Sticking to the grocery list | Learn Dutch in English

Dutch lesson set in a contemporary Amsterdam everyday setting: In a grocery shop, two adults follow a list, find dry food, add pasta, and head toward checkout..

EN → NL / Level: A2

About This Lesson

Use Sticking to the grocery list to practice Dutch conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

A

Laten we ons aan het boodschappenlijstje houden.

LAH-tuhn wuh awns ahn ut BOHT-shah-puh-LYE-shuh HOW-duhn. Let's stick to the grocery list.
B

Zo kopen we waarschijnlijk niet te veel.

ZOH KOH-puhn wuh vah-REYSH-nuh-luk neet tuh vayl. That should keep us from buying too much.
A

Waar zijn de pasta en de rijst?

VAHR zine duh PAH-stah un duh RYST? Where are the pasta and rice?
B

Ze staan in het gangpad met droge producten.

Zuh stahn in ut KHANG-paht met DROH-khuh proh-DUK-tuhn. They are in the dry food aisle.
A

Dit is de pasta die we de vorige keer hebben gekocht.

Dit iss duh PAH-stah dee wuh duh VOH-rih-khayr HEB-uhn khuh-KOKHT. This is the pasta we bought last time.
B

Laten we één pak in het winkelwagentje doen.

LAH-tuhn wuh ayn pahk in ut WING-kuhl-WAH-khun-chuh doon. Let's put one pack in the cart.
A

Daarna hebben we alleen nog melk nodig.

Dah-NAHR HEB-uhn wuh ah-LEYN nokh melk NOH-dukh. After that, we only need milk.
B

Dan kunnen we meteen naar de kassa gaan.

Dahn KUN-uhn wuh muh-TAYN nahr duh KAH-sah khahn. Then we can head straight to checkout.

Word by Word

Laten In “Laten we ons aan het boodschappenlijstje houden” it introduces a shared suggestion, meaning “let’s.” The reusable pattern is “Laten we” followed by the action, used when suggesting something to do together.
we In “Laten we ons aan het boodschappenlijstje houden,” “we” refers to the speaker and the other person together. It is the group being invited to carry out the suggested action.
ons In “ons aan het boodschappenlijstje houden,” “ons” refers back to the group and means “us” or “ourselves.” It is used with this construction when the group sticks to a list, rule, or agreement.
aan Here “aan” is part of “ons aan het boodschappenlijstje houden,” which means sticking to the grocery list. This construction is useful when describing following a list, rule, or agreement.
het In “het boodschappenlijstje,” “het” is the article before the word for grocery list. It is used as part of this noun phrase when referring to the specific list the shoppers are following.
boodschappenlijstje “Boodschappenlijstje” means “grocery list,” the list that guides the shopping in this dialogue. It is useful when planning or checking which items to buy.
houden In “ons aan het boodschappenlijstje houden,” “houden” contributes the idea of keeping to or following the list, rather than physically holding it. This expression is used when someone follows a plan, rule, or agreement.
Zo At the start of “Zo kopen we waarschijnlijk niet te veel,” “Zo” means “that way” and refers to the suggested method just mentioned. It is useful for explaining the result of doing something in a particular way.
kopen In “Zo kopen we waarschijnlijk niet te veel,” “kopen” names the action of buying. It is used in shopping situations to describe purchasing items, especially when discussing how much to buy.
waarschijnlijk “Waarschijnlijk” means “probably” and shows that the result is expected but not certain. In “Zo kopen we waarschijnlijk niet te veel,” it is placed before the negative quantity phrase to express a likely outcome.
niet In “niet te veel,” “niet” marks the buying as negative: the shoppers probably will not buy too much. It is useful for denying or limiting an action or amount.
te In “te veel,” “te” marks an excessive amount, giving the phrase the meaning “too much.” It is used before a quantity word when the amount goes beyond what is wanted.
veel In “te veel,” “veel” refers to a large amount, here the amount of shopping. Together with “te,” it describes an amount that is more than intended.
Waar “Waar” asks for a place or location in “Waar zijn de pasta en de rijst?” It is used at the beginning of a question when asking where something is.
zijn In “Waar zijn de pasta en de rijst?” “zijn” states where the mentioned items are. It is used in location questions with the thing or things being located.
de In “de pasta” and “de rijst,” “de” is the article before each specific food item. It helps refer to the pasta and rice the shoppers are looking for.
pasta “Pasta” means pasta, one of the foods the shoppers need to find. It is useful in a grocery-shop context when identifying a food item on a list.
en “En” connects “de pasta” and “de rijst” in the question. It is used to join two items or actions that are mentioned together.
rijst “Rijst” means rice, the second food item being located in the shop. It is useful when naming rice as an item to buy or find.
Ze In “Ze staan in het gangpad met droge producten,” “Ze” refers to the pasta and rice mentioned in the previous line. It is used to refer back to those items while giving their location.
staan Here “staan” means “are located” in “Ze staan in het gangpad met droge producten.” For shop items, this form can describe where the items are found.
in In “in het gangpad met droge producten,” “in” gives the location of the pasta and rice. It is used to say that something is inside or located within a place.
gangpad “Gangpad” means “aisle,” the passage in the shop where the dry products are found. It is useful when asking for or describing the location of goods in a store.
met In “het gangpad met droge producten,” “met” means “with” and identifies the aisle by the products it contains. This pattern is useful for describing a place associated with particular items.
droge In “droge producten,” “droge” describes the products as dry goods. It is used here to identify the type of food section or aisle.
producten “Producten” means “products,” here referring to food products in the shop. In “het gangpad met droge producten,” it helps specify which aisle is meant.
Dit In “Dit is de pasta die we de vorige keer hebben gekocht,” “Dit” points to the pasta being identified. It is useful when indicating a nearby item and saying what it is.
is In “Dit is de pasta,” “is” links the item being pointed out with its identification as the pasta. It is used when identifying or describing something.
die In “de pasta die we de vorige keer hebben gekocht,” “die” introduces the information identifying which pasta is meant. It links “de pasta” to the clause about buying it previously.
vorige In “de vorige keer,” “vorige” means “previous” or “last” and places the occasion before the current one. It is useful when referring to the immediately relevant earlier occasion.
keer In “de vorige keer,” “keer” means “time” or “occasion.” Together, the phrase refers to the last occasion when the shoppers bought the pasta.
hebben In “we de vorige keer hebben gekocht,” “hebben” helps form the expression for the earlier purchase together with “gekocht.” This combination is useful when describing something the speakers bought before.
gekocht In “we de vorige keer hebben gekocht,” “gekocht” means “bought” and describes the pasta’s earlier purchase. It is used with “hebben” to refer to something purchased previously.
één “Één” means “one” and specifies the quantity in “één pak.” The accented form emphasizes the number of packs to put in the cart.
pak “Pak” means “pack,” the packaging unit being selected in the shop. In “één pak,” it is used after a number to say how many packs to buy.
winkelwagentje “Winkelwagentje” means “shopping cart,” the cart where the pack is placed. It is useful in a grocery shop when talking about putting items in or taking them out of the cart.
doen In “in het winkelwagentje doen,” “doen” means “put” because it is used with a destination marked by “in.” This expression is useful for saying that an item is placed in the shopping cart.
Daarna “Daarna” means “after that” and moves the dialogue to the next step after putting the pack in the cart. It is useful for ordering actions in a sequence.
alleen In “alleen nog melk,” “alleen” means “only” and limits the remaining item to milk. It is useful when saying that no other item is still needed.
nog In “alleen nog melk,” “nog” shows that milk is an additional item still remaining on the list. It is useful when describing what remains to be done or obtained.
melk “Melk” means “milk,” the final item the shoppers still need. It is useful in grocery-shopping conversations when naming milk as an item to buy.
nodig In “melk nodig,” “nodig” means “needed” and contributes to the expression for needing milk. The construction is useful when stating which item is still required.
Dan “Dan” means “then” and introduces the next action after buying the milk. It is useful for showing what will happen next in a sequence.
kunnen In “kunnen we meteen naar de kassa gaan,” “kunnen” expresses that going to the checkout is possible as the next step. It is used with an action to describe what the speakers can do.
meteen “Meteen” means “straight away” or “immediately” in “meteen naar de kassa gaan.” It shows that the shoppers will go there without another shopping stop.
naar In “naar de kassa gaan,” “naar” marks the checkout as the destination. It is used with movement verbs when saying where someone is going.
kassa “Kassa” means “checkout” or “cash desk,” where the shoppers will pay. It is useful in a shop when talking about finishing the shopping and paying.
gaan In “naar de kassa gaan,” “gaan” means “go” or “head” toward the checkout. It is used with “naar” to describe movement to a destination.

Grammar Points

zich aan iets houden

ons aan het boodschappenlijstje houden

awns ahn ut BOHT-shah-puh-LYE-shuh HOW-duhn

to stick to something; stick to the grocery list

This fixed expression uses the reflexive form zich, which changes to ons for “we/us,” followed by aan and the object.

droge producten

droge producten

DROH-khuh proh-DUK-tuhn

dry products

Before a plural noun, the adjective takes -e: droog becomes droge.

Dutch Vocabulary

boodschappenlijstje noun
BOHT-shah-puh-LYE-shuh grocery list het boodschappenlijstje

Laten we ons aan het boodschappenlijstje houden.

droog adj
DROHKH dry droge

Ze staan in het gangpad met droge producten.

gangpad noun
KHANG-paht aisle het gangpad

Ze staan in het gangpad met droge producten.

houden verb
HOW-duhn to keep; to stick to

Laten we ons aan het boodschappenlijstje houden.

kopen verb
KOH-puhn to buy

Zo kopen we waarschijnlijk niet te veel.

pasta noun
PAH-stah pasta de pasta

Waar zijn de pasta en de rijst?

rijst noun
RYST rice de rijst

Waar zijn de pasta en de rijst?

staan verb
stahn to stand; to be located

Ze staan in het gangpad met droge producten.

te veel adv
tuh vayl too much; too many

Zo kopen we waarschijnlijk niet te veel.

waar adv
vahr where

Waar zijn de pasta en de rijst?

waarschijnlijk adv
vah-REYSH-nuh-luk probably

Zo kopen we waarschijnlijk niet te veel.

zich aan iets houden phrase
zikh ahn eets HOW-duhn to stick to something ons aan het boodschappenlijstje houden

Laten we ons aan het boodschappenlijstje houden.

Quiz

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

to buy

Show Answerkopen

where

Show Answerwaar

to keep; to stick to

Show Answerhouden

to stand; to be located

Show Answerstaan