Talking about a sore throat | Learn Dutch in English

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Use Talking about a sore throat to practice Dutch conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

Mijn keel doet een beetje pijn.

mine kayl doot un BAY-chuh pine My throat feels a little sore.

Probeer iets warms te drinken.

proh-BAYR its vahrms tuh DRING-kuhn Try drinking something warm.

Kun je wat thee voor me maken?

kuhn yuh vaht tay vohr muh MAH-kuhn Could you make me some tea?

Ik maak nu wat thee.

ik MAHK nyoo vaht tay I'll make some now.

Mijn stem klinkt vandaag vreemd.

mine stem klinkt vahn-DAHKH vraymt My voice sounds strange today.

Probeer nu minder te praten.

proh-BAYR nyoo MIN-duhr tuh PRAH-tuhn Try to speak less for now.

Ik ga rusten nadat ik de thee heb gedronken.

ik KHAH RUHS-tuhn nah-DAHT ik duh tay hep khuh-DRON-kuhn I'll rest after I drink it.

Dat zou je keel moeten helpen.

daht zow yuh kayl MOO-tuhn HEL-puhn That should help your throat.

Word by Word

Mijn “Mijn” means “my” and shows that the throat belongs to the speaker in “Mijn keel”. It is useful before a noun when identifying something connected to yourself, as in “Mijn stem”.

keel “Keel” means “throat”, the body part mentioned in “Mijn keel doet een beetje pijn”. It can be used with “doet ... pijn” to describe pain in a body part.

doet In “doet een beetje pijn”, “doet” is the verb used to say that the throat hurts; “pijn” supplies the pain meaning. The expression “keel doet ... pijn” is useful for reporting a painful throat.

een “Een” contributes “a” in the expression “een beetje”, which means “a little”. This combination is used to describe a small amount or degree, as in the slight pain here.

beetje “Beetje” means “little” or “small amount” in “een beetje pijn”. Together with “een”, it softens the statement and shows that the pain is not severe.

pijn “Pijn” means “pain” in “doet een beetje pijn”. In this dialogue it names the unpleasant feeling in the throat, and it is used with “doet” to report that a body part hurts.

Probeer “Probeer” tells someone to try something and introduces the suggestion “Probeer iets warms te drinken”. It is useful when giving gentle advice about an action.

iets “Iets” means “something” in “iets warms”, referring to an unspecified thing to drink. It can introduce an unknown or unspecified object, while the following word describes it.

warms “Warms” means “warm” in “iets warms”, so the suggested drink is something warm. The form with “-s” is used here because the adjective follows “iets”.

te “Te” marks the infinitive in “te drinken”. After “Probeer”, the construction “te drinken” identifies the action the listener is advised to try.

drinken “Drinken” means “drink” in “te drinken”. It is the infinitive used for the suggested action of consuming something warm.

Kun “Kun” means “can” or “could” at the start of the request “Kun je wat thee voor me maken?”. It makes the request ask whether the other person is able and willing to do something.

je In “Kun je”, “je” means “you”; in “je keel”, it means “your”. These are common uses of the same form in a question and in a possessive phrase.

wat “Wat” means “some” in “wat thee”, referring to an unspecified amount of tea. It is useful before an uncountable drink or substance when asking for or offering some.

thee “Thee” means “tea” in “wat thee” and “de thee”. It names the warm drink requested and then prepared at home.

voor “Voor” means “for” in “voor me”, showing who the tea is intended for. This use is common when describing something made or done for another person.

me “Me” means “me” in “voor me”, the person who will receive the tea. It is used after “voor” to identify the intended recipient.

maken “Maken” means “make” in “wat thee voor me maken”. It is the infinitive after “Kun” and names the action being requested.

Ik “Ik” means “I” in “Ik maak nu wat thee”, identifying the speaker as the person making the tea. It commonly appears before a verb when the speaker describes their own action.

maak “Maak” means “make” in “Ik maak nu wat thee”. Here it states that the speaker is preparing the requested tea immediately.

nu “Nu” means “now” in “Ik maak nu wat thee”. It places the action in the present moment and shows that the speaker will do it immediately.

stem “Stem” means “voice” in “Mijn stem klinkt vandaag vreemd”. It names the sound-producing voice that the speaker notices has changed.

klinkt “Klinkt” means “sounds” in “Mijn stem klinkt vandaag vreemd”. It describes how something is perceived by sound and can be used with an adjective describing that sound.

vandaag “Vandaag” means “today” in “klinkt vandaag vreemd”. It limits the observation to the current day.

vreemd “Vreemd” means “strange” in “Mijn stem klinkt vandaag vreemd”. It describes the unusual way the speaker’s voice sounds in this situation.

minder “Minder” means “less” in “minder te praten”, so the listener is advised to speak less than usual. It is useful before an activity when reducing its amount or frequency.

praten “Praten” means “speak” or “talk” in “te praten”. It names the activity that should be reduced while the voice is recovering.

ga “Ga” means “go” but in “Ik ga rusten” it helps express an upcoming action: the speaker is going to rest. The construction “ga” plus an infinitive is useful for stating an intended or imminent action.

rusten “Rusten” means “rest” in “Ik ga rusten”. It is the infinitive after “ga” and names the action the speaker plans to take after drinking the tea.

nadat “Nadat” means “after” and introduces the later-time clause “nadat ik de thee heb gedronken”. It shows that resting will happen once the drinking is complete.

de “De” means “the” in “de thee”, referring to the specific tea mentioned in the conversation. It is the definite article used here before “thee”.

heb “Heb” means “have” and works as the auxiliary in “ik de thee heb gedronken”. Together with “gedronken”, it presents the drinking as completed before the resting.

gedronken “Gedronken” means “drunk” or “consumed” in “de thee heb gedronken”. It describes the completed action of drinking the tea in the clause introduced by “nadat”.

Dat “Dat” means “that” in “Dat zou je keel moeten helpen”, referring back to the suggested resting or related care. It is useful for referring to something already mentioned.

zou “Zou” adds a tentative expectation in “zou je keel moeten helpen”, giving the idea that the action should help rather than stating it as a certainty. It makes the advice or prediction less direct.

moeten “Moeten” contributes the sense of “should” or “need to” in “zou je keel moeten helpen”. With “zou” and “helpen”, it expresses an expected helpful result for the throat.

helpen “Helpen” means “help” in “je keel moeten helpen”. It names the beneficial effect that the suggested rest is expected to have on the throat.

Grammar Points

proberen + te + infinitief

Probeer iets warms te drinken.

proh-BAYR its vahrms tuh DRING-kuhn

Try to drink something warm.

After proberen, use te before the infinitive: proberen te drinken.

iets + bijvoeglijk naamwoord op -s

iets warms

its vahrms

something warm

After iets, an adjective often ends in -s: iets warms.

Dutch Vocabulary

drinken verb

DRING-kuhn to drink te drinken

een beetje phrase

un BAY-chuh a little

Mijn keel doet een beetje pijn.

iets pron

its something

keel noun

kayl throat

klinken verb

KLINK-kuhn to sound klinkt

maken verb

MAH-kuhn to make

nu adv

nyoo now

pijn doen phrase

pine doon to hurt doet pijn

Mijn keel doet een beetje pijn.

proberen verb

proh-BAY-ruhn to try Probeer

stem noun

stem voice

thee noun

tay tea

warm adj

vahrm warm warms

Quiz

Word Order

Arrange the words in the correct order.

My throat feels a little sore.

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Mijn keel doet een beetje pijn.

Try drinking something warm.

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Probeer iets warms te drinken.

I'll make some now.

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Ik maak nu wat thee.

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

something

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iets

to make

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maken

warm

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warms

throat

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keel