Comparing Jackets Before Buying | Learn Dutch in English

Sentence explanations

1. Deze twee jassen lijken erg op elkaar.

   These two jackets look very similar.

   Deze

   these

   twee

   two

   jassen

   jackets

   lijken

   look or seem

   erg

   very

   op elkaar

   like each other

   More detail

   Deze means “these” here and is the demonstrative used with a plural noun. Dutch contrasts deze (“this/these,” relatively near or currently indicated) with die (“that/those,” relatively farther or less immediate). The form deze is plural here; it does not show whether the plural noun is common or neuter gender. twee is the cardinal number “two.” It states the number of jackets, while deze identifies which jackets are meant. Dutch cardinal numbers normally do not change for noun gender. jassen means “jackets” here. Its base form is the singular noun jas (“jacket”); jassen is the plural, formed with -en. The article is omitted because the demonstrative already determines the noun phrase: deze twee jassen (“these two jackets”). lijken is the present-tense plural form of lijken (“to look/seem”). The subject is plural, deze twee jassen, so the verb has this plural form. Compare singular lijkt: Deze jas lijkt duur. — “This jacket looks expensive.” erg means “very” here and strengthens the degree of similarity. It is an adverb, so it does not change to agree with jassen. op elkaar is part of the reusable construction op elkaar lijken, meaning “to look alike” or “to resemble each other.” elkaar is a reciprocal pronoun: it presents the two jackets as resembling one another. In the sentence, lijken and op elkaar work together; op elkaar is not simply a general location phrase. Together, deze twee jassen is the subject, lijken says what they do, and erg op elkaar expresses a high degree of mutual resemblance. The whole utterance therefore means: “These two jackets look very similar.”

2. Laten we de stof en de pasvorm vergelijken.

   Let's compare the fabric and fit.

   Laten we

   let's

   stof

   fabric

   pasvorm

   fit

   vergelijken

   compare

   More detail

   Laten we is a reusable Dutch proposal pattern meaning “let’s …”. It combines laten with we and is followed by an infinitive: Laten we beginnen. — “Let’s begin.” The form we is the first-person plural subject, so the speaker includes at least one other person. stof means “fabric” here, the material of a garment. In Dutch, de stof is the ordinary definite-noun phrase for “the fabric.” The same form can have other meanings in other contexts, such as “dust,” so the clothing context selects the material meaning. Example: Deze stof is zacht. — “This fabric is soft.” pasvorm means “fit,” especially the way a garment fits the body. It is a noun: de pasvorm. It is useful for discussing whether clothing fits well or poorly, independently of the material. Example: De pasvorm is comfortabel. — “The fit is comfortable.” vergelijken is the infinitive “to compare.” After Laten we, the infinitive names the proposed action and remains in this form: Laten we de kleuren vergelijken. — “Let’s compare the colors.” Together, Laten we introduces the proposal, de stof identifies the first thing to examine, en joins it to de pasvorm, and vergelijken gives the action. The complete meaning is: “Let’s compare the fabric and fit.”

3. Deze voelt licht aan.

   This one feels light.

   Deze

   this one

   voelt … aan

   feels

   licht

   light

   More detail

   Deze means “this one” here. It is a demonstrative pronoun: deze is used for a singular common-gender noun or for plural nouns, while dit is used for a singular neuter noun. The exact item referred to is not identified in the sentence, so learn the reusable contrast deze / dit rather than assigning it a specific referent. voelt ... aan comes from aanvoelen, “to feel” or “to have a certain feel.” In this sentence, voelt is the present-tense form for a third-person singular subject, and the separable particle aan appears at the end. In a main clause, this gives the pattern iets voelt + adjective + aan: “something feels + adjective.” Example: De trui voelt zacht aan. — “The sweater feels soft.” licht means “light” in the sense of not heavy. As a predicate adjective after voelen ... aan, it describes the impression the item gives when handled; it is not the word for “thin” (dun). Its useful opposite here is zwaar, “heavy.” Example: Deze tas voelt zwaar aan. — “This bag feels heavy.” Together, Deze identifies an unspecified item as “this one,” voelt ... aan expresses how it feels, and licht describes that feeling: “This one feels light.”

4. De stof lijkt dun.

   The fabric seems thin.

   stof

   fabric

   lijkt

   seems

   dun

   thin

   More detail

   stof means “fabric” here. The plural is stoffen; the singular noun is unchanged in this sentence. With the neighboring de, de stof means “the fabric,” referring to the material being considered. lijkt is the present-tense third-person singular form of lijken, “to seem” or “to appear.” The subject here is singular (de stof), so Dutch uses lijkt; for example, De stof lijkt zacht. means “The fabric seems soft.” With a plural subject, the form is lijken, as in De stoffen lijken zacht. dun means “thin.” Here it is a predicate adjective after lijkt, describing the fabric rather than standing directly before the noun. In this use it has the form dun. Before a definite singular noun, the related attributive form is dunne: de dunne stof means “the thin fabric.” Together, de stof identifies the fabric, lijkt presents the description as an appearance or impression, and dun gives the description. The complete meaning is “The fabric seems thin.”

5. De andere voelt steviger en warmer aan.

   The other one feels sturdier and warmer.

   De andere

   the other one

   voelt … aan

   feels (to the touch)

   steviger

   sturdier

   warmer

   warmer

   More detail

   De andere means “the other one” here. andere is the form of ander used with the definite article de; it is used substantively, so the noun being compared is left unstated. The sentence does not identify that noun more specifically. Example: De andere is goedkoper. — “The other one is cheaper.” voelt ... aan is the separable Dutch verb aanvoelen, meaning “to feel” in a sensory or tactile way. In this sentence, voelt is the present-tense third-person singular form, agreeing with De andere, while the separable part aan appears at the end. Example: De stof voelt zacht aan. — “The fabric feels soft.” This is different from simply describing someone’s emotional state with zich voelen, as in Ik voel me goed. — “I feel good.” steviger is the comparative form of stevig, “sturdy” or “firm”: stevig → steviger (“sturdy” → “sturdier/more sturdy”). It compares the other item with an item already relevant in the situation. Example: Deze tas voelt steviger aan. — “This bag feels sturdier.” warmer is the comparative form of warm, “warm”: warm → warmer (“warm” → “warmer”). Dutch commonly forms this kind of comparative by adding -er; the adjective itself carries the comparison. Example: Deze jas voelt warmer aan. — “This coat feels warmer.” The two comparative adjectives are coordinated by en, “and.” Together, steviger en warmer says that the same item has both qualities relative to the comparison: it feels sturdier and it feels warmer. The full pattern is [item] voelt [comparative quality] en [comparative quality] aan. Thus De andere voelt steviger en warmer aan. means “The other one feels sturdier and warmer.”

6. Dat is misschien beter voor dagelijks gebruik.

   That might be better for everyday use.

   Dat

   That

   is

   is

   misschien

   maybe

   beter

   better

   dagelijks

   everyday

   gebruik

   use

   More detail

   Dat means “that” here and functions as a demonstrative pronoun: it points to an already identifiable option or situation. Dutch also has dit for “this”; the choice depends on the demonstrative system and context, not on an English-style gender distinction. is is the present-tense third-person singular form of zijn, “to be.” It links dat with the evaluation that follows. For example: Dat is goed. — “That is good.” misschien means “maybe” or “perhaps.” It makes the statement uncertain without making it a question. It can also appear at the beginning of a sentence: Misschien is dat beter. — “Maybe that is better.” beter means “better.” It is the comparative form of goed (“good”): goed → beter → best (“best”). The comparative presents this option as more suitable than another option or than an understood alternative; the comparison does not have to be stated explicitly. dagelijks means “everyday” or “daily” in dagelijks gebruik. It is an adjective modifying the noun gebruik; the ending does not change here because it follows the noun without a preceding article. It should not be confused with the adverbial use in a sentence such as Ik gebruik het dagelijks. — “I use it daily.” gebruik is the noun “use” in this sentence. It is part of the reusable expression voor dagelijks gebruik, “for everyday use.” In another context, gebruik can also be a verb form of gebruiken, but its role here is nominal because it names the intended use of the option. Together, voor dagelijks gebruik means “for everyday use.” The structure Dat is misschien beter voor ... means “That might be better for ...”: is supplies “is,” while misschien makes the evaluation tentative and beter compares the option with an understood alternative. The complete utterance therefore means, “That might be better for everyday use.”

7. Trek hem eerst aan en voel hoe hij zit.

   Try it on first and see how it feels.

   Trek … aan

   put on

   hem

   it

   eerst

   first

   voel

   feel

   hoe hij zit

   how it feels

   More detail

   Trek ... aan is the separable verb aantrekken, “to put on.” Here Trek is the imperative form, giving the instruction “put on.” Dutch uses the same basic imperative form when addressing one person or more than one; context determines who is addressed. The particle aan appears at the end of this clause. In a statement, the parts can also be separated: Je trekt de jas aan — “You put on the coat.” hem is a third-person singular object pronoun. Here it means “it,” referring to the item being tried on, as supported by the fixed translation. It is the object of Trek ... aan, not the person carrying out the instruction. The subject pronoun hij appears later in the sentence. eerst means “first” and indicates that putting the item on happens before the next action. Example: Lees eerst de instructies — “Read the instructions first.” voel comes from voelen, “to feel.” Here it is the imperative “feel”; in the complete sentence, it introduces the instruction to notice how the item sits. The same spelling is also the first-person singular present form: Ik voel de stof — “I feel the fabric.” hoe hij zit means “how it feels” in this context. More literally, it is “how it sits.” Dutch uses zitten for how a garment or another worn item fits or sits on someone. zit is the singular present form of zitten, and hij is the subject of this clause. The fixed translation supports “it” as the intended reference here. Example: Hoe zit de jas? — “How does the coat fit?” Together, Trek hem eerst aan means “Try it on first,” and voel hoe hij zit adds “and see how it feels.” The full utterance instructs the listener to put the item on and then notice how it fits or feels. A reusable pattern is Trek [object] aan en voel hoe [pronoun] zit, with the object and pronoun chosen to match the intended item.

8. Ik pas ze allebei voordat ik beslis.

   I will try both before I decide.

   pas

   try on

   ze

   them

   allebei

   both

   voordat

   before

   beslis

   decide

   More detail

   pas is the first-person singular present form of passen. Here, with clothing as the understood object, it means “try on”; passen can also mean “fit” or “suit” in other contexts. The present form can refer to a planned future action here: “I’ll try on …”. Example: Ik pas de jas. — “I’m trying on the coat.” ze is the unstressed object pronoun meaning “them” in this sentence. It refers to the plural items being compared, while the exact items are not named in this utterance. Dutch ze can have other grammatical roles in other sentences, so its object role here comes from its position after pas and from the intended translation. allebei means “both,” specifically referring to two items or people considered together. It reinforces that the speaker will try on each of the two items, rather than only one. Example: Ik neem ze allebei. — “I’ll take them both.” voordat introduces a time clause meaning “before.” The clause after it is subordinate, so Dutch places its finite verb at the end: voordat ik beslis, literally ordered as “before I decide.” Example: Bel me voordat je vertrekt. — “Call me before you leave.” beslis is the first-person singular present form of beslissen, “to decide.” The subject is ik, and the form is used after ik: ik beslis. Example: Ik beslis morgen. — “I’ll decide tomorrow.” Together, Ik pas ze allebei says “I’ll try them both on,” and voordat ik beslis adds the deadline for that action: “before I decide.” The complete meaning is: “I will try both before I decide.”

9. Dat zou de keuze makkelijker moeten maken.

   That should make the choice easier.

   Dat

   That

   zou … moeten

   should

   keuze

   choice

   makkelijker

   easier

   maken

   make

   More detail

   Dat means “that” here and refers to something already identifiable in the situation; the supplied translation confirms this demonstrative reading without specifying a more detailed referent. Dutch demonstratives vary with the noun they accompany, but dat is also used independently, as in this sentence. zou moeten expresses an expected or advised result: “should.” zou is the form of zullen used here, and moeten is its infinitive complement. Together, zou moeten + infinitive is a reusable way to say that something is expected to or ought to produce a result. For example: Dat zou moeten werken. — “That should work.” keuze means “choice.” Its plural is keuzes; the singular form in this sentence refers to the choice being made. makkelijker means “easier.” It is the comparative form of makkelijk (“easy”): makkelijk → makkelijker → het makkelijkst. The comparative describes the result as easier than it was before or than an alternative. Here it is the adjective in the result description, not a form of keuze. maken means “make” or “cause to become.” It is the infinitive required after moeten. In the pattern iets makkelijker maken, the object is made easier: Deze uitleg maakt de regel makkelijker. — “This explanation makes the rule easier.” The sentence assembles as Dat (“that”) + zou moeten (“should”) + de keuze (“the choice”) + makkelijker maken (“make easier”). Thus, “That should make the choice easier.”