Finding the main entrance inside a station | Learn Dutch in English

About This Lesson

Use Finding the main entrance inside a station to practice Dutch conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

Pardon, welke kant leidt naar de hoofdingang?

par-DON, WELL-kuh kahnt layt nahr duh HOHF-ding-ahng? Excuse me, which way leads to the main entrance?

Volg de gele borden naar de grote hal.

VOLKH duh GHAY-luh BOR-duhn nahr duh GHROH-tuh HAHL. Follow the yellow signs toward the main hall.

Moet ik na de toegangspoort de roltrap nemen?

MOOT ik nah duh TOO-kahngs-pohrt duh ROL-trap NAY-muhn? Should I take the escalator after the ticket gate?

Ga ermee naar boven en ga dan rechtsaf.

GHAH er-MAY nahr BOH-vuhn en GHAH dahn REKH-sahf. Take it upstairs, then turn right.

Is de hoofdingang ver van hier?

iss duh HOHF-ding-ahng vehr vahn heer? Is the main entrance far from here?

Vanaf daar is het maar een klein stukje lopen.

vahn-AHF dahr iss uht mahr uhn STUUK-yuh LOH-puhn. It is a short walk from there.

Dit station is een beetje verwarrend.

dit stah-SHYON iss uhn BAY-tyuh ver-WAH-runt. This station is a little confusing.

De borden zijn boven makkelijker te volgen.

duh BOR-duhn zine BOH-vuhn MAH-kuh-luh-kur tuh VOL-ghuhn. The signs are easier to follow upstairs.

Word by Word

Pardon ‘Pardon’ is a polite way to get someone’s attention before asking for help. Use it at the start of a question to a stranger, as in ‘Pardon, welke kant leidt naar de hoofdingang?’.

welke ‘welke’ means which in ‘welke kant’, asking the listener to choose a direction. It is used directly before the noun being selected, especially in questions about options or routes.

kant ‘kant’ means way or direction in ‘welke kant’, referring to the direction that leads somewhere. Use it with ‘welke’ when asking which way to go in a place such as a station.

leidt ‘leidt’ means leads in ‘welke kant leidt naar de hoofdingang?’, describing where a direction goes. The form comes from ‘leiden’ and is useful in the pattern ‘... leidt naar ...’ when asking where a route goes.

naar ‘naar’ means to or toward and marks the destination in ‘leidt naar de hoofdingang’. Use ‘naar’ before a destination when describing movement or the direction of a route.

de ‘de’ means the in ‘de hoofdingang’, and the same article appears capitalized as ‘De’ at the start of ‘De borden’. Use it before a noun when referring to a specific thing, such as a particular entrance or set of signs.

hoofdingang ‘hoofdingang’ means main entrance in ‘de hoofdingang’. It names the primary entrance to a building, so it is useful when asking for or giving directions inside a station or other large building.

Volg ‘Volg’ is an instruction meaning follow in ‘Volg de gele borden’. It is the command form of ‘volgen’ and is used before the thing or signs that someone should follow.

gele ‘gele’ means yellow and describes the signs in ‘de gele borden’. Use a color word next to the noun when helping someone identify a particular sign or object.

borden ‘borden’ means signs in ‘de gele borden’, referring here to the signs that give directions. In a station, you can use this word when telling someone to follow or look for directional signs.

grote ‘grote’ means large in ‘de grote hal’, describing the hall in the station. It appears directly before ‘hal’ and helps identify the large or main hall as a destination.

hal ‘hal’ means hall in ‘de grote hal’, referring to a large interior area of the station. Use it for an indoor space such as a station hall or entrance hall.

Moet ‘Moet’ expresses should or must in the question ‘Moet ik na de toegangspoort de roltrap nemen?’. Use the pattern ‘Moet ik ...?’ when asking whether you are expected or advised to do something.

ik ‘ik’ means I and identifies the person asking what action to take in ‘Moet ik ... nemen?’. Use it before an action when speaking about yourself.

na ‘na’ means after in ‘na de toegangspoort’, placing the action after a particular landmark. Use ‘na’ before a place, event, or time reference when giving an order of directions.

toegangspoort ‘toegangspoort’ means access gate, and in this station context it refers to the ticket gate in ‘na de toegangspoort’. Use it as a landmark when explaining where a traveler should continue.

roltrap ‘roltrap’ means escalator in ‘de roltrap nemen’. It is the escalator the traveler is asking whether to use, so the word is useful when giving directions inside a station or shopping center.

nemen ‘nemen’ means take in ‘de roltrap nemen’, where it describes using the escalator as part of the route. Use it with a transport option or route choice when telling someone what to take.

Ga ‘Ga’ is an instruction meaning go in ‘Ga ermee naar boven’. It is the command form of ‘gaan’ and is useful at the start of a direction, followed by a place or direction.

ermee ‘ermee’ means with it or using it in ‘Ga ermee naar boven’, referring back to the escalator already mentioned. Use it when the object has been clearly identified and you want to say to go or proceed with that object.

boven ‘boven’ means upstairs or above: ‘naar boven’ indicates movement upstairs, while ‘boven’ in ‘De borden zijn boven...’ indicates the upstairs location. Use it when giving directions to or describing an upper level.

en ‘en’ means and and joins the two instructions in ‘Ga ermee naar boven en ga dan rechtsaf’. Use it to connect actions that should be carried out as part of the same route.

dan ‘dan’ means then and marks the next step in ‘ga dan rechtsaf’. Use it to show the order of actions when giving directions or instructions.

rechtsaf ‘rechtsaf’ means to the right in ‘ga dan rechtsaf’, giving the direction for the next turn. Use it after a movement verb when telling someone to turn or continue right.

Is ‘Is’ means is at the beginning of the question ‘Is de hoofdingang ver van hier?’. The same form appears as lowercase ‘is’ in ‘Vanaf daar is het...’, and it is used to ask or state what something is like or where it is.

ver ‘ver’ means far in ‘ver van hier’, describing the distance from the speaker’s current location. Use the pattern ‘ver van’ before the place used as the reference point.

van ‘van’ means from in the distance expression ‘ver van hier’, marking the reference point for the distance. Use it after a distance word when saying how far something is from a particular place.

hier ‘hier’ means here and refers to the speaker’s current location in ‘ver van hier’. Use it when describing or asking about distance from the place where you are standing.

Vanaf ‘Vanaf’ means from, starting at the point named in ‘Vanaf daar’. It introduces the place from which the short walk begins, so use it when giving directions from a known starting point.

daar ‘daar’ means there and refers to a location already identified in ‘Vanaf daar’. Use it when pointing back to a place that is not the speaker’s immediate position.

het ‘het’ means it in ‘Vanaf daar is het maar een klein stukje lopen’, referring to the walk or distance as a general situation. Use ‘het is ...’ to describe a situation, distance, or condition without repeating the thing being discussed.

maar ‘maar’ means only or just in ‘maar een klein stukje’, making the distance sound limited. Use it before an amount or extent when emphasizing that something is not much.

een ‘een’ means a or an in ‘een klein stukje’, introducing an unspecified short stretch. Use it before a singular noun when mentioning one non-specific thing or amount.

klein ‘klein’ means small and contributes the idea of short or limited distance in ‘een klein stukje lopen’. Use it before a noun when describing a small size or extent.

stukje ‘stukje’ means a small piece or short stretch in ‘een klein stukje lopen’, referring to a short distance to walk. Use it with a distance or activity when describing a small part of a route.

lopen ‘lopen’ means walk in ‘een klein stukje lopen’, describing the activity needed to cover the short distance. Use it in directions when the route continues on foot.

Dit ‘Dit’ means this in ‘Dit station’, pointing to the station where the speakers are. Use it directly before a noun when referring to a nearby or currently relevant thing.

station ‘station’ means station in ‘Dit station’, referring to the building where the directions are being given. Use it when talking about a railway or transit station and its areas or signs.

beetje ‘beetje’ means a little in ‘een beetje verwarrend’, making the description of the station less strong. Use the pattern ‘een beetje’ before an adjective when describing a small degree of a quality.

verwarrend ‘verwarrend’ means confusing in ‘Dit station is een beetje verwarrend’, describing the station as difficult to understand or navigate. Use it after ‘zijn’ when describing something that causes confusion.

zijn ‘zijn’ means are in ‘De borden zijn boven makkelijker te volgen’, connecting the signs with their description. Use it after a plural subject to say what those things are like or how they can be used.

makkelijker ‘makkelijker’ means easier in ‘makkelijker te volgen’, comparing how easy the signs are to follow upstairs. Use it in the construction ‘makkelijker te volgen’ when describing a route or instruction that becomes easier to understand.

te ‘te’ marks the infinitive ‘volgen’ in ‘makkelijker te volgen’, forming the meaning easier to follow. Use ‘te’ between an adjective such as ‘makkelijker’ and an infinitive when describing how easy an action is.

volgen ‘volgen’ means follow in ‘makkelijker te volgen’, referring to following the station signs. Together with ‘te’, it describes an action that is easier to carry out, which is useful when explaining how clear directions are.

Grammar Points

Imperatief: werkwoordstam

Ga naar boven.

GHAH nahr BOH-vuhn.

Go upstairs.

De stam van het werkwoord kan als bevel worden gebruikt: Ga betekent ‘go’.

Vergrotende trap: makkelijker

een beetje makkelijker

uhn BAY-tyuh MAH-kuh-luh-kur

a little easier

Makkelijker vergelijkt iets met een andere situatie; een beetje verzacht de vergelijking.

Dutch Vocabulary

borden noun

BOR-duhn signs

Volg de gele borden naar de grote hal.

gele adj

GHAY-luh yellow

Volg de gele borden naar de grote hal.

grote adj

GHROH-tuh large; main

Volg de gele borden naar de grote hal.

hal noun

HAHL hall

Volg de gele borden naar de grote hal.

hoofdingang noun

HOHF-ding-ahng main entrance

Welke kant leidt naar de hoofdingang?

kant noun

kahnt way; side

Welke kant leidt naar de hoofdingang?

leidt verb

layt leads

Welke kant leidt naar de hoofdingang?

na prep

nah after

Moet ik na de toegangspoort de roltrap nemen?

naar prep

nahr to; toward

Welke kant leidt naar de hoofdingang?

Pardon intj

par-DON excuse me

Pardon, welke kant leidt naar de hoofdingang?

Volg verb

VOLKH follow

Volg de gele borden naar de grote hal.

welke det

WELL-kuh which

Welke kant leidt naar de hoofdingang?

Quiz

Word Order

Arrange the words in the correct order.

Is the main entrance far from here?

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Is de hoofdingang ver van hier?

This station is a little confusing.

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Dit station is een beetje verwarrend.

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

excuse me

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Pardon

leads

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leidt

which

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welke

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Volg