About This Lesson
Use Preparing a Suitcase to practice Dutch conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.
Dialogue
A
Mijn koffer is een rommeltje en we vertrekken morgen.
mine KAW-fer iz uhn RAW-muhl-chuh uhn wuh fer-TREK-uhn MOR-khuhn My suitcase is messy, and we leave tomorrow.
B
Vouw eerst de shirts op om ruimte te besparen.
VOW ayrst duh shirts awp uhm RYME-tuh tuh buh-SPAH-ruh(n) Fold the shirts first to save space.
A
Moet ik vloeistoffen van de kleding scheiden?
moo(t) ikh VLOO-ih-staw-fuhn vahn duh KLAY-ding SKHAY-duhn? Should I separate liquids from clothes?
B
Doe de vloeistoffen in een plastic zak voordat je ze inpakt.
DOO duh VLOO-ih-staw-fuhn in uhn PLAHS-tik zahk vohr-DAHT yuh zuh in-PAHKT Put liquids in a plastic bag before you pack them.
A
De koffer lijkt bijna aan het maximale gewicht te zitten.
duh KAW-fer laykt BY-nah ahn ut MAX-see-MAH-luh khuh-WIKHT tuh ZIT-tuhn The suitcase feels close to the weight limit.
B
Doe de zware boeken dan in je rugzak.
DOO duh ZWAH-ruh BOO-kuhn dahn in yuh RUKH-zahk Then move heavy books to your backpack.
A
Daardoor is de koffer makkelijker dicht te doen.
DAHR-dor iz duh KAW-fer MAH-kuh-luh-kur DIKHT tuh DOON That makes the suitcase easier to close.
B
De koffer zou nu klaar moeten zijn voor de reis.
duh KAW-fer zow nyoo KLAHR MOO-tuhn zayn vohr duh RAYS It should be ready for the trip now.Word by Word
Mijn
In 'Mijn koffer' this means 'my' and shows that the suitcase belongs to the speaker. It is placed directly before the noun it describes, as in 'Mijn koffer'.
koffer
In 'Mijn koffer' this means 'suitcase', the container being prepared for the trip. It is a common travel word used with packing and closing actions.
is
In 'Mijn koffer is een rommeltje' this links the suitcase with its description, meaning 'is'. It also appears in 'Daardoor is de koffer makkelijker dicht te doen' to describe the resulting condition.
een
In 'een rommeltje' this is the indefinite article meaning 'a'. It comes before the singular noun that gives the suitcase its description.
rommeltje
In 'een rommeltje' this means 'a mess' or an untidy state. It is used after 'is' to describe the condition of the suitcase.
en
In 'en we vertrekken morgen' this means 'and' and joins the suitcase description to the information about leaving. It connects two related statements in one sentence.
we
In 'we vertrekken morgen' this means 'we' and refers to the people who are leaving. It functions as the subject before the action.
vertrekken
In 'we vertrekken morgen' this means 'leave' or 'depart'. It is used with 'we' and can be combined with a time expression such as 'morgen'.
morgen
In 'we vertrekken morgen' this means 'tomorrow', the day when the speakers leave. It is a time word placed with the departure statement.
Vouw
In 'Vouw eerst de shirts op' this gives the direct instruction 'fold'. It starts an instruction to one person and is followed by the item being folded.
eerst
In 'Vouw eerst de shirts op' this means 'first' and marks the first step in the packing process. It is placed before the action that should happen first.
de
This is the definite article meaning 'the', as in 'de shirts', 'de kleding', and 'de boeken'. It is also used before 'koffer' in 'De koffer'.
shirts
In 'de shirts' this means 'shirts', the clothing that should be folded. It is the object of the instruction 'Vouw eerst de shirts op'.
op
In 'Vouw eerst de shirts op', 'op' completes the folding-up action. With a folding verb, it helps express that the shirts are folded up rather than merely touched or moved.
om
In 'om ruimte te besparen' this introduces the purpose, meaning 'in order to'. It is used with 'te' and an action to explain why something is done.
ruimte
In 'ruimte te besparen' this means 'space', specifically space in the suitcase. It is the object of 'besparen' in this purpose expression.
te
In 'te besparen' this marks the infinitive used after 'om'. Together with 'om', it forms the purpose expression 'om ruimte te besparen'.
besparen
In 'ruimte te besparen' this means 'save', referring to saving space by folding the shirts. It is commonly used with a resource or amount that someone wants not to use up.
Moet
At the start of 'Moet ik vloeistoffen van de kleding scheiden?' this asks whether the speaker should or must do something. It comes before the subject in this question.
ik
In 'Moet ik...' this means 'I' and identifies the person asking about the action. It follows 'Moet' in this question.
vloeistoffen
In 'vloeistoffen van de kleding scheiden' this means 'liquids', the items that should be kept apart from clothing. The same items are later placed 'in een plastic zak'.
van
In 'van de kleding scheiden' this means 'from' and marks what the liquids are separated from. It works with 'scheiden' to identify the two things being kept apart.
kleding
In 'de kleding' this means 'clothing' or 'clothes' as a category. It is the material that the liquids should be separated from.
scheiden
In 'vloeistoffen van de kleding scheiden' this means 'separate', meaning to keep the liquids apart from the clothing. It is used with 'van' to name what something is separated from.
Doe
In 'Doe de vloeistoffen in een plastic zak' this gives the instruction 'put' or 'place'. It also starts 'Doe de zware boeken dan in je rugzak', followed by an object and its destination.
in
In 'in een plastic zak' and 'in je rugzak', this marks the container or destination, meaning 'in' or 'into'. It is followed by the place where the items should be put.
plastic
In 'een plastic zak' this describes the material of the bag, meaning 'plastic'. It comes directly before 'zak' to specify what kind of bag is meant.
zak
In 'een plastic zak' this means 'bag', the container for the liquids. It follows the material description 'plastic'.
voordat
In 'voordat je ze inpakt' this means 'before' and introduces the action that must happen first. It connects putting the liquids in the bag with the later packing action.
je
In 'voordat je ze inpakt' this means 'you' and identifies the person who packs the liquids. In 'je rugzak', it marks possession and means 'your'.
ze
In 'je ze inpakt' this means 'them' and refers back to 'de vloeistoffen'. It is the object of the packing action.
inpakt
In 'voordat je ze inpakt' this means 'pack them', with 'ze' referring to the liquids. The form appears after the subject in this clause.
lijkt
In 'De koffer lijkt bijna aan het maximale gewicht te zitten' this means 'seems' and presents the weight as an impression or estimate. It introduces an assessment rather than a definite measurement.
bijna
In 'lijkt bijna aan het maximale gewicht te zitten' this means 'almost' or 'nearly'. It shows that the suitcase is close to the stated weight limit but has not clearly reached it.
aan
In 'aan het maximale gewicht te zitten', this is part of the expression describing the suitcase as being at or near a weight level. Its meaning here comes from the whole phrase, not from 'aan' alone.
het
In 'het maximale gewicht' this is the definite article meaning 'the'. It comes before the specific weight limit being discussed.
maximale
In 'het maximale gewicht' this means 'maximum' and describes the highest allowed weight. It comes directly before the noun 'gewicht'.
gewicht
In 'het maximale gewicht' this means 'weight', referring to the suitcase's allowed limit. It is combined with 'maximale' to identify the upper weight level.
zitten
In 'aan het maximale gewicht te zitten', this helps express that the suitcase is at or near the maximum weight. The meaning belongs to the complete expression rather than to 'zitten' by itself.
dan
In 'Doe de zware boeken dan in je rugzak' this means 'then' and introduces the next step after noticing the weight problem. It connects the situation with the recommended action.
zware
In 'de zware boeken' this means 'heavy' and describes the weight of the books. It comes before the noun it describes.
boeken
In 'de zware boeken' this means 'books', the items that should be moved. They are placed in the backpack to reduce the suitcase's weight.
rugzak
In 'in je rugzak' this means 'backpack', the destination for the heavy books. It follows 'in' to identify the container where the books should go.
Daardoor
At the start of 'Daardoor is de koffer makkelijker dicht te doen', this means 'as a result' and refers to the effect of moving the books. It introduces the consequence of the previous action.
makkelijker
In 'makkelijker dicht te doen' this means 'easier' and says that closing the suitcase requires less effort after the books are moved. It describes the action that has become less difficult.
dicht
In 'dicht te doen' this means 'closed' or 'shut' and describes the result of the closing action. Together with 'doen', it expresses bringing the suitcase into a closed state.
doen
In 'dicht te doen', this contributes the meaning 'close' rather than the general meaning 'do'. The expression is used for making something closed.
zou
In 'zou nu klaar moeten zijn' this contributes the idea of 'should' or 'would', expressing an expected result. It combines with 'moeten zijn' to soften the statement into an expectation.
nu
In 'zou nu klaar moeten zijn' this means 'now' and places the expected ready state at the present time. It highlights the result after the packing changes.
klaar
In 'klaar moeten zijn voor de reis' this means 'ready'. It describes the suitcase's state before the trip.
moeten
In 'klaar moeten zijn' this contributes 'should' or 'be expected to'. Together with 'zou', it expresses that the suitcase is expected to be ready.
zijn
In 'klaar moeten zijn' this means 'be' and completes the description of the suitcase's state. It is used after 'klaar moeten' to express being ready.
voor
In 'voor de reis' this means 'for' and identifies the occasion the suitcase is ready for. It comes before the noun naming that occasion.
reis
In 'voor de reis' this means 'trip' or journey. It names the travel occasion for which the suitcase is being prepared.
Grammar Points
makkelijker: bijvoeglijk naamwoord + -er
makkelijker
MAH-kuh-luh-kureasier
Het achtervoegsel -er geeft de vergrotende trap aan: iets is gemakkelijker dan iets anders.
Dutch Vocabulary
besparen
verb
buh-SPAH-ruh(n)
to save
eerst
adv
AYRST
first
kleding
noun
KLAY-ding
clothes
koffer
noun
KAW-fer
suitcase
morgen
adv
MOR-khuhn
tomorrow
rommeltje
noun
RAW-muhl-chuh
mess
ruimte
noun
RYME-tuh
space
scheiden
verb
SKHAY-duhn
to separate
shirts
noun
shurts
shirts
vertrekken
verb
fer-TREK-uhn
to leave
vloeistoffen
noun
VLOO-ih-staw-fuhn
liquids
vouw
verb
VOW
fold
Quiz
Spelling
Tap the letters to spell the word.
to leave
Show Answer
vertrekkenmess
Show Answer
rommeltjetomorrow
Show Answer
morgenshirts