Giving clear directions to a taxi driver | Learn Dutch in English

Sentence explanations

1. Kunt u ons bij de ingang van de kliniek afzetten, alstublieft?

   Could you drop us near the clinic entrance, please?

   Kunt u

   could you

   ons

   us

   bij

   near; at

   ingang

   entrance

   kliniek

   clinic

   afzetten

   drop off

   alstublieft

   please

   More detail

   Kunt u is a polite formal request pattern meaning “could you…?” kunt is the present-tense form of kunnen (“can, be able to”) used with u; the inversion places the verb before the subject. The infinitive that follows completes the request. For an informal singular addressee, Dutch commonly uses kun je instead. ons means “us”: it is the object form of wij (“we”). Here it refers to the speakers as the people being transported. Compare ons (“us”) with wij (“we”): Wij wachten means “We are waiting,” while U ziet ons means “You see us.” bij places something at or near a location. In bij de ingang it means “near the entrance,” matching the fixed translation. It can also describe being at a place, so the exact English choice depends on the context. ingang means “entrance.” Its plural is ingangen. The phrase de ingang uses the common-gender definite article de; the article belongs to the noun phrase, while ingang is the noun itself. kliniek means “clinic.” Here van de kliniek identifies which entrance: “of the clinic” or more naturally “the clinic’s.” The construction de ingang van de kliniek therefore means “the entrance of the clinic,” not a separate second location. afzetten means “to drop off” when a person is taken somewhere and left there. It is a separable verb: without a modal, the parts can separate in a main clause, as in Ik zet ons daar af (“I drop us off there”). After kunnen, the infinitive remains together at the end, as in Kunt u ons daar afzetten? (“Could you drop us off there?”). This is different from ophalen, “to pick up.” alstublieft is a polite “please,” placed at the end here. It can also be used independently when politely offering or handing something over, but its function in this utterance is to soften the request. Together, Kunt u + the object ons + the location bij de ingang van de kliniek + the infinitive afzetten forms a polite request: “Could you drop us near the clinic entrance, please?”

2. Is dat net voorbij het grote kruispunt?

   Is that just past the main intersection?

   Is dat

   Is that …? (question pattern)

   net

   just

   voorbij

   past; beyond

   grote

   large; main

   kruispunt

   intersection

   More detail

   Is dat forms a yes/no question: is is the present-tense form of zijn (“to be”) for “it/that,” and dat is the demonstrative pronoun “that.” Dutch commonly places the finite verb before the subject in this kind of question. The specific thing referred to by dat is not identified more narrowly here. net means “just” in this location phrase. It indicates a small distance beyond a point, rather than referring to time. For example: De halte is net voorbij de brug. — “The stop is just past the bridge.” voorbij means “past” or “beyond” when it places something farther along a route than a reference point. The pattern voorbij + [place] is reusable: voorbij het station — “past the station.” grote is the inflected form of the adjective groot, “large.” In het grote kruispunt, the adjective has the -e form before the definite article het and the singular noun. The basic comparison is groot — “large,” groter — “larger,” het grootst — “the largest.” Here grote describes the intersection; it does not itself mean “main,” although “main” is a compatible translation in this location context. kruispunt is a neuter noun meaning “intersection” or “crossroads.” Its definite form is het kruispunt, and its plural is kruispunten: een kruispunt — “an intersection,” twee kruispunten — “two intersections.” Together, Is dat asks whether something is the place being indicated, net voorbij locates it just beyond a reference point, and het grote kruispunt names that reference point. The complete meaning is: “Is that just past the main intersection?”

3. Sla na de bank linksaf.

   Turn left after the bank.

   Sla

   turn

   na

   after

   bank

   bank

   linksaf

   left

   More detail

   Sla is the imperative form of slaan. In this route instruction, slaan means “to turn,” not its other possible uses. The imperative gives a direct instruction; the subject is understood from the situation. Example: Sla rechtsaf. — “Turn right.” na means “after” and places one point or action later than another. Here it introduces the landmark that the turn comes after. In na de bank, de marks the noun phrase as definite, while bank is the noun meaning “bank” in the intended translation. Dutch bank can also have another meaning in other contexts, but the fixed translation establishes the relevant sense here. Example: Na de brug ga je linksaf. — “After the bridge, you turn left.” linksaf is a directional adverb meaning “to the left” or, with a turning verb, “left.” It is the opposite direction of rechtsaf (“right”). Example: Sla bij het kruispunt linksaf. — “Turn left at the intersection.” Together, Sla ... linksaf gives the instruction “turn left,” and na de bank specifies when to do it: after passing the bank. The complete utterance therefore means “Turn left after the bank.”

4. Volg daarna de weg richting de apotheek.

   Then follow the road toward the pharmacy.

   Volg

   follow

   daarna

   then

   weg

   road

   richting

   toward

   apotheek

   pharmacy

   More detail

   Volg means “follow” here. It is the imperative of volgen (“to follow”), used to give a direct instruction. The present-tense form for jij/je is also volgt, but the imperative is volg: Volg de weg. — “Follow the road.” daarna means “then” or “after that.” It places this instruction after an earlier step in the sequence. It is useful for linking directions: Ga daarna rechtsaf. — “Then turn right.” weg means “road” here. Its plural is wegen: Deze weg is lang. — “This road is long.” The noun is preceded by the definite article de in de weg. richting means “toward” in this sentence. The pattern richting + place indicates the direction of travel: Loop richting het station. — “Walk toward the station.” It can also be used as a noun meaning “direction,” but that is not its role here. apotheek means “pharmacy.” Its plural is apotheken: De apotheek is open. — “The pharmacy is open.” The phrase de apotheek uses the definite article de. Together, Volg daarna gives the sequence and instruction “Then follow”; de weg identifies what to follow; and richting de apotheek specifies the direction. The whole utterance means: “Then follow the road toward the pharmacy.”

5. Moet ik na de afslag rechtdoor blijven rijden?

   Should I keep going straight after the turn?

   Moet ik

   should I

   na

   after

   afslag

   turn

   rechtdoor

   straight ahead

   blijven rijden

   keep driving

   More detail

   Moet ik combines moet, the present singular form of moeten (“must/should”), with ik (“I”). In a question, this pattern asks whether the speaker is expected or advised to do something: Moet ik wachten? means “Should I wait?” Here, moet expresses the route-following question, not a statement that the speaker definitely has to continue. na means “after” and introduces what comes later in time or sequence. The phrase na de afslag therefore means “after the turn.” Na can also be used with a time expression, as in na het eten (“after the meal”). afslag is a noun meaning “turn” or “turn-off,” especially a place where a road branches or where a driver turns. Its plural is afslagen. The article in the observed phrase is de: de afslag (“the turn”). rechtdoor means “straight ahead” or “straight on.” It describes the direction of movement. A reusable direction pattern is rechtdoor gaan (“go straight ahead”); in this sentence, the movement verb is rijden instead. blijven rijden is the construction “keep driving” or “continue driving.” Blijven means “remain/continue,” and rijden is its infinitive after this construction. In Dutch, blijven can be followed by an infinitive to show that an activity continues: Blijf lopen. means “Keep walking.” The form rijden can mean “drive” or, depending on the vehicle and context, “go/travel”; here the road-navigation meaning is “drive/go.” Together, na de afslag sets the point in the route, rechtdoor gives the direction, and blijven rijden says to continue moving in that direction. The initial question pattern Moet ik ...? makes the complete utterance: “Should I keep going straight after the turn?”

6. Rijd door tot de apotheek aan uw rechterkant is.

   Keep going until the pharmacy is on your right.

   Rijd door

   keep going

   tot

   until

   apotheek

   pharmacy

   aan uw rechterkant

   on your right

   More detail

   Rijd door means “keep going” here. Rijd is the imperative of rijden (“to drive”), used as a direction to one person; in this context it fits the formal u address as well. Door adds the sense of continuing onward. Example: Rijd door. — “Keep going.” Tot introduces the point up to which the action continues: “until.” It is followed here by a clause, de apotheek aan uw rechterkant is. Example: Wacht tot de bus komt. — “Wait until the bus comes.” Apotheek means “pharmacy.” It is a noun with the article de: de apotheek. Example: De apotheek is open. — “The pharmacy is open.” Aan uw rechterkant means “on your right.” Uw is the formal possessive form meaning “your”; rechterkant means “right side.” The preposition aan presents the pharmacy as being at or on that side. Example: De winkel is aan uw rechterkant. — “The shop is on your right.” The remaining form is is the present-tense form of zijn (“to be”) for de apotheek. Dutch places the finite verb at the end of this subordinate clause: de apotheek aan uw rechterkant is. Thus Rijd door tot de apotheek aan uw rechterkant is assembles as “Keep going until the pharmacy is on your right.”

7. Waar wilt u dat ik stop?

   Where would you like me to stop?

   Waar

   where

   wilt u

   would you like

   dat

   that

   ik

   I

   stop

   stop

   More detail

   Waar asks for a place: “where?” It can be reused in questions such as Waar woon je? (“Where do you live?”). Here it asks for the location where the stopping should happen. wilt u combines wilt, a present-tense form of willen (“to want”), with u, the formal or polite second-person pronoun (“you”). In this question, the verb precedes the subject, as in Wilt u ...? The combination is naturally “would you like ...?” here. Wilt u is a standard form; u wil is also used in contemporary Dutch, while willen is the infinitive. dat introduces the clause describing the requested action. It is a conjunction meaning “that”: Wilt u dat ...? corresponds structurally to “Would you like that ...?” and naturally to “Would you like ... to ...?” in English. ik is the first-person singular pronoun “I.” It identifies the person who performs the action in the following clause: the speaker. stop is the first-person singular present form of stoppen, “to stop.” The same form can also be an imperative meaning “stop!”, but it is not imperative here: ik stop means “I stop.” In the dat-clause, the finite verb comes at the end: dat ik stop (“that I stop”). Together, Waar asks for the place, wilt u asks about the listener’s preference, and dat ik stop specifies the speaker’s action. The full utterance means: “Where would you like me to stop?”

8. Ergens bij de voordeur is prima.

   Anywhere near the front door is fine.

   Ergens

   somewhere; anywhere

   bij

   near; by

   voordeur

   front door

   is

   is

   prima

   fine; okay

   More detail

   Ergens means “somewhere” here, and in this context the English translation naturally uses “anywhere.” It is an indefinite place adverb: ergens points to a non-specific location. A useful contrast is ergens “somewhere” versus nergens “nowhere.” Example: Ik wil ergens zitten. — “I want to sit somewhere.” bij means “near” or “by” and introduces the location associated with what follows. It is a preposition, so the following noun phrase is de voordeur. Example: De auto staat bij het huis. — “The car is near the house.” voordeur means “front door.” It is a noun compound: voor (“front”) + deur (“door”). In the utterance it appears after the article de, giving de voordeur; Dutch nouns have grammatical gender, and this common noun takes the article de. Example: De voordeur is open. — “The front door is open.” is is the present-tense form of zijn (“to be”) for a singular subject. Here it links the location phrase to an evaluation. The present form chain is ik ben, jij bent, hij/zij/het is; is is not the base form. Example: Dat is goed. — “That is good.” prima means “fine” or “okay.” Here it is a predicate describing the proposed location as acceptable. It is also used as an invariable evaluative word, so it does not change for the number or gender of a noun. Example: Morgen is prima. — “Tomorrow is fine.” Together, Ergens bij de voordeur means “somewhere near the front door.” The pattern [location] is prima means that the indicated location is acceptable, so Ergens bij de voordeur is prima. means “Anywhere near the front door is fine.”

9. Ik kan net voorbij de ingang stoppen.

   I can pull over just beyond the entrance.

   Ik kan

   I can

   net voorbij

   just beyond

   ingang

   entrance

   stoppen

   to stop; to pull over

   More detail

   Ik kan combines the first-person pronoun ik (“I”) with kan, the first-person singular present form of kunnen (“can; to be able to”). In this sentence, kan expresses ability or possibility. A modal verb such as kunnen is followed by an infinitive: Ik kan wachten means “I can wait.” net voorbij means “just beyond” or “just past.” net makes the distance or position sound very close to the point mentioned, while voorbij places something beyond or past it. Together they form a reusable location expression: net voorbij de brug means “just beyond the bridge.” ingang is the noun “entrance.” Its singular form is used here with the definite article de: de ingang. The plural is ingangen (“entrances”). In the utterance, de ingang identifies the entrance as the reference point for the location. stoppen is the infinitive “to stop.” In the context of a vehicle, it can mean “to pull over” or “to stop the vehicle,” which matches the fixed translation. Its present-tense forms include ik stop (“I stop”) and wij stoppen (“we stop”). After kan, the infinitive remains at the end: Ik kan daar stoppen means “I can stop there.” Together, Ik kan net voorbij de ingang stoppen has the structure “I can stop just beyond the entrance.” The modal kan comes after ik, the location net voorbij de ingang specifies where, and the infinitive stoppen completes the verb construction. With the vehicle-related context supplied by the translation, the intended meaning is “I can pull over just beyond the entrance.”