Paying and packing items at checkout | Learn Dutch in English

Sentence explanations

1. Is deze kassa nu open?

   Is this checkout open now?

   deze

   this

   kassa

   checkout

   nu

   now

   open

   open

   More detail

   deze means “this” and points to a nearby or otherwise identifiable thing. In Dutch, deze is used with singular common-gender nouns and with plural nouns; the neuter singular counterpart is dit. Here it agrees with kassa, which is a common-gender noun: deze kassa = “this checkout.” kassa means “checkout” or “cash register.” Its plural is kassa’s. In this sentence, the intended meaning is the checkout where the speaker can place their items, as supported by the following context. nu means “now.” It places the question in the present situation: the speaker is asking about the checkout’s status at this moment. open means “open” and is an adjective here, describing the status of the checkout. In this predicative use, it follows the subject and does not take a separate ending: De kassa is open = “The checkout is open.” Its opposite is dicht (“closed”) in this context. The pattern for a Dutch yes/no question is often finite verb + subject + .... Thus Is comes first, followed by deze kassa, then the time adverb nu, and finally the predicate open. Together, Is deze kassa nu open? asks whether this checkout is open at the present moment: “Is this checkout open now?”

2. Je kunt je boodschappen hier neerleggen.

   You can place your items here.

   Je kunt

   you can

   boodschappen

   groceries; shopping items

   hier

   here

   neerleggen

   to put down; to place

   More detail

   Je kunt means “you can.” Je is an informal second-person pronoun and can refer to one person or to multiple people; it is not restricted to singular. Kunt is a present-tense form of kunnen (“can, be able to”) used with je here. A modal verb such as kunnen is followed by an infinitive: Je kunt komen means “You can come.” boodschappen means “groceries” or, more broadly here, “shopping items.” It is the plural of boodschap; in other contexts, singular boodschap can also mean “message,” but the shopping context gives the meaning here. hier means “here.” It is an adverb of place and locates where the items may be placed. neerleggen means “to put down” or “to place.” It is an infinitive, the form required after kunt. In a main clause without the modal, the separable verb can appear as Je legt de boodschappen neer (“You put the groceries down”): legt carries the finite verb form and neer appears later. After kunt, the complete infinitive neerleggen stays together at the end. Together, Je kunt expresses that the addressee or addressees can do something; je boodschappen is the shopping that is being placed, hier gives the location, and neerleggen names the action. The whole utterance therefore means: “You can place your items here.”

3. Moet ik het scherm gebruiken om te betalen?

   Should I use the screen to pay?

   Moet ik

   Should I…?

   scherm

   screen

   gebruiken

   use

   betalen

   pay

   More detail

   Moet ik puts the conjugated modal verb before the subject because this is a yes/no question. Moeten is the base form; moet is its present-tense form with ik. In this sentence, the fixed translation shows the intended sense is “should I,” asking whether this is the appropriate action, rather than asserting that the speaker must do it. Compare the reusable question pattern Moet ik ...? — “Should I ...?” scherm means “screen.” The form het scherm in the full sentence uses the neuter definite article het; the noun itself is not changed. The same noun appears in the next contextual instruction, het scherm rechts van je (“the screen on your right”), confirming the intended object here. gebruiken is the infinitive “to use.” After the modal verb moet, Dutch uses the infinitive: Moet ik ... gebruiken? (“Should I use ...?”). The infinitive is not changed to agree with ik in this position. betalen is the infinitive “to pay.” The pattern om te + infinitive expresses purpose: om te betalen means “to pay” in the sense of “in order to pay.” Here te belongs to that purpose construction, while betalen remains the infinitive. Together, Moet ik asks whether the speaker should do something, het scherm gebruiken identifies using the screen as that action, and om te betalen gives the purpose. The complete meaning is: “Should I use the screen to pay?”

4. Gebruik het scherm rechts van je.

   Use the screen on your right.

   Gebruik

   use

   scherm

   screen

   rechts van je

   on your right

   More detail

   Gebruik is the imperative of gebruiken, “to use.” It addresses one person in this sentence: Gebruik het scherm means “Use the screen.” The same verb can appear as ik gebruik (“I use”) and gebruikt with jij or hij/zij in the present tense. Example: Gebruik deze knop. — “Use this button.” scherm means “screen.” Its usual definite form is het scherm; the plural is schermen. In the sentence, het scherm is the thing being used. Example: Het scherm is helder. — “The screen is bright.” rechts van je means “on your right” here. rechts means “to/on the right,” and van introduces the reference point; je means “you” in this expression. The opposite direction is links: links van je means “on your left.” Example: De deur is rechts van je. — “The door is on your right.” Together, Gebruik + het scherm gives the instruction “Use the screen,” and rechts van je specifies which screen by locating it on the addressee’s right. The complete utterance means: “Use the screen on your right.”

5. De tas voelt te vol aan.

   The bag feels too full.

   tas

   bag

   voelt … aan

   feels

   te vol

   too full

   More detail

   tas means “bag” here. It is a common Dutch noun; its plural is tassen. Example: een tas — “a bag.” voelt ... aan is the Dutch separable verb aanvoelen, meaning “to feel” or “to have a feel.” In the sentence, voelt is the present-tense form for a singular subject, de tas; aan appears later because the verb is separable. Example: De stof voelt zacht aan. — “The fabric feels soft.” te vol means “too full.” vol is the adjective “full,” and te marks an excessive degree: the bag is fuller than is suitable for the intended situation. The comparative form is voller (“fuller”), while te vol means “too full,” not simply “very full.” Example: De doos is te vol. — “The box is too full.” Together, De tas identifies the bag, voelt ... aan expresses how it seems by touch or impression, and te vol describes the excessive fullness. The complete utterance means: “The bag feels too full.”

6. Ik kan het zware artikel in een andere tas doen.

   I can move the heavy item to another bag.

   Ik kan

   I can

   zware

   heavy

   artikel

   item

   andere

   another

   tas

   bag

   doen

   put; move

   More detail

   Ik kan combines the subject pronoun ik (“I”) with kan, the present-tense form of kunnen (“can; be able to”) for this subject. The modal expresses ability or permission depending on context; here it expresses ability. A modal is followed by an infinitive, so the lexical verb appears later as doen. Example: Ik kan helpen. — “I can help.” zware means “heavy” here. Its base form is zwaar; the -e form is used before the definite neuter singular noun in het zware artikel. Example: een zware tas — “a heavy bag.” The adjective describes the weight of the item, not the bag. artikel means “item” here. Its plural is artikelen. Dutch artikel can have other context-dependent meanings, but the fixed translation identifies the intended sense as a physical item. andere means “another” or “different” here. Its base form is ander; andere is the attributive form before tas in een andere tas. It identifies a bag different from the one currently being used or considered. The article een introduces the noun phrase but does not by itself assert a numerical count. Example: Ik neem een andere stoel. — “I’ll take another chair.” tas means “bag.” The phrase in een andere tas places the item in another bag. With a verb of movement or placement such as doen, in can express movement into a container, not only a static location. Example: Doe het boek in de tas. — “Put the book in the bag.” doen is the infinitive “to do,” but in this sentence it means “to put” or “to move” something into a place. It follows the modal kan because Dutch places the infinitive at the end of this main clause. Example: Ik kan het boek in de kast doen. — “I can put the book in the cupboard.” Together, Ik kan introduces the ability, het zware artikel is the definite object (“the heavy item”), in een andere tas gives the destination, and doen supplies the action. The complete meaning is: “I can move the heavy item to another bag.”

7. Doe de glazen spullen alsjeblieft in een aparte tas.

   Please put the glass items in a separate bag.

   Doe

   put

   glazen

   glass

   spullen

   items

   alsjeblieft

   please

   in een

   into a

   aparte

   separate

   tas

   bag

   More detail

   Doe is the imperative form of doen, “to do.” In this sentence, the verb is used in the practical sense “to put/place.” The imperative addresses the listener directly, so the subject “you” is understood rather than stated. A reusable pattern is Doe ... in ... = “Put ... in ...”. glazen means “glass” here, describing what the items are made of. It is the form used before the plural noun spullen; the ending -en agrees with that noun in this phrase. This is not the noun “glass” by itself. Example: glazen flessen means “glass bottles.” spullen means “items” or “things.” It is the plural of spul, so spul = “item/thing” and spullen = “items/things.” Example: Mijn spullen liggen hier. — “My things are here.” alsjeblieft means “please” in this request. It is a polite request word and does not change the imperative form of Doe. in een means “into a” here: in marks the destination, and een is the indefinite article. The article does not by itself assert a numerical count; it introduces the bag as an unspecified bag. aparte means “separate” or “separate from the others” here. Its base form is apart. Before the singular noun tas with the indefinite article een, it appears as aparte. Example: een aparte doos — “a separate box.” tas means “bag.” The phrase een aparte tas is therefore “a separate bag.” The noun is singular in this phrase, while glazen spullen identifies the plural items being placed. Together, Doe + glazen spullen + in een aparte tas forms the instruction “Put the glass items into a separate bag.” Alsjeblieft makes the instruction polite: “Please put the glass items in a separate bag.”

8. Ik zal voorzichtig zijn als ik ze inpak.

   I'll be careful while bagging them.

   Ik zal

   I will

   voorzichtig

   careful

   zijn

   be

   als

   while

   ik

   I

   ze

   them

   inpak

   pack

   More detail

   Ik zal expresses “I will.” zal is the first-person singular present form of zullen, used here to form the future with an infinitive. The subject is ik (“I”), and zal agrees with that subject. For example: Ik zal komen. — “I will come.” voorzichtig means “careful” here. After zijn (“be”), it describes the subject: “I will be careful.” The same word can also describe how an action is performed, as in Pak het voorzichtig in. — “Pack it carefully.” zijn is the infinitive “to be.” In zal ... zijn, the auxiliary zal carries the future meaning while zijn remains the infinitive. This is a useful Dutch pattern: zal + infinitive. als introduces the time condition “when” or “while” in this sentence. It starts the subordinate clause als ik ze inpak. In a Dutch subordinate clause of this kind, the finite verb comes at the end. ik is the first-person singular subject pronoun “I.” It identifies the person who will be careful and who performs the packing action. Example: Als ik vertrek, bel ik je. — “When I leave, I’ll call you.” ze is the object pronoun “them.” With the supplied translation and context, it refers to the glass items being put into a bag. Dutch ze can also have other grammatical uses in other contexts, but here it is the plural object pronoun. inpak is the first-person singular present form of the separable verb inpakken, “to pack” or “to put into a bag.” In a main clause, the separable parts split: Ik pak ze in. — “I pack them.” After als, they remain together at the end of the subordinate clause: als ik ze inpak — “while I pack them.” Together, Ik zal voorzichtig zijn means “I’ll be careful,” and als ik ze inpak adds the time clause “while bagging them.” The complete utterance therefore means: “I’ll be careful while bagging them.”