Using a shared fridge | Learn Dutch in English

Sentence explanations

1. Mag ik de gedeelde koelkast gebruiken?

   Can I use the shared fridge?

   Mag ik

   Can I

   gedeelde

   shared

   koelkast

   fridge

   gebruiken

   use

   More detail

   Mag ik is a reusable Dutch way to ask for permission: literally, “May I…?” In this question, mag is the first-person singular present form of mogen (“may/be allowed to”), and ik means “I.” Dutch places the subject after the finite verb in this type of yes/no question. Example: Mag ik hier zitten? — “May I sit here?” gedeelde means “shared” here. It is an adjective placed before koelkast; the -e ending is the form used with this definite noun phrase. The word is related to delen, “to share.” Example: de gedeelde badkamer — “the shared bathroom.” koelkast is the noun “fridge” or “refrigerator.” It is a Dutch compound noun, and its plural is koelkasten. Example: De koelkast is vol. — “The fridge is full.” gebruiken is the infinitive “to use.” After the finite modal verb mag, Dutch keeps the other verb in the infinitive, here at the end of the question. Example: Mag ik deze stoel gebruiken? — “May I use this chair?” Together, Mag ik asks for permission, de gedeelde koelkast identifies the shared fridge as the object, and gebruiken expresses the requested action. The whole utterance therefore means: “Can I use the shared fridge?”

2. Plak een etiket op je eten voordat je het erin doet.

   Label your food before you put it in.

   Plak

   stick on; label

   een etiket

   a label

   je eten

   your food

   voordat

   before

   erin doet

   puts in

   More detail

   Plak is the imperative of plakken, “to stick” or “to attach.” It addresses the listener directly and gives an instruction. The infinitive is plakken; the present-tense form for “I/he/she sticks” is plak only for “I,” while “he/she sticks” is plakt. In this sentence, Plak ... op means “stick ... onto.” een etiket means “a label.” Etiket is a neuter noun (het etiket), and een is the indefinite article. The phrase does not itself assert a numerical count; it introduces an unspecified label. A reusable example is Plak een etiket op de doos. — “Stick a label on the box.” je eten means “your food.” Here je is the possessive form meaning “your,” and eten is the noun “food.” The same spelling eten can also be the infinitive “to eat,” but its role here is a noun, marked by the possessive je. Dutch possessives such as mijn, jouw, and je indicate whose thing is meant; je is the unstressed, common form of “your.” voordat introduces a time clause meaning “before.” It joins the instruction to the event that must happen later. In the clause after voordat, the finite verb appears at the end: voordat je het erin doet — “before you put it in.” erin doet means “puts in.” Erin combines er (“there/in it,” depending on context) with in and refers to putting something into a place or container already understood from the context. Doet is the present-tense form of doen (“to do; to put” in this construction) for je or hij/zij/het. The object being put is expressed separately by het, “it”; the fixed translation identifies that object as the food. In the subordinate clause, doet comes at the end, as is normal for a Dutch finite verb in this type of clause. A reusable example is Ik doe het erin. — “I put it in.” Together, Plak een etiket op je eten gives the instruction “Label your food” literally by telling the listener to stick a label onto it. voordat je het erin doet specifies the timing: do the labeling before putting the food in, with het referring to the food and erin referring to the relevant place or container. The complete meaning is: “Label your food before you put it in.”

3. Waar kan ik een etiket vinden?

   Where can I find a label?

   Waar

   where

   kan ik

   can I

   een etiket

   a label

   vinden

   find

   More detail

   Waar means “where” and asks for a place or destination. It is a question word, not a reference to a particular place. Example: Waar woon je? — “Where do you live?” kan ik combines kan, the first-person singular present form of kunnen (“can, be able to”), with ik (“I”). In this question, kan comes before the subject ik, as is normal when a Dutch question begins with a question word. Compare the statement Ik kan ... — “I can ...” — with the question Waar kan ik ...? — “Where can I ...?” een etiket means “a label.” Etiket is a singular noun; its plural is etiketten, as in the supplied contextual sentence Er liggen etiketten ... (“There are labels ...”). Een marks an indefinite singular noun here, but it does not by itself specify an exact numerical count. vinden means “find.” It is the infinitive, or basic form, of the verb. After the modal verb kunnen, Dutch keeps the other verb in the infinitive: Ik kan een etiket vinden — “I can find a label.” Together, Waar + kan ik + een etiket + vinden forms Waar kan ik een etiket vinden? The structure is “Where can I find a label?”: the question asks for a place where the speaker can find a label, without stating that the speaker has found it. In a neutral everyday situation, this is a reusable way to ask where an item can be located.

4. Er liggen etiketten naast de koelkast.

   There are labels beside the fridge.

   Er liggen

   there are lying

   etiketten

   labels

   naast

   beside; next to

   koelkast

   fridge

   More detail

   Er liggen is a useful Dutch pattern for saying that objects are present in a particular position or location. Er introduces the existence or presence of something; liggen is the present-tense form of liggen for a plural subject, and here it presents the labels as lying or being located there. Compare Er ligt een boek. — “There is a book lying there.” With a singular subject, Dutch uses ligt; with a plural subject, it uses liggen. etiketten means “labels” here. Its singular form is etiket, and etiketten is the plural form. Example: Ik zie twee etiketten. — “I see two labels.” naast is a preposition meaning “beside” or “next to.” It places one thing alongside another: De stoel staat naast de tafel. — “The chair is next to the table.” koelkast means “fridge” or “refrigerator.” It is a noun referring to the appliance; its plural is koelkasten. Example: De koelkast staat in de keuken. — “The fridge is in the kitchen.” Together, Er liggen etiketten presents labels as being located there, and naast de koelkast specifies their location: beside the fridge. The complete utterance therefore means, “There are labels beside the fridge.”

5. Is er binnen genoeg ruimte?

   Is there enough space inside?

   Is er

   is there

   binnen

   inside

   genoeg

   enough

   ruimte

   space; room

   More detail

   Is er is the Dutch pattern for asking whether something exists or is present: literally an inverted form of er is (“there is”). Here, er is an existential subject element, not a specific noun or place. Compare Er is ruimte. (“There is space.”) with the question Is er ruimte? (“Is there space?”). Is is the present-tense form of zijn (“to be”) used here with this question pattern. binnen means “inside” and specifies the location. It can be used on its own as a location word: Is er binnen ruimte? means “Is there space inside?” The supplied context supports this interior-location reading. genoeg means “enough” and indicates that the amount meets an implied requirement. It normally comes before the noun it quantifies: genoeg tijd (“enough time”) and genoeg ruimte (“enough space”). It does not itself state an exact amount. ruimte means “space” or “room.” In this sentence it refers to available physical room, not a particular named room. The related phrase meer ruimte means “more space,” while weinig ruimte means “little space.” Together, Is er forms the existence question, binnen locates what is being asked about, and genoeg ruimte means “enough space.” The complete utterance therefore asks, “Is there enough space inside?” It is a reusable way to check whether an interior area has sufficient available room.

6. Gebruik de bovenste plank. Daar is ruimte.

   Use the top shelf; there is room there.

   Gebruik

   use

   bovenste

   top; uppermost

   plank

   shelf; plank

   Daar is

   there is

   ruimte

   room; space

   More detail

   Gebruik is the imperative of gebruiken (“to use”). It gives a direct instruction: “Use …”. The same form is also used in other present-tense contexts, but here the sentence structure and fixed translation make it an instruction. Example: Gebruik deze stoel. — “Use this chair.” bovenste means “top” or “uppermost” here. It is the superlative form related to boven (“above”): boven → bovenste. It identifies the shelf as the highest one in the relevant set, rather than merely a shelf that is higher than another. Example: de bovenste doos — “the top box.” plank means “shelf” in this sentence. The word can also refer to a board in other contexts, so the surrounding reference to storing something and the fixed translation support “shelf” here. de belongs with this noun phrase: de bovenste plank means “the top shelf.” Daar is combines daar (“there”) with is, the singular present form of zijn (“to be”). In this sentence it introduces what exists or is available at that location: “there is … there.” The first Daar points to the location just identified, the top shelf. Example: Daar is een stoel. — “There is a chair there.” ruimte means “room” or “space.” It is an uncounted amount here, not a named object or a numeric quantity. In Daar is ruimte, Dutch uses the singular form of zijn because ruimte is treated as a singular uncountable noun. Example: Er is nog ruimte. — “There is still room.” Together, Gebruik de bovenste plank means “Use the top shelf.” Daar is ruimte then states that there is room at that indicated location: “There is room there.” The complete utterance is therefore: “Use the top shelf; there is room there.”

7. Ik haal mijn eten er later uit.

   I will take my food out later.

   Ik

   I

   haal … uit

   take out

   mijn

   my

   eten

   food

   er

   from there

   later

   later

   More detail

   Ik is the Dutch first-person singular pronoun, meaning “I.” It identifies the speaker as the agent. The contrasting form jij means “you” when addressing one person. haal ... uit expresses taking something out. Here haal is the first-person singular present-tense form of halen (“to take” or “to get”), and uit contributes “out” in the separable pattern eruit halen. The two parts are separated in this main clause. Example: Ik haal het boek uit de tas. — “I take the book out of the bag.” mijn means “my” and marks possession by the speaker. It comes before the possessed noun, as in mijn boek (“my book”). Mijn itself does not change for the gender or number of the possessed noun. eten means “food” here. The same written form can also be the verb “to eat” in another construction, but here it is a noun. Example: Het eten staat op tafel. — “The food is on the table.” er refers to an understood place or object in the separable pattern eruit halen. In this context, the preceding Daar (“There”) supports an understood location; er is not itself the word meaning “out.” In the observed sentence, er comes before later, while uit comes at the end. later means “later.” It is a time adverb and does not specify an exact time. Example: Ik bel je later. — “I’ll call you later.” Together, Ik haal mijn eten er later uit means “I will take my food out later.” The structure is Ik + haal + mijn eten + er + later + uit: the speaker takes their food out from an understood place, and the action is scheduled for later. Dutch present tense can express a planned future action when the time expression or context makes that reading clear; haal itself remains present tense.

8. Zo blijft er ruimte vrij voor andere mensen.

   That keeps space open for other people.

   Zo

   that way

   blijft

   remains

   er

   there

   ruimte

   space

   vrij

   open

   voor

   for

   andere

   other

   mensen

   people

   More detail

   Zo means “that way” here: it links the result to an action or situation already understood. It can also mean “so” or “like this” in other contexts, but here it introduces the method or consequence. blijft is the present-tense form of blijven for hij, zij, or het, and it also appears with a singular noun phrase. The verb means “remain” or “stay”; here it expresses that something continues to be in a state. Compare blijven “to remain” with worden “to become”: ruimte blijft vrij means the space continues to be available, whereas ruimte wordt vrij means it becomes available. er is the unstressed existential or presentational word used in the pattern er blijft ...: “there remains ...” or more naturally here, “... stays available.” In this sentence it is not a claim about a particular physical location called “there”; the following noun phrase introduces what remains. ruimte is the noun “space” or “room.” Its plural is ruimtes when separate spaces or rooms are meant. In this sentence it is singular and refers to space in an available sense, not necessarily to one separately counted area. vrij is an adjective meaning “free” or “available.” After a verb such as blijven, it describes the continuing state of ruimte: the space remains available. The same word can also mean “free” in other senses, so its exact meaning comes from the noun and sentence here. voor means “for” and introduces the people who are intended to benefit from or have access to the available space. The pattern ruimte voor iemand is reusable: Er is ruimte voor één gast. — “There is room for one guest.” andere means “other” in andere mensen, distinguishing these people from people already understood in the situation. Dutch adjective forms can depend on the noun phrase’s grammatical conditions; the form here is andere before the plural noun mensen. It does not itself state how many other people there are. mensen is the plural of mens, “person” or “human being.” The irregular plural is mens → mensen, not a regular form ending in -s. For example, Veel mensen wachten. means “Many people are waiting.” Together, Zo blijft er ruimte vrij means “That way, space remains available,” and voor andere mensen specifies who the space is available for. The complete utterance therefore means: “That keeps space open for other people.”