Reserving a quiet study room | Learn Dutch in English

Dutch lesson set in a contemporary Amsterdam everyday setting: In a library, one person reserves a quiet study room and asks about the request form and key return..

EN → NL / Level: A2

About This Lesson

Use Reserving a quiet study room to practice Dutch conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

A

Ik wil graag een studeerruimte reserveren.

ik vil khrahkh uhn stew-DAYR-rewm-tuh reh-zehr-VAY-run I would like to reserve a study room.
B

Laat me even kijken welke kamers vandaag beschikbaar zijn.

laht muh AY-vun KAI-kuh VEL-kuh KAH-mers vun-DAHKH buh-SKHIK-bahr zine Let me check which rooms are open today.
A

Ik heb een rustige plek nodig om met een klasgenoot te studeren.

ik hep uhn RUS-tuh-khuh plek NOH-dikh om met uhn KLAHS-khuh-noht tuh stew-DAY-run I need a quiet place to study with a classmate.
B

Een kleine kamer is vanmiddag vrij.

uhn KLAI-nuh KAH-mer is vun-MID-dakh vry A small room is free this afternoon.
A

Kan ik die bij de balie boeken?

kahn ik dee bye duh BAH-lee BOOK-uhn Can I book it at the service desk?
B

Vul hier alstublieft het aanvraagformulier in.

vuhl heer AHL-stuh-BLEEFT ut AHN-vrahkh-for-moo-LEER in Please fill in the request form here.
A

Moet ik de sleutel bij deze balie inleveren?

moot ik duh SLUR-tuhl bye DAY-zuh BAH-lee in-luh-VAY-run Do I return the key to this service desk?
B

Breng hem terug voordat we sluiten.

breng um tuh-RUKH vor-DAHT vuh SLUHY-tuhn Bring it back before closing.

Word by Word

Ik ‘Ik’ means ‘I’ and is the speaker in ‘Ik wil graag een studeerruimte reserveren.’ It is used as the subject when talking about yourself, as in the pattern ‘Ik wil graag ...’.
wil ‘wil’ expresses ‘want’ or ‘would like’ in ‘Ik wil graag een studeerruimte reserveren.’ It is the form used with ‘Ik’ in the reusable pattern ‘Ik wil graag + infinitive’ for a polite wish or request.
graag ‘graag’ adds the meaning ‘gladly’ or ‘would like to’ after ‘wil’ in ‘Ik wil graag ...’. The expression ‘Ik wil graag ...’ is useful when making a polite request.
een ‘een’ means ‘a’ or ‘an’ before ‘studeerruimte’ in ‘een studeerruimte’. It introduces one non-specific thing and is used before a singular noun.
studeerruimte ‘studeerruimte’ means ‘study room’ in this library context. It is a compound noun used for a room intended for studying, as in ‘een studeerruimte reserveren’.
reserveren ‘reserveren’ means ‘to reserve’ in ‘een studeerruimte reserveren’. It follows ‘wil graag’ in the pattern ‘Ik wil graag ... reserveren’ when requesting a reservation.
Laat ‘Laat’ means ‘let’ in the request ‘Laat me even kijken’. Together with ‘me’, it politely asks for permission or a moment to do something; ‘Laat me ...’ is useful when you want to check something yourself.
me ‘me’ means ‘me’ in ‘Laat me even kijken’ and refers to the person who will look. It follows ‘Laat’ in the reusable pattern ‘Laat me ...’.
even ‘even’ means ‘just’ or ‘briefly’ in ‘Laat me even kijken’, making the request sound like a short check. It commonly appears with an action such as ‘even kijken’ when someone needs a moment.
kijken ‘kijken’ means ‘to look’ and here means ‘to check’ in ‘Laat me even kijken’. The expression ‘even kijken’ is useful when checking information or availability.
welke ‘welke’ means ‘which’ and introduces the choice in ‘welke kamers vandaag beschikbaar zijn’. It is used before the noun being selected, as in ‘welke kamers’.
kamers ‘kamers’ means ‘rooms’ in ‘welke kamers vandaag beschikbaar zijn’. It is the plural form of ‘kamer’ and is used after ‘welke’ when asking about more than one room.
vandaag ‘vandaag’ means ‘today’ and specifies the day in ‘welke kamers vandaag beschikbaar zijn’. It is a time word that can be placed with information about availability.
beschikbaar ‘beschikbaar’ means ‘available’ in the phrase ‘beschikbaar zijn’, describing which rooms can be used. It is useful for talking about rooms, places, or services that can be used.
zijn ‘zijn’ means ‘are’ in ‘welke kamers vandaag beschikbaar zijn’. It links the rooms with their status, and the phrase ‘beschikbaar zijn’ means ‘to be available’.
heb ‘heb’ means ‘have’ in ‘Ik heb een rustige plek nodig’. In the pattern ‘Ik heb ... nodig’, it expresses that the speaker needs something; ‘heb’ is the form used with ‘Ik’.
rustige ‘rustige’ means ‘quiet’ or ‘calm’ before ‘plek’ in ‘een rustige plek’. The exact phrase is useful when describing a place where there is little noise.
plek ‘plek’ means ‘place’ in ‘een rustige plek’. It refers here to a place for studying, and it can be used after an adjective such as ‘rustige’.
nodig ‘nodig’ means ‘needed’ in ‘Ik heb een rustige plek nodig’, which expresses ‘I need a quiet place’. The reusable pattern is ‘Ik heb ... nodig’ with the needed object between ‘heb’ and ‘nodig’.
om ‘om’ introduces the purpose in ‘om met een klasgenoot te studeren’. Together with ‘te’ and the infinitive, ‘om ... te studeren’ means ‘in order to study’; this pattern explains why someone needs the place.
met ‘met’ means ‘with’ and introduces the person accompanying the speaker in ‘met een klasgenoot’. Use ‘met’ before a person when describing doing something together.
klasgenoot ‘klasgenoot’ means ‘classmate’ in ‘met een klasgenoot te studeren’. It names the person the speaker will study with, and the phrase ‘met een klasgenoot’ is a reusable way to describe a study partner.
te ‘te’ marks the infinitive in ‘te studeren’ after ‘om’. The construction ‘om ... te + infinitive’ expresses a purpose, here the purpose of studying.
studeren ‘studeren’ means ‘to study’ in ‘om met een klasgenoot te studeren’. It is the infinitive used after ‘te’ in the purpose construction ‘om ... te studeren’.
kleine ‘kleine’ means ‘small’ before ‘kamer’ in ‘Een kleine kamer’. It describes the size of the room and is used directly before the noun here.
kamer ‘kamer’ means ‘room’ in ‘Een kleine kamer is vanmiddag vrij’. It refers to the study room available in the library, and it can be described by an adjective such as ‘kleine’.
is ‘is’ means ‘is’ in ‘Een kleine kamer is vanmiddag vrij’. It connects the room with its availability, as in the pattern ‘een kamer is vrij’.
vanmiddag ‘vanmiddag’ means ‘this afternoon’ and identifies when the room is free in ‘vanmiddag vrij’. It is a time expression used to specify the afternoon of the current day.
vrij ‘vrij’ means ‘free’ or ‘available’ when describing the room in ‘Een kleine kamer is vanmiddag vrij’. The phrase ‘een kamer is vrij’ is useful when saying that a room can be used.
Kan ‘Kan’ means ‘can’ at the beginning of the question ‘Kan ik die bij de balie boeken?’. The pattern ‘Kan ik ...?’ is used to ask whether the speaker is allowed or able to do something.
die ‘die’ means ‘that one’ or ‘it’ in ‘Kan ik die bij de balie boeken?’, referring to the available room. It is used here as the object of ‘boeken’ rather than repeating ‘kamer’.
bij ‘bij’ means ‘at’ or ‘by’ in ‘bij de balie’, identifying the service desk where the booking can be made. The pattern ‘bij + place’ locates an action at a place or service point.
de ‘de’ means ‘the’ before ‘balie’ in ‘de balie’. It is the definite article used here to refer to the specific service desk.
balie ‘balie’ means ‘service desk’ or ‘counter’ in ‘bij de balie’. The phrase ‘bij de balie’ is useful when referring to assistance or a transaction at a desk.
boeken ‘boeken’ means ‘to book’ in ‘die bij de balie boeken’. It follows ‘Kan ik’ in the question pattern ‘Kan ik ... boeken?’ when asking to make a booking.
Vul ‘Vul’ is the command form meaning ‘fill’ in ‘Vul hier alstublieft het aanvraagformulier in’. With the particle ‘in’, the full command means to fill in the form; it is used when instructing someone to complete it.
hier ‘hier’ means ‘here’ and indicates the location in ‘Vul hier ... het aanvraagformulier in’. It is useful in instructions when showing where an action should take place.
alstublieft ‘alstublieft’ means ‘please’ in the polite instruction ‘Vul hier alstublieft ... in’. It softens a request or command, especially when speaking to someone at a service desk.
het ‘het’ means ‘the’ before ‘aanvraagformulier’ in ‘het aanvraagformulier’. It refers to the specific request form that the person should complete.
aanvraagformulier ‘aanvraagformulier’ means ‘request form’ in ‘het aanvraagformulier’. It is the form used to make the study-room request, and it appears after ‘het’ as the object of the instruction.
in ‘in’ is the particle that completes the verb phrase ‘Vul ... in’, meaning ‘fill in’. It stays with ‘Vul’ even though the object ‘het aanvraagformulier’ comes between them.
Moet ‘Moet’ means ‘must’ or ‘have to’ at the beginning of ‘Moet ik de sleutel bij deze balie inleveren?’. The pattern ‘Moet ik ...?’ asks about an obligation or required procedure.
sleutel ‘sleutel’ means ‘key’ in ‘de sleutel ... inleveren’. It is the object that must be returned, and the phrase ‘de sleutel inleveren’ refers to handing in the key.
deze ‘deze’ means ‘this’ before ‘balie’ in ‘deze balie’. It points to the particular service desk nearby or being indicated.
inleveren ‘inleveren’ means ‘to hand in’ or ‘to return’ in ‘de sleutel bij deze balie inleveren’. The pattern ‘iets bij ... inleveren’ is useful when returning an item to a specified place.
Breng ‘Breng’ means ‘bring’ in the instruction ‘Breng hem terug’. Together with ‘terug’, it tells someone to bring an item back; this phrase is useful when giving return instructions.
hem ‘hem’ means ‘him’ or ‘it’ as the object in ‘Breng hem terug’, referring here to the key. It is used after ‘Breng’ when the object has already been mentioned.
terug ‘terug’ means ‘back’ in ‘Breng hem terug’. It adds the idea of returning the item to its earlier place, and the pattern ‘Breng ... terug’ gives a clear return instruction.
voordat ‘voordat’ means ‘before’ and introduces the time condition in ‘voordat we sluiten’. It is useful for stating that one action must happen earlier than another.
we ‘we’ means ‘we’ in ‘voordat we sluiten’ and refers to the library staff or people speaking collectively. It is used as the subject before the action ‘sluiten’.
sluiten ‘sluiten’ means ‘close’ in ‘voordat we sluiten’, referring to the library or service closing. The phrase ‘voordat we sluiten’ is useful for setting a deadline before a place closes.

Grammar Points

Bijvoeglijk naamwoord vóór zelfstandig naamwoord: vaak -e

een rustige plek

uhn RUS-tuh-khuh plek

a quiet place

Dutch adjectives before nouns often take -e: rustig becomes rustige.

Scheidbaar werkwoord in de gebiedende wijs: Vul ... in

Vul het aanvraagformulier in.

vuhl ut AHN-vrahkh-for-moo-LEER in

Fill in the request form.

With a separable verb, the prefix moves to the end in the imperative: invullen → Vul ... in.

Dutch Vocabulary

beschikbaar adj
buh-SKHIK-bahr available
even adv
AY-vun just; briefly
graag adv
khrahkh gladly; would like to
kamer noun
KAH-mer room
kijken verb
KAI-kuh to look; to check
laten verb
LAH-tun to let Laat
plek noun
plek place
reserveren verb
reh-zehr-VAY-run to reserve
rustig adj
RUS-tikh quiet rustige
studeerruimte noun
stew-DAYR-rewm-tuh study room
vandaag adv
vun-DAHKH today
welke det
VEL-kuh which

Quiz

Word Order

Arrange the words in the correct order.

I would like to reserve a study room.

Show AnswerIk wil graag een studeerruimte reserveren.

A small room is free this afternoon.

Show AnswerEen kleine kamer is vanmiddag vrij.

Please fill in the request form here.

Show AnswerVul hier alstublieft het aanvraagformulier in.

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

to reserve

Show Answerreserveren

room

Show Answerkamer

today

Show Answervandaag

which

Show Answerwelke