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

Sentence explanations

1. Pardon, welke kant leidt naar de hoofdingang?

   Excuse me, which way leads to the main entrance?

   Pardon

   excuse me

   welke

   which

   kant

   way; direction

   leidt

   leads

   naar

   to; toward

   hoofdingang

   main entrance

   More detail

   Pardon is a polite way to get someone's attention, equivalent here to “excuse me.” It can also be used as an apology, but this sentence uses it as an attention-getter. welke means “which” when selecting from relevant possibilities. In Dutch, welke is used with common-gender singular nouns and with plural nouns; the form is different from the neuter singular welk. For example: Welke trein neem je? — “Which train are you taking?” kant means “side” and, in this question, “direction” or “way.” It is a common-gender noun, so the phrase is welke kant. Example: Aan welke kant is de uitgang? — “Which side is the exit on?” leidt is the present-tense singular form of leiden, “to lead.” The subject here is kant: literally, “which direction leads.” The related forms are ik leid (“I lead”) and zij/hij leidt (“she/he leads”); the spelling -dt in leidt marks this third-person singular present form. Do not confuse it with lijdt, from lijden, “to suffer.” naar is a preposition meaning “to” or “toward.” It introduces the destination or direction in naar de hoofdingang. hoofdingang means “main entrance.” It is a compound noun: hoofd means “main” in this compound, and ingang means “entrance.” Dutch compounds are written as one word. The definite article de appears before it because hoofdingang is a common-gender noun: de hoofdingang. Together, welke kant leidt naar de hoofdingang? asks which direction leads to the main entrance. The question word welke comes first, followed by the noun kant; leidt follows as the singular verb agreeing with that noun, and naar de hoofdingang specifies the destination. With the opening Pardon, the complete utterance is: “Excuse me, which way leads to the main entrance?”

2. Volg de gele borden naar de grote hal.

   Follow the yellow signs toward the main hall.

   Volg

   follow

   gele

   yellow

   borden

   signs

   naar

   toward

   grote

   large

   hal

   hall

   More detail

   Volg is the imperative of volgen (“to follow”). It gives a direct instruction; the same form is used for a singular or plural addressee in ordinary Dutch imperatives. Example: Volg mij. — “Follow me.” gele means “yellow” here. Its base form is geel; before the definite article de, the adjective takes -e: de gele borden. Example: een geel bord — “a yellow sign,” but de gele borden — “the yellow signs.” borden means “signs” here. It is the plural of bord (“sign” in this context). Example: De borden zijn duidelijk. — “The signs are clear.” naar marks direction toward a destination. In this sentence it introduces de grote hal, so naar de grote hal means “toward the main hall” in the supplied translation. Example: We lopen naar het station. — “We walk toward the station.” grote means “large” here. Its base form is groot; the -e form appears before the definite noun phrase de grote hal. Example: een grote hal — “a large hall,” but de grote hal — “the large hall.” hal means “hall.” With the definite article, it is de hal; the article appears in the sentence as de before grote hal. The supplied translation renders this destination as “the main hall.” Together, Volg de gele borden means “Follow the yellow signs,” and naar de grote hal specifies the direction: “toward the main hall.” The complete utterance is therefore: “Follow the yellow signs toward the main hall.”

3. Moet ik na de toegangspoort de roltrap nemen?

   Should I take the escalator after the ticket gate?

   Moet ik

   Should I …?

   na

   after

   toegangspoort

   access gate

   roltrap

   escalator

   nemen

   take

   More detail

   Moet ik means “should I …?” Here moet is the present-tense form of moeten for ik. Dutch often uses moeten with an infinitive to express necessity or, in a question like this, a recommendation or instruction the speaker is asking about. The subject pronoun ik means “I.” The infinitive belonging to this construction appears later: nemen. na means “after” and introduces what comes later in the route or sequence. In na de toegangspoort, de is the definite article, and toegangspoort is a compound noun meaning “access gate” or “ticket gate.” The article is de because toegangspoort is a de-word; the form does not indicate a numeric count. roltrap means “escalator.” It is the noun functioning as the object of nemen. The fixed translation identifies it here as the escalator to take, rather than merely mentioning an escalator. nemen is the infinitive of “take.” With transport or a route, Dutch can use nemen for choosing or using something, as in de bus nemen (“take the bus”) or de lift nemen (“take the lift/elevator”). In this sentence, it refers to using the escalator. The infinitive follows the modal verb in this question. Together, the pattern Moet ik ... nemen? asks whether the speaker should use or take something. The intervening phrase na de toegangspoort specifies when or where this action should occur: after the ticket gate. Thus the complete utterance means, “Should I take the escalator after the ticket gate?”

4. Ga ermee naar boven en ga dan rechtsaf.

   Take it upstairs, then turn right.

   Ga

   go

   ermee

   with it

   naar boven

   upstairs

   dan

   then

   rechtsaf

   to the right

   More detail

   Ga is the imperative of gaan (“to go”). In Dutch, this imperative form is used for a direct instruction; the same form can also address more than one person or be used politely, depending on context. The sentence uses ga again before rechtsaf, repeating the instruction pattern: “go … and go …”. ermee is a pronominal adverb formed from er + mee, literally “with it.” Here it refers to the thing being taken, giving the intended meaning “take it along.” Dutch commonly uses er + a preposition for a pronoun referring to a thing: for example, Ik werk ermee means “I work with it.” naar boven expresses movement toward a higher place: “upstairs” or “up.” Naar marks direction, while boven identifies the higher location. Compare naar beneden, “downstairs” or “down.” Example: We gaan naar boven. — “We are going upstairs.” dan means “then” and places the next action after the first one in the sequence. It does not itself express the direction; it links the two instructions in time. rechtsaf is an adverb meaning “to the right” in a directional instruction. With gaan, ga rechtsaf means “turn right.” The opposite directional adverb is linksaf, “to the left.” Example: Ga bij de hoek linksaf. — “Turn left at the corner.” Together, Ga ermee naar boven gives the instruction to take the relevant thing upstairs. en ga dan rechtsaf adds the next step: then turn right. The complete meaning is therefore “Take it upstairs, then turn right.”

5. Is de hoofdingang ver van hier?

   Is the main entrance far from here?

   hoofdingang

   main entrance

   ver

   far

   hier

   here

   More detail

   hoofdingang means “main entrance” here. It is a compound noun: hoofd means “main” in compounds, and ingang means “entrance.” The compound is written as one word. Example: De hoofdingang is open. — “The main entrance is open.” ver means “far.” It describes distance and is the basic form of the adjective. Its opposite is dichtbij (“nearby”). Example: De winkel is niet ver. — “The shop is not far.” hier means “here,” referring to the speaker’s or the conversation’s relevant location. It is an adverb and does not change for number or gender. Example: Wacht hier. — “Wait here.” The sentence uses the Dutch yes/no-question pattern Is ...?: the finite verb is comes before the subject de hoofdingang. de is the definite article used with this noun. The adjective ver describes the entrance’s distance, and van hier means “from here.” Together, Is de hoofdingang ver van hier? means “Is the main entrance far from here?”

6. Vanaf daar is het maar een klein stukje lopen.

   It is a short walk from there.

   Vanaf daar

   from there

   is

   is

   maar

   just; only

   klein

   small; short

   stukje

   piece; bit

   lopen

   to walk; walking

   More detail

   Vanaf daar means “from there.” vanaf marks the starting point of a distance or route, while daar is the demonstrative adverb “there.” For example: Vanaf hier is het vijf minuten lopen. — “It is a five-minute walk from here.” is is the present-tense form of zijn (“to be”) for a third-person singular subject. In this sentence, Dutch uses an impersonal het construction: het is ... corresponds to “it is ...” in the fixed translation. The form is itself does not express the walking; lopen supplies that content later in the sentence. maar has the limiting meaning “just” or “only” here. It reduces the described distance: the walk is only a short one. Its meaning in this sentence is not the contrastive conjunction “but.” klein means “small” and describes stukje. The basic form is klein; in this position it appears before the neuter noun stukje with the indefinite article een, so it has the form klein, without an ending. The adjective describes the size of the amount or stretch, helping produce the meaning “short” in the fixed translation. For example: een klein probleem — “a small problem.” stukje means “small piece” or “bit.” It is the diminutive form of stuk (“piece”), formed with -je; the diminutive is a noun form, not a form of the adjective klein. Diminutives are grammatically neuter in Dutch, which is why one says het stukje when using a definite article. Here een klein stukje refers to a small stretch or amount, not necessarily to a physical object. lopen is the infinitive “to walk” or “walking.” In een stukje lopen, it names the activity used to measure the distance: literally, a small bit of walking. Dutch commonly uses this pattern to describe how far a place is on foot. For example: Het is tien minuten lopen. — “It is a ten-minute walk.” Together, Vanaf daar sets the starting point, is introduces the impersonal assessment, and maar een klein stukje lopen describes the distance as only a small amount of walking. The complete utterance therefore means: “It is a short walk from there.”

7. Dit station is een beetje verwarrend.

   This station is a little confusing.

   Dit

   this

   station

   station

   is

   is

   een beetje

   a little

   verwarrend

   confusing

   More detail

   Dit means “this” and points to one nearby or otherwise identifiable thing. In this sentence it has the form used with a singular neuter noun: het station, so dit station means “this station.” Compare deze with singular common-gender nouns and with plural nouns; the choice is determined by the noun’s grammatical class and number, not simply by physical distance. station is the noun “station.” Its useful form pattern is het station (singular) and de stations (plural). Dutch nouns with the article het take dit when a singular demonstrative “this” is needed. is is the present-tense form of zijn, “to be,” for a singular subject such as dit station. For example: De route is duidelijk. — “The route is clear.” een beetje is a compact construction meaning “a little” or “somewhat.” Here it softens the degree of verwarrend; it does not assert a particular count. For example: Het is een beetje koud. — “It is a little cold.” verwarrend means “confusing” here: it describes something that makes understanding or finding one’s way less clear. It is related to the verb verwarren, “to confuse,” but verwarrend is the descriptive form used in this sentence. Compare duidelijk (“clear”) as a useful opposite in this context. For example: De uitleg is verwarrend. — “The explanation is confusing.” Together, Dit station identifies one station, is links it to a description, and een beetje verwarrend gives that description with a mild degree. The complete meaning is: “This station is a little confusing.”

8. De borden zijn boven makkelijker te volgen.

   The signs are easier to follow upstairs.

   borden

   signs

   boven

   upstairs

   makkelijker

   easier

   te volgen

   to follow

   More detail

   borden means “signs” here. It is the plural of bord (“sign” in this context): een bord → borden. Dutch uses de with this plural noun in the fixed sentence. boven means “upstairs” here. It is an adverb of place and does not change for number or gender. In this sentence, it sets the upstairs location or context in which the signs are easier to follow; it does not by itself say that the signs are physically upstairs. In other contexts, boven can also mean “above” or “up above.” makkelijker means “easier.” It is the comparative of makkelijk (“easy”): makkelijk → makkelijker → makkelijkst (“easiest”). Dan (“than”) can follow when the comparison names what something is easier than. Example: Deze route is makkelijker. — “This route is easier.” te volgen means “to follow.” Volgen is the infinitive “to follow,” and te introduces this infinitive in the pattern makkelijker te volgen (“easier to follow”). Example: De instructies zijn makkelijk te volgen. — “The instructions are easy to follow.” Together, De borden means “the signs,” zijn means “are,” boven gives the upstairs setting, and makkelijker te volgen describes the signs as easier to follow there. The complete meaning is: “The signs are easier to follow upstairs.”