Choosing a Chair | Learn Dutch in English

Sentence explanations

1. Welke stoel zullen we kiezen?

   Which chair should we choose?

   Welke

   which

   stoel

   chair

   zullen we

   shall we

   kiezen

   choose

   More detail

   Welke means “which” when selecting one item from a known or relevant set. It is used before the noun: Welke stoel? means “Which chair?” In Dutch, welke is used with common-gender singular nouns and with plural nouns; welk is used with neuter singular nouns, as in welk boek? (“which book?”). The form here is determined by stoel, not by the question itself. stoel is the noun “chair.” Its plural is stoelen: een stoel (“a chair”), twee stoelen (“two chairs”). In the fixed sentence it is the item being selected. zullen we combines the finite form zullen with the subject pronoun we (“we”). Here zullen expresses a proposal or decision about what the speakers are going to do, so zullen we ...? is a reusable way to ask “shall we ...?” or “should we ...?” It can also express future meaning in other contexts, but that is not the intended meaning here. In a Dutch main-clause question, the finite verb comes before the subject: Zullen we kiezen? means “Shall we choose?” kiezen is the infinitive “to choose.” After zullen, the infinitive comes at the end of this question. Its present-tense forms include ik kies (“I choose”), wij kiezen (“we choose”); the infinitive remains kiezen after zullen. The reusable pattern is Welke + noun + zullen we + infinitive? This asks which item the speakers should select or what choice they should make. In the fixed utterance, Welke stoel identifies the choice, zullen we presents it as a joint proposal, and kiezen names the action. Together, Welke stoel zullen we kiezen? means “Which chair should we choose?”

2. Deze ziet er comfortabel uit.

   This one looks comfortable.

   Deze

   this one

   ziet … er … uit

   looks

   comfortabel

   comfortable

   More detail

   Deze means “this one” here and functions independently rather than modifying a noun. In the supplied context, it points to the chair being considered. Dutch demonstratives distinguish forms such as deze (“this one/this” for a nearby common-gender or plural referent) and dit (“this” for a nearby neuter singular referent); the choice depends on the referent’s grammatical properties and number, not simply on physical distance. ziet er uit is the split form of the Dutch verb uitzien, meaning “to look/seem” when describing appearance. The form ziet is the present-tense third-person singular form of zien within this separable-verb construction; uit appears at the end, while er occupies the middle position. Together, ... ziet er ... uit is the reusable pattern “... looks ...”, not a literal combination meaning “sees there out.” Example: De stoel ziet er groot uit. — “The chair looks big.” comfortabel describes the appearance or apparent quality of the subject. After er ... uitzien, a descriptive adjective commonly remains in this plain form: ziet er comfortabel uit. Example: Deze kamer ziet er rustig uit. — “This room looks quiet.” Assembled, Deze identifies one item under discussion, and ziet er comfortabel uit says that its appearance suggests comfort. Thus the complete utterance means “This one looks comfortable.”

3. De andere stoel lijkt te klein.

   The other chair seems too small.

   andere

   other

   stoel

   chair

   lijkt

   seems

   te klein

   too small

   More detail

   andere means “other” here and modifies stoel. Its base form is ander; the -e form is used in de andere stoel, where the definite article and the noun phrase’s grammatical pattern require the attributive adjective form. The word distinguishes this chair from another already identified item. Example: Ik neem de andere tas. — “I’ll take the other bag.” stoel is the singular noun “chair”. Its plural is stoelen. Example: De stoel staat daar. — “The chair is there.” lijkt is the present-tense third-person singular form of lijken, “to seem” or “to appear”. The subject here is de andere stoel, so the singular form lijkt is used. Example: De stoel lijkt zwaar. — “The chair seems heavy.” te klein combines te with the adjective klein, “small”. In this construction, te means “too” and says that the chair is small beyond what is suitable or wanted; it is not the infinitive marker found in constructions such as te zitten. The adjective’s comparison forms include kleiner (“smaller”) and het kleinst (“the smallest”). Example: Deze jas is te groot. — “This coat is too large.” Together, de andere stoel identifies the chair being distinguished from another one, lijkt presents the assessment as an appearance rather than a direct assertion of its size, and te klein describes it as excessively small. The whole utterance therefore means: “The other chair seems too small.”

4. Dan is deze goed.

   Then this one should work.

   Dan

   then

   deze

   this one

   goed

   good; okay

   More detail

   Dan means “then” here: it places this statement after the preceding situation or decision. Dutch can also use dan for a comparison (“than”), but that is not its function here. deze means “this one” and is used independently as a demonstrative pronoun. In Dutch, deze refers to a singular common-gender noun or to plural nouns; the neuter singular counterpart is dit. The pronoun’s exact object is not named in the fixed sentence, so the useful reusable pattern is deze is ... (“this one is ...”). goed means “good” or, in this evaluative context, “okay/suitable.” As a predicate adjective, it describes how the selected item performs or fits the purpose; the fixed translation naturally expresses this as “should work.” Its comparative forms are beter (“better”) and het beste (“the best”). Example: Deze is beter. — “This one is better.” The pattern is goed literally presents something as good, and in a choice or suitability context it can mean that it works or is acceptable. Together, Dan is deze goed. means “Then this one should work.”

5. Wat vind je van de felle kleur?

   What do you think of the bright color?

   Wat vind je van

   What do you think of

   felle

   bright

   kleur

   color

   More detail

   Wat vind je van is a reusable Dutch way to ask for someone's opinion: it asks what someone thinks of something. Wat means “what”; vind is the present-tense form of vinden (“to think/find”) with je (“you”) as the subject. The pattern is Wat vind je van + noun/pronoun?, as in Wat vind je van deze stoel? — “What do you think of this chair?” felle describes the color here as bright or intense. Its base form is fel. The -e ending belongs to the adjective, not to kleur. In this phrase, the adjective comes before the singular de-noun kleur and is part of the definite noun phrase de felle kleur, so the attributive form is felle. Compare the indefinite singular neuter pattern: een fel licht — “a bright light.” Example: een felle kleur — “a bright color.” kleur means “color.” Its plural is kleuren: de kleur, de kleuren. Example: Welke kleur kies je? — “Which color are you choosing?” Together, Wat vind je van asks for an opinion, and de felle kleur identifies the thing being evaluated. The whole utterance means: “What do you think of the bright color?”

6. Daardoor is de stoel makkelijk te zien.

   It makes the chair easy to spot.

   Daardoor

   as a result

   is

   is

   stoel

   chair

   makkelijk

   easy

   te zien

   to spot

   More detail

   Daardoor means “because of that” or “as a result.” It points to an earlier cause or circumstance without naming that cause in this sentence. is is the present-tense form of zijn (“to be”) used here with the singular subject de stoel. Other present forms include ik ben (“I am”) and wij zijn (“we are”). stoel means “chair.” Its plural is stoelen: één stoel (“one chair”), twee stoelen (“two chairs”). In de stoel, de is the definite article, and stoel is a common-gender noun; the article is not a number marker. makkelijk means “easy” here. As a predicate adjective after zijn, it has no extra ending: De taak is makkelijk — “The task is easy.” Its comparative is makkelijker (“easier”), and its superlative is het makkelijkst (“the easiest”). te zien contains te plus the infinitive zien (“to see”). The pattern iets is makkelijk te zien means “something is easy to see” or “easy to spot.” Example: De tekst is goed te zien. — “The text is easy to see.” Together, Daardoor is de stoel makkelijk te zien means “It makes the chair easy to spot”: because of that earlier circumstance, the chair is easy to see. The reusable pattern zijn + adjective + te + infinitive describes how easy or difficult an action involving something is. Example: De knop is moeilijk te vinden. — “The button is difficult to find.”

7. Laten we deze stoel kiezen.

   Let's choose this chair.

   Laten we

   let’s

   deze

   this

   stoel

   chair

   kiezen

   choose

   More detail

   Laten we is a reusable Dutch pattern for making a suggestion addressed to a group that includes the speaker: “let’s …”. In this pattern, laten is followed by we and an infinitive: Laten we beginnen means “Let’s begin.” It is the suggestion pattern itself; it does not assert that someone is literally allowing something here. deze means “this” here and points to a singular nearby de-word. stoel is a singular common-gender noun, so it combines with deze; the corresponding singular demonstrative for a het-word is dit. In the plural, deze is also used: deze stoelen means “these chairs.” stoel means “chair.” Its plural is stoelen: Ik zie een stoel means “I see a chair,” while Ik zie twee stoelen means “I see two chairs.” The noun is the object being selected in this utterance. kiezen is the infinitive “to choose.” After the suggestion pattern Laten we, Dutch uses the infinitive: Laten we wachten means “Let’s wait.” Useful forms of this verb include ik kies (“I choose”), past koos (“chose”), and participle gekozen (“chosen”). Together, Laten we introduces the suggestion, deze stoel identifies the chair as the object, and kiezen supplies the suggested action. The complete meaning is “Let’s choose this chair.”

8. Ik zet hem hier neer.

   I will move it over here.

   Ik

   I

   zet … neer

   put down / place

   hem

   it

   hier

   here

   More detail

   Ik is the first-person singular pronoun, “I.” It identifies the speaker as the mover. A useful contrast is jij or je, “you,” for the person being addressed. zet ... neer is a separable Dutch verb construction based on neerzetten, meaning “to put or place down.” In this sentence, zet is the present-tense first-person singular form of zetten; the subject Ik determines that form. The particle neer appears separately at the end of this main clause. In a main-clause pattern, the finite part comes early while the separable particle moves to the end: Ik zet het boek neer = “I put the book down.” hem is the object pronoun used here for “it,” referring in the supplied context to the chair being moved. Dutch hem can also mean “him” when its referent is a male person; the fixed translation and context select the object reading here. It is the thing receiving the action, not the subject performing it. hier means “here,” indicating the place where the object is being put. Its opposite is daar, “there”: Ik zet hem daar neer means “I put it there.” Together, Ik zet hem hier neer follows the reusable pattern subject + finite part of a separable verb + object + place + separated particle. The parts combine as “I place it here/down,” and the fixed translation gives the intended meaning: “I will move it over here.” Dutch present tense can describe an action happening now or an immediate intended action; in this context, the English translation presents it as the speaker’s intended move.