Preparing the room for a quiet evening | Learn Dutch in English

Sentence explanations

1. Het wordt tegenwoordig eerder donker.

   It is getting dark earlier these days.

   Het wordt

   it is becoming

   tegenwoordig

   these days

   eerder

   earlier

   donker

   dark

   More detail

   Het wordt is a useful Dutch pattern for “it is becoming” or “it is getting.” wordt is the present-tense third-person singular form of worden (“to become,” “to get”); the form agrees with het, not with donker. In this sentence, het is an impersonal subject referring to the situation or conditions, rather than to a specifically identified object. The pattern het wordt + adjective describes a change into a state. Example: Het wordt koud. — “It is getting cold.” tegenwoordig means “nowadays” or “these days.” It places the situation in the current period and contrasts it with an earlier period without specifying exact dates. Example: Tegenwoordig werk ik thuis. — “These days I work from home.” eerder means “earlier” here. It is the comparative form of vroeg (“early”): vroeg — “early,” eerder — “earlier,” het vroegst — “the earliest.” In this sentence, it compares the time at which it becomes dark with a relevant earlier or usual time; it does not mean “rather” here. Example: In de winter wordt het eerder donker. — “In winter, it gets dark earlier.” donker means “dark.” It is an adjective describing the resulting state after wordt; the sentence does not use an inflected adjective form because donker follows the linking verb worden as a predicate adjective. Example: De kamer wordt donker. — “The room is getting dark.” Together, Het wordt donker means “It is getting dark.” Adding eerder changes this to “It is getting dark earlier,” and tegenwoordig places that comparison in the present period: “It is getting dark earlier these days.”

2. Ik doe de gordijnen dicht voor het avondeten.

   I will close the curtains before dinner.

   Ik

   I

   doe … dicht

   close or shut

   gordijnen

   curtains

   voor

   before

   avondeten

   dinner

   More detail

   Ik means “I” and identifies the speaker as the subject. Dutch subject pronouns include ik (I), jij/je (you, singular), and hij/zij/ze (he/she/they, depending on context). Here, ik is the form used for the speaker’s action. doe and dicht work together as the separable verb dichtdoen, “to close” or “to shut.” In the present tense with ik, the finite part is doe, while the particle dicht appears later in the clause: Ik doe de deur dicht — “I close the door.” The observed form is doe, whose base verb is doen (“to do”); in this construction, dichtdoen gives it the meaning “to close,” not the general meaning “to do.” gordijnen means “curtains.” Its singular is gordijn (“curtain”), and gordijnen is the plural form. Dutch commonly uses the definite article de with this noun: de gordijnen means “the curtains.” voor means “before” here and introduces the event used as a time reference. For example, voor het werk means “before work.” In this sentence, it does not mean “in front of”; that spatial use is another possible meaning of the same word. avondeten means “dinner” or “the evening meal.” It is a noun referring to a meal, and het is its definite article: het avondeten. The phrase voor het avondeten therefore means “before dinner.” Together, Ik doe de gordijnen dicht means “I close the curtains,” and voor het avondeten places that action before dinner. The complete utterance means “I will close the curtains before dinner.” Dutch present-tense forms can refer to a planned or expected future action when the time context makes that clear; the fixed translation expresses that future reading in English.

3. Kun je de kleine kachel ook aanzetten?

   Could you switch on the small heater too?

   Kun je

   could you

   kleine

   small

   kachel

   heater

   ook

   too

   aanzetten

   switch on

   More detail

   Kun je is a question pattern meaning “Could you …?” or, more literally, “Can you …?” Here kun is the present-tense form of kunnen (“can/be able to”) for je (“you”). Dutch places the finite verb before the subject in this yes/no question: Kun je ...? Compare the ordinary word order Je kunt ... (“You can ...”). The wording is a polite request here; it does not by itself state that the action will happen. kleine means “small” here. Its base form is klein; before a singular noun with de or het, the adjective commonly takes -e, as in de kleine kachel (“the small heater”). The adjective is the word that carries this ending, not the noun. A useful contrast is een kleine kachel (“a small heater”) versus the bare adjective klein in a predicate such as De kachel is klein (“The heater is small”). kachel is a noun meaning “heater” or “stove” in this context. Its common article is de: de kachel. Dutch nouns are conventionally learned with their article because article choice affects forms around the noun, such as de kleine kachel. ook means “too” or “also”. It adds this heater-switching request to something else relevant in the situation. Its exact position can vary with the intended emphasis, but in this sentence it comes after the noun phrase: de kleine kachel ook. aanzetten means “to switch on” or “to turn on”. It is a separable verb: the parts are aan and zetten, but the infinitive after a modal verb remains together as aanzetten. The base form is aanzetten; in a finite main clause, the parts can separate, for example: Ik zet de kachel aan. — “I switch on the heater.” Here kun is the finite verb, while aanzetten is the infinitive at the end of the question. Together, de kleine kachel identifies the small heater, ook adds the meaning “too”, and Kun je ... aanzetten? asks whether the listener could perform the action. Thus the whole utterance means: “Could you switch on the small heater too?”

4. Ik kan hem op een lage stand zetten.

   I can set it to low.

   Ik kan

   I can

   hem

   it

   op een lage stand

   at a low setting

   lage

   low

   stand

   setting

   zetten

   set

   More detail

   Ik kan means “I can.” kan is the present-tense form of kunnen used with ik; the same singular form also occurs with other singular subjects, such as hij kan. After a modal verb such as kan, the other verb normally appears as an infinitive at the end of the clause. Example: Ik kan komen. — “I can come.” hem is the object form corresponding to hij. In this context, the fixed translation and the nearby heater context support “it,” referring to the heater; Dutch hem does not require an English male person as its referent. Example: Ik zie hem. — “I see him/it,” with the exact English choice determined by the referent. op een lage stand is the reusable pattern “at/on a low setting.” With controls or an appliance, op ... stand describes the selected level. een is an indefinite article here; it does not by itself assert a numerical count. lage means “low” here. Its base form is laag; before de-words such as stand, the attributive adjective normally has the -e form: lage. For comparison, lager means “lower,” and het laagst means “the lowest.” Example: Zet hem op een lagere stand. — “Set it to a lower setting.” stand means “setting” here: a chosen level on a device. The same noun can have other context-dependent meanings, but this appliance-control meaning is the one supported here. Example: Deze stand is te hoog. — “This setting is too high.” zetten means “to set” in this sentence, specifically to put the appliance at a chosen setting. It is the infinitive after kan. The construction iets op een bepaalde stand zetten is reusable: Ik zet de verwarming op een lage stand. — “I set the heating to a low setting.” Together, Ik kan supplies the subject and ability, hem is the object being adjusted, and op een lage stand zetten expresses the action and its selected level. The whole utterance therefore means: “I can set it to low.”

5. Maar de kamer voelt al comfortabel aan.

   But the room already feels comfortable.

   Maar

   but

   kamer

   room

   voelt … aan

   feels

   al

   already

   comfortabel

   comfortable

   More detail

   Maar means “but” and signals a contrast with something previously mentioned. It is a coordinating conjunction and does not change the word order in this sentence. de kamer means “the room.” Kamer is a noun; its plural is kamers. The article de is part of the noun phrase, while the noun itself remains kamer in the singular. voelt ... aan is the separable verb aanvoelen, “to feel” or “to come across as” in the sense of having a certain quality. Here, voelt is the present-tense third-person singular form used with de kamer, and the separable particle aan appears at the end of the clause. Example: De stoel voelt zacht aan. — “The chair feels soft.” al means “already.” It presents the comfortable feeling as true by the relevant time, without itself specifying exactly when that state began. Example: Het is al laat. — “It is already late.” comfortabel is an adjective meaning “comfortable.” After aanvoelen, it describes the quality that the subject has, and this adjective does not receive a separate ending here. Example: Deze jas voelt comfortabel aan. — “This coat feels comfortable.” Together, de kamer voelt ... aan says that the room has a comfortable feel. Al comfortabel says that this is already the case, and maar places that statement in contrast with the preceding context. The complete meaning is: “But the room already feels comfortable.”

6. Ik wil dat de kamer vanavond gezellig aanvoelt.

   I want the room to feel cozy this evening.

   Ik wil

   I want

   kamer

   room

   vanavond

   this evening

   gezellig

   cozy

   aanvoelt

   feels

   More detail

   Ik wil means “I want.” wil is the present-tense form of willen with ik; the same verb has wil with jij/je in many ordinary present-tense statements as well, while plural forms use willen. A useful pattern is Ik wil dat ... = “I want ... to ...”: the following dat-clause states what is wanted. kamer means “room.” Its base form is kamer; in this sentence it appears as de kamer, the singular definite noun phrase “the room.” The definite article identifies a particular room in the supplied meaning. Example: De kamer is groot. — “The room is large.” vanavond means “this evening” or “tonight.” It is a time adverb written as one word, and it specifies when the desired feeling should occur. Example: Ik werk vanavond. — “I am working this evening.” gezellig describes the desired atmosphere: cozy, pleasant, or inviting. In this sentence it describes how the room should feel, rather than naming a physical size or temperature. Its meaning can vary with context; here the fixed translation supports “cozy.” Example: Het café is gezellig. — “The café is cozy and pleasant.” aanvoelt comes from the separable verb aanvoelen, “to feel” or “to seem.” Here aanvoelt is the present-tense form for the singular subject de kamer. In a main clause, the separable part normally appears apart, as in De kamer voelt gezellig aan. — “The room feels cozy.” After dat, the verb stays together at the end of the subordinate clause: dat de kamer ... aanvoelt. The form agrees with the singular subject de kamer, not with gezellig. Together, Ik wil dat de kamer vanavond gezellig aanvoelt means “I want the room to feel cozy this evening.” Ik wil expresses the speaker’s desire; dat de kamer ... aanvoelt gives the desired situation; vanavond sets its time; and gezellig states the intended atmosphere. The sentence is a natural way to express a desired result without saying that the room already feels that way.

7. Misschien kan een zachtere lamp dat doen zonder de kamer te warm te maken.

   A softer lamp might do that without making it too warm.

   Misschien kan

   maybe ... can / might ...

   zachtere

   softer

   lamp

   lamp

   dat

   that

   doen

   do

   kamer

   room

   te warm

   too warm

   maken

   make

   More detail

   Misschien kan combines misschien (“maybe”) with kan, a present-tense form of kunnen (“can, be able to”). Here kan agrees with the third-person singular subject een zachtere lamp. The modal is followed by an infinitive, giving the reusable pattern kan + infinitive: Zij kan komen. — “She can come.” With misschien, the possibility is tentative, matching “might” here. In the present tense, kan is also used with ik and with a singular third-person subject; with jij/je, both kunt and kan occur, with kunt the standard form in many contexts. zachtere is the comparative form of zacht (“soft”): zacht → zachter (“softer”). In this phrase it has the attributive -e ending because it comes before the singular common-gender noun lamp in een zachtere lamp. The comparison presents this lamp as softer than a relevant alternative or reference point; the sentence does not specify that point exactly. lamp means “lamp.” It is a countable noun and appears here after the indefinite article een: een lamp, “a lamp.” The article introduces the noun but does not by itself make a particular numeric count the sentence’s main point. dat means “that” here and functions as the object of doen. Its grammatical role is clear, while the supplied texts do not identify exactly what prior action or result it refers to. doen is the infinitive “to do.” It follows the modal kan in the reusable pattern kan + infinitive: Hij kan dat doen. — “He can do that.” Here dat doen means “do that.” kamer means “room.” In de kamer, it is a singular noun with the definite article de, referring to the room established in the supplied context. Dutch nouns are learned with their article because article choice is not determined by English’s single word “the.” te warm means “too warm.” Here warm is a predicative adjective describing the resulting temperature of the room, and the first te marks a degree beyond what is desired or suitable. This first te is different from the later te in te maken, which marks an infinitive. maken is the infinitive “to make.” In de kamer te warm te maken, it occurs in the infinitive construction after zonder: zonder + object + te + infinitive, meaning “without ...ing.” The phrase describes avoiding the result of making the room too warm. Putting the parts together, Misschien kan makes the proposal tentative, een zachtere lamp supplies the possible means, and dat doen refers to carrying out the intended action. The final construction zonder de kamer te warm te maken adds the condition that this happens without making the room too warm. The complete meaning is: “A softer lamp might do that without making it too warm.”

8. Door het zachtere licht voelt de kamer veel rustiger aan.

   The softer light makes the room feel much calmer.

   Door

   because of

   zachtere

   softer

   licht

   light

   voelt … aan

   feels

   kamer

   room

   veel rustiger

   much calmer

   More detail

   Door introduces the cause here: “because of” the softer light. Dutch door can also express movement through something, but that is not its meaning in this sentence. Example: Door de regen blijven we thuis. — “Because of the rain, we stay home.” zachtere means “softer” and is the comparative form of zacht (“soft”): zacht → zachter → het zachtst (“soft” → “softer” → “softest”). The -e in zachtere appears because the adjective is before the singular noun licht in the definite noun phrase het zachtere licht. The comparative sets the light against another, unstated reference level; this sentence does not identify that level. licht is the noun “light.” In this sentence it is a het-word: het licht. The phrase het zachtere licht therefore means “the softer light,” with zachtere describing licht. voelt ... aan is the separable verb aanvoelen, used here to describe how something feels or seems. With the singular subject de kamer, the finite form is voelt, while the particle aan appears at the end of the main clause. Example: De stof voelt zacht aan. — “The fabric feels soft.” kamer means “room.” It is a de-word: de kamer; its plural is kamers. Here de kamer is the subject—the room is what feels calmer. The phrase introduced by Door gives the cause, not the subject. veel rustiger means “much calmer.” rustiger is the comparative of rustig (“calm” or “quiet”): rustig → rustiger → het rustigst. Veel strengthens the comparative, as in “much calmer.” Here rustiger is a predicative adjective after aanvoelen, so it does not take an agreement ending; its form expresses comparison, not agreement. Example: Na de vakantie voelt hij zich rustiger. — “After the holiday, he feels calmer.” Putting the parts together, Door het zachtere licht gives the cause, and voelt de kamer veel rustiger aan describes the resulting impression of the room. The complete meaning is: “The softer light makes the room feel much calmer.”

9. Dan kunnen we ontspannen nadat we hebben gegeten.

   Then we can relax after we eat.

   Dan

   then

   kunnen we

   we can

   ontspannen

   relax

   nadat

   after

   gegeten

   eaten

   More detail

   Dan means “then” here: it places the possibility of relaxing after the situation or step just mentioned. It can also introduce a consequence or next step. Example: Dan ga ik naar huis. — “Then I’ll go home.” kunnen we combines kunnen (“can, be able to”) with the subject we (“we”). In this main clause, kunnen is the finite modal verb and we follows it because Dan occupies the first position; Dutch main clauses normally put the finite verb in second position. The modal is followed by the infinitive ontspannen, not by a second finite verb. Example: We kunnen morgen komen. — “We can come tomorrow.” ontspannen is the infinitive “to relax.” After a modal such as kunnen, Dutch uses this infinitive: we kunnen ontspannen means “we can relax.” The same form can also function as a descriptive word in other contexts, but here it is the action controlled by kunnen. nadat means “after” and introduces a subordinate time clause. In the clause that follows it, Dutch places the finite auxiliary toward the end: nadat we hebben gegeten. gegeten is the past participle of eten, “to eat.” Its base form is eten; the useful chain is eten → gegeten. Here it combines with hebben to form a completed eating event. In the fixed sentence, the relaxing is presented as happening after that event, hence the natural translation “after we eat” even though the Dutch form is literally perfect-like “after we have eaten.” Example: Nadat we hebben gewerkt, rusten we. — “After we have worked, we rest.” Together, Dan kunnen we ontspannen means “Then we can relax.” The time clause nadat we hebben gegeten specifies when that possibility applies: after we have eaten. The complete utterance therefore means “Then we can relax after we eat.”