Do you have your keys?

   Heb

   have

   je

   you

   je

   your

   sleutels

   keys

   More detail

   Heb means “have” here. Its base form is hebben. In an ordinary statement with je, the present form is je hebt; in a verb-first question, the finite verb comes before je and the form is Heb je ...?, not Hebt je ...?. This is the Dutch inversion pattern for je/jij. The first je is the subject pronoun “you.” The same spelling can have other roles, so its position and function matter here: after the verb, it is the person being asked about. The second je means “your” and marks the possessor of the keys. It is a possessive form, not a plural marker. Jouw is a more emphatic possessive alternative, as in jouw sleutels (“your keys”); je is the usual unstressed form. sleutels means “keys” here. Its singular base form is sleutel (“key”), and sleutels is the plural. The ending -s belongs to the noun form. Example: Ik heb één sleutel. — “I have one key.” Together, Heb je forms a verb-first yes/no question, the second je identifies the possessor, and sleutels names the plural item. The whole utterance means: “Do you have your keys?”

4. Ze zitten in mijn zak.

   They're in my pocket.

   Ze

   they

   zitten

   are in; are located

   in

   in

   mijn

   my

   zak

   pocket

   More detail

   Ze means “they” here. It is a third-person plural pronoun, so it can refer to more than one person or thing; the fixed translation confirms the plural reading. Dutch also uses ze for “she” in some contexts, but that is not the reading here. zitten is the present-tense plural form of zitten, “to sit” or, as here, “to be located.” Dutch commonly uses zitten for something positioned inside a container or place. For example: De sleutels zitten in de tas. — “The keys are in the bag.” The subject is plural here, so zitten is used; with a singular subject, the form is zit, as in De sleutel zit in de tas. — “The key is in the bag.” in is the preposition “in.” It places the subject inside the location named afterward: in de tas means “in the bag.” mijn means “my” and identifies the pocket as belonging to the speaker. It is the possessive form used before a noun; unlike an English possessive ending, it comes before that noun: mijn zak — “my pocket.” zak means “pocket” in this sentence. Its plural is zakken, as in twee zakken — “two pockets.” Together, Ze zitten means “They are located,” in introduces the inside location, and mijn zak means “my pocket.” The complete utterance is therefore “They’re in my pocket.”

5. Zit je portemonnee in je tas?

   Is your wallet in your bag?

   Zit

   is located

   je

   you

   portemonnee

   wallet

   in

   in

   je

   your

   tas

   bag

   More detail

   Zit is the present-tense form of zitten with a singular subject. Here it means “is located,” not specifically “is sitting.” In a Dutch yes/no question, the finite verb comes before the subject: Zit je ...? means “Is your ... located ...?” Zitten, staan, and liggen can describe location or position in different situations. The first je is the subject pronoun “you.” It follows the finite verb because of inversion in the question. The second je is possessive and means “your”; here it modifies tas, not portemonnee. The same written form therefore has two functions in this sentence: subject pronoun first and possessive determiner second. Portemonnee means “wallet.” Its plural is portemonnees. Example: Mijn portemonnee zit in mijn tas. — “My wallet is in my bag.” In is the preposition “in,” expressing a location inside something. Example: De sleutel zit in de tas. — “The key is in the bag.” Tas means “bag”; its plural is tassen. In je tas, je marks possession, so the phrase means “your bag.” Together, Zit je portemonnee asks whether the wallet is located in the specified place, and in je tas identifies that place as inside the addressee’s bag. The complete utterance means: “Is your wallet in your bag?”

6. Ik heb hem erin gedaan.

   I put it in there.

   Ik

   I

   heb

   have

   hem

   it

   erin

   in there

   gedaan

   put

   More detail

   Ik is the first-person singular subject pronoun: “I.” It identifies the speaker as the person performing the action. Compare jij or je for “you” in a singular example: Ik doe het. — “I do it.” heb is the first-person singular present form of hebben (“to have”). Here it is an auxiliary, not a separate claim of possession: ik heb helps form the Dutch perfect tense. The pattern is hebben + past participle for an action viewed as completed. Ik heb het gezien. means “I have seen it.” hem is an object pronoun meaning “him” or, as fixed by the translation here, “it.” In this sentence it is the thing affected by the action. Dutch distinguishes subject hij (“he”) from object hem (“him/it” in the relevant pronoun class): Ik zie hem. — “I see him/it.” The exact referent is not otherwise identified by the supplied sentence. erin is a compact pronominal adverb meaning “in there” here. It combines er (“there,” referring to a place or context) with in (“in”), and it commonly expresses location or direction into a place already understood. The fixed translation supports the spatial reading “in there.” A related form is eruit, “out of there”: Haal het eruit. — “Take it out of there.” gedaan is the past participle of doen (“to do”). The form is irregular: doen → gedaan; it is not formed by simply adding a regular participle ending. With heb in this sentence, it contributes the completed-action meaning “put/done.” For example, Ik heb dat gedaan. means “I have done that.” Together, Ik heb marks a first-person perfect construction, hem names the object affected, and erin gedaan expresses putting that object in the indicated place. The whole utterance therefore means “I put it in there.”

7. Is de deur op slot?

   Is the door locked?

   Is

   is

   deur

   door

   op slot

   locked

   More detail

   Is is the form of zijn (“to be”) used with hij, zij, and het in the present tense. In a yes/no question, the finite verb comes before the subject: Is de deur ...? means “Is the door ...?” The same form can appear in a statement: De deur is op slot. — “The door is locked.” deur means “door.” Its plural is deuren: De deuren zijn open. — “The doors are open.” The article de belongs with this noun in the singular; de deur means “the door.” op slot is a fixed expression meaning that something is locked or secured with a lock. It describes the door’s state here; slot by itself means “lock.” Example: De kast is op slot. — “The cupboard is locked.” Together, Is + de deur + op slot forms a yes/no question about the door’s locked state: “Is the door locked?”

8. Ik heb het net gecontroleerd.

   I checked it just now.

   Ik heb

   I have

   het

   it

   net

   just now

   gecontroleerd

   checked

   More detail

   Ik heb is the subject-plus-auxiliary pattern “I have.” heb is the present-tense first-person singular form of hebben (“to have”). Here it is an auxiliary, not the main meaning “possess”: together with the following participle, it forms the Dutch perfect, which presents the checking as completed. Example: Ik heb gebeld. — “I called / I have called.” het means “it” here. It is a Dutch pronoun used for the intended thing being checked; the sentence itself does not identify that thing. The form het is also used as the definite article for singular neuter nouns, but in this sentence it functions as a pronoun. net means “just now” in this context. It is an adverb that places the completed action very recently. Example: Zij is net vertrokken. — “She just left.” gecontroleerd means “checked” here. It is the past participle of controleren (“to check”). With heb it completes the perfect construction: heb gecontroleerd = “have checked.” The participle itself does not show that the subject is Ik; the auxiliary heb supplies the first-person singular form in this sentence. Together, Ik heb het net gecontroleerd. means “I checked it just now.” The structure is [subject] [perfect auxiliary] [object pronoun] [time adverb] [past participle]: Ik heb + het + net + gecontroleerd. In the preceding question, the door is being asked about, so this reply naturally answers that question by saying that the speaker checked it just now.