Preparing tea and snacks for a guest | Learn Dutch in English

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Use Preparing tea and snacks for a guest to practice Dutch conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

Onze gast komt zo aan.

ON-zuh khast komt zoh AHN. Our guest will arrive soon.

Zullen we koffie of thee serveren?

ZUH-lun wuh KAW-fee off TAY ser-VAY-run? Should we serve coffee or tea?

Thee is vanavond waarschijnlijk beter.

TAY iss vah-NAH-vunt wah-SKHINE-luk BAY-tur. Tea is probably better this evening.

Ik kook wat water in de waterkoker.

Ik KOHK waht WAH-tur in duh WAH-tur-KOH-kur. I'll boil some water in the kettle.

Gebruik de grote mok voor onze gast, alsjeblieft.

Khuh-BROIK duh KHROH-tuh mok fohr ON-zuh khast, ahl-shuh-BLEEFT. Please use the large mug for our guest.

Wil je dat ik ook hapjes klaarmaak?

Vihl yuh daht ik ohk HAH-pyuhs KLAHR-mahk? Would you like me to prepare snacks too?

Leg wat koekjes op het kleine bord, alsjeblieft.

Lek wat KOO-kyuhs op ut KLY-nuh bort, ahl-shuh-BLEEFT. Put some biscuits on the small plate, please.

Alles zal klaar zijn voordat onze gast aankomt.

AHL-lus zahl KLAHR zine vohr-DAHT ON-zuh khast AHN-komt. Everything will be ready before they arrive.

Word by Word

Onze “Onze” means “our” and shows that the guest belongs to or is associated with the speakers. It comes directly before the noun in “Onze gast”; this is a reusable possessive pattern. You can use it when referring to something shared or connected to you and someone else.

gast “Gast” means “guest”, the person who is expected to visit. In “Onze gast”, it names the visitor being prepared for. Use it when talking about someone visiting your home or attending an event.

komt “Komt” means “comes” here and works with “aan” in the arrival expression “komt zo aan”. The full arrival meaning comes from the combination, not from “komt” alone. You can reuse it with a person as the subject when describing someone coming.

zo “Zo” means “soon” in “komt zo aan”, indicating that the guest will arrive shortly. It is placed near the verb phrase to give a time meaning. Use it when something is expected in a short time.

aan “Aan” is the part of the arrival expression “komt zo aan”, which means that the guest arrives. It contributes to the arrival meaning together with “komt”, rather than meaning “arrive” by itself here. You can reuse the pattern “komt ... aan” when describing someone arriving.

Zullen “Zullen” begins the question “Zullen we koffie of thee serveren?” and presents a suggestion about what the speakers should do. The form is used with “we” to ask about a joint action. Use “Zullen we ...?” when proposing an activity.

we “We” means “we” and refers to the two adults deciding and preparing the drinks together. In “Zullen we”, it is the group included in the suggestion. Use it for a group that includes the speaker.

koffie “Koffie” means “coffee”, one of the two drinks being considered. It appears in the choice “koffie of thee”. Use it when naming coffee as a drink or option.

of “Of” means “or” and connects the two alternatives in “koffie of thee”. It presents a choice between items or actions. Use it between alternatives when asking or stating which option applies.

thee “Thee” means “tea”, the drink selected as probably better for the evening. It is the second option in “koffie of thee” and the subject of “Thee is ...”. Use it when talking about tea as a drink.

serveren “Serveren” means “serve” in the question about offering coffee or tea to the guest. It follows “Zullen we” in “Zullen we koffie of thee serveren?”. Use this pattern when asking whether you should offer food or drinks.

is “Is” means “is” and links “Thee” with the evaluation “waarschijnlijk beter”. In “Thee is vanavond waarschijnlijk beter”, it states the speaker’s judgment about tea. Use it to connect a subject with a description or evaluation.

vanavond “Vanavond” means “this evening” and specifies when tea is considered better. It is a time expression in “Thee is vanavond waarschijnlijk beter”. Use it to refer to the evening of the current day.

waarschijnlijk “Waarschijnlijk” means “probably” and shows that the judgment is likely but not certain. It modifies “beter” in “waarschijnlijk beter”. Use it when giving a qualified opinion or prediction.

beter “Beter” means “better” and expresses the preference for tea over the other drink in this context. It appears after “waarschijnlijk” in “waarschijnlijk beter”. Use it when evaluating one option as preferable to another.

Ik “Ik” means “I” and identifies the speaker who will boil the water. In the dialogue it appears as “Ik” at the start of “Ik kook wat water” and as “ik” in “dat ik ook hapjes klaarmaak”. Use this pronoun when the speaker is the person doing the action.

kook “Kook” means “boil” here, referring to boiling water for the tea. In “Ik kook wat water”, it describes the speaker’s action. Use it with “water” when preparing hot water.

wat “Wat” means “some” in “wat water” and indicates an unspecified amount. It also appears before “koekjes” in “wat koekjes”, where it has the same quantity function. Use it before an unspecified amount of something.

water “Water” means “water”, the liquid being boiled for the tea. It appears in “wat water in de waterkoker”. Use it when referring to water as a drink or as something used in preparation.

in “In” means “in” and shows that the water is in the kettle in “in de waterkoker”. It introduces the container or place where something is located. Use it before a container when describing something inside it.

de “De” means “the” and appears before “waterkoker” in “de waterkoker” and before “grote mok” in “de grote mok”. It identifies a specific noun in these phrases. Use it before a noun phrase when referring to a particular item.

waterkoker “Waterkoker” means “kettle”, the appliance used for boiling the water. In “in de waterkoker”, it names the container or appliance involved in the preparation. Use it when referring to a kettle in a kitchen context.

Gebruik “Gebruik” means “use” in the direct request “Gebruik de grote mok”. It tells the other person which item to use for the guest. Use “Gebruik ...” when giving a practical instruction.

grote “Grote” means “large” and describes the mug in “de grote mok”. It comes before the noun and specifies its size. Use this adjective-before-noun pattern when identifying a larger item.

mok “Mok” means “mug”, the drinking vessel intended for the guest. It appears in “de grote mok”. Use it when referring to a mug used for a drink.

voor “Voor” means “for” and shows that the mug is intended for the guest in “voor onze gast”. It marks the intended recipient or purpose of an item. Use it before the person or purpose something is intended for.

alsjeblieft “Alsjeblieft” means “please” and makes the request “Gebruik de grote mok ...” polite. Here it appears at the end of the sentence. Use it at the end of a friendly request.

Wil “Wil” begins “Wil je dat ik ook hapjes klaarmaak?” and asks whether the other person wants the speaker to do something. Together with “je” and “dat”, it introduces the requested action. Use “Wil je dat ik ...?” when offering to do something for someone.

je “Je” means “you” in “Wil je dat ik ook hapjes klaarmaak?”. It identifies the person whose wish or preference is being asked about. Use it when addressing someone informally in this kind of question.

dat “Dat” introduces the clause describing the action the other person might want: “dat ik ook hapjes klaarmaak”. It connects the question about wanting something with the proposed action. Use the pattern “Wil je dat ik ...?” to ask whether someone wants you to do something.

ook “Ook” means “also” or “too” and adds snacks to the preparation already being discussed. In “ook hapjes klaarmaak”, it appears before the item being added. Use it when adding another action or object to an existing plan.

hapjes “Hapjes” means “snacks” or “small bites”, the food to be prepared for the guest. It is the object in “ook hapjes klaarmaak”. Use it when talking about small foods served with drinks or to visitors.

klaarmaak “Klaarmaak” means “prepare” in “dat ik ook hapjes klaarmaak”. It describes making the snacks ready for serving. Use the construction “dat ik ... klaarmaak” when describing an action the speaker will carry out.

Leg “Leg” means “put” or “place” in the request “Leg wat koekjes op het kleine bord”. It tells someone where to place the biscuits. Use “Leg ... op ...” for an instruction about placing something on a surface.

koekjes “Koekjes” means “biscuits” in “wat koekjes”. These are the snacks to be placed on the plate. Use it when referring to biscuits or cookies being served as food.

op “Op” means “on” and shows the surface where the biscuits should be placed: “op het kleine bord”. It introduces the surface receiving the object. Use it with a placement instruction when something goes on a surface.

het “Het” means “the” and appears in “het kleine bord”, identifying the particular plate being used. It is part of the noun phrase for the small plate. Use it before a specific noun phrase such as this one.

kleine “Kleine” means “small” and describes the plate in “het kleine bord”. It comes before the noun and distinguishes this plate from the large mug or other items. Use it to identify an item by its smaller size.

bord “Bord” means “plate” in the context of “het kleine bord”, where it holds the biscuits. It identifies the surface used for serving the snacks. Use it when referring to a plate for food.

Alles “Alles” means “everything” and refers to all the tea and snack preparations together. It is the subject of “Alles zal klaar zijn”. Use it when referring to the whole set of relevant things rather than naming each item.

zal “Zal” marks the future in “Alles zal klaar zijn”, meaning that everything will be ready. It is followed by “klaar zijn” to describe the future result. Use “zal ... zijn” when stating that something will have a particular condition later.

klaar “Klaar” means “ready” and describes the state everything will be in before the guest arrives. It appears in the expression “klaar zijn”. Use it when saying that preparation or an item is ready.

zijn “Zijn” means “be” in the future expression “zal klaar zijn”. It links “Alles” with the state “klaar”. Use it after “zal” when describing what something will be like in the future.

voordat “Voordat” means “before” and introduces the event that must happen later: “voordat onze gast aankomt”. It sets the time relationship between everything being ready and the guest’s arrival. Use it before a clause that describes an earlier event.

aankomt “Aankomt” means “arrives” in “voordat onze gast aankomt”. It describes the guest reaching the place where the speakers are waiting. Use it in a time clause introduced by “voordat” when referring to someone’s arrival.

Grammar Points

komt ... aan

De gast komt zo aan.

duh khast komt zoh AHN.

The guest will arrive soon.

Het werkwoord aankomen splitst in een hoofdzin: komt ... aan.

voordat + bijzin

voordat alles klaar is

vohr-DAHT AHL-lus KLAHR iss

before everything is ready

Na voordat staat het werkwoord aan het einde van de bijzin.

Dutch Vocabulary

aankomen verb

AHN-koh-mun to arrive komt ... aan

beter adj

BAY-tur better

gast noun

KHAST guest

koffie noun

KAW-fee coffee

koken verb

KOH-kun to boil; to cook kook

serveren verb

ser-VAY-run to serve

thee noun

TAY tea

vanavond adv

vah-NAH-vunt this evening; tonight

waarschijnlijk adv

wah-SKHINE-luk probably

water noun

WAH-tur water

waterkoker noun

WAH-tur-KOH-kur kettle

zo adv

ZOH soon

Quiz

Word Order

Arrange the words in the correct order.

Our guest will arrive soon.

Show Answer

Onze gast komt zo aan.

Should we serve coffee or tea?

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Zullen we koffie of thee serveren?

Tea is probably better this evening.

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Thee is vanavond waarschijnlijk beter.

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

guest

Show Answer

gast

to serve

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serveren

coffee

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koffie

this evening; tonight

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vanavond