About This Lesson
Use Borrowing a Tissue from a Bag to practice Dutch conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.
Dialogue
A
Mag ik een zakdoekje uit je tas lenen?
MAHKH ik uhn ZAHK-dook-yuh owt yuh tahs LAY-nuhn? Could I borrow a tissue from your bag?
B
Ze zitten in het zijvak.
zuh ZIH-tuhn in uht ZIGH-vahk. They're in the side pocket.
A
Mag ik het vakje openmaken?
MAHKH ik uht VAHK-yuh OH-puhn-MAH-kuhn? May I open it?
A
Wil je er liever zelf een pakken?
vil yuh uhr LEE-vur ZELF uhn PAH-kuhn? Would you rather get one?
B
Je mag het vakje openmaken.
yuh MAHKH uht VAHK-yuh OH-puhn-MAH-kuhn. You can open it.
A
Ik heb er nu een.
ik HEHP uhr nyoo uhn. I've got one now.
B
Doe het vakje dicht als je klaar bent.
doo uht VAHK-yuh DIKHT ahls yuh KLAHR behnt. Please close the pocket when you're done.
A
Ik doe het vakje voorzichtig dicht.
ik doo uht VAHK-yuh vohr-ZIKH-tukh DIKHT. I'll close it carefully.
B
Neem er nog een mee als je die nodig hebt.
NAYM uhr nokh uhn MAY ahls yuh DEE NOH-dikh HEHPT. Keep another with you if you need it.Word by Word
Mag
In Mag ik een zakdoekje uit je tas lenen? it asks for permission: may I borrow a tissue from your bag? Mag ik is a common way to ask whether you are allowed to do something. It is useful when requesting permission from another person.
ik
In Mag ik een zakdoekje uit je tas lenen? and Ik heb er nu een., ik means I, the person asking or speaking. It appears before the verb in these sentences. Use ik when describing your own action or situation.
een
In een zakdoekje, een means a or one and introduces one tissue. It comes directly before the noun zakdoekje. The same form can introduce a single countable item in other noun phrases.
zakdoekje
In een zakdoekje, zakdoekje means tissue, the item being borrowed. The form refers to one small tissue in this context. Use it when asking for or talking about a tissue.
uit
In uit je tas, uit means from or out of and shows that the tissue comes from inside the other person’s bag. The pattern uit + a place or container identifies the source. It is useful when taking something out of a bag, drawer, or other container.
je
In je tas, je means your and identifies the bag as belonging to the person being addressed. In other dialogue lines, the same word appears as Je and means you, as in Je mag het vakje openmaken. Its meaning therefore depends on whether it comes before a noun or refers to the person addressed.
tas
In je tas, tas means bag, specifically the bag containing the tissue. It follows the possessive je in this phrase. Use tas when referring to a bag that holds or carries personal items.
lenen
In Mag ik een zakdoekje uit je tas lenen?, lenen means borrow: take the tissue temporarily with permission. It follows Mag ik in this permission question. Use lenen for requesting or describing temporary use of something belonging to someone else.
Ze
In Ze zitten in het zijvak, Ze refers to the tissues and means they. It is the subject of the sentence that tells where the tissues are. Use Ze when referring back to multiple items without repeating their noun.
zitten
In Ze zitten in het zijvak, zitten says that the tissues are located in the side pocket. Here it describes the position of items rather than sitting as a person. A useful pattern is an item or items + zitten + in a place.
in
In in het zijvak, in means in and places the tissues inside the side pocket. It is followed here by het zijvak. Use in to identify the inside location of an object.
het
In het zijvak and het vakje, het means the and comes before these nouns. It marks the specific side pocket or small pocket being discussed. Use it before a specific noun when referring to the relevant item in the situation.
zijvak
In het zijvak, zijvak means side pocket, the pocket where the tissues are located. The word follows het in this specific noun phrase. Use zijvak when identifying a pocket positioned at the side of a bag or similar item.
vakje
In het vakje, vakje means small pocket or compartment. In the dialogue it is the pocket that A asks permission to open and later closes. Use it when referring to this small compartment rather than the whole bag.
openmaken
In Mag ik het vakje openmaken?, openmaken means open, specifically open the pocket. It follows het vakje as the action A asks permission to perform. Use it with an object that can be opened, such as a pocket, bag, or door.
Wil
In Wil je er liever zelf een pakken?, Wil begins a question about whether the other person wants to get one themselves. With je, Wil je asks about the person’s wish or preference. This is useful when offering someone a choice.
er
In er liever zelf een pakken and Ik heb er nu een, er refers to one item of the type already being discussed, here a tissue. It allows the speaker to avoid repeating zakdoekje. The pattern er een means one of them when the item is understood from context.
liever
In Wil je er liever zelf een pakken?, liever means rather or preferably and presents getting one oneself as the preferred option. It works with the choice expressed in the question. Use liever when comparing or expressing a preference between possible actions.
zelf
In er liever zelf een pakken, zelf means yourself or personally and emphasizes that the person would get the tissue on their own. It adds emphasis to the person doing the action. Use zelf to stress that someone handles an action personally.
pakken
In er liever zelf een pakken?, pakken means take or get one, referring to taking a tissue from the pocket. It follows the question phrase Wil je. Use pakken for taking an available object, especially from a place where it can be picked up.
heb
In Ik heb er nu een, heb means have or have got: the speaker now has one tissue. It combines with er een to refer to one tissue without repeating the noun. Use Ik heb ... when stating that you have something.
nu
In Ik heb er nu een, nu means now and marks the current situation: the speaker has a tissue at this moment. It commonly appears with a statement about what is true at the present time. Use nu to contrast the current situation with an earlier one.
Doe
In Doe het vakje dicht, Doe is used to tell someone to close the pocket. Together with het vakje dicht, it gives the instruction to shut the compartment. The lowercase form doe also appears in Ik doe het vakje voorzichtig dicht, where the speaker says that they close it carefully.
dicht
In Doe het vakje dicht and Ik doe het vakje voorzichtig dicht, dicht contributes the meaning closed or shut. With doe and the pocket as the object, the full expression means close the pocket. Use this expression when telling someone to shut a pocket or saying that you shut it.
als
In als je klaar bent, als means when and introduces the point at which the person has finished. It connects closing the pocket with finishing the use of it. Use als to introduce a time or condition for an action.
klaar
In als je klaar bent, klaar means finished or done. It describes the person’s state after they have finished using the pocket. Use klaar with a form of zijn when saying that someone is finished.
bent
In je klaar bent, bent is the form used with je in the expression meaning you are finished. It combines with klaar to describe the person’s state. The pattern je bent + a description is useful for stating what someone is like or how they are.
voorzichtig
In Ik doe het vakje voorzichtig dicht, voorzichtig means carefully and describes how the speaker closes the pocket. It adds carefulness to the action of closing it. Use it when an action should be performed gently or with care.
Neem
In Neem er nog een mee, Neem tells the other person to take another tissue along. Together with mee, it expresses taking something with you. Use this form when telling someone to take an item with them.
nog
In er nog een, nog means another or an additional one. It shows that the tissue is added to one already mentioned or used. The pattern nog een is useful when requesting or offering one more item.
mee
In Neem er nog een mee, mee contributes the meaning with you or along. Together, Neem ... mee means take the item with you. Use mee when an object goes along with a person to another place.
die
In als je die nodig hebt, die refers back to the tissue and means it or that one. It identifies the item that may be needed. Use die to refer back to a specific item already understood from the conversation.
nodig
In die nodig hebt, nodig contributes the meaning needed in the expression for needing the tissue. The full phrase die nodig hebt means that you need it. Use nodig in a phrase about something being required.
hebt
In die nodig hebt, hebt is the form used with je in the expression meaning need it. It completes the phrase nodig hebt rather than expressing the whole meaning by itself. The pattern je hebt iets nodig is used to say that you need something.
Grammar Points
dichtdoen → doe ... dicht
Doe je tas nu voorzichtig dicht.
doo yuh tahs nyoo vohr-ZIKH-tukh DIKHT.Close your bag carefully now.
In the present tense, the prefix moves to the end of the sentence: doe ... dicht.
meenemen → neem ... mee
Neem die nog mee.
NAYM dee nokh MAY.Take that one along too.
This separable verb splits in a main clause: neem ... mee.
Dutch Vocabulary
een
det
uhn
a; one
een zakdoekje
je
det
yuh
your
je tas
lenen
verb
LAY-nuhn
to borrow
een zakdoekje uit je tas lenen
liever
adv
LEE-vur
rather
liever zelf
openmaken
verb
OH-puhn-MAH-kuhn
to open
het vakje openmaken
tas
noun
TAHS
bag
je tas
uit
prep
owt
from; out of
uit je tas
vakje
noun
VAHK-yuh
small compartment; pocket
het vakje
zakdoekje
noun
ZAHK-dook-yuh
tissue
een zakdoekje
ze
pron
zuh
they; them
Ze zitten in het zijvak.
zijvak
noun
ZIGH-vahk
side pocket
het zijvak
zitten
verb
ZIH-tuhn
to be located; to be in
Ze zitten in het zijvak.
Quiz
Word Order
Arrange the words in the correct order.
They're in the side pocket.
Show Answer
Ze zitten in het zijvak.May I open it?
Show Answer
Mag ik het vakje openmaken?You can open it.
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Je mag het vakje openmaken.Spelling
Tap the letters to spell the word.
tissue
Show Answer
zakdoekjeto be located; to be in
Show Answer
zittento borrow
Show Answer
lenenside pocket