Keeping a Shared Kitchen Clean | Learn Dutch in English

Sentence explanations

1. Kan ik hier mijn kopje afwassen?

   Can I wash my cup here?

   Kan ik

   Can I

   hier

   here

   mijn

   my

   kopje

   cup

   afwassen

   wash

   More detail

   Kan ik combines the present-tense form kan of kunnen (“can/be able to”) with the subject ik (“I”). In this question, the verb comes before the subject: Kan ik ...? means “Can I ...?” or “Am I allowed to ...?” Here it asks for permission. Compare the statement Ik kan hier zitten. — “I can sit here.” hier means “here” and points to the place where the action would happen. It can be reused in statements and questions, for example: Wacht hier. — “Wait here.” mijn means “my” and marks possession by the first-person singular possessor ik. For example, Dat is mijn tas. means “That is my bag.” kopje means “cup” here. It is a diminutive related to kop, formed with the common Dutch diminutive ending -je. Diminutives can express smallness or other nuances, but kopje is also an ordinary word for a cup; the fixed sentence does not by itself need to be translated as referring to a small cup. Example: Het kopje staat op tafel. — “The cup is on the table.” afwassen means “wash” in the sense of washing a dish, cup, or other item after use. It is a separable verb: in a simple present statement, the parts separate, as in Ik was het kopje af. — “I wash the cup.” After the modal verb kan, the infinitive stays together at the end: Kan ik ... afwassen? Together, Kan ik hier mijn kopje afwassen? asks permission to wash the speaker’s cup at this place: “Can I wash my cup here?” The next instruction says to use the sink on the left.

2. Gebruik de gootsteen links.

   Use the sink on the left.

   Gebruik

   use

   de gootsteen

   the sink

   links

   on the left

   More detail

   Gebruik is the imperative form of gebruiken, “to use.” In this sentence it gives a direct instruction to one addressee; the subject “you” is understood rather than stated. The infinitive is gebruiken, while gebruik can also be a noun meaning “use” in other contexts, so the sentence position and instruction meaning identify the verb here. de gootsteen means “the sink.” Gootsteen is a common-gender Dutch noun, so it takes the definite article de; de identifies the noun as definite here but does not itself state a numerical quantity. The plural is gootstenen. links means “on the left” in this location phrase. It is an adverb, so it does not change to agree with de gootsteen. The related directional contrast is rechts, “on the right.” For example: De deur is links. — “The door is on the left.” Together, Gebruik gives the instruction, de gootsteen names the object to use, and links locates that sink. The complete meaning is: “Use the sink on the left.”

3. Ik wil de ruimte schoon houden.

   I want to keep the space clean.

   wil

   want

   ruimte

   space

   schoon

   clean

   houden

   keep

   More detail

   wil is the first-person singular present form of willen, “to want”: ik wil = “I want.” In this sentence, wil is followed by an infinitive, so the pattern is ik wil + infinitive. ruimte means “space” here, matching the fixed translation. Its base form is ruimte; the form de ruimte uses the definite article de. In another context, ruimte can refer more specifically to a room or available space, but “space” is the intended meaning here. schoon means “clean.” It is used here as a descriptive word after the object, describing the condition that the space should remain in. For example: Houd de tafel schoon. — “Keep the table clean.” houden is the infinitive “to keep” or “to hold.” Here it forms the reusable pattern iets schoon houden: “to keep something clean.” The object is de ruimte, and schoon describes its maintained condition. After wil, the infinitive remains houden, rather than taking a present-tense ending. Together, Ik wil expresses the speaker’s want, de ruimte is the thing affected, and schoon houden expresses maintaining it in a clean condition. The whole utterance therefore means: “I want to keep the space clean.”

4. Veeg de tafel af als je klaar bent.

   Please wipe the table after you finish.

   Veeg … af

   wipe off

   tafel

   table

   als

   when

   je

   you

   klaar

   finished

   bent

   are

   More detail

   Veeg ... af is the imperative of vegen (“to wipe/sweep”) with the separable particle af. In this sentence, veeg tells one person to perform the action, while af completes the meaning “off.” In Dutch, a separable particle can move away from its verb in a main-clause form such as an imperative: Veeg de tafel af. Example: Veeg het bord af. — “Wipe the board.” tafel means “table.” It is a common noun and normally appears with the article de: de tafel. Example: De tafel is schoon. — “The table is clean.” als introduces the condition or time at which the instruction applies. Here the intended meaning is temporal: “when/after.” It introduces the subordinate clause als je klaar bent. je is the informal second-person pronoun “you” here. It is the subject of bent; the form identifies the person addressed, but the sentence does not specify anything further about that person. klaar means “finished” or “ready.” In klaar zijn, it describes a person’s state of being finished or ready. Example: Ik ben klaar. — “I am finished.” bent is the present-tense second-person singular form of zijn, “to be.” The useful present-tense contrast is ik ben (“I am”), je/jij bent (“you are”), and hij/zij is (“he/she is”). Here bent combines with klaar to form je klaar bent, “you are finished.” Together, Veeg de tafel af gives the instruction “wipe the table,” and als je klaar bent specifies when it applies: “after you finish.” The complete utterance therefore means: “Please wipe the table after you finish.”

5. Hoort het afval in deze bak?

   Does trash go in this bin?

   Hoort

   belongs / goes

   het afval

   the trash

   in

   in

   deze

   this

   bak

   bin

   More detail

   Hoort is the present-tense form of horen used here with a singular subject. In this context, horen ... in means “belong/go in,” not “hear.” In the question, the verb comes before the subject: Hoort het afval ...? A reusable statement pattern is X hoort in Y (“X belongs/goes in Y”). Example: Dit boek hoort in de kast. — “This book belongs in the cupboard.” het afval means “the trash” here. Afval is commonly used as a mass noun, so it refers to trash as material rather than stating a numerical count. Its article is het; the form het afval is not an indication that there is one individual piece of trash. Example: Het afval staat buiten. — “The trash is outside.” In is the preposition for being inside or going into a place or container. It links het afval to the container named afterward. Example: De fles staat in de bak. — “The bottle is in the bin.” Deze means “this” and points to a nearby or otherwise relevant item. It is the form used with a singular noun that takes de, such as de bak; with a singular het-word, the corresponding form is dit, as in dit afval. Example: Deze stoel is vrij. — “This chair is free.” Bak means “bin” or “container” here. Its ordinary singular form is de bak; the plural is bakken. The noun can also refer to other kinds of open container depending on context, but here the fixed translation identifies a trash bin. Together, Hoort forms the question structure, het afval names the material being classified, and in deze bak specifies the container. The whole utterance therefore asks whether the trash belongs in or should go in this bin: “Does trash go in this bin?”

6. Doe het in de bak bij de deur.

   Put it in the bin by the door.

   Doe

   put

   het

   it

   bak

   bin

   deur

   door

   More detail

   Doe is the imperative of doen (“to do”). The imperative form is doe; the present-tense form with jij/je is doet. In this sentence, the fixed translation shows that doe has the placement meaning “put,” rather than the more general “do.” het is the Dutch object pronoun “it.” Its specific referent is not identified in the sentence itself, so it is safest to learn the reusable pattern Doe het ... as “Put it ...” when the context supplies the item. Example: Doe het hier. — “Put it here.” bak is a noun meaning “bin” or “container.” The form de bak uses the definite article de; bak is a common-gender noun. Example: De bak staat buiten. — “The bin is outside.” deur means “door.” It is also a common-gender noun, so the definite form is de deur. Example: De deur is open. — “The door is open.” The phrase in de bak means “in the bin.” in marks the destination or location inside the bin here, while de identifies a particular bin. bij de deur means “by the door,” with bij expressing proximity. Together, in de bak bij de deur identifies the bin that is by the door. As a whole, Doe het in de bak bij de deur. means “Put it in the bin by the door.” The reusable structure is Doe [object] in [container] bij [landmark]: an imperative placement instruction followed by the destination and its location.

7. Ik ruim het nu op.

   I will take care of it now.

   Ik

   I

   ruim … op

   tidy up; take care of

   het

   it

   nu

   now

   More detail

   Ik is the first-person singular subject pronoun: “I.” It identifies the speaker as the person carrying out the action. The matching object form is mij (“me”), as in Ze helpt mij (“She helps me”). ruim ... op comes from the separable verb opruimen, meaning to tidy up, clear away, or take care of something by putting it in order. In a finite Dutch clause, the prefix op separates and moves to the end: Ik ruim de tafel op means “I clear the table.” The form ruim is the present-tense form for ik; the infinitive is opruimen. Here, the intervening object is het, so the two parts appear as ruim het ... op. het is the neuter singular object pronoun “it.” In this utterance, the fixed translation and context support the already mentioned thing that is to be put away or dealt with; the pronoun itself does not identify that thing by name. As a determiner, het also occurs before singular neuter nouns, but that is a different use: het huis means “the house.” nu is the time adverb “now.” It places the action at the current time. For example, Ik doe het nu means “I am doing it now.” Together, Ik + ruim ... op gives “I tidy up / take care of,” het supplies the thing being dealt with, and nu specifies when. The whole utterance therefore means “I will take care of it now,” with the Dutch present form describing an action undertaken now; the English fixed translation presents that immediate intention with “will.”

8. Zo blijft de keuken klaar voor iedereen.

   That keeps the kitchen ready for everyone.

   Zo

   that way; so

   blijft

   keeps; remains

   keuken

   kitchen

   klaar

   ready

   voor

   for

   iedereen

   everyone

   More detail

   Zo means “that way” or “so” here. It links the sentence to the way something is done or to the preceding situation. A reusable pattern is zo + clause: “that way, …” or “so, …”. blijft is the present-tense third-person singular form of blijven, “to stay” or “to remain.” With a following adjective, blijven expresses that a person or thing continues to have a condition: blijven + adjective = “remain/stay …”. In this sentence, the natural translation is “keeps …” because the arrangement causes the kitchen to remain ready. The subject is de keuken, so the singular form blijft is used; the plural form is blijven. keuken means “kitchen.” Its base noun is keuken, and Dutch uses the common-gender article de: de keuken. The article belongs with the noun; it does not itself express a numerical quantity. klaar is an adjective meaning “ready.” After blijven, it describes the continuing state of the subject: blijven klaar in the sentence’s word order means “remain ready.” Dutch adjectives generally do not take a separate ending after blijven in this use. For example, De deur blijft open. means “The door stays open.” voor is a preposition meaning “for” in this phrase. It introduces the people who are intended to benefit from or use something: klaar voor iemand = “ready for someone.” iedereen means “everyone” or “everybody.” It is an indefinite pronoun referring collectively to all people relevant in the situation, without identifying them individually. It is not a plural noun; the form itself is singular in Dutch grammar, although its meaning covers a group. For example, Iedereen is welkom. means “Everyone is welcome.” Together, Zo blijft de keuken klaar means “That way, the kitchen stays ready,” and voor iedereen specifies who it is ready for. The complete utterance is: “That keeps the kitchen ready for everyone.”