Keeping a Shared Kitchen Clean | Learn Dutch in English

About This Lesson

Use Keeping a Shared Kitchen Clean to practice Dutch conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

Kan ik hier mijn kopje afwassen?

kahn ik heer mine KOP-yuh AF-wah-sun? Can I wash my cup here?

Gebruik de gootsteen links.

khuh-BROIK duh KHOHT-stayn links. Use the sink on the left.

Ik wil de ruimte schoon houden.

ik vil duh RÖYM-tuh skhohn HOW-dun. I want to keep the space clean.

Veeg de tafel af als je klaar bent.

VAYKH duh TAH-fuhl af alz yuh KLAHR bent. Please wipe the table after you finish.

Hoort het afval in deze bak?

hohrt ut AF-vahl in DAY-zuh bahk? Does trash go in this bin?

Doe het in de bak bij de deur.

doo ut in duh bahk bye duh duhr. Put it in the bin by the door.

Ik ruim het nu op.

ik ROWM ut nyoo op. I will take care of it now.

Zo blijft de keuken klaar voor iedereen.

zoh blayft duh KÖH-kun klahr fohr EE-duh-RAYN. That keeps the kitchen ready for everyone.

Word by Word

Kan “Kan” asks for permission in the question “Kan ik hier mijn kopje afwassen?” It is useful in “Kan ik ...?” when you want to ask whether you may do something, for example when speaking to someone responsible for a shared space.

ik “ik” refers to the speaker, who is asking to wash a cup. It is used for the person doing or wanting the action, as in “Kan ik ...?” and “Ik wil ...”.

hier “hier” means here, referring to the place where the speaker wants to wash the cup. It is useful when pointing out or asking about the current location, as in “Kan ik hier ...?”.

mijn “mijn” shows that the cup belongs to or is associated with the speaker in “mijn kopje”. It comes before the object being identified and is useful when talking about something that is yours.

kopje “kopje” means cup in this kitchen context, specifically the cup the speaker wants to wash. It is used as the object of an action, as in “mijn kopje afwassen”.

afwassen “afwassen” means wash dishes or wash a cup in “mijn kopje afwassen”. It names the action after “Kan ik” and is useful when asking or talking about washing dishes in a kitchen.

Gebruik “Gebruik” tells someone to use something, here the sink on the left. It is a direct instruction and can be reused with an object after it when telling someone which item or place to use.

de “de” is the definite article before “gootsteen” in “de gootsteen”. It identifies a specific sink, and the same article is used before a known object such as a sink in a shared kitchen.

gootsteen “gootsteen” means sink, specifically the sink the listener should use. It is useful after an instruction such as “Gebruik de gootsteen” when directing someone to a kitchen fixture.

links “links” identifies the position on the left, so “de gootsteen links” means the sink on the left. It is useful for distinguishing one object from another by location.

wil “wil” expresses what the speaker wants in “Ik wil de ruimte schoon houden.” It is useful before an action or goal when stating an intention, such as wanting to keep a place clean.

ruimte “ruimte” means the space or area that the speaker wants to keep clean. It is used as the object of “schoon houden” and is useful when referring to an area rather than one particular item.

schoon “schoon” means clean in “de ruimte schoon houden”. It describes the condition the speaker wants the space to remain in, and it can be reused with “houden” for maintaining a condition.

houden “houden” means keep in “schoon houden”, describing the intention to maintain the space in a clean condition. The pattern “iets schoon houden” is useful when talking about keeping an object or area clean.

Veeg “Veeg” tells the listener to wipe the table in “Veeg de tafel af”. It is a direct cleaning instruction and is useful when asking someone to wipe a surface.

tafel “tafel” means table, the surface that should be wiped in “Veeg de tafel af”. It is useful as the object after a cleaning instruction.

af In “Veeg de tafel af”, “af” is part of the expression that means wipe the table clean or wipe something off. The complete expression is useful after someone has finished using a surface and it needs cleaning.

als “als” introduces the time condition in “als je klaar bent”, meaning when or after you are finished. It is useful for linking an action to the point when another action or task is complete.

je “je” refers to the person being instructed in “als je klaar bent”. It identifies the person who finishes the task and is useful when addressing someone directly in an everyday instruction.

klaar “klaar” means finished in “als je klaar bent”, referring to the point when the listener has completed a task. The pattern “klaar zijn” is useful when saying that a person has finished or is ready.

bent “bent” connects “je” with the state “klaar” in “je klaar bent”, meaning you are finished. It is useful in a pattern such as “je bent + description” when describing the listener’s current state.

Hoort “Hoort” asks whether the trash belongs in the bin in “Hoort het afval in deze bak?” It is useful in questions about the correct place for something, especially with a container or location after it.

het In “het afval”, “het” identifies the trash as a specific thing, and in “Doe het in de bak”, it refers back to that trash as it. It is useful both before a named object and as a short reference to something already mentioned.

afval “afval” means trash or waste, the material being sorted into a bin. It is useful when asking which container should receive something that needs to be thrown away.

in “in” shows that the trash should be inside the bin in “in deze bak” and “in de bak bij de deur”. It is useful before the name of a container or place where something is put.

deze “deze” means this and points to the particular bin near the speakers in “deze bak”. It is useful before an object when selecting one nearby from several possible objects.

bak “bak” means bin in this shared-kitchen context. It is useful after “in” when naming the container where the trash should go.

Doe “Doe” tells the listener to put the trash in the bin in “Doe het in de bak bij de deur”. It is a direct instruction and the pattern “Doe + object + in + container” is useful for telling someone where to place something.

bij “bij” means by or next to in “bij de deur”, locating the bin near the door. It is useful before a place or object when giving a nearby location.

deur “deur” means door and identifies the landmark near the correct bin. It is useful after “bij” when describing where something is located.

ruim In “Ik ruim het nu op”, “ruim” contributes the action of clearing something away or tidying it. Together with the final “op”, it is useful when saying that you will take care of mess or items by putting them away.

nu “nu” means now, showing that the speaker will take care of the trash immediately. It is useful when emphasizing that an action is happening at the present time.

op In “Ik ruim het nu op”, “op” completes the expression for clearing something away or tidying it up. It is useful when the action involves removing or putting away an item as part of tidying.

Zo “Zo” means so or in this way, referring to the cleaning and sorting actions just described. It is useful at the start of a sentence that explains the result of an action or method.

blijft “blijft” means stays or remains in “blijft de keuken klaar”, describing the kitchen as continuing to be ready. The pattern “blijft + description” is useful when saying that a condition continues.

keuken “keuken” means kitchen, the shared place being kept ready. It is useful when referring to the room where cooking, washing, or sorting household waste takes place.

voor “voor” means for in “voor iedereen”, showing who the kitchen is ready for. It is useful before the person or group intended to use or receive something.

iedereen “iedereen” means everyone, referring to all the people who share the kitchen. It is useful when describing something intended for or available to the whole group.

Grammar Points

Veeg ... af

Veeg de tafel af.

VAYKH duh TAH-fuhl af.

Wipe the table off.

In a separable verb, the prefix moves to the end of a main-clause command: afvegen becomes Veeg ... af.

Dutch Vocabulary

afval noun

AF-vahl trash

Hoort het afval in deze bak?

afvegen verb

AF-VAY-khun to wipe off Veeg ... af

Veeg de tafel af als je klaar bent.

afwassen verb

AF-wah-sun to wash up

Kan ik hier mijn kopje afwassen?

gootsteen noun

KHOHT-stayn sink

Gebruik de gootsteen links.

houden verb

HOW-dun to keep

Ik wil de ruimte schoon houden.

klaar adj

KLAHR finished

Veeg de tafel af als je klaar bent.

kopje noun

KOP-yuh cup

Kan ik hier mijn kopje afwassen?

links adv

links on the left

Gebruik de gootsteen links.

ruimte noun

RÖYM-tuh space

Ik wil de ruimte schoon houden.

schoon adj

skhohn clean

Ik wil de ruimte schoon houden.

tafel noun

TAH-fuhl table

Veeg de tafel af als je klaar bent.

vegen verb

VAY-khun to wipe Veeg

Veeg de tafel af als je klaar bent.

Quiz

Word Order

Arrange the words in the correct order.

Can I wash my cup here?

Show Answer

Kan ik hier mijn kopje afwassen?

Use the sink on the left.

Show Answer

Gebruik de gootsteen links.

I want to keep the space clean.

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Ik wil de ruimte schoon houden.

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

cup

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kopje

clean

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schoon

to wipe

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Veeg

on the left

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links