Renewing a library book | Learn Dutch in English

Sentence explanations

1. Ik wil een boek dat ik heb geleend verlengen.

   I'd like to renew a book I borrowed.

   Ik wil

   I’d like / I want

   boek

   book

   dat

   that / which

   geleend

   borrowed

   verlengen

   renew / extend

   More detail

   Ik wil contains wil, the first-person singular present form of willen (“to want”). willen is followed by an infinitive: Ik wil lezen means “I want to read.” In this request, the fixed translation uses the softer English “I’d like,” while the Dutch form itself expresses wanting. boek means “book.” Its plural is boeken. The phrase een boek means “a book”; een is an indefinite article here, not a claim that there is a numerical count of one. dat introduces the relative clause dat ik heb geleend and refers back to boek. Dutch uses dat with a singular noun of the het-word class, including het boek and een boek. This is different from die, which is used with plural nouns and with singular de-words. geleend is the past participle of lenen, “to borrow” or “to lend,” with the intended meaning here “borrowed.” In ik heb geleend, heb is the first-person singular present form of hebben, and heb geleend forms the perfect: “have borrowed.” The speaker is the person who borrowed the book, as shown by the fixed translation. verlengen is the infinitive of the verb meaning “to renew” or “to extend.” After wil, it stays in the infinitive: Ik wil verlengen means “I want to renew/extend.” In this sentence, the object being renewed is the book; the following context confirms the same verb for renewing it through an online account. The structure is Ik wil + een boek + the identifying relative clause dat ik heb geleend + the infinitive verlengen: “I’d like to renew a book that I borrowed.” The relative clause identifies which book is meant, and the whole utterance presents the speaker’s request to renew that borrowed book.

2. Je kunt het via je online account verlengen.

   You can renew it through your online account.

   Je kunt

   you can

   het

   it

   via

   through

   online

   online

   account

   account

   verlengen

   renew

   More detail

   Je kunt means “you can” here. je is an informal second-person pronoun. In this sentence it addresses the listener or reader; Dutch normally uses jullie when explicitly addressing more than one person. kunt is a present-tense form of kunnen (“can, be able to”) used here with je as the subject. Dutch also uses je kunt and, in common usage, je kan. After a modal verb such as kunnen, the other verb commonly appears as an infinitive at the end: Je kunt komen. — “You can come.” het is the singular neuter object pronoun meaning “it” here. The supplied translation identifies its role as the thing being renewed, but the fixed texts do not uniquely identify that thing by name. Its form is determined by its grammatical class, not by the person who can renew it. Example: Ik zie het. — “I see it.” via is a preposition meaning “through” or “by way of”. It introduces the route or channel used for an action: via de website — “through the website.” online means “online” and describes the account as internet-based or accessible through the internet. In this use it is an invariable modifier and does not take a separate Dutch adjective ending in je online account. account is the noun for an account, such as a user account. In je online account, the second je is a possessive determiner meaning “your”; it is separate from the subject Je at the beginning. Example: Ik open mijn account. — “I open my account.” verlengen is the infinitive meaning “to renew” or “to extend”. It is the form used after kunnen: Je kunt het verlengen. — “You can renew it.” Depending on context, this verb can refer to renewing something or extending a period; here the fixed translation selects “renew”. The structure is Je kunt + het + via + je online account + verlengen: “You can renew it through your online account.” Je kunt expresses ability or possibility, het is the object, via je online account gives the route, and the infinitive verlengen completes the modal construction. The sentence is a straightforward neutral statement.

3. Ik kan vandaag niet in mijn account komen.

   I can't get into my account today.

   Ik kan

   I can

   vandaag

   today

   niet

   not

   in

   in; into

   mijn

   my

   account

   account

   komen

   come; get

   More detail

   Ik kan means “I can” here. kan is the first-person singular present form of kunnen (“can, be able to”). In Dutch, a modal verb such as kunnen is followed by an infinitive: Ik kan komen = “I can come.” The infinitive normally stands later in the clause. vandaag means “today” and identifies when the situation applies. For example: Ik werk vandaag. — “I am working today.” niet is the general negation word “not.” Here it negates the ability expressed by kan together with the following action: the speaker cannot get into the account today. Its exact position can vary with what is being negated, so it should not be treated as a simple word-for-word equivalent of English “not” in every sentence. in introduces the destination or place entered. With komen, in ... komen is a reusable Dutch pattern meaning “to get into” or “to gain access to” something in a context such as an account. This is the intended access-related meaning here, rather than merely describing physical movement. mijn means “my” and is the possessive form used before the noun account in this sentence. It identifies the account as belonging to the speaker. For example: mijn naam — “my name.” account is the noun “account,” referring here to the speaker’s account. It is a loanword used for an account that can be accessed, such as an online account. komen is the infinitive “to come.” In in mijn account komen, its meaning is extended by the surrounding words to “get into my account” or “access my account.” Its base form is komen; the first-person present form is ik kom, but after the modal kan, the infinitive komen is used. Together, in mijn account komen means “get into my account.” The structure Ik kan ... komen expresses the speaker’s ability to carry out that action, while niet negates it and vandaag specifies the time: “I can’t get into my account today.”

4. We kunnen je bij de balie helpen.

   We can help you at the desk.

   We kunnen

   we can

   je

   you

   bij

   at; by

   de balie

   the desk; counter

   helpen

   help

   More detail

   We kunnen means “we can.” We is the first-person plural pronoun, and kunnen is the present-tense form of kunnen (“can; be able to”) used with we. In Dutch, a modal verb such as kunnen is followed by an infinitive: We kunnen helpen = “We can help.” je is the unstressed object form meaning “you” here. Its exact number is not identified by this sentence alone; the form je can be used for one or more people in suitable contexts. Example: Ik kan je helpen. — “I can help you.” bij expresses a location near or at something. In bij de balie, it introduces the place where the help can be provided. bij can also mean “by” in other contexts, but “at” is the relevant meaning here. de balie means “the desk” or “the counter.” balie is the noun; its definite article is de, so the reusable phrase is de balie. Example: De balie is open. — “The desk is open.” helpen is the infinitive “to help.” It keeps this infinitive form after kunnen; the modal carries the present-tense form in this sentence. Example: Wij kunnen morgen helpen. — “We can help tomorrow.” Together, We kunnen expresses ability or possibility, je identifies the person receiving the help, bij de balie gives the location, and helpen supplies the action. The complete utterance therefore means: “We can help you at the desk.”

5. Heb ik mijn bibliotheekpas nodig?

   Do I need my library card?

   Heb ik … nodig

   do I need …?

   mijn

   my

   bibliotheekpas

   library card

   More detail

   Heb ik ... nodig? is the Dutch pattern for asking whether you need something. heb is the present-tense form of hebben with ik. In a yes/no question, the finite verb comes before the subject: Heb ik ...? means “Do I ...?” Here, nodig completes the expression iets nodig hebben, “to need something.” The object can be placed between hebben and nodig: Ik heb een kaart nodig. — “I need a card.” mijn means “my” and identifies the card as belonging to or being associated with the speaker. It is a possessive determiner; unlike the noun, mijn does not change for singular versus plural: mijn kaart — “my card”; mijn kaarten — “my cards.” bibliotheekpas is a compound noun: bibliotheek means “library” and pas means “card” in this context. Together they mean “library card.” The observed form is singular; a common plural is bibliotheekpassen — “library cards.” Together, Heb ik mijn bibliotheekpas nodig? means “Do I need my library card?” The question uses the reusable structure Heb ik [something] nodig? to ask whether the speaker needs a particular item.

6. Neem je pas mee, zodat we je gegevens kunnen vinden.

   Bring your card so we can find your record.

   Neem … mee

   bring/take along

   je

   your

   pas

   card

   zodat

   so that

   we

   we

   gegevens

   records/details

   kunnen

   can/be able to

   vinden

   find

   More detail

   Neem ... mee is the imperative of the separable verb meenemen, “to bring or take along.” In the imperative, the verb part Neem comes first and the separable part mee moves to the end: Neem je pas mee. means “Bring your card along.” Example: Ik neem mijn pas mee. — “I’m bringing my card along.” This is different from nemen without mee, which more generally means “to take.” je means “your” here. It is a possessive determiner placed before the noun: je pas — “your card.” Dutch je can also be a pronoun in other contexts, and the sentence itself identifies its role here through its position before pas. The possessive does not by itself indicate a numeric count or the gender of the noun. jouw is a more emphatic form of “your,” used when ownership is being contrasted or stressed. pas is the noun meaning “card” in this sentence, specifically the card the listener is asked to bring. Its plural is passen: De passen liggen daar. — “The cards are there.” zodat introduces a clause expressing an intended result or purpose, roughly “so that.” The clause after zodat has its own subject and uses Dutch subordinate-clause word order. Example: Ze schrijft het op, zodat we het niet vergeten. — “She writes it down so that we do not forget it.” we is the first-person plural subject “we.” The more emphatic or contrasting form is wij; we is the usual unstressed form in an ordinary sentence. Example: We kunnen morgen komen. — “We can come tomorrow.” gegevens means “details,” “data,” or “record information” here. It is a plural form related to gegeven, a single piece of information, but gegevens commonly refers collectively to someone’s information or details. Example: Vul je gegevens in. — “Fill in your details.” kunnen is the present-tense plural form of the modal verb kunnen, “can” or “be able to,” agreeing here with we. A modal verb is followed by an infinitive; in a subordinate clause, that infinitive appears at the end. Example: We kunnen het adres vinden. — “We can find the address.” vinden is the infinitive “to find.” With kunnen, it stays in the infinitive rather than taking a personal ending: we kunnen vinden — “we can find.” Example: Ik kan mijn sleutel vinden. — “I can find my key.” Together, Neem je pas mee gives the request “Bring your card along.” zodat we je gegevens kunnen vinden adds the purpose: “so that we can find your record.” The subordinate clause places kunnen before the final infinitive vinden, producing the complete meaning: “Bring your card so we can find your record.”

7. Kan ik het boek daarna vandaag nog verlengen?

   Can I renew the book today after that?

   Kan ik

   Can I …?

   boek

   book

   daarna

   after that

   vandaag

   today

   nog

   still

   verlengen

   renew; extend

   More detail

   Kan ik begins a yes/no question. Dutch places the finite verb kan before the subject ik; kan is a form of kunnen (“can, be able to”). With a modal verb such as kunnen, the other verb remains an infinitive later in the clause. Example: Kan ik komen? — “Can I come?” boek means “book” here. Its full noun phrase is het boek; het marks this noun phrase as definite and singular, while boek itself is the noun. The plural is boeken: een boek — “a book”; twee boeken — “two books.” daarna means “after that” and refers to an event or step that is understood from the context. It is different from daarnaartoe, which means “to there afterward.” Example: We eten daarna. — “We eat afterward.” vandaag means “today,” the day of speaking. It can be placed with other time expressions: Ik werk vandaag. — “I am working today.” nog means “still” or “yet” in this question. Together with vandaag, it presents renewing as something that can still happen today: Kan ik het vandaag nog doen? — “Can I still do it today?” Its meaning here is not “again”; that sense is commonly expressed by opnieuw or weer, depending on the context. verlengen is the infinitive meaning “to renew” or “to extend.” In this context, it means extending the book’s borrowing period or renewal, rather than physically making the book longer. The same infinitive can follow other modal forms: Je kunt het boek verlengen. — “You can renew the book.” Together, Kan ik asks whether the speaker is allowed or able to do something, het boek identifies the definite book, daarna places the action after an understood earlier step, vandaag nog says that it can still happen today, and verlengen names the action. The complete meaning is: “Can I renew the book today after that?”

8. Dat kan, tenzij iemand anders het heeft aangevraagd.

   You can, unless someone else has requested it.

   Dat kan

   That is possible; you can

   tenzij

   unless

   iemand anders

   someone else

   het

   it

   heeft aangevraagd

   has requested

   More detail

   Dat kan combines dat (“that/it”) with kan, the present form of kunnen for a singular subject. Here, dat refers to the possible action in the preceding question, so the phrase means that the action is possible—naturally, “you can.” Kunnen expresses ability or possibility: ik kan = “I can,” while hij/zij/het kan = “he/she/it can.” Example: Dat kan morgen. — “That is possible tomorrow.” tenzij introduces an exception and means “unless.” It starts a subordinate clause. A reusable pattern is X, tenzij Y = “X, unless Y.” iemand anders means “someone else.” Iemand is an indefinite pronoun for an unspecified person, and anders adds the contrast with another person. The phrase does not specify who that person is. Example: Iemand anders heeft gebeld. — “Someone else called.” het is a singular neuter object pronoun meaning “it” here. In this exchange, the fixed translation and the preceding question support its referring to the thing being requested—the book—not to a newly specified person. Dutch het can also be a definite article (“the”) in other contexts, but here it stands independently as the object of the verb. heeft aangevraagd is the perfect-tense form of aanvragen, “to request” or “to apply for.” Heeft is the present form of hebben used as the auxiliary with a singular third-person subject; aangevraagd is the past participle of aanvragen. In a subordinate clause introduced by tenzij, the verb group comes at the end: iemand anders het heeft aangevraagd. Example: Zij heeft een pas aangevraagd. — “She has requested a pass.” Together, tenzij iemand anders het heeft aangevraagd means “unless someone else has requested it.” The whole utterance therefore says that the action asked about is possible, with the exception that it is not possible if someone else has already requested the item.