Saving leftovers for tomorrow's lunch | Learn Dutch in English

Sentence explanations

1. Er zijn nog veel restjes van het avondeten.

   There are a lot of leftovers from dinner.

   Er zijn

   there are

   nog

   still

   veel

   a lot of; many

   restjes

   leftovers

   van

   from

   avondeten

   dinner; evening meal

   More detail

   Er zijn is the Dutch existential pattern “there are.” Er introduces the existence of something; it is not the ordinary subject pronoun meaning “they.” Zijn is the present-tense plural form of zijn (“to be”): er is means “there is,” while er zijn means “there are.” Nog means “still” here: the leftovers remain available at this point. Its position before veel restjes gives the sense “there are still many leftovers.” In other contexts, nog can also mean “yet” or “another,” so its exact meaning comes from the surrounding statement. Veel means “a lot of” or “many” before a plural countable noun. It does not change for the noun’s gender or number. For an uncountable noun, the same word commonly means “much,” as in veel water (“a lot of water”). Restjes means “leftovers” here. It is the plural of restje; the ending -je marks the singular as a diminutive, often suggesting a small amount or small piece. Thus een restje means “a leftover” or “a small leftover,” and restjes means “leftovers.” Example: Ik bewaar de restjes. — “I keep the leftovers.” Van commonly means “from” or “of.” In restjes van het avondeten, it links the leftovers to their source: they are leftovers from the evening meal. The preposition itself does not indicate who prepared or owns the food. Avondeten is a compound noun meaning “dinner” or “evening meal,” formed from avond (“evening”) and eten (“food; eating”). Dutch compounds are written as one word. The definite phrase het avondeten means “the dinner/evening meal”; the article het is not included in the selected quote, but it belongs to the full noun phrase. Together, Er zijn nog veel restjes says that many leftovers still exist, and van het avondeten specifies their source. The whole utterance therefore means: “There are a lot of leftovers from dinner.”

2. Laten we ze in een schone bak doen.

   Let's put them in a clean container.

   Laten we

   let’s

   ze

   them

   in

   in

   schone

   clean

   bak

   container

   doen

   put

   More detail

   Laten we is a reusable Dutch way to make a suggestion: “let’s …”. It consists of laten (“let”) plus we (“we”), followed by the action in the infinitive. For example: Laten we beginnen. — “Let’s begin.” This is a suggestion involving the speaker and at least one other person, not a command addressed only to someone else. ze is the object pronoun meaning “them” here. The surrounding fixed context identifies these as the leftovers. Dutch ze can also have other functions in other sentences, so its exact role comes from its position and the context; here it receives the action of putting. in is the preposition “in”. It introduces the destination or place into which something is put. For example: Doe het in de doos. — “Put it in the box.” schone means “clean” here and describes bak. Its base form is schoon. Before this noun, the adjective has the form schone; the adjective, not the noun, carries this visible ending. For example: een schone tafel — “a clean table.” bak is a noun meaning a container, receptacle, or bin; the fixed translation selects “container” in this sentence. Its plural is bakken. For example: De bak is leeg. — “The container is empty.” doen is the infinitive “put” in this context. Dutch uses doen in the pattern iets in ... doen for putting something into a place or container. The same verb has other meanings in other contexts, but here ze is the thing being placed and in een schone bak gives its destination. In Laten we ... doen, the infinitive comes after the suggestion construction. Together, Laten we introduces the suggestion, ze identifies the leftovers as the object, in een schone bak gives the destination, and doen supplies the action. The complete meaning is: “Let’s put them in a clean container.”

3. Kan ik ze morgen voor de lunch opwarmen?

   Can I reheat them for lunch tomorrow?

   Kan ik

   Can I

   ze

   them

   morgen

   tomorrow

   voor de lunch

   for lunch

   opwarmen

   reheat

   More detail

   Kan ik is the question pattern for asking whether the speaker is allowed or able to do something: Kan ik ...? means “Can I ...?” kan is the present form of kunnen for ik; in this question, the verb comes before the subject. Compare Ik kan ... (“I can ...”) with Kan ik ...? (“Can I ...?”). ze is the unstressed object pronoun meaning “them” here. It refers to the items already mentioned in the context. Dutch ze can have other functions in other sentences, so its exact meaning depends on its position and context; here it is the object of opwarmen. morgen means “tomorrow,” a time adverb. It can be placed in other positions, for example: Ik doe het morgen. — “I’ll do it tomorrow.” voor de lunch means “for lunch.” voor introduces the intended time or purpose, and de lunch is the noun phrase “lunch.” The fixed phrase does not state a quantity; de is the definite article used with lunch. opwarmen means “to reheat” or “to warm up.” It is a separable verb: in an ordinary finite clause, the parts separate, as in Ik warm ze op. — “I reheat them.” After the modal kan, the infinitive remains together at the end: Kan ik ze ... opwarmen? Together, Kan ik asks for permission or possibility, ze identifies the items being heated, morgen gives the time, voor de lunch gives the intended occasion, and opwarmen names the action. The complete meaning is: “Can I reheat them for lunch tomorrow?”

4. Dat kan, als we ze tot die tijd in de koelkast bewaren.

   You can if we keep them in the fridge until then.

   Dat kan

   You can

   als

   if

   we

   we

   ze

   them

   tot die tijd

   until then

   de koelkast

   the fridge

   bewaren

   keep; store

   More detail

   Dat kan is a compact way to accept the possibility of the action just mentioned: here, “You can” reheat them. Dat is a demonstrative pronoun referring to that proposed action, while kan is the present-tense form of kunnen (“can; be able to”). Useful forms include ik kan, hij/zij/het kan, and wij kunnen; the form is chosen by the subject, not by the action itself. als introduces the condition: “if.” In Dutch it can also mean “when” in suitable contexts, but here the intended meaning is conditional. A reusable pattern is Dat kan, als ... — “You can, if ...” we is the first-person plural subject pronoun, “we.” In the following clause, it is the subject of bewaren, so the speakers present themselves as the people who will keep the items. ze is the object pronoun meaning “them” here. The fixed translation and the preceding question identify its referent as the items being reheated. Dutch ze can have other functions in other contexts, but in this clause it receives the action of keeping. tot die tijd means “until then” or more literally “until that time.” die points back to a time already understood from the context; it agrees with tijd, a de-word. The same pattern is reusable with another time expression, for example: We wachten tot die tijd. — “We will wait until then.” de koelkast means “the fridge” or “the refrigerator.” koelkast is a compound noun formed from koel (“cool”) and kast (“cupboard/cabinet”), but it functions as one noun; its definite article is de. In in de koelkast, in places the items inside the fridge. bewaren means “to keep” or “to store.” Its base form is bewaren; with plural subject we in the present tense, the form is also bewaren: we bewaren. In a subordinate clause introduced by als, the finite verb commonly comes at the end, which is why bewaren appears after the object and the time and place phrases. Example: We bewaren het brood in de kast. — “We keep the bread in the cupboard.” The sentence first gives the permission or possibility: Dat kan. The condition follows with als we ze tot die tijd in de koelkast bewaren: “if we keep them in the fridge until then.” Together, the utterance means: “You can if we keep them in the fridge until then.”

5. Zal ik een label op de bak plakken?

   Should I put a label on the container?

   Zal ik

   should I

   label

   label

   op

   on

   bak

   container

   plakken

   stick; put on

   More detail

   Zal ik is the Dutch first-person question pattern with zullen: zal is the present-tense form used with ik, and the subject comes after it because this is a question. Here it asks whether the speaker should perform the action, not whether someone else should do it. Compare Zal ik helpen? — “Shall I help?” The infinitive comes later in the question. label means “label” here: a piece of information attached to an object. It is a noun; a useful plural is labels. op means “on” in this phrase. It introduces the surface receiving the label. For example, op de tafel means “on the table.” bak means “container” here, more specifically a bin, tub, or other open container depending on context. Its plural is bakken. The article de in de bak belongs to the noun phrase; op de bak means “on the container.” plakken is the infinitive “to stick” or “to put on by sticking.” With a label, it describes attaching it to a surface. For example, Ik plak een sticker op de doos. — “I am sticking a sticker on the box.” Together, een label op de bak gives “a label on the container,” and plakken expresses attaching that label. The question pattern Zal ik ... plakken? asks whether the speaker should do this. Thus the whole utterance means: “Should I put a label on the container?”

6. Dan weten we morgen wat erin zit.

   That way, tomorrow we will know what is inside.

   Dan

   that way; then

   weten

   know

   we

   we

   morgen

   tomorrow

   wat erin zit

   what is inside

   More detail

   Dan means “that way” here: it presents the result of the preceding action or plan. Dutch dan can also mean “then” when referring to a time or sequence, but the fixed translation supports the result meaning in this sentence. weten is the base form “to know.” In the main clause, Dutch uses the present-tense form weten with we: we weten = “we know.” Compare ik weet = “I know”; this verb has an irregular present-tense contrast between weet and weten. we is the subject pronoun “we,” referring to the speaker together with at least one other person. The verb form weten agrees with this plural subject. morgen means “tomorrow,” a time word. It can be placed in different positions, but here it comes after the subject and verb: we weten morgen = “tomorrow we will know.” Dutch present tense can describe a future result when a future time such as morgen makes the timing clear. wat erin zit is a subordinate clause meaning “what is inside.” wat introduces the unknown thing being identified. erin is a pronominal adverb meaning “in it” or, in this context, “inside”; er combines with in. zit is the third-person singular present form of zitten, “to sit” or, for something located in a container, “to be in.” In this clause, the verb comes at the end: wat erin zit. Together, Dan weten we morgen wat erin zit means “That way, tomorrow we will know what is inside.” Dan links the plan or action to its result, morgen sets the time of knowing, and wat erin zit states what will become known.

7. Ik plak er een duidelijk label op.

   I'll put a clear label on it.

   Ik

   I

   plak

   put; stick

   er … op

   on it

   duidelijk

   clear

   label

   label

   More detail

   Ik means “I” and is the first-person singular subject pronoun. It identifies the speaker as the person carrying out the action. Compare jij (“you,” singular) when addressing one person. plak is the present-tense first-person singular form of plakken, “to stick” or “to glue.” Here, the action is putting a label onto something, so “I’ll put” is a natural translation. Dutch can use the present tense for an intended or imminent action; the future meaning here is supplied by the context and the fixed translation, not by a separate future ending. Example: Ik plak de foto in. — “I stick the photo in.” er ... op is a split pronominal-adverb construction meaning “on it” here. er appears before the noun phrase een duidelijk label, while op appears after it: Ik plak er een duidelijk label op. This reusable pattern indicates that something is put onto an already understood object. The construction identifies that object as the thing receiving the label, without specifying what the object is. duidelijk means “clear” in this noun phrase. It describes the label, with the sense “easy to read or understand.” In een duidelijk label, it has no -e ending because label is a singular neuter noun used with the indefinite article een. Singularity alone does not determine this adjective ending. Compare een duidelijke instructie — “a clear instruction,” where the adjective has -e. label is the noun “label.” Its plural is labels: twee labels means “two labels.” In the sentence, een introduces an indefinite noun phrase; the article is not being used to emphasize a numerical count. Together, Ik plak gives the speaker’s action, een duidelijk label specifies what is being put on, and the split er ... op indicates that it is put onto an already understood object. The complete meaning is: “I’ll put a clear label on it.”

8. Dat maakt de lunch makkelijker.

   That will make lunch easier.

   Dat

   That

   maakt

   makes

   de

   the

   lunch

   lunch

   makkelijker

   easier

   More detail

   Dat means “that” here and is the subject of the sentence. As a standalone demonstrative, it can point to a previously understood thing, action, or situation; the supplied translation presents it as the factor that will help. Do not assume that its referent is a particular nearby noun unless the context identifies one. A useful contrast is dit (“this”) versus dat (“that”), with the choice reflecting demonstrative distance or discourse context. maakt is the singular present form of maken, “to make.” The pattern iets maakt iets makkelijker means “something makes something easier”: the first element is the cause, and the second is what becomes easier. Dutch present tense can describe a consequence understood as future in context, so the fixed translation naturally uses “will make”; maakt itself is not a separate future form. Example: Deze kaart maakt de route duidelijker. — “This map makes the route clearer.” de is the definite article, corresponding here to “the.” It introduces the specific lunch understood in the situation. Dutch de is used with common-gender singular nouns and with all plural nouns; het is used with singular neuter nouns. The article does not itself express a number such as “one.” lunch is the noun “lunch.” It is a useful everyday noun that can occur after an article: de lunch — “the lunch.” Example: De lunch begint om twaalf uur. — “Lunch starts at twelve o’clock.” makkelijker means “easier” here. It is the comparative form of the adjective makkelijk (“easy”): makkelijk → makkelijker. The comparison is supplied by the meaning of “more easy/easier”; the form does not state what the lunch is being compared with. In maakt ... makkelijker, it describes the result for de lunch. Example: Deze uitleg maakt de oefening makkelijker. — “This explanation makes the exercise easier.” Together, Dat maakt de lunch makkelijker. has the pattern That makes the lunch easier. Dat identifies the cause, maakt expresses the making or resulting change, de lunch is what is affected, and makkelijker describes its new, easier condition. With the fixed context and translation, the whole utterance means: “That will make lunch easier.”