Finding blue folders in a shop | Learn Dutch in English

Sentence explanations

1. Pardon, waar is de afdeling met kantoorartikelen?

   Excuse me, where is the stationery section?

   Pardon

   Excuse me

   waar is

   where is

   afdeling

   section

   kantoorartikelen

   stationery

   More detail

   Pardon is a polite way to get someone’s attention before a question. In this utterance it corresponds to “Excuse me.” waar is asks for the location of something: waar means “where,” and is is the present-tense form of zijn (“to be”) for hij, zij, or het, as well as for singular noun subjects. Dutch commonly places the verb before the subject in a location question: Waar is de ingang? means “Where is the entrance?” afdeling means “section” or “department.” It is a common noun and takes the definite article de: de afdeling. In this sentence, the section is further identified by what it contains or offers. kantoorartikelen means “stationery” or “office supplies.” It is a compound noun: kantoor means “office,” and artikelen means “articles/items.” The plural form artikelen is used here because the phrase refers to supplies as a category, not to one individual item. The compound is written as one word in Dutch. The phrase afdeling met kantoorartikelen means “section with stationery” or, naturally, “stationery section.” Here met links the section to the goods associated with it. Together with waar is, the question asks for the location of that section, not for the location of the stationery items individually. Assembled, Pardon, waar is de afdeling met kantoorartikelen? means “Excuse me, where is the stationery section?” This is a polite, reusable way to ask where a particular section or place is.

2. Die is voorbij de display met notitieboeken aan de rechterkant.

   It's past the notebook display on the right.

   Die

   it / that one

   voorbij

   past

   display

   display

   notitieboeken

   notebooks

   aan de rechterkant

   on the right

   More detail

   Die is a demonstrative pronoun meaning “it” or “that one” here. Its exact referent is understood from the situation, while the form itself does not identify a particular object in this sentence. Dutch also uses dit/dat for “this/that” in other grammatical environments; choose the form according to the demonstrative system and the noun or reference involved, not simply according to English “it.” Example: Die is nieuw. — “That one is new.” voorbij means “past” or “beyond” and places something farther along a route or position. With zijn (“to be”), as in is voorbij, it describes where something is located relative to a landmark. Example: De ingang is voorbij de trap. — “The entrance is past the stairs.” display is a Dutch noun borrowed from English, meaning a display or presentation stand. In this sentence it is the landmark used for orientation. The article de before it is part of the noun phrase; it does not itself state a number. Example: De display staat bij de ingang. — “The display is by the entrance.” notitieboeken means “notebooks.” Its singular base form is notitieboek; notitieboeken is the plural form. The preposition met introduces the identifying feature: this is the display with notebooks. Example: Ik koop twee notitieboeken. — “I am buying two notebooks.” aan de rechterkant means “on the right” or, more literally, “at the right-hand side.” rechterkant is the noun for the right-hand side, and aan de forms the location phrase with it. The phrase gives the display’s position, rather than describing the notebooks themselves. Example: De kassa is aan de rechterkant. — “The checkout is on the right.” Together, Die is voorbij de display met notitieboeken aan de rechterkant. identifies an already understood place or object with Die, says that it is voorbij the display, specifies the display as the one met notitieboeken, and locates that display aan de rechterkant. The complete meaning is: “It’s past the notebook display on the right.”

3. Ik zoek blauwe mappen.

   I'm looking for blue folders.

   Ik

   I

   zoek

   look for

   blauwe

   blue

   mappen

   folders

   More detail

   Ik is the first-person singular subject: “I.” It identifies the speaker as the person doing the searching. A useful contrast is jij (“you,” singular informal) when the addressee is the subject. zoek is the present-tense first-person singular form of zoeken, “to look for” or “to search for.” The form changes with the subject: ik zoek (“I look for”), while jij zoekt (“you look for”) has -t. Here, the present tense expresses the speaker’s current search. Example: Ik zoek mijn sleutel. — “I’m looking for my key.” blauwe means “blue” here and describes mappen. It is the form of blauw used before this plural noun. For example, blauwe boeken means “blue books.” mappen means “folders.” It is the plural of map (“folder”). The plural is formed with -en; the spelling doubles the p: map → mappen. Example: De mappen zijn hier. — “The folders are here.” Together, Ik zoek (“I’m looking for”) + blauwe mappen (“blue folders”) gives the complete meaning: “I’m looking for blue folders.”

4. Ik kijk even of ze nog beschikbaar zijn.

   Let me check if they are still available.

   kijk

   check; look

   even

   just; briefly

   of

   if; whether

   ze

   they

   nog

   still

   beschikbaar

   available

   zijn

   are; be

   More detail

   kijk is the present-tense form of kijken with the first-person singular subject ik: ik kijk. In this sentence, kijken means checking or finding something out, rather than simply directing one's eyes at something. Example: Ik kijk naar de kaart. — “I look at the map.” even is a short particle meaning “briefly” or “just for a moment.” With an action such as kijk, it makes the check sound limited and often more conversational: Ik kijk even. — “I’ll just check.” It does not change the tense of kijk. of introduces an embedded yes-or-no clause. Here it means “if” in the sense of “whether”: Ik weet niet of ze beschikbaar zijn. — “I don’t know whether they are available.” In this construction, the finite verb of the embedded clause comes at the end. ze is the pronoun meaning “they” here. Its specific referent is not named in this utterance, but the fixed translation establishes a plural group or set of entities. Dutch ze can also have other functions in other contexts, so its intended meaning here comes from the sentence and translation. nog means “still” here: the availability continues to hold, or the speaker is checking whether it continues to hold. Example: Zijn ze nog open? — “Are they still open?” beschikbaar is an adjective meaning “available.” It does not change form for the plural subject in this sentence. Example: De plaatsen zijn beschikbaar. — “The seats are available.” zijn is the present-tense plural form of zijn, “to be.” In the embedded clause, ze is plural, so the form is zijn; its final position is required by the Dutch subordinate-clause pattern: of ze nog beschikbaar zijn — “if they are still available.” Together, Ik kijk even means “I’ll just check,” and of ze nog beschikbaar zijn specifies what is being checked: whether they are still available. The whole utterance therefore means “Let me check if they are still available.”

5. Zijn er vandaag nog blauwe mappen op voorraad?

   Are there any in stock today?

   Zijn er

   are there

   vandaag

   today

   nog

   still; any more

   blauwe

   blue

   mappen

   folders

   op voorraad

   in stock

   More detail

   Zijn er is the Dutch pattern for asking whether something exists or is available: Zijn er ...? means “Are there ...?” Here, zijn is the present-tense form of zijn (“to be”) used with a plural subject, and er introduces the existence or availability of the items. In a statement, the order is commonly Er zijn ...; the question reverses this to Zijn er ...?. vandaag means “today.” It is an adverb, so it does not change form. For example: Vandaag zijn er geen mappen. — “Today there are no folders.” nog means “still” here and helps ask whether the items remain available. In an availability question, nog can often be understood as “any ... left” or “still any ...,” depending on the English phrasing. It is not the negative word; geen is used for “no” with nouns. blauwe is the form of the adjective blauw (“blue”) used before the plural noun mappen. With a noun phrase in this form, the adjective takes -e: blauw → blauwe. For example: Ik zoek blauwe mappen. — “I am looking for blue folders.” mappen means “folders” in the document-storage sense. Its singular form is map, and its plural is mappen: een map — “a folder”; twee mappen — “two folders.” op voorraad is a fixed expression meaning “in stock” or “available in the inventory.” It describes whether goods can currently be supplied. For example: De zwarte pennen zijn op voorraad. — “The black pens are in stock.” Together, Zijn er vandaag nog blauwe mappen op voorraad? asks whether any blue folders are still in stock today. The context supports an inventory-availability reading, while the fixed English translation gives the shorter equivalent “Are there any in stock today?”

6. We hebben er een paar in het magazijn.

   We have some in the back room.

   We

   we

   hebben

   have

   er

   of them

   een paar

   a few; some

   magazijn

   storeroom

   More detail

   We means “we,” the first-person plural subject: the speaker includes themselves and at least one other person. Dutch subject pronouns include ik (“I”), jij/je (“you,” singular), and wij/we (“we”). The shorter we is very common in ordinary speech. hebben is the present-tense form of hebben, “to have,” used here with we. The useful present-tense pattern is ik heb (“I have”), jij/je hebt (“you have”), and we/zij hebben (“we/they have”). Example: We hebben tijd. — “We have time.” er works here as a reference to items already understood from the context. Together with een paar, it means “some of them”; it is not the English place adverb “there” in this sentence. Dutch often uses er in this pattern when the things being discussed are not repeated: Er staan nog twee op voorraad. — “There are still two in stock.” een paar means “a few” or “some.” In this sentence it refers to an unspecified small number of the previously discussed items, without stating an exact count. paar can also be used for a pair of matching things, but that is not the intended meaning here. Example: Ik neem een paar mee. — “I’ll take a few along.” magazijn is “storeroom” or “warehouse.” The observed noun appears after het in the sentence, so the full phrase het magazijn means “the storeroom.” Dutch nouns have grammatical gender for article and agreement purposes; magazijn is a neuter noun and therefore takes het in the singular definite form. Example: Het magazijn is groot. — “The storeroom is large.” The sentence combines we hebben (“we have”) with er een paar (“some of them”) and in het magazijn (“in the storeroom”). Together, We hebben er een paar in het magazijn. means “We have some in the back room.” The location phrase specifies where those items are. In ordinary conversation, this is a natural way to avoid repeating the items already being discussed.

7. Kun je een pak voor me halen?

   Could you bring one pack for me?

   Kun je

   Could you

   pak

   pack

   voor me

   for me

   halen

   fetch or get

   More detail

   Kun je combines the second-person singular form kun of kunnen (“can, be able to”) with je (“you”). In a Dutch yes/no question, the finite verb comes before the subject: Kun je ...? This pattern is commonly used for a request and can correspond to “Could you…?” in English, although kunnen itself expresses ability. Example: Kun je wachten? — “Can you wait?” pak means “pack” here: a packaged unit of something. Its plural is pakken. The indefinite article een before it marks an unspecified pack; it does not by itself assert a numerical count as a separate fact. Example: Ik neem een pak. — “I’m taking a pack.” voor me means “for me.” me is the unstressed form of the first-person pronoun; the stressed form is mij, used when stronger contrast or emphasis is needed. Here, the phrase indicates that the pack is intended for the speaker. Example: Dit is voor me. — “This is for me.” halen is the infinitive of halen, commonly meaning “to fetch” or “to get.” In this utterance, the fixed translation supports the compatible sense of fetching or bringing a pack for the speaker. After kun je, Dutch uses the infinitive: Kun je ... halen? (“Can you fetch ...?”). The infinitive stays halen; kun is the finite verb and carries the verb’s person/number inflection for the subject je. Example: Kun je water halen? — “Can you fetch water?” Together, Kun je introduces the request, een pak names an unspecified pack, voor me says that it is intended for the speaker, and halen supplies the requested action. The complete utterance therefore means “Could you bring one pack for me?”

8. Ik breng een pak naar je toe.

   I'll bring a pack over.

   breng

   bring

   pak

   pack

   naar je toe

   over to you

   More detail

   breng is the form of brengen used with ik (“I”): ik breng = “I bring/am bringing.” The present form can describe an action happening now or a planned near-future action, as it does here. Compare ik breng with jij brengt; the -t belongs to the jij form, not to the verb’s base form. pak means “pack” here, matching the fixed translation. The base form is pak; in Dutch it is a noun: een pak (“a pack”). Its plural is pakken (“packs”). The indefinite article een marks an unspecified instance, but does not by itself state a numeric quantity. naar je toe is a reusable directional pattern meaning “to you” or “over to you.” naar marks direction, je is the unstressed form of “you,” and toe adds the sense of movement toward that person. This is not the same as merely being located near someone: it describes bringing something in the person’s direction. Together, Ik breng een pak naar je toe. means “I’ll bring a pack over.” Ik identifies the speaker as the actor; breng expresses the bringing action; een pak is what is brought; and naar je toe identifies the destination as the listener’s location or side. In this context, the present-tense Dutch form naturally conveys the speaker’s intended upcoming action.

9. Wacht alstublieft bij deze display.

   Please wait near this display.

   Wacht

   wait

   alstublieft

   please

   bij

   near; by

   deze

   this

   display

   display

   More detail

   Wacht is the imperative of wachten (“to wait”). The subject is understood rather than stated, so this form directly addresses one or more listeners; the wording here does not specify the number. Example: Wacht hier. — “Wait here.” alstublieft is a polite way to say “please.” It softens the request, but it is a separate politeness expression, not part of the verb’s tense or conjugation. bij means “near” or “by” when it places someone or something close to a location or object. In bij deze display, it introduces the place where the waiting should happen. Example: Ik wacht bij de deur. — “I am waiting by the door.” deze means “this” here and points to one nearby or contextually identified item. It agrees with the singular common-gender noun display; the noun is the word that determines the agreement context, while deze is the demonstrative form. For a singular neuter noun, Dutch uses dit instead: dit boek — “this book.” display is the noun “display,” referring here to the indicated display. The word is used with the article de, as shown by deze display. Together, Wacht alstublieft gives the polite request “Please wait.” bij deze display specifies the location: “near this display.” The complete utterance means “Please wait near this display.”