Sticking to the grocery list | Learn Dutch in English

Sentence explanations

1. Laten we ons aan het boodschappenlijstje houden.

   Let's stick to the grocery list.

   Laten we

   let’s

   ons

   ourselves

   boodschappenlijstje

   grocery list

   houden

   keep

   More detail

   Laten we is the Dutch pattern for a suggestion involving the speaker and others: “let’s …”. In this construction, laten is the present-tense first-person plural form of laten (“let; allow”), although it has the same spelling as the infinitive. we is the subject pronoun “we”. After this pattern, the following verb stays in the infinitive. ons is the first-person plural reflexive pronoun, “ourselves”. Here it belongs to the reusable construction zich aan iets houden, meaning “to stick to” or “to adhere to something”. With a first-person plural subject, the construction is we houden ons aan ... (“we stick to ...”). In another person, the reflexive form changes, for example ik houd me aan ... (“I stick to ...”). boodschappenlijstje means “grocery list”. It is a diminutive form of boodschappenlijst (“shopping list”): the ending -je marks the diminutive, and this noun takes the article het. In the sentence, aan het boodschappenlijstje means “to the grocery list”; the preposition aan is part of the construction zich aan iets houden. houden is the infinitive of houden (“keep; hold”). In laten we ..., it remains infinitive rather than taking a finite ending. Together with ons aan het boodschappenlijstje, it forms ons aan het boodschappenlijstje houden, literally “keep ourselves to the grocery list”, with the natural meaning “stick to the grocery list”. The whole utterance assembles as Laten we + ons aan het boodschappenlijstje houden: “Let’s stick to the grocery list.” It presents this as a shared suggestion.

2. Zo kopen we waarschijnlijk niet te veel.

   That should keep us from buying too much.

   Zo

   that way; so

   kopen

   buy

   we

   we

   waarschijnlijk

   probably

   niet te veel

   not too much

   More detail

   Zo means “that way” or “in this manner” here. It points to a method or arrangement already understood from the situation. A reusable pattern is Zo + verb + subject ...: Zo leer je sneller. — “That way you learn faster.” kopen means “buy.” With we, the present-tense form is kopen; Dutch present plural forms use the same form as the infinitive: we kopen — “we buy.” In this sentence, kopen appears before we because Zo occupies the first position; Dutch main clauses normally keep the finite verb in second position: Morgen kopen we brood. — “Tomorrow we are buying bread.” we is the subject pronoun “we,” referring to the speaker together with at least one other person. It is the subject of kopen, not the object of another verb. The corresponding object form is ons: Ze helpen ons. — “They help us.” waarschijnlijk means “probably” and marks the statement as likely rather than certain. It comes after the subject here: We kopen waarschijnlijk genoeg. — “We probably buy enough.” niet te veel means “not too much.” niet supplies the negation, while te veel means “too much,” an excessive amount. Compare niet veel — “not much” with niet te veel — “not too much”: the latter specifically says that the amount should stay below an excessive level. Ik drink niet te veel koffie. — “I do not drink too much coffee.” Together, Zo kopen we waarschijnlijk niet te veel means “That way we probably will not buy too much,” or naturally, “That should keep us from buying too much.” The source expresses the likely result through zo ... niet te veel; it does not contain a separate Dutch modal verb meaning “should.”

3. Waar zijn de pasta en de rijst?

   Where are the pasta and rice?

   Waar zijn

   Where are

   pasta

   pasta

   rijst

   rice

   More detail

   Waar zijn means “where are” in this question. Waar asks about location. Zijn is the present-tense form of zijn (“to be”) used with a plural subject; here the subject is the combination of de pasta and de rijst. For a singular subject, Dutch uses is: Waar is de rijst? — “Where is the rice?” pasta means “pasta.” In this sentence it appears with the definite article de: de pasta. Dutch uses de with this noun; the article is not itself a statement about a numerical count. rijst means “rice.” It also appears with de: de rijst. This noun commonly refers to rice as a food substance rather than to separate counted grains. The question joins the two subjects with en (“and”): de pasta en de rijst. Because the combined subject is plural, the verb is zijn, giving Waar zijn de pasta en de rijst? — “Where are the pasta and rice?”

4. Ze staan in het gangpad met droge producten.

   They are in the dry food aisle.

   Ze staan

   they are located

   in het gangpad

   in the aisle

   droge

   dry

   producten

   products

   More detail

   Ze staan uses staan, whose base form is also staan (“to stand” or “to be located”). Here the present-tense form staan is used with plural ze (“they”), giving the location meaning “they are located.” Dutch can use staan for people or objects that are standing or positioned somewhere; the surrounding location phrase makes that sense clear here. Example: De flessen staan op tafel. — “The bottles are on the table.” in het gangpad is a reusable location pattern: in + a noun phrase. het gangpad is the neuter noun for “aisle.” The article het belongs to this noun in the singular; its plural is de gangpaden. Example: We wachten in het gangpad. — “We are waiting in the aisle.” droge is the form of the adjective droog (“dry”). Before the plural noun producten, the adjective takes the ending -e: droge producten. This describes the products as dry. Example: Ik koop droge pasta. — “I buy dry pasta.” producten is the plural of product, meaning “products.” Its plural ending is -en; the singular is het product, and the plural article is de: de producten. In this sentence, the noun is part of the category that identifies the aisle. Together, staan marks the plural subject as being located somewhere, in het gangpad gives the location, and droge producten specifies which aisle: “They are in the aisle for dry products,” naturally rendered by the fixed translation as “They are in the dry food aisle.”

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

   This is the pasta we bought last time.

   Dit

   this

   is

   is

   pasta

   pasta

   die

   that; which

   we

   we

   de vorige keer

   last time

   hebben gekocht

   have bought

   More detail

   Dit means “this” here and is the standalone demonstrative that points to the item being identified. In the pattern Dit is ..., Dutch uses dit to present or identify something. When a demonstrative directly modifies a noun, the form can differ: for example, dit pak means “this pack,” while deze pasta means “this pasta.” is is the present-tense form of zijn (“to be”) for a singular subject. The pattern Dit is ... corresponds to “This is ...”. pasta is the noun “pasta.” In this sentence it names the item being identified. Its plural is commonly pasta's, but the singular form here does not itself state a quantity beyond referring to the item as a singular mass or item. die introduces the relative clause describing pasta: de pasta die ... = “the pasta that ...”. Dutch commonly uses die with a singular de-word or with a plural noun. It is different from dat, which is used with a singular het-word. Here die functions as the relative element connected to the pasta, while we is the subject inside the relative clause. we means “we” and is the subject of hebben gekocht. Dutch also has the more emphatic form wij; we is the common unstressed form in ordinary speech and writing. de vorige keer means “last time.” keer is a noun meaning “time” in the sense of an occasion, and vorige means “previous” or “last” here. The adjective has the -e form because it modifies de keer. This phrase identifies the earlier occasion, not a new event or a quantity. hebben gekocht expresses a completed past event with the Dutch perfect. hebben is the present-tense form of the auxiliary hebben (“to have”) used with we; gekocht is the past participle of kopen (“to buy”). In a Dutch perfect clause, the auxiliary and participle combine as we hebben gekocht, with the participle typically at the end. The English translation uses “bought,” although the Dutch form is literally a present perfect construction. Putting the parts together, Dit is de pasta identifies the item as “This is the pasta.” The relative clause die we de vorige keer hebben gekocht specifies which pasta: it is the pasta that “we bought last time.” The complete meaning is: “This is the pasta we bought last time.”

6. Laten we één pak in het winkelwagentje doen.

   Let's put one pack in the cart.

   Laten we

   let’s

   één

   one

   pak

   pack

   winkelwagentje

   shopping cart

   doen

   put / do

   More detail

   Laten we is the Dutch pattern for making a suggestion that includes the speaker and others: “let’s …”. It is followed by the action in the infinitive. For example: Laten we beginnen. — “Let’s begin.” één means “one” here and specifies the quantity of pak. The acute accent distinguishes the numeral één from the unstressed indefinite article een; it is not distinguishing the word from en (“and”). Dutch also has the related number word twee (“two”). pak is a noun meaning “pack” or “packet”. Its exact contents depend on context; the sentence only identifies one pack, not what is inside it. For example: Ik koop een pak rijst. — “I’m buying a pack of rice.” winkelwagentje means “shopping cart” or “trolley”. It is a compound noun, and the diminutive ending in this word is part of the Dutch noun’s form; it does not mean that the sentence necessarily asserts a small cart. The phrase in het winkelwagentje means “in the shopping cart”: het is the definite article used with this noun. doen is the infinitive “to do”, but with a concrete object and a destination such as in het winkelwagentje, it can mean “to put” or “to place”. In the suggestion pattern Laten we ... doen, it names the proposed action. For example: Laten we de boeken op tafel doen. — “Let’s put the books on the table.” Together, Laten we introduces the suggestion, één pak gives the quantity and item, in het winkelwagentje gives the destination, and doen supplies the action. The complete meaning is: “Let’s put one pack in the cart.”

7. Daarna hebben we alleen nog melk nodig.

   After that, we only need milk.

   Daarna

   after that

   hebben we … nodig

   need

   alleen nog

   only ... left

   melk

   milk

   More detail

   Daarna means “after that” and places the action after an earlier event. It is a time adverb; it does not itself say how much later. Example: Daarna gaan we naar huis. — “After that, we go home.” hebben we ... nodig is the standard Dutch pattern for “we need ...”. Literally, it uses hebben (“have”) together with nodig (“necessary/needed”), but the complete construction expresses need. hebben is the present-tense form used with we (the unstressed form of wij); the subject comes after the verb here because Daarna occupies the first position. Example: We hebben water nodig. — “We need water.” alleen nog means “only ... left” in this sentence. alleen limits the requirement to one remaining item, while nog indicates that this item is still to be obtained or is the remaining need. Together they are a reusable combination, but they do not form a single inflected word. Example: Ik heb alleen nog brood nodig. — “I only need bread now.” melk means “milk”. It is a mass noun, so this sentence does not specify a number of containers or a precise amount. If a quantity is intended, Dutch can add one: een pak melk means “a carton/pack of milk.” Putting the parts together, Daarna sets the time sequence, hebben we ... nodig says what the group needs, and alleen nog melk identifies milk as the sole remaining need. The complete meaning is: “After that, we only need milk.”

8. Dan kunnen we meteen naar de kassa gaan.

   Then we can head straight to checkout.

   Dan

   Then

   kunnen we

   we can

   meteen

   straight away

   naar

   to

   kassa

   checkout

   gaan

   go

   More detail

   Dan means “then” here: it links the proposed action to an earlier point in time or sequence. It is commonly used at the start of a sentence, as in Dan ga ik naar huis. — “Then I go home.” kunnen we combines the present-tense modal verb kunnen (“can, be able to”) with the subject we (“we”). With we, the form is kunnen; the same form is also used with jullie and zij in the present. A modal verb is followed by an infinitive: We kunnen vertrekken. — “We can leave.” Here, kunnen expresses possibility or ability, not a completed action. meteen means “immediately” or “straight away.” In this sentence it makes the proposed movement direct in time: they can go to checkout without an intervening step. Example: Ik kom meteen. — “I’ll come straight away.” naar is the preposition used for movement toward a destination. It is different from a preposition for location at a destination: naar de winkel means “to the shop,” while in de winkel means “in the shop.” kassa is a noun meaning “checkout” or “cash desk.” Here it appears in the definite noun phrase de kassa, referring to a specific checkout in the situation. The article de marks the noun phrase as definite; a different article is possible when the meaning is indefinite, as in naar een kassa — “to a checkout.” Example: De kassa is daar. — “The checkout is there.” gaan means “go.” Its base form is the infinitive gaan, which appears after the modal kunnen. The present-tense form without a preceding modal changes with the subject, for example We gaan. — “We are going,” but after kunnen the infinitive remains: We kunnen gaan. — “We can go.” Together, kunnen we ... gaan contains the modal kunnen, the subject we, and the infinitive gaan. In this sentence, Dan occupies the first position, so the finite verb kunnen comes before the subject we; this is declarative word order with inversion after a sentence-initial element, not a question. The sequence meteen naar de kassa gaan means “go straight to checkout.” With Dan at the beginning, the complete utterance means: “Then we can head straight to checkout.”