Borrowing and returning a pan | Learn Dutch in English

Sentence explanations

1. Kan ik vandaag je grote pan lenen?

   Can I borrow your large pan today?

   Kan ik

   Can I

   vandaag

   today

   je

   your

   grote

   large

   pan

   pan

   lenen

   borrow

   More detail

   Kan ik is a reusable Dutch question pattern: the conjugated verb comes before the subject. Here kan is the present-tense form of kunnen (“can, be able to”) for ik; ik means “I”. In a question, Dutch commonly uses this inversion: Kan ik ...? = “Can I ...?” The pattern can introduce a request for permission, as it does here. vandaag means “today”. It is a time adverb and can be moved for emphasis: Vandaag kan ik ... means “Today I can ...”. je means “your” here. This is the unstressed possessive form used before a noun: je pan = “your pan”. The same written form can also mean “you” in other contexts, so its role is determined by how it functions in the sentence; here it modifies pan. grote is the form of the adjective groot, “large” or “big”, used before this noun. In this phrase, the adjective is attributive and has -e: grote pan. The comparison forms are groot (large), groter (larger), and grootste (largest when used before a noun). For example: een grotere pan = “a larger pan.” pan is a noun meaning “pan”. It is a common-gender Dutch noun, normally used with de: de pan = “the pan”. Its diminutive is pannetje, “small pan” or “little pan”, with the neuter article het. lenen means “to borrow” in this sentence: the speaker asks to receive and use the other person’s pan. Dutch lenen can also describe lending when the surrounding construction makes the direction clear; for example, Ik leen hem mijn pan can mean “I lend him my pan.” The fixed translation establishes the borrowing direction here. The form is an infinitive after kan: kan ... lenen = “can ... borrow”. Together, je grote pan means “your large pan”. The question pattern Kan ik ... lenen? asks permission to borrow something, and vandaag specifies when. The complete utterance therefore means: “Can I borrow your large pan today?”

2. Dat kan, maar pas op voor het handvat, want het wordt heet.

   You can, but watch the handle because it gets hot.

   Dat kan

   You can / That is possible

   maar

   but

   pas op voor

   watch out for

   handvat

   handle

   want

   because

   wordt

   becomes / gets

   heet

   hot

   More detail

   Dat kan means “You can” here: dat refers to the proposed action, and kan is the present-tense form of kunnen for ik, jij/je, and hij/zij/het. The same form can therefore mean “can” or “is possible” depending on the subject and context. Example: Dat kan morgen. — “That is possible tomorrow.” maar introduces a contrast: the action is possible, but there is an important warning. It is the ordinary Dutch word for “but.” pas op voor is a reusable warning pattern meaning “watch out for” or “be careful of.” Pas op is the imperative of oppassen; voor introduces the thing requiring care. Example: Pas op voor de fiets. — “Watch out for the bicycle.” handvat is the noun “handle.” In the sentence it appears with het: het handvat, “the handle.” The definite article presents it as an identifiable handle in this situation; it does not itself state a quantity. want connects the warning to its reason and means “because” in this use. It introduces an explanation rather than changing the warning into a question or command. wordt is the present-tense third-person singular form of worden, “to become” or “to get.” With het, het wordt means “it gets/becomes.” The form is not the ordinary present form of zijn (“to be”). Example: Het wordt donker. — “It is getting dark.” heet is an adjective meaning “hot.” Here it describes the temperature reached by the handle. A useful contrast is koud, “cold.” Example: De pan wordt heet. — “The pan gets hot.” Together, Dat kan, maar grants that the proposed action is possible, then pas op voor het handvat gives a warning about the handle. Want het wordt heet supplies the reason: the handle gets hot. The complete meaning is therefore “You can, but watch the handle because it gets hot.”

3. Kan ik hem op deze kookplaat gebruiken?

   Will it be all right on this stove?

   Kan ik

   Can I …?

   hem

   it

   op

   on

   deze

   this

   kookplaat

   stovetop

   gebruiken

   use

   More detail

   Kan ik is a reusable Dutch question pattern meaning “Can I …?” Here kan is the present-tense form of kunnen for ik (“I”). In a yes/no question, the finite verb comes before the subject: Kan ik ...? Compare the statement order Ik kan ... (“I can ...”). In this context, the question asks whether using the item on the surface is okay. hem is the object form of a Dutch personal pronoun. Here it means “it,” referring to the item being discussed; the supplied texts do not uniquely identify that item's noun. In standard usage, hem refers to a singular masculine referent, including a masculine noun used as an object. A singular neuter referent normally uses het, not hem. Example: Ik zie hem. — “I see him/it,” when the context supplies a suitable masculine referent. op means “on” here and introduces the surface on which something is used or placed. It is a preposition, so op deze kookplaat forms a location phrase. deze means “this” and points to a nearby or contextually selected thing. Here it is used with the singular de-word kookplaat. Dutch also has dit with singular het-words; the choice depends on the noun’s article class, not merely on physical distance. kookplaat means “stovetop” or “hotplate.” It is a compound noun: kook relates to cooking and plaat means “plate” or “surface,” but the complete word names the cooking surface. Its plural is kookplaten. gebruiken means “to use.” This is the infinitive, used after the modal verb kan: kan ... gebruiken corresponds to “can use ...”. The infinitive remains at the end of this question. Example: Kan ik deze pan gebruiken? — “Can I use this pan?” Together, Kan ik asks whether the action is possible or acceptable, hem supplies the object, op deze kookplaat specifies the surface, and gebruiken gives the action. The whole utterance means: “Can I use it on this stovetop?” In the surrounding exchange, the question concerns whether using the item on that cooking surface will be acceptable; the sentence itself does not specify a separate numerical quantity or a particular reason.

4. Dat moet goed gaan als je het vuur laag houdt.

   It should be fine if you keep the heat low.

   Dat

   it

   moet

   should

   goed

   well

   gaan

   go

   als

   if

   vuur

   heat/fire

   laag

   low

   houdt

   keeps

   More detail

   Dat is a demonstrative pronoun meaning “that” here. It points to the situation being discussed, without the sentence specifying a more precise referent. Dutch demonstratives also show distance and grammatical gender/number in other uses: dit and dat are used with singular neuter nouns, while deze and die are used with plural nouns and singular common-gender nouns. Example: Dat is handig. — “That is useful.” moet is the present-tense form of moeten with ik, jij/je, hij/zij/het, and some other singular subjects. With an infinitive, moeten can express necessity, but in this sentence it expresses an expected result: “should.” The infinitive comes after it: Dat moet lukken. — “That should work.” goed means “well” here because it describes how the situation will gaan (“go”), not a noun. The adjective is goed; its comparative is beter (“better”) and its superlative is best (“best”). Example: Het gaat goed. — “It is going well.” gaan is the infinitive “to go.” In goed gaan, it forms the reusable pattern “to go well,” which can describe how a plan, process, or situation develops. Its present forms include ik ga, je gaat, and hij/zij/het gaat. Example: Alles gaat goed. — “Everything is going well.” als introduces a condition and means “if” here. It begins the conditional clause als je ... houdt; Dutch commonly places the conjugated verb at the end of this subordinate clause. Example: Als je wacht, kom ik. — “If you wait, I will come.” vuur is the noun “fire.” In this sentence, het vuur refers to the cooking heat or flame. The noun is a neuter het-word: het vuur, plural de vuren. Example: Het vuur brandt. — “The fire is burning.” laag means “low” here. In het vuur laag houden, it describes the level at which the heat is maintained. This is the same form as the adjective’s basic form; Dutch can use an adjective after houden to express keeping something in a particular state. Example: Houd het water warm. — “Keep the water warm.” houdt is the present-tense form of houden (“to keep, hold”) with je in this clause: je houdt. The infinitive is houden; the stem is houd, and the third-person singular form is also houdt. The final -t is not used with ik: ik houd. Example: Je houdt de deur open. — “You keep the door open.” Together, Dat moet goed gaan means “That should go well,” and als je het vuur laag houdt means “if you keep the heat low.” The complete utterance is therefore: “It should be fine if you keep the heat low.”

5. Ik zal hem meteen na het eten afwassen.

   I will wash it right after dinner.

   Ik zal

   I will

   hem

   it

   meteen

   immediately

   na

   after

   eten

   meal; eating

   afwassen

   wash

   More detail

   Ik zal means “I will” here. zal is the present-tense form of zullen used with first-person singular ik; together with an infinitive, it places the action in the future. The infinitive comes later in the sentence: Ik zal ... afwassen = “I will ... wash.” hem is the singular object pronoun used here for the thing being washed, translated as “it.” Dutch hem refers to a singular masculine referent and can also be used for some common-gender referents; its form does not by itself identify the object more specifically. meteen means “immediately” or “right away.” In meteen na ..., it strengthens the time expression: “right after ...”. na means “after” and introduces the event used as a time reference. A reusable pattern is na + noun: na het werk = “after work.” eten is the noun “meal” or “food” in this context. Together, het eten naturally means “the meal” and, here, “dinner.” The article het belongs to the noun phrase. eten is also the infinitive “to eat”; in het eten, the same form functions as a noun. afwassen means “to wash dishes” or “to wash something,” and here the fixed translation gives the intended meaning “wash it.” It is a separable verb: in a simple present-tense clause, for example, Ik was de borden af means “I wash the dishes.” After zal, the infinitive stays together at the end: Ik zal de borden afwassen = “I will wash the dishes.” Taken together, Ik zal hem meteen na het eten afwassen gives I will wash it right after dinner: the speaker (Ik) plans or commits to the future action (zal ... afwassen), directed at the object (hem), with the timing meteen na het eten (“right after dinner”).

6. Droog hem goed af voordat je hem bij me terugbrengt.

   Please dry it well before bringing it back to me.

   Droog … af

   dry off

   hem

   it

   goed

   well

   voordat

   before

   je

   you

   bij me

   to me

   terugbrengt

   bring back

   More detail

   Droog ... af is the separable verb pattern for “dry off.” The base verb is afdrogen; in a simple imperative, its parts appear as Droog ... af. The imperative addresses the listener directly, with the subject omitted. Example: Droog de glazen af. — “Dry the glasses.” hem is the object pronoun meaning “it” here, as confirmed by the fixed translation. It is a singular masculine/common-gender object form in this use. The specific referent is not identified by the pronoun itself or by the supplied context. In Ik zal hem ... afwassen, the same pronoun is also the thing being washed. goed means “well” here and modifies how the drying is done. It is the adverbial use of the form goed, whose basic meaning is “good” when used adjectivally. Example: Lees goed. — “Read carefully.” voordat introduces a clause meaning “before.” The action in the main clause is presented as happening earlier than the action in the clause introduced by voordat. It is a conjunction, so the clause that follows has Dutch subordinate-clause word order. je is the second-person pronoun “you.” In this sentence it is the subject of the clause introduced by voordat. Dutch unstressed je can refer to one person or to more than one; the fixed material does not specify the number here. bij me means “to me” in this expression, using bij with the unstressed first-person pronoun me. The phrase identifies the person to whom the item is brought back. me is the reduced, unstressed form; mij is the corresponding stressed form, used when emphasis or contrast is needed. terugbrengt comes from terugbrengen, “to bring back.” In an independent clause with je, this is normally split: Je brengt hem terug. — “You bring it back.” After voordat, the finite verb is placed at the end of the subordinate clause, giving ... je hem bij me terugbrengt. Together, the sentence uses the imperative Droog ... af to request that the listener dry the item thoroughly. voordat places the drying before the bringing back: the listener should dry it well before bringing it back to the speaker. Thus the whole utterance means: “Please dry it well before bringing it back to me.”

7. Wanneer wil je hem terug?

   When would you like it back?

   Wanneer

   when

   wil je

   would you like

   hem

   it

   terug

   back

   More detail

   Wanneer means “when” and asks about a time. It commonly begins an open question: Wanneer kom je? — “When are you coming?” It is different from waar (“where”), which asks about a place. wil je is the inverted question form of je wilt/je wil, from willen (“to want”). In this sentence it politely asks about the other person’s preference, so “would you like” is the natural translation. Dutch present-tense forms include ik wil (“I want”) and je wilt or je wil (“you want”); after the subject–verb inversion used in a question, wil je is used. For example: Wil je koffie? — “Would you like coffee?” hem is the object pronoun meaning “him” or, as here, “it” for the intended item. It is the object form, not the subject form hij (“he”). The preceding sentence also uses hem for the item being dried and brought back, supporting the “it” reading here. Example: Ik zie hem. — “I see him/it.” terug is an adverb meaning “back” or “again to the previous place or person.” In hem terug it describes the requested return of the item. Compare brengen (“to bring”) with terugbrengen (“to bring back”); terug can also stand on its own, as in Ik kom terug. — “I’m coming back.” Together, Wanneer asks for the time, wil je asks about the listener’s preference, hem identifies the item as the object, and terug expresses its return. The whole utterance therefore means: “When would you like it back?”

8. Na het eten is goed.

   After dinner is fine.

   Na

   after

   eten

   dinner; meal

   is goed

   is fine

   More detail

   Na means “after” when it introduces a time expression. It is a preposition and can be reused in patterns such as na het werk (“after work”) or na de les (“after the lesson”). eten is the noun meaning “food” or “meal.” In het eten, the article het marks this noun phrase as a neuter het-word; here, the fixed translation identifies the meal as dinner. Dutch also uses eten as a verb (“to eat”), but that is a different use from the noun in this sentence. is goed uses is, the third-person singular present form of zijn (“to be”), with goed, meaning “good” or, in this expression, “fine/acceptable.” The reusable pattern X is goed can mean that X is satisfactory, for example: Morgen is goed. — “Tomorrow is fine.” Together, na het eten means “after dinner,” and is goed says that this time is acceptable. Thus Na het eten is goed. means “After dinner is fine.”

9. Ik heb hem pas later deze week weer nodig.

   I will not need it again until later this week.

   Ik

   I

   heb … nodig

   need

   hem

   it

   pas

   not until

   later

   later

   deze week

   this week

   weer

   again

   More detail

   Ik is the Dutch first-person singular subject pronoun: “I.” It is used for the speaker, and the verb form with it is singular. Example: Ik leer Nederlands. — “I am learning Dutch.” heb ... nodig is the reusable Dutch construction iets nodig hebben, literally involving “have” and “needed,” but meaning “to need something.” In the utterance, heb is the present-tense first-person singular form of hebben (“to have”); nodig is the fixed adjective used in this construction. The object can come between them: Ik heb hulp nodig. — “I need help.” Dutch present tense can also refer to a future situation when a future time expression makes that clear. hem is the Dutch object pronoun used here for the intended “it.” Its grammatical form is masculine singular in the relevant pronoun system; the translation identifies its meaning as “it,” but the supplied sentence does not identify what the object is. Example: Ik zie hem. — “I see him/it,” with the exact English choice depending on the established referent. pas means “only then” or “not until” in a time expression. Here it delays the need until the later time mentioned afterward. It does not by itself mean a numerical amount. Example: Ik kom pas morgen. — “I won’t come until tomorrow.” later is the comparative form of laat (“late”) and means “later.” The basic comparison is laat — later — het laatst (“late” — “later” — “latest/last,” with the superlative form used as appropriate). Example: We praten later. — “We’ll talk later.” deze week means “this week.” deze is the demonstrative determiner used with week; week is the noun “week.” The phrase refers to the week containing the relevant time, without asserting a particular day. Example: Ik werk deze week thuis. — “I am working from home this week.” weer means “again,” indicating a return or repetition. It is separate from pas: pas ... weer together can express that something will happen again only at a later time. Example: Zij belt morgen weer. — “She will call again tomorrow.” Together, Ik heb hem nodig means “I need it.” Adding pas and the time phrase gives “I need it only later this week,” and weer adds the repetition: “I will not need it again until later this week.” The Dutch present-tense form heb is understood with this future time reference because of pas later deze week.