Choosing a light snack | Learn Dutch in English

Sentence explanations

1. Ik wil een tussendoortje.

   I want a snack.

   wil

   want

   tussendoortje

   snack

   More detail

   wil means “want” here. It is the present-tense form of willen used with ik: ik wil = “I want.” The same verb has forms such as wij willen (“we want”) and hij wil (“he wants”). Example: Ik wil koffie. — “I want coffee.” tussendoortje means “snack” here: a small item of food eaten between meals. It is a diminutive noun formed from tussendoor with the diminutive ending -tje; Dutch diminutives often express smallness or a modest item. Example: een klein tussendoortje — “a small snack.” Together, Ik wil + een tussendoortje produces Ik wil een tussendoortje. — “I want a snack.” The indefinite article een introduces the snack without specifying which one; it does not by itself add a separately stated numerical count.

2. Ik heb niet veel honger.

   I am not very hungry.

   heb

   have

   niet veel

   not much

   honger

   hunger

   More detail

   heb is the present-tense form of hebben (“to have”). With ik (“I”), it appears as ik heb; in this sentence, it carries the first-person singular present marking. The same form can also occur in other uses, so its meaning here comes from its combination with ik. Dutch expresses hunger with honger hebben, literally “to have hunger”; naturally, this means “to be hungry.” Example: Ik heb tijd. — “I have time.” niet veel means “not much” here. niet negates the amount, while veel means “much” or “a lot.” This differs from weinig (“little” or “not many”), which directly describes a small amount. Example: Ik heb niet veel tijd. — “I do not have much time.” honger is the noun “hunger.” In the reusable pattern honger hebben, it refers to the feeling of hunger; the verb, rather than this noun, carries the person and tense information. Example: Zij heeft honger. — “She is hungry.” Together, ik heb + niet veel honger says that the speaker has a small amount of hunger, which is naturally expressed in English as “I am not very hungry.”

3. Kies dan iets lichts, zoals yoghurt.

   Then choose something light, like yogurt.

   Kies

   choose

   dan

   then

   iets

   something

   lichts

   light

   zoals

   like; such as

   yoghurt

   yogurt

   More detail

   Kies is the imperative of kiezen, “to choose.” The form addresses one person directly; the infinitive is kiezen, while a present-tense form for “I/they choose” is kies/kiezen in different subject contexts. Example: Kies een stoel. — “Choose a chair.” dan means “then” here. It places the choice as the next step in the situation. Example: Dan neem ik thee. — “Then I’ll have tea.” iets is an indefinite pronoun meaning “something.” It refers to an unspecified thing, not to a stated number. A useful contrast is iets “something” versus niets “nothing.” Example: Ik wil iets eten. — “I want to eat something.” lichts means “light” in the sense of not heavy or not substantial. It is the adjective licht used after the indefinite pronoun iets; Dutch commonly adds -s to an adjective in this pattern: iets lekkers — “something tasty,” iets warms — “something warm.” The -s belongs to lichts, not to iets. zoals introduces an example or comparison and means “like” or “such as.” It links the general choice to a specific example. Example: Ik drink iets warms, zoals thee. — “I’m drinking something warm, such as tea.” yoghurt is the noun “yogurt.” It is the example introduced by zoals; the sentence does not state that yogurt is the only possible light choice. Together, Kies dan iets lichts means “Then choose something light,” and zoals yoghurt adds “such as yogurt.” The complete utterance is therefore: “Then choose something light, like yogurt.”

4. Hebben we ook noten?

   Do we have nuts too?

   Hebben we

   do we have

   ook

   too; also

   noten

   nuts

   More detail

   Hebben we means “do we have” here. hebben is the present-tense form of hebben (“to have”) for we and other plural subjects; we hebben is the ordinary statement order. In a yes/no question, Dutch commonly places the finite verb before the subject: Hebben we ...? This is a question about whether something is available or possessed, not a statement that it is available. ook means “too” or “also.” It adds the idea that nuts are included in addition to something already under discussion. Its position after we is natural in this short question. Example: Hebben jullie ook brood? — “Do you also have bread?” Here jullie is the subject, and hebben remains the plural form. noten means “nuts” in this utterance. It is the plural of noot (“nut”); the plural ending is -en. The following context confirms that the intended item is nuts: Er liggen wat noten in de kast. — “There are some nuts in the cupboard.” Example: Ik eet graag noten. — “I like eating nuts.” Together, Hebben we + ook + noten forms the yes/no question “Do we have nuts too?” The question asks whether nuts are available in addition to the item or option already being discussed.

5. Er liggen wat noten in de kast.

   There are some in the cupboard.

   Er liggen

   there are; are located

   wat

   some

   noten

   nuts

   kast

   cupboard

   More detail

   Er liggen is a common Dutch way to present objects that are located somewhere: here, “there are” or “there are lying.” Ligt is the singular present form of liggen; liggen is used here because the located item is plural. Example: Er liggen boeken op tafel. — “There are books on the table.” Wat means “some” here. It indicates an unspecified amount, not a precise number. Example: Ik koop wat appels. — “I’m buying some apples.” Noten means “nuts” in this sentence. Its singular form is noot, and its plural is noten. Example: Ik eet een noot. — “I’m eating a nut.” Kast means “cupboard” here. The singular noun normally appears with de: de kast. In the location phrase in de kast, in means “in,” so the phrase means “in the cupboard.” Example: De glazen staan in de kast. — “The glasses are in the cupboard.” Together, Er liggen presents the located items, wat noten identifies them as an unspecified amount of nuts, and in de kast gives their location. The whole sentence means: “There are some nuts in the cupboard.”

6. Yoghurt met noten klinkt goed.

   Yogurt with nuts sounds good.

   Yoghurt

   yogurt

   met

   with

   noten

   nuts

   klinkt

   sounds

   goed

   good

   More detail

   Yoghurt is a noun meaning “yogurt.” Dutch nouns are normally written with an initial capital letter only when they begin a sentence, as here. A useful related contrast is singular noot “nut” and plural `noten” “nuts,” seen later in this sentence. met means “with” and introduces something accompanying or included with another thing. The reusable pattern is A met B = “A with B.” Example: Thee met citroen is lekker. — “Tea with lemon is tasty.” noten means “nuts” here. It is the plural of noot; the final -en marks the plural in this word. Example: Ik eet noten. — “I eat nuts.” klinkt means “sounds” in this sentence, as in an assessment of how an idea or suggestion seems. It is the present-tense third-person singular form of klinken “to sound.” The subject is the singular combination Yoghurt met noten, so the verb is klinkt, not plural klinken. Example: Dat klinkt goed. — “That sounds good.” goed means “good” in the expression klinkt goed. It describes the assessment produced by “sounds,” rather than describing the physical yogurt or nuts directly. After klinken, Dutch commonly uses this short predicative form to give an evaluation: Het klinkt slecht. — “It sounds bad.” Here slecht is the useful opposite of goed. Together, Yoghurt met noten names yogurt accompanied by or containing nuts, and klinkt goed says that this sounds good. The complete meaning is “Yogurt with nuts sounds good.”

7. Pak een kleine kom.

   Take a small bowl.

   Pak

   take

   kleine

   small

   kom

   bowl

   More detail

   Pak is the imperative of pakken, “to take” or “to grab.” Here it gives a direct instruction to one or more people; Dutch imperative forms commonly use the verb stem, so pakken becomes pak. Example: Pak een lepel. — “Take a spoon.” kleine means “small” here. Its base form is klein; the -e ending is the attributive adjective form used in een kleine kom. The noun kom is a common-gender de-word, which is relevant to this adjective form. Example: een kleine tas — “a small bag.” kom means “bowl.” Its plural is kommen. Example: De kom is schoon. — “The bowl is clean.” The pattern is Pak een + adjective + noun: “Take a + adjective + noun.” een is the Dutch indefinite article; here it introduces the bowl without stating a numerical quantity. Together, Pak gives the instruction, een kleine kom identifies what to take, and the complete utterance means “Take a small bowl.”

8. Het is niet te veel.

   It is not too much.

   Het

   it

   is

   is

   niet

   not

   te veel

   too much

   More detail

   Het means “it” here. In Dutch, het is a third-person singular pronoun and can refer to a thing or situation understood from context; the fixed sentence does not identify that referent more specifically. For example: Het is koud. — “It is cold.” is is the present-tense form of zijn (“to be”) for a singular third-person subject such as het. The useful chain is zijn → is in the present tense. Example: Het is klein. — “It is small.” niet is the ordinary Dutch negation word “not”. Here it negates the following assessment, so the sentence says that the amount does not exceed the intended limit. Example: Het is niet groot. — “It is not large.” te veel means “too much” in this sentence: te marks an excessive degree, and veel expresses a large amount. With countable plural nouns, Dutch can use te veel for “too many” as well, as in te veel kommen — “too many bowls”; the fixed phrase instead refers to an amount without stating a counted plural noun. Together, Het is provides the subject and the verb “it is”, niet reverses the assessment, and te veel supplies that assessment: “It is not too much.”

9. Ik maak er nu een.

   I will make one now.

   Ik

   I

   maak

   make

   er

   of it/them

   nu

   now

   een

   one

   More detail

   Ik is the subject pronoun meaning “I.” It identifies the speaker; Dutch subject pronouns are chosen by person and number, so ik is the first-person singular form. maak is the present-tense form of maken, “to make,” with ik: ik maak. Dutch present tense can describe a planned or imminent action, so the fixed translation “I will make one now” is compatible with this present form. Example: Ik maak koffie. — “I am making coffee.” er is a small pronoun that refers to an understood item or group without naming it again. In the pattern er ... een, it helps express “one of it/them” or, as here, “one,” while the exact referent remains understood from context. It is not the subject: ik is the maker. nu means “now” and places the making at the present moment. It can also occur elsewhere in a Dutch sentence, but here it directly marks when the action is to happen. een means “one” in this sentence. It is also the Dutch indefinite article “a/an,” but here the fixed translation and the er ... een pattern make it a counted, unspecified single item rather than merely an article. Example: Ik neem er een. — “I’ll take one.” Together, Ik maak gives “I make / I will make,” er ... een gives “one” referring to an understood item, and nu adds “now.” The whole utterance therefore means “I will make one now.”

10. Laat alsjeblieft wat noten voor mij over.

    Leave some nuts for me, please.

    Laat

    leave

    alsjeblieft

    please

    wat

    some

    noten

    nuts

    voor mij

    for me

    over

    left over

    More detail

    Laat is the imperative of laten, used here to tell someone to leave or keep something available. In this sentence it is an instruction, not a statement about what the speaker does. The same form can occur in other uses of laten, but here the following material identifies the thing that should remain. alsjeblieft is a polite “please.” It softens the request and can occur at the beginning or end of a request. wat means “some” here: an unspecified amount, not a precise number. It is a useful quantity word before a plural noun or an uncountable expression. For example: Ik wil wat water. — “I want some water.” noten is the plural of noot in the intended sense “nut.” The plural form refers to more than one nut; the fixed translation establishes this sense rather than the other possible meaning “notes.” voor mij means “for me.” voor introduces the person who is to benefit from or receive something, and mij is the stressed form of the first-person singular pronoun after a preposition. Compare voor mij (“for me”) with voor jou (“for you”). over means “left over” or “remaining” here. With laten, the pattern iets voor iemand over laten means to leave something for someone. The words noten ... over are separated by voor mij, so over completes the construction with the earlier object rather than modifying only mij. Together, Laat ... over gives the request to leave something remaining; wat noten identifies the unspecified amount of nuts, and voor mij identifies the beneficiary. The complete utterance therefore means: “Leave some nuts for me, please.” It is a polite imperative requesting that some nuts remain available for the speaker.