Using a shared laundry room | Learn Dutch in English

Sentence explanations

1. Kan ik de gedeelde wasruimte gebruiken?

   Can I use the shared laundry room?

   Kan ik

   Can I

   gedeelde

   shared

   wasruimte

   laundry room

   gebruiken

   use

   More detail

   Kan ik is the Dutch question pattern “Can I …?”. Kan is the first-person singular present form of kunnen (“can, be able to”); the infinitive is kunnen. In a yes/no question, the finite verb comes before the subject: Kan ik ...? Compare the ordinary statement Ik kan ... (“I can ...”). gedeelde means “shared” here. It comes from delen (“to share”); gedeeld is the past participle, and gedeelde is the attributive adjective form used before the definite noun phrase de wasruimte. Example: een gedeelde keuken — “a shared kitchen.” wasruimte is a compound noun meaning “laundry room.” was refers here to washing or laundry, while ruimte means “room” or “space.” The article is de: de wasruimte. gebruiken means “to use.” It is the infinitive, and it follows the modal verb kan: Kan ik ... gebruiken? Example: Ik gebruik de wasruimte. — “I use the laundry room.” Together, Kan ik de gedeelde wasruimte gebruiken? asks whether the speaker may use the shared laundry room: “Can I use the shared laundry room?” The finite modal kan appears first because this is a yes/no question, while the main verb gebruiken remains in the infinitive at the end.

2. Die is nu open.

   It is open now.

   Die

   that one / it

   is

   is

   nu

   now

   open

   open

   More detail

   Die means “that one” or, as here, “it.” It is a demonstrative pronoun used on its own, so it stands for an already identifiable thing without naming that thing again. Its exact referent is not specified by this sentence. Compare deze (“this one”) when the demonstrative points to something nearer or more directly presented. is is the present-tense form of zijn (“to be”) for a singular third-person subject. The same form is used with hij, zij/ze (“he,” “she,” or “it,” according to the referent), and a singular noun. Example: De deur is open. — “The door is open.” nu means “now” and places the situation at the present time. It can be moved for emphasis in some sentences, but here it follows the verb: Het is nu rustig. — “It is quiet now.” open is an adjective meaning “open.” After zijn, it describes the subject’s current state and does not receive an extra ending in this position. Its opposite is dicht (“closed”): De deur is dicht. — “The door is closed.” Together, Die is open says that the already identified singular referent is open, and nu adds that this is its state at the present time: “It is open now.”

3. Is deze machine vrij?

   Is this machine free?

   Is

   is

   deze

   this

   machine

   machine

   vrij

   free; available

   More detail

   Is is the present-tense form of Dutch zijn (“to be”) for a singular third-person subject. In a yes/no question, the finite verb comes before the subject: Is ...? means “Is ...?” The form is is also used in a statement, as in Deze machine is vrij. (“This machine is free.”) deze means “this” and specifies one nearby or contextually identified item. Here it is a demonstrative determiner modifying machine; its exact referent is the machine intended in the supplied context. In Dutch, deze is used with singular de-words and with plural nouns. The contrasting singular form for a het-word is dit, as in the example Dit boek is vrij. (“This book is free.”) machine is the noun “machine.” Its useful form pair is singular de machine, plural machines. The article de belongs to the noun phrase but does not itself assert a numerical count beyond the singular form shown here. vrij is an adjective meaning “free” here in the sense of being available or unoccupied, rather than “free” in a political or financial sense. As a predicate after zijn, it appears without the attributive -e ending: De machine is vrij. (“The machine is available.”) For a reusable availability question, Is deze stoel vrij? means “Is this seat available?” Together, Is deze machine vrij? forms a yes/no question: is marks the question through inversion, deze machine identifies the singular machine being asked about, and vrij describes its availability. The whole utterance therefore means “Is this machine free?”

4. Deze is beschikbaar.

   This one is available.

   Deze

   this one

   is

   is

   beschikbaar

   available

   More detail

   Deze means “this one” here: it is a standalone demonstrative referring to a contextually identifiable item, without the noun being repeated. Dutch uses deze for a singular common-gender noun or for plural nouns; dit is used with a singular neuter noun. As a standalone form, deze does not itself identify the item's exact referent. is is the present-tense third-person singular form of zijn, “to be.” The useful present-tense chain is ik ben (“I am”), jij bent (“you are”), and hij/zij/het is (“he/she/it is”). Example: De deur is open. — “The door is open.” beschikbaar is an adjective meaning “available.” In this sentence it is used after zijn as a predicate adjective. It does not receive an adjective ending in this position: De stoel is beschikbaar. — “The chair is available.” Its opposite is niet beschikbaar or, in suitable contexts, onbeschikbaar. Together, Deze is beschikbaar. forms “This one is available.” The demonstrative identifies the item, is links it to a current state, and beschikbaar names that state. The sentence is a concise way to say that the indicated item can be used or obtained, without repeating the noun.

5. Waar moet ik mijn mand zetten?

   Where should I put my basket?

   Waar

   where

   moet ik

   should I

   mijn

   my

   mand

   basket

   zetten

   put; place

   More detail

   Waar means “where” and asks for a location. It is a question word, not a reference to a particular place. Compare waar? (“where?”) with wanneer? (“when?”). moet ik combines moet, the form of moeten used with ik, and the subject pronoun ik (“I”). In this question, moet expresses what is expected or advisable: “should.” The base form is moeten; with other subjects, forms include moet for jij/hij/zij/het and moeten for wij/jullie/zij. In a direct question, the finite verb comes before the subject: Moet ik...? = “Should I...?” mijn means “my.” It is the first-person singular possessive form and normally does not change for the gender or number of the possessed noun: mijn mand (“my basket”), mijn boeken (“my books”). mand means “basket.” Its plural is manden; with a definite article, it is de mand (“the basket”). The form here is singular, but mijn itself does not mark that number. zetten means “to put” or “to place.” Its base form is zetten; after the modal verb moet, the lexical verb remains in the infinitive and appears at the end of this question. The related verb zitten means “to sit” or “to be situated,” so it describes a position rather than the act of placing something. Example: Ik zet de mand daar. — “I put the basket there.” Together, Waar asks for the location, moet ik asks what placement is expected or advisable, mijn mand identifies the object being placed, and zetten supplies the action. The whole utterance therefore means: “Where should I put my basket?”

6. Zet hem naast de muur.

   Set it beside the wall.

   Zet

   put; set

   hem

   it

   naast

   beside; next to

   muur

   wall

   More detail

   Zet is the imperative of zetten, “to put” or “to set.” The imperative gives a direct instruction; the subject is normally left unstated. Compare the infinitive zetten with the present form zet in a command: Zet de tas hier. — “Put the bag here.” hem is the singular object pronoun used here for “it.” Dutch object pronouns distinguish forms such as hem and haar; the fixed translation supports hem as the intended object, but the sentence itself does not identify what “it” refers to. The pronoun is separate from the verb: Zet hem ... means “Put it ...”. naast is a preposition meaning “beside” or “next to.” It introduces the location of the object: naast de stoel — “beside the chair.” muur means “wall.” The quoted form is the singular noun without its article; in the sentence it appears as de muur, because muur is a common-gender Dutch noun and takes de in the singular. Its plural is muren: de muren — “the walls.” Together, Zet hem means “Put it,” and naast de muur specifies the destination: “beside the wall.” Thus the whole utterance is the direct instruction “Set it beside the wall.”

7. Ik haal mijn kleren eruit als de was klaar is.

   I will take my clothes out when the wash is done.

   haal

   take or fetch

   mijn

   my

   kleren

   clothes

   eruit

   out

   als

   when

   was

   wash

   klaar

   done

   More detail

   haal is the first-person singular present form of halen, “to take” or “to fetch.” In this sentence, its meaning becomes “take out” together with eruit. Dutch can use the present tense for an intended future action when the context makes that clear, matching “I will take” here. The reusable pattern is ik haal ... eruit (“I take ... out”). mijn expresses possession by the speaker: “my.” It is used with both singular and plural nouns, so it does not change to agree with the plural form kleren. For example: Mijn boek ligt hier. — “My book is here.” kleren is a plural noun meaning “clothes”; it does not have a normally used singular form for one item of clothing. A useful related word is kleding, a usually uncountable word meaning “clothing.” Example: Mijn kleren zijn droog. — “My clothes are dry.” eruit means “out” in this context. With halen, the separable combination eruit halen means “to take out.” The object can appear between the verb and the particle: Ik haal de kleren eruit. — “I take the clothes out.” als introduces the time condition “when” here. It can also mean “if” in other contexts, so the rest of the clause determines the reading. In als de was klaar is, it introduces the time at which the taking out happens. was is the noun meaning “wash” or “laundry” here, commonly used in the expression de was for laundry. In this sentence it is not the Dutch verb form was meaning “was”; the article de and the surrounding clause show the noun reading. Example: De was staat buiten. — “The laundry is outside.” klaar means “done” or “ready.” With zijn (“to be”), klaar zijn can describe something as finished: De was is klaar. — “The laundry is done.” In the fixed sentence, is is singular because de was is singular; klaar itself does not carry number marking. The sentence begins with Ik (“I”), followed by haal. The separable combination haal ... eruit gives “take ... out,” and mijn kleren specifies that the clothes belong to the speaker. The clause als de was klaar is means “when the wash is done.” Together, the utterance means: “I will take my clothes out when the wash is done.”

8. Haal ze er meteen uit, alsjeblieft.

   Please collect them right away.

   Haal … er … uit

   take out

   ze

   them

   meteen

   right away

   alsjeblieft

   please

   More detail

   Haal ... er ... uit is a reusable construction based on halen, meaning “take out.” In this context, the fixed translation renders the action as “collect.” Halen is the base verb, and haal is its imperative form for a direct request. Dutch uses this imperative form for addressing one person or multiple people; the subject is normally unstated. Here, er follows the object pronoun ze, and uit comes at the end, with meteen between them. The previous sentence shows the related form with eruit written together: Ik haal mijn kleren eruit ...; in the current sentence, er and uit are separated by intervening words. ze means “them” here and functions as the object of the construction. Dutch ze has other uses in other contexts, but the fixed translation identifies its use here as a plural object pronoun. Example: Ik zie ze. — “I see them.” meteen means “right away” or “immediately.” It sets the requested timing rather than changing the action itself. alsjeblieft is a common way to add “please” to a request. It softens the direct imperative without changing its basic instruction. Together, Haal ze er meteen uit, alsjeblieft. means “Please collect them right away.” More literally, the construction means “take them out right away”; ze supplies the object, meteen gives the timing, and alsjeblieft marks the request as polite.