Checking a simple order | Learn Dutch in English

Sentence explanations

1. Laten we de bestelling controleren.

   Let's check the order.

   Laten we

   let’s

   bestelling

   order

   controleren

   check

   More detail

   Laten we is a fixed Dutch construction for proposing a shared action: “let’s.” The form laten is spelled the same as the infinitive of laten, but here the whole construction functions as a proposal with we as its subject; it is not useful to treat the phrase as an ordinary infinitive. The verb after it remains in the infinitive. Example: Laten we beginnen. — “Let’s begin.” bestelling means “order” here, meaning an order placed for goods or services. It is a Dutch de-word: de bestelling. Its plural is bestellingen. Example: De bestelling is klaar. — “The order is ready.” controleren means “to check” or “to inspect.” This is the infinitive. In the present tense, ik controleer means “I check,” while wij controleren means “we check.” After Laten we, the infinitive controleren expresses the proposed action. Together, Laten we de bestelling controleren. means “Let’s check the order.” Laten we proposes the shared action, de bestelling is what is checked, and controleren names the action.

2. De drankjes zijn hier.

   The drinks are here.

   drankjes

   drinks

   zijn

   are

   hier

   here

   More detail

   drankjes means “drinks” here. Its singular form is drankje, and drankjes is the plural. The ending -je is a diminutive in Dutch; in this word, drankje commonly means a drink or beverage, and drankjes refers to more than one. Example: Twee drankjes, alstublieft. — “Two drinks, please.” zijn is the present-tense plural form of zijn (“to be”). In this sentence, it agrees with the plural subject de drankjes. Useful forms include ik ben (“I am”), jij bent (“you are”), and wij zijn (“we are”); the form is chosen according to the subject, not according to hier. Example: De boeken zijn hier. — “The books are here.” hier is an adverb meaning “here,” indicating the place where something is. It does not change for singular or plural. Example: Ik ben hier. — “I am here.” Together, De drankjes is the subject, zijn says where that subject is, and hier gives the location. The complete utterance therefore means “The drinks are here.”

3. Hebben we ook het eten?

   Do we have the food too?

   Hebben we

   do we have

   ook

   too; as well

   eten

   food

   More detail

   Hebben we combines the verb hebben (“to have”) with we (“we”). In this yes/no question, the verb comes before the subject: Hebben we ...? This word order is a useful question pattern. Hebben is the present-tense form used with we and other plural subjects; compare we hebben (“we have”) in a statement. The form is not the singular form for “I”: ik heb means “I have.” ook means “too” or “as well.” It adds the idea that the food is included in addition to something already relevant, consistent with the preceding mention of drinks. A reusable pattern is ... ook ...?, meaning “... too?” or “... as well?” eten means “food” here. Together with the preceding article, het eten is the noun phrase “the food,” not the infinitive use of eten (“to eat”). The noun is a neuter noun, which is why this phrase uses het; the article does not by itself state a numerical quantity. Together, Hebben we + ook + het eten forms the yes/no question “Do we have the food too?” The question asks whether the food is also available or included. The following context says that something is in a bag, but it does not by itself establish the specific referent of the pronoun “it.”

4. Het zit in deze tas.

   It's in this bag.

   Het

   it

   zit

   is located

   deze

   this

   tas

   bag

   More detail

   Het is the pronoun “it” here. It is a third-person singular pronoun; the sentence and translation do not identify exactly what it refers to. Dutch het can also be the definite article “the” before a neuter noun, but that is not its role in this sentence. zit is the present-tense form of zitten, “to sit.” With a thing as subject, zitten is also commonly used for being located or contained in a place. The form zit is used with a singular subject such as het; the plural present form is zitten. Example: Het boek zit in de tas. — “The book is in the bag.” deze means “this” and points to a nearby or contextually selected singular de-word, or to plural nouns. It is the demonstrative used with tas, a singular de-word. The contrasting singular demonstrative for a neuter het-word is dit, as in dit boek (“this book”). tas means “bag.” Its plural is tassen. Dutch nouns with the definite article de use deze for singular “this”: deze tas — “this bag.” The preposition in introduces the location. Together, zit in expresses being located in or contained in something, and deze tas identifies the location as “this bag.” Thus Het zit in deze tas. means “It’s in this bag.”

5. Klopt alles?

   Is everything correct?

   Klopt

   is correct

   alles

   everything

   More detail

   Klopt is the present-tense form of kloppen. With a third-person singular subject such as alles, it means “is correct” or “is right” here. The same verb can also mean “matches” in a pattern such as iets klopt met iets (“something matches something”), as in the supplied follow-up sentence. alles means “everything” or “all of it.” It is a pronoun used for an entire set or amount rather than for one specifically named object. In this sentence it is the subject of klopt. The reusable question pattern is verb + subject?: Klopt alles? Dutch places the finite verb first in this yes/no question, followed by the subject. The question mark marks the sentence as a question; the verb form itself already agrees with alles. Together, Klopt alles? asks whether everything is correct: “Is everything correct?”

6. Het klopt met de bon.

   It matches the receipt.

   Het

   it

   klopt

   matches; is correct

   met

   with

   bon

   receipt

   More detail

   Het is the subject pronoun meaning “it” here. It is a singular, neuter-form pronoun; the sentence does not need to identify a more specific referent than the “it” given in the translation. klopt comes from kloppen. In the present tense, klopt is the third-person singular form: het klopt. In this sentence, kloppen means that something corresponds or is correct, so it can be translated as “matches” rather than only “is correct.” The related question Klopt alles? uses the same verb: “Is everything correct?” met is the preposition “with.” The pattern kloppen met + noun means “match/correspond with + noun.” bon means “receipt.” Its definite form in the sentence is de bon, “the receipt”; the noun itself is bon, while de marks the definite noun phrase. A useful plural form is bonnen, “receipts.” Together, Het klopt means “It matches” in this context, and met de bon specifies what it matches: “with the receipt.” The complete utterance is therefore “It matches the receipt.”

7. Ik kan de drankjes meenemen.

   I can take the drinks.

   Ik kan

   I can

   drankjes

   drinks

   meenemen

   take along

   More detail

   Ik kan means “I can” here: ik is the first-person singular pronoun “I”, and kan is the singular present form of the modal verb kunnen (“can, be able to”). A modal verb is followed by an infinitive; in this sentence that infinitive comes at the end. For example: Ik kan komen. — “I can come.” drankjes means “drinks” here. Its singular form is drankje (“drink”), and drankjes is the plural. The ending -je also marks the diminutive, so drankje literally has a small or individual-item nuance, but in this sentence the natural translation is simply “drink”; the plural refers to multiple drinks. For example: De drankjes zijn koud. — “The drinks are cold.” meenemen means “take along” or “bring with you.” It is a separable verb built from mee (“along”) and nemen (“take”). Its infinitive form stays together after the modal: Ik kan de drankjes meenemen. In a main clause without a modal, the parts separate: Ik neem de drankjes mee. — “I take the drinks along.” Together, Ik kan expresses ability or possibility, de drankjes identifies the drinks as what is being taken, and meenemen says that they are taken along. The whole utterance therefore means: “I can take the drinks.”

8. Ik neem de tas met eten mee.

   I'll carry the food bag.

   neem … mee

   take or carry along

   tas

   bag

   eten

   food

   More detail

   neem … mee: These two separated parts belong to the Dutch separable verb meenemen, “to take/carry along.” In this sentence, neem is the present-tense first-person singular form, matching ik; the particle mee appears later in the clause. The pattern is ik neem ... mee = “I take/carry ... along.” With a modal, the verb stays together at the end: Ik kan de drankjes meenemen. = “I can take the drinks.” tas: Here this noun means “bag.” Its plural is tassen; the diminutive is tasje (“small bag”). The article de belongs to the noun phrase de tas (“the bag”); it does not itself state a numerical count. eten: Here eten is the noun “food,” in met eten (“with food”). Dutch also uses eten as the infinitive “to eat,” but its role here is determined by the noun phrase after met. Together, de tas met eten means “the bag with food,” and ik neem ... mee says that the speaker will carry it along. The complete utterance therefore means: “I’ll carry the food bag.”