Using a shared laundry room | Learn Dutch in English

Dutch lesson set in a contemporary Amsterdam everyday setting: In a shared laundry room, two adults talk about using an available machine and collecting clothes promptly..

EN → NL / Level: A1

About This Lesson

Use Using a shared laundry room to practice Dutch conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

A

Kan ik de gedeelde wasruimte gebruiken?

kan ik duh guh-DAYL-duh VAHS-room-tuh khuh-BROY-kuhn? Can I use the shared laundry room?
B

Die is nu open.

dee iss noo OH-puhn. It is open now.
A

Is deze machine vrij?

iss DAY-zuh muh-SHEE-nuh fray? Is this machine free?
B

Deze is beschikbaar.

DAY-zuh iss buh-SKHIK-bahr. This one is available.
A

Waar moet ik mijn mand zetten?

vahr moot ik mayn mahnt ZEH-tuhn? Where should I put my basket?
B

Zet hem naast de muur.

zeht um nahst duh myur. Set it beside the wall.
A

Ik haal mijn kleren eruit als de was klaar is.

ik hahl mayn KLAY-run uh-ROWt ahls duh vahs klahr iss. I will take my clothes out when the wash is done.
B

Haal ze er meteen uit, alsjeblieft.

hahl zuh ur muh-TAYN uh-ROWt, ahl-shuh-BLEEFT. Please collect them right away.

Word by Word

Kan Kan means can and is used here to ask permission. It is the form of kunnen used in Kan ik de gedeelde wasruimte gebruiken?, where gebruiken remains in the infinitive after Kan. Use this pattern when asking whether you may use something.
ik ik means I and refers to the person asking to use the room or place the basket. In Kan ik de gedeelde wasruimte gebruiken?, it comes after Kan in the question. The same subject appears in Ik haal mijn kleren eruit.
de de is the definite article meaning the for the specific room mentioned here. It appears in de gedeelde wasruimte. Use it before this noun phrase when referring to that shared laundry room.
gedeelde gedeelde means shared and describes the laundry room in de gedeelde wasruimte. It is the -e form of gedeeld used before this noun phrase. This form is useful when describing something that people use together.
wasruimte wasruimte means laundry room, the room where the machines are located. In de gedeelde wasruimte gebruiken, it is the place the speaker wants to use. Keep it with the context word gedeelde when referring to this shared facility.
gebruiken gebruiken means to use in Kan ik de gedeelde wasruimte gebruiken? It is the infinitive after Kan and names the action the speaker is asking permission to perform. It can be reused with the thing being used as its object.
Die Die refers back to de gedeelde wasruimte and means it or that one here. In Die is nu open, it is the subject whose current state is being described. Use Die this way when referring back to a previously mentioned thing.
is is means is and links the laundry room or machine to a state in the dialogue. In Die is nu open, it says that the room is open. It is the form of zijn used with this subject.
nu nu means now and places the situation at the present time. In Die is nu open, it says that the room is open at this moment. It commonly appears with a statement about a current state.
open open means open here, describing the current status of the laundry room. In Die is nu open, it follows is as the state of the room. Use it when saying that a place is currently accessible.
deze deze means this and points to the particular machine being considered. In deze machine, it identifies the machine near or relevant to the speakers. Use deze before a noun when selecting a specific thing.
machine machine means machine and refers here to a laundry machine. In deze machine, it is the object whose availability is being checked. Use it with deze when pointing to this particular machine.
vrij vrij means free or available for use in Is deze machine vrij? The speaker is asking whether the machine is unoccupied and can be used. This is a useful form for checking whether something is free.
beschikbaar beschikbaar means available and states that the selected machine can be used. In Deze is beschikbaar, it describes the machine referred to by Deze. Use it after is to state that something is available.
Waar Waar means where and asks for a location. In Waar moet ik mijn mand zetten?, it asks for the place where the basket should be put. It appears at the beginning of this location question.
moet moet means should or must here, as the speaker asks where the basket should be placed. It is the form of moeten in Waar moet ik mijn mand zetten?, and zetten remains in the infinitive after it. Use this pattern when asking what action or placement is required.
mijn mijn means my and shows that the basket belongs to or is being used by the speaker. In mijn mand, it comes directly before the noun. Use mijn before an item connected with the speaker.
mand mand means basket and refers to the speaker's basket in mijn mand. In Waar moet ik mijn mand zetten?, it is the thing that needs to be placed. It can be used as the object of a verb describing where something is put.
zetten zetten means to put or set in Waar moet ik mijn mand zetten? It is the infinitive after moet and describes placing the basket somewhere. Here the placement is completed by the location naast de muur.
Zet Zet means put or set as a direct instruction in Zet hem naast de muur. It is the form of zetten used to tell someone what to do. Use it when giving an instruction about placing something.
hem hem means it here and refers to the basket in Zet hem naast de muur. It is the thing being placed after Zet. Use this object form when referring back to the basket in the instruction.
naast naast means beside or next to and introduces the location of the basket. In naast de muur, it says that the basket should be placed beside the wall. Use naast before the thing that marks the nearby location.
muur muur means wall and identifies the object beside which the basket should be placed. In naast de muur, it follows naast as the location reference. This phrase is useful for giving a precise placement instruction.
haal haal means take out or collect here. It is the form of halen in Ik haal mijn kleren eruit, where the speaker says they will take the clothes out, and in Haal ze er meteen uit, where the other person gives that instruction. Use it when describing or requesting removal of something from inside.
kleren kleren means clothes and refers to the clothes being taken out of the machine. In mijn kleren, it identifies what belongs to the speaker. It is the item placed before eruit in Ik haal mijn kleren eruit.
eruit eruit means out in Ik haal mijn kleren eruit and completes the meaning of taking the clothes out. It expresses the direction of removal from the machine in this dialogue. A reusable pattern keeps the item before the removal expression, as in Ik haal mijn kleren eruit.
als als means when and introduces the time condition als de was klaar is. It connects the action of taking the clothes out with the wash being finished. Use it before a clause that states when something happens.
was was means the wash or laundry in de was. In als de was klaar is, it refers to the laundry being washed and says that it is done. This phrase is useful when talking about the completion of a wash.
klaar klaar means done or finished here and describes the state of the wash. In als de was klaar is, it says that the laundry cycle or wash is complete. A reusable pattern is X is klaar when an activity or task is finished.
ze ze means them here and refers back to the clothes. In Haal ze er meteen uit, it is the thing that should be taken out. It appears after the instruction Haal as the object being collected.
er er is part of the expression er meteen uit in Haal ze er meteen uit. Together with uit, it helps express taking the clothes out, and it appears between haal and uit in this sentence. Keep this position when reusing the same removal construction.
meteen meteen means right away and adds urgency to the request. In Haal ze er meteen uit, it says that the clothes should be collected without delay. Use it when asking someone to do something immediately.
uit uit means out and is the final part of er meteen uit in Haal ze er meteen uit. Together with er, it expresses removal from inside the machine. Use it in this construction when telling someone to take something out.
alsjeblieft alsjeblieft means please and makes the instruction more polite. At the end of Haal ze er meteen uit, alsjeblieft, it softens the request to collect the clothes. Use it with a request when speaking politely.

Grammar Points

mijn + zelfstandig naamwoord

mijn mand

mayn mahnt

my basket

Dutch possessive determiners such as mijn come directly before the noun.

eruit halen

eruit halen

uh-ROWt HAH-luhn

to take out

This separable verb combines eruit with halen to express moving something out.

Dutch Vocabulary

beschikbaar adj
buh-SKHIK-bahr available
de det
duh the
deze det
DAY-zuh this one
die pron
dee that one; it
gebruiken verb
khuh-BROY-kuhn to use
gedeelde adj
guh-DAYL-duh shared
ik pron
ik I
machine noun
muh-SHEE-nuh machine
nu adv
noo now
open adj
OH-puhn open
vrij adj
fray free; available
wasruimte noun
VAHS-room-tuh laundry room

Quiz

Word Order

Arrange the words in the correct order.

Can I use the shared laundry room?

Show AnswerKan ik de gedeelde wasruimte gebruiken?

It is open now.

Show AnswerDie is nu open.

Is this machine free?

Show AnswerIs deze machine vrij?

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

to use

Show Answergebruiken

shared

Show Answergedeelde

open

Show Answeropen

laundry room

Show Answerwasruimte