Checking out and getting help with a bag | Learn Dutch in English

Sentence explanations

1. Ik wil graag uitchecken.

   I'd like to check out, please.

   Ik wil

   I want / I would like

   graag

   gladly; used to make a request sound willing

   uitchecken

   check out

   More detail

   Ik wil means “I want” here and forms the core of the speaker’s request. wil is the present-tense singular form of willen (“to want”) for ik; the infinitive is willen, not wil. With ik, use ik wil; with a plural subject, use wij willen. Example: Ik wil water. — “I want water.” graag adds willing, courteous preference to the request. The combination ik wil graag ... is a useful way to say “I would like to ...” without treating graag as a separate quantity or as a literal equivalent of “please.” Example: Ik wil graag betalen. — “I would like to pay.” uitchecken is the infinitive “to check out.” It is a separable Dutch verb: without another verb, the parts can separate in a finite clause, as in Ik check uit. — “I check out.” Here, however, wil is followed by the infinitive, so uitchecken remains together at the end. In this hotel context, it has the intended meaning “to check out.” Together, Ik wil graag uitchecken. means “I’d like to check out, please.” The pattern Ik wil graag + infinitive is reusable for polite requests about an action, such as Ik wil graag reserveren. — “I would like to make a reservation.”

2. Hebt u uw kamersleutel bij u?

   Do you have your room key with you?

   Hebt u

   do you have

   uw

   your

   kamersleutel

   room key

   bij u

   with you

   More detail

   Hebt u is a formal second-person question pattern. hebt is the present-tense form of hebben used with u; the inverted order places the verb before the subject in this yes/no question. Compare the statement U hebt een sleutel. — “You have a key.” In less formal usage, Heb je ...? uses heb, while the statement form is Je hebt .... uw means “your” when addressing one person formally. It is a possessive form and does not change for the gender or number of the thing possessed: uw sleutel can mean “your key,” while uw kamer means “your room.” Do not confuse it with u, the pronoun meaning “you”; here uw modifies the following noun. kamersleutel is a compound noun meaning “room key”: kamer means “room” and sleutel means “key.” The observed compound refers to one key in this question. Dutch commonly combines nouns into one written word, with the final part usually identifying the basic type of thing; here sleutel is the key, specified as a room key. Example: De huissleutel is hier. — “The house key is here.” bij u means “with you” in this context. bij is the preposition “with/at,” and u is the formal second-person pronoun. Together they express that the key is in the person’s possession or immediate keeping, rather than merely asking whether the person possesses a key in general. Example: Heeft u uw paspoort bij u? — “Do you have your passport with you?” As a whole, Hebt u + uw kamersleutel + bij u forms a formal yes/no question: “Do you have your room key with you?” The question asks about the addressee’s room key and its being with the addressee at the time of speaking.

3. Ja, hier is hij.

   Yes, here it is.

   Ja

   yes

   hier

   here

   is

   is

   hij

   it

   More detail

   Ja means “yes” and confirms the preceding question. It is a common affirmative response; the opposite is nee (“no”). hier means “here,” referring to the place where the item is being shown or located. A reusable example is Hier is mijn tas. — “Here is my bag.” is is the present-tense form of zijn (“to be”) for a singular subject, including hij. In Hier is hij, it follows hier because Dutch commonly places the verb before the subject when a place expression comes first. Compare Hij is hier — “He/It is here,” with the ordinary subject-first order. hij is the third-person singular pronoun normally translated “he,” but it can translate as “it” when it refers to a masculine-gender singular noun. Here, the fixed translation establishes the intended meaning “it”; the pronoun’s exact object is not independently named in the sentence. Together, Ja, hier is hij. means “Yes, here it is.” The pattern Hier is [subject] is reusable for presenting or pointing out something located here. In this sentence, Ja confirms the question, while hier is hij identifies the item as being present at the indicated place.

4. Ik check u nu uit.

   I'll check you out now.

   Ik

   I

   check … uit

   check out

   u

   you (formal)

   nu

   now

   More detail

   Ik means “I” and is the first-person singular subject. It identifies the person doing the checking. In Dutch, the subject pronoun is ik; the present-tense form of uitchecken used with it is check. check ... uit comes from the separable verb uitchecken, “to check out.” In the fixed sentence, check is the finite verb form and the particle uit appears at the end of the clause: Ik check ... uit. This split pattern is common with separable Dutch verbs. For example: Ik bel je op. — “I call you.” Here opbellen is split into bel ... op. u is the formal or polite second-person pronoun. In this sentence it is the object—the person being checked—and the fixed translation confirms “you.” Dutch uses u for both subject and object roles; its role here comes from its position and function in the sentence. The informal second-person form is je; the choice depends on relationship and register. nu means “now” and places the action at the present moment. It is a separate time adverb, not part of uitchecken. Dutch present-tense forms can also refer to an immediate planned action, which fits the fixed translation “I’ll check you out now.” Together, Ik check u nu uit. has the separable-verb pattern subject + finite verb + object + time adverb + particle. Its intended meaning is “I’ll check you out now.”

5. Kan iemand me met mijn tas helpen?

   Could someone help me with my bag?

   Kan iemand

   Could someone

   me

   me

   met

   with

   mijn

   my

   tas

   bag

   helpen

   help

   More detail

   Kan iemand combines kan, the present-tense form of kunnen for a singular subject, with iemand, meaning “someone.” Kunnen is a modal verb meaning “can” or “be able to”; with another verb, that verb normally appears as an infinitive at the end of the clause. Example: Kan iemand komen? — “Can someone come?” me is the unstressed object form of the first-person pronoun: “me.” The stressed form is mij, used when the pronoun needs emphasis or contrast. Example: Kun je me helpen? — “Can you help me?” met is a preposition meaning “with.” It introduces what the help concerns here. Example: Ik ga met mijn vriend. — “I am going with my friend.” mijn is the possessive word meaning “my.” It identifies the bag as belonging to the speaker. It does not change for the gender of the noun: mijn tas means “my bag,” and mijn boeken means “my books.” tas is the noun “bag.” Its plural is tassen. Example: Mijn tas is zwaar. — “My bag is heavy.” helpen is the infinitive “to help.” Its base form is helpen; after the modal kan, it remains an infinitive rather than taking a present-tense ending. Example: Zij kan mij helpen. — “She can help me.” Together, Kan iemand asks whether any person is available, me ... helpen expresses helping the speaker, and met mijn tas specifies that the help concerns the speaker’s bag. The whole utterance therefore means: “Could someone help me with my bag?” This is a natural, polite request for assistance.

6. Ik kan iemand vragen om u bij de balie op te wachten.

   I can ask someone to meet you at the desk.

   Ik kan

   I can

   iemand

   someone

   vragen

   ask

   u

   you (formal)

   balie

   desk; counter

   op te wachten

   to meet; to wait for

   More detail

   Ik kan means “I can” here. kan is the present-tense form of kunnen for ik; it expresses ability or possibility. After a modal verb such as kan, the other verb normally stays in the infinitive without te: Ik kan vragen = “I can ask.” Compare Ik wil vragen (“I want to ask”). iemand means “someone” or “somebody.” It is an indefinite pronoun, so it refers to an unspecified person. It can be the object of a verb: Ik zie iemand means “I see someone.” The previous-context question uses the same word in a question about whether any person can help, but this sentence uses it as the person the speaker can ask. vragen is the infinitive “to ask.” Its useful present-tense contrast is ik vraag (“I ask”), while the infinitive remains vragen after kan. In this sentence, vragen om ... te ... introduces a request for someone to do something: Ik vraag iemand om te komen means “I ask someone to come.” u is the formal or polite second-person pronoun “you.” Here it is the person who will be waited for, so it functions as the object of op ... wachten. Dutch also has informal je or jou, but u is the form used in this utterance. balie means “desk” or “counter,” especially a service or reception desk. With bij de balie, the article phrase means “at the desk/counter”: bij is “at/by,” and de is the definite article used with balie. op te wachten is the infinitive construction of op iemand wachten, “to wait for someone.” The preposition op belongs with this verb; Dutch does not use the English pattern “wait someone.” In the fixed sentence, u is the person being waited for, and bij de balie gives the location. The translation “meet you at the desk” conveys the intended practical meaning, while the more literal wording is “wait for you at the desk.” The full pattern is iemand vragen om [persoon] bij [plaats] op te wachten: ask someone to wait for a person at a place. The subject Ik and modal kan give “I can,” vragen gives the action “ask,” and iemand is the person who may carry out the request. The complete utterance therefore means: “I can ask someone to wait for you at the desk,” naturally rendered by the fixed translation as “I can ask someone to meet you at the desk.”

7. De kamer was erg comfortabel.

   The room was very comfortable.

   kamer

   room

   was

   was

   erg

   very

   comfortabel

   comfortable

   More detail

   kamer means “room” here. Its base form is kamer; the plural is kamers. The definite phrase de kamer means “the room,” referring to a specific room in this sentence. was is a past-tense form of zijn (“to be”). It is the simple past used with a singular subject such as de kamer; waren is used with plural subjects. For example: De kamers waren comfortabel. — “The rooms were comfortable.” erg is an intensifier meaning “very” here. It normally comes before the adjective it strengthens: erg comfortabel — “very comfortable.” comfortabel is a descriptive adjective meaning “comfortable.” In this sentence it follows the linking verb was, so it describes the room’s state rather than modifying the noun directly. For example: De stoel is comfortabel. — “The chair is comfortable.” Together, De kamer identifies the subject, was places its state in the past, and erg comfortabel describes that state with strong intensity. The whole utterance means: “The room was very comfortable.”

8. Dat hoor ik graag.

   I'm glad to hear that.

   Dat

   that

   hoor

   hear

   ik

   I

   graag

   gladly

   More detail

   Dat means “that” here and refers to the content just mentioned, as reflected in the fixed translation. Dutch uses dat as a neuter singular demonstrative pronoun; it can point to information, an event, or a statement without naming it again. hoor is the present-tense form of horen (“to hear”) used with ik. The useful pattern is ik hoor = “I hear”; with another subject, the form changes, for example zij hoort = “she hears.” In this sentence, Dat has been placed first as the object, so the finite verb comes before the subject: Dat hoor ik. ik is the first-person singular pronoun, “I.” It is the subject of hoor, even though it comes after the verb because the sentence begins with the object. Compare Ik hoor dat = “I hear that” with Dat hoor ik = “I hear that” / “That I hear.” graag is an adverb meaning “gladly” or “with pleasure.” With a verb of hearing, iets graag horen expresses pleasure at receiving or learning information, rather than merely the physical act of hearing. For example: Dat hoor ik graag. = “I’m glad to hear that.” Together, Dat hoor ik graag literally combines “that,” “hear,” “I,” and “gladly,” with the object placed first. In natural English, the complete utterance is “I’m glad to hear that.”

9. Ik wens u een veilige reis.

   Have a safe trip.

   Ik

   I

   wens

   wish

   u

   you (formal)

   een

   a

   veilige

   safe

   reis

   trip

   More detail

   Ik means “I” here, the first-person singular subject. It is the subject form used for the speaker. Example: Ik leer Nederlands. — “I am learning Dutch.” wens is the present-tense form of wensen (“to wish”) with ik: ik wens. The verb expresses a wish for the addressee; in a short good-wish such as this, it is a polite, somewhat formal way to say “I wish you …”. The infinitive is wensen. In this form, wens is the verb stem with no separate first-person ending; the final s is part of the stem, not a special first-person-singular suffix. Example: Ik wens je veel succes. — “I wish you lots of success.” u is the formal second-person pronoun, functioning here as the recipient of the wish. It is the polite counterpart of informal jou in this object role; informal subject use generally has je. Its specific role here is determined by the construction iemand iets wensen (“to wish someone something”). een is the Dutch indefinite article before veilige reis. It presents reis as an indefinite trip, but the article itself does not assert a numerical count. veilige is the adjective veilig (“safe”) in its attributive form before the noun reis. The -e ending is used here because reis is a common-gender de-word and the adjective follows the indefinite article een. The base/current chain is veilig — veilige; the adjective is not derived from reis. Example: een veilige weg — “a safe road.” reis means “trip” or “journey.” It is a common-gender noun: de reis; its plural is reizen. Here it denotes the trip being wished safe, without specifying its destination or length. Together, Ik wens u means “I wish you,” and een veilige reis means “a safe trip.” Dutch assembles the utterance as “I wish you a safe trip,” naturally used as a polite good wish or farewell.