Using a shared office | Learn Dutch in English

Sentence explanations

1. Mag ik in dit gedeelde kantoor werken?

   Can I work in this shared office?

   Mag ik

   May I…?

   in

   in

   dit

   this

   gedeelde

   shared

   kantoor

   office

   werken

   work

   More detail

   Mag ik is a compact Dutch yes/no-question pattern meaning “May I…?” or, in this context, “Can I…?” mag is the present-tense singular form of mogen (“may, be allowed to”) for ik; Dutch places this finite verb before the subject in a yes/no question: Mag ik ...? The lexical verb stays in the infinitive later in the sentence. For example: Mag ik binnenkomen? — “May I come in?” in means “in” here and introduces the place where the action happens. It is also used in reusable location phrases such as in de trein — “on/in the train,” depending on the intended setting. dit means “this.” It is the singular neuter form of the demonstrative; it agrees with kantoor, which is a neuter het-word: dit kantoor — “this office.” The corresponding plural form is deze, as in deze kantoren — “these offices.” gedeelde means “shared” here. Its base form is gedeeld; the -e form is used before this noun in the attributive phrase dit gedeelde kantoor. An example with the same adjective is een gedeelde ruimte — “a shared space.” kantoor means “office.” Its plural is kantoren: een kantoor — “an office,” twee kantoren — “two offices.” Because kantoor is a neuter singular noun, the demonstrative used with it here is dit rather than deze. werken means “to work.” This is the infinitive, used after the modal verb mag; the structure is Mag ik + infinitive ...? For example: Mag ik hier zitten? — “May I sit here?” Together, Mag ik forms the permission question, in dit gedeelde kantoor identifies the place, and werken expresses the action. The complete utterance therefore means: “Can I work in this shared office?”

2. Kies een vrij bureau.

   Choose an open desk.

   Kies

   choose

   vrij

   open; available

   bureau

   desk

   More detail

   Kies means “choose” here. It is the imperative of kiezen (“to choose”), used to give a direct instruction. The Dutch imperative commonly uses the verb stem, as in Kies een stoel. — “Choose a chair.” vrij describes the desk as open or available for use here. Its basic adjective form is vrij; the comparative is vrijer (“more free/open”), and the superlative is het vrijst (“the freest/most open”), though the exact sense depends on context. In this sentence, the office context supports “available,” not the unrelated sense “free of charge.” Example: Deze stoel is vrij. — “This chair is available.” bureau is the noun “desk.” Its plural is bureaus (“desks”). Bureau is a neuter noun that takes the definite article het; the fixed sentence uses the indefinite article een, which introduces a desk without specifying which one. In een vrij bureau, the adjective has no -e ending because it modifies a singular neuter noun after the indefinite article een. With a definite article, the form is different: het vrije bureau — “the available desk.” Example: Het bureau staat bij de deur. — “The desk is near the door.” Together, Kies gives the instruction, een introduces an unspecified item, and vrij bureau identifies that item as an available desk. The complete utterance therefore means “Choose an open desk.”

3. Ik kan het bureau bij de deur gebruiken.

   I can use the one near the door.

   Ik kan

   I can

   bureau

   desk

   bij

   near; by

   deur

   door

   gebruiken

   use

   More detail

   Ik kan means “I can” here. kan is the present-tense form of kunnen with ik; it expresses ability or permission depending on context, and the fixed translation supports the ability/possibility reading. A useful pattern is ik kan + infinitive: “I can …”. In Dutch, a modal verb such as kunnen is followed by the other verb in its infinitive form. bureau means “desk” here. It is a Dutch het-word: het bureau means “the desk”, while een bureau means “a desk”. Its plural is bureaus. In the supplied context, this is the desk being selected or discussed; the English translation uses “the one” to refer back to that desk. bij means “near” or “by” in this sentence. The pattern bij + noun places something close to the named reference point. Bij is not necessarily as exact as “directly next to”; Dutch naast is the more direct choice for “next to”. deur means “door”. It is a de-word: de deur means “the door”, and its plural is deuren. The phrase bij de deur therefore means “near the door”: de identifies the door as a specific one in the situation, while bij expresses the location relation. gebruiken means “to use”. This is the infinitive of the verb; the form with ik in a simple present statement is ik gebruik. After kan, however, Dutch keeps gebruiken as an infinitive: Ik kan het bureau gebruiken means “I can use the desk.” Together, Ik kan supplies the subject and ability, het bureau identifies the desk, bij de deur specifies which desk by its location, and gebruiken completes the action. The whole utterance means: “I can use the desk near the door.”

4. Laat het schoon achter als je klaar bent.

   Leave it clean when you finish.

   Laat … achter

   leave ... behind

   het

   it

   schoon

   clean

   als

   when

   je

   you

   klaar

   finished

   bent

   are

   More detail

   Laat ... achter is the separable Dutch verb achterlaten, “to leave behind.” In this sentence, Laat is its imperative form: it gives the instruction “leave.” The particle achter appears later because Dutch separable verbs split in a main-clause imperative. The object and the description of its resulting state come between them. het is the neuter singular object pronoun “it.” It is the thing being left. Dutch uses the same form het in some other grammatical roles too, including as a subject pronoun; its role here comes from its position and function as the object of Laat, not from a different spelling. schoon means “clean” here. It describes the state in which the object should be left. A useful pattern is iets schoon achterlaten: “leave something clean.” Schoon can also be used in other contexts for something that is clean, but here it expresses the required resulting condition. als introduces the time clause “when.” The pattern als + clause can connect an event to the time at which another event happens. In this sentence, it introduces the point in time for carrying out the instruction. je is the informal singular subject pronoun “you.” It is the subject of the subordinate clause, not the object of Laat. klaar means “finished” or “ready”; here it means finished with the relevant activity. In klaar zijn, the adjective combines with zijn to express being finished or ready. The exact activity is not specified in the sentence. bent is the second-person singular present form of zijn, “to be”: ik ben, je bent, hij/zij is. Because als je klaar bent is a subordinate clause, the finite verb bent appears at the end of that clause. Together, Laat het schoon achter means “leave it clean,” and als je klaar bent specifies when: “when you finish.” The complete instruction is therefore “Leave it clean when you finish.”

5. Ik heb een rustige plek nodig.

   I need a quiet place.

   Ik

   I

   heb … nodig

   need

   rustige

   quiet

   plek

   place

   More detail

   Ik means “I” here, the first-person singular subject pronoun. It is used for the speaker. Compare jij (“you,” singular) in a new example: Jij hebt een plek nodig. — “You need a place.” heb ... nodig is the Dutch pattern for “need”: hebben + nodig, literally a form of “have” together with “necessary.” In this sentence, heb is the present-tense form of hebben for ik; nodig is the unchanged part of the construction. The form changes with the subject: Ik heb ... nodig — “I need ...”; Jij hebt ... nodig — “You need ...”. Keep the two parts together in meaning even when other words stand between them. rustige means “quiet” here. Its base form is rustig. The ending -e appears because the adjective comes before plek, which is a singular de-word: een rustige plek. The same adjective without this ending can appear in a different position, for example De plek is rustig. — “The place is quiet.” plek means “place” or “spot.” It is a singular noun; its plural is plekken. The indefinite article een introduces the noun phrase but does not by itself state a numeric count. Together, Ik gives the speaker, heb ... nodig expresses “need,” and een rustige plek is the thing needed. The complete utterance therefore means “I need a quiet place.”

6. Probeer het bureau bij de muur.

   Try the desk by the wall.

   Probeer

   try

   bureau

   desk

   bij

   by; near

   muur

   wall

   More detail

   Probeer is the imperative of proberen (“to try”). It addresses one or more people in ordinary informal Dutch; the subject is understood rather than stated. The present-tense form for “you try” is also probeert, with -t, so the missing -t here helps identify the command form. Example: Probeer dit. — “Try this.” bureau means “desk” here. Its base form is bureau; the plural is bureaus. With the neuter singular article het, the phrase is het bureau. Example: Het bureau staat bij het raam. — “The desk is by the window.” bij is a preposition meaning “by” or “near” in this sentence. It places one thing close to a reference point. Example: De stoel staat bij de tafel. — “The chair is by the table.” muur means “wall”. The singular phrase is de muur; its plural is muren. The article de reflects the noun’s Dutch article pattern, not a numeric meaning. Example: Er hangt een foto aan de muur. — “There is a photo hanging on the wall.” Together, Probeer gives the command “try,” het bureau identifies the desk, and bij de muur locates it near the wall. The complete utterance therefore means: “Try the desk by the wall.”

7. Ik ruim mijn spullen op voordat ik wegga.

   I will clear my things before I leave.

   ruim … op

   clear away; tidy up

   mijn

   my

   spullen

   things; belongings

   voordat

   before

   wegga

   leave

   More detail

   ruim ... op is the split form of the separable verb opruimen, meaning to clear away or tidy up. In this sentence, ruim is the present-tense first-person singular form, matching ik, while op appears at the end of the main clause. The infinitive is opruimen; for example, Ik ruim de tafel op. means “I clear the table.” mijn means “my” and indicates possession of the following noun. Dutch possessives such as mijn do not change here for the gender or number of the possessed noun. Spullen is a plural noun meaning things or belongings; its singular form is spul. The phrase mijn spullen therefore means “my things” or “my belongings.” voordat introduces a clause meaning “before.” In the clause after it, ik wegga, the verb is placed at the end: wegga is the first-person singular present form of the separable verb weggaan, “to leave.” Its infinitive is weggaan; for example, Ik ga nu weg. means “I am leaving now.” Together, Ik ruim mijn spullen op means “I clear away my things,” and voordat ik wegga adds the time condition “before I leave.” The complete utterance means “I will clear my things before I leave.” Dutch uses the present forms ruim and wegga here; the English future wording reflects the intended time relation rather than an explicit Dutch future auxiliary.

8. Zo blijft het bureau klaar voor de volgende persoon.

   That keeps the desk ready for the next person.

   Zo

   that way; thereby

   blijft

   stays; remains

   bureau

   desk

   klaar

   ready

   volgende

   next; following

   persoon

   person

   More detail

   Zo means “that way” or “thereby” here. It connects the utterance to the preceding action of clearing things away: doing that has the stated result. As a reusable pattern, Zo blijft ... can introduce a result: “That way, ... stays ...”. blijft is the present-tense form of blijven for the third-person singular subject het bureau. Blijven means “to stay” or “to remain”; in this sentence it describes a continuing state rather than a change of location. For example: De deur blijft open. — “The door stays open.” bureau means “desk” in this sentence. Its full noun phrase is het bureau, with the neuter definite article het. The word can have other meanings in other contexts, including “office” or “agency”, but “desk” is the meaning fixed by the translation here. klaar is an adjective meaning “ready”. After blijven, it describes the state that continues: het bureau blijft klaar means “the desk remains ready”. In this use, klaar is a predicate adjective and does not take the attributive -e ending. Example: Alles blijft klaar. — “Everything remains ready.” volgende means “next” or “following”. It is the adjective from volgend; before the definite noun phrase de persoon, it appears as volgende. This adjective identifies the person who comes next in the relevant sequence, not a comparison such as “more next”. Example: de volgende trein — “the next train.” persoon means “person”. It is a count noun with the definite form de persoon and the plural personen. Here it is singular and refers to the next person in the sequence. Example: De volgende persoon wacht. — “The next person is waiting.” Together, Zo sets up the result, blijft expresses continued state, and het bureau klaar gives the state that continues. de volgende persoon identifies the person for whom the desk is ready. The complete meaning is: “That keeps the desk ready for the next person.”