Canceling a picnic because of strong wind | Learn Dutch in English

Sentence explanations

1. De wind is veel sterker dan gisteren.

   The wind is much stronger than yesterday.

   wind

   wind

   is

   is

   veel

   much

   sterker

   stronger

   dan

   than

   gisteren

   yesterday

   More detail

   wind means “wind.” The noun is common-gender in Dutch: de wind. Dutch nouns are written with a capital letter only at the start of a sentence or in a proper name, so its lowercase form here is normal. Example: De wind is koud. — “The wind is cold.” is is the present-tense form of zijn (“to be”) for a singular subject such as de wind, and also for the pronouns hij, zij (“she”), and het. The base form zijn is used in other forms, for example: ik ben (“I am”), jij bent (“you are”), wij zijn (“we are”). Here is links the subject to the description veel sterker. veel means “much” here. Before a comparative, it strengthens the comparison: veel sterker = “much stronger.” This is different from meer (“more”), which normally compares quantity rather than simply intensifying an adjective. Example: Deze wind is veel sterker. — “This wind is much stronger.” sterker is the comparative form of the adjective sterk (“strong”): sterk → sterker (“stronger”) → het sterkst (“the strongest”). The -er form compares two situations or reference points; it does not itself mean “much”—that added intensity comes from veel. Example: Deze koffie is sterker dan die thee. — “This coffee is stronger than that tea.” dan introduces the comparison standard after a comparative adjective. The reusable pattern is X is [comparative] dan Y (“X is [comparative] than Y”). It is distinct from als, which is used in many equality comparisons, such as even sterk als (“as strong as”). gisteren means “yesterday,” the day before today. It is an adverb of time and does not change form for the subject. Example: Gisteren was de wind zwak. — “Yesterday the wind was weak.” Together, De wind is identifies the wind as the subject and says what it is like. veel sterker dan gisteren compares its strength now with its strength yesterday, with veel making the difference substantial: “The wind is much stronger than yesterday.”

2. Een picknick is vandaag misschien niet zo comfortabel.

   A picnic might not be comfortable today.

   picknick

   picnic

   is

   is

   vandaag

   today

   misschien

   perhaps; maybe

   niet zo

   not so

   comfortabel

   comfortable

   More detail

   picknick means “picnic” here. It is a noun; Dutch nouns are normally written with an initial capital only when they begin a sentence, so the lowercase form here is expected. With an indefinite article, the reusable pattern is een + noun: een picknick means “a picnic,” without by itself specifying a numeric count. is is the present-tense third-person singular form of zijn, “to be.” The form agrees with the singular noun phrase Een picknick. For example: De picknick is buiten. — “The picnic is outside.” vandaag means “today.” It is a time adverb and can be placed in different positions depending on emphasis. Here it sets the time for the situation: the picnic’s comfort is being considered for today. misschien means “perhaps” or “maybe.” It marks uncertainty about the statement that follows; in the complete sentence, that uncertainty is naturally expressed by “might.” It is an adverb, not a conjugated verb. For example: Misschien regent het. — “Maybe it will rain.” niet zo means “not so” in the comparison of degree expressed by the following adjective. niet negates, while zo marks the degree, so niet zo comfortabel means “not so comfortable,” rather than simply “uncomfortable.” comfortabel means “comfortable.” It is a descriptive adjective. Dutch commonly uses the pattern niet zo + adjective to say that something does not reach a particular degree: De stoel is niet zo comfortabel. — “The chair is not so comfortable.” Together, Een picknick identifies the subject, is states its condition, and vandaag places that condition in today’s time frame. misschien makes the assessment uncertain, while niet zo comfortabel says that the picnic may lack a high degree of comfort. Thus the complete utterance means: “A picnic might not be comfortable today.”

3. De deken zou steeds wegwaaien.

   The blanket would keep blowing away.

   deken

   blanket

   zou

   would

   steeds

   continually; keep

   wegwaaien

   blow away

   More detail

   deken means “blanket” here. It is a singular de-word; its plural is dekens. The definite article de presents it as a specific blanket in this sentence. Example: De deken is warm. — “The blanket is warm.” zou is a form of zullen used with an infinitive to express a conditional or hypothetical result, giving “would” here. The form zou is used with singular subjects, including ik, jij, and hij/zij/het; the plural form is zouden. The subject is the blanket, but zou itself does not show grammatical gender. Example: De tent zou lekken. — “The tent would leak.” steeds means “continually” or “repeatedly” in this sentence. With an event such as wegwaaien, it gives the reusable idea “keep doing something” or “do it again and again.” It is different from a single occurrence without steeds. wegwaaien means “to blow away.” It is an infinitive, which is required after zou. The verb combines waaien (“to blow”) with weg (“away”), so wegwaaien describes movement away caused by wind. Example: De bladeren waaien weg. — “The leaves blow away.” Together, De deken is the specific blanket, zou ... wegwaaien says that it would blow away, and steeds adds repetition. The whole utterance therefore means: “The blanket would keep blowing away.”

4. Ook kan buiten eten lastig zijn.

   Also, eating outside could be difficult.

   Ook

   also

   kan

   can; could

   buiten

   outside

   eten

   eating

   lastig

   difficult

   zijn

   be

   More detail

   Ook means “also” here: it adds this statement to another relevant point. It commonly appears at the beginning of a sentence, as in Ook regent het vandaag (“It is also raining today”). kan is the present-tense form of kunnen (“can; be able to”). In this sentence it expresses possibility: “could/may be.” With a modal verb such as kan, the other verb normally remains an infinitive at the end: kan ... zijn = “can/could ... be.” buiten means “outside” and can describe location or an activity done outdoors. Here it combines with eten to form the activity “eating outside.” eten is both the infinitive “to eat” and a noun-like infinitive meaning “eating” when it names an activity. For example, Buiten eten is gezellig means “Eating outside is pleasant.” lastig means “difficult,” “awkward,” or “inconvenient,” depending on context. Here it describes the activity as difficult or inconvenient. It is the adjective in the predicate lastig zijn; it is not an inflected form of eten or zijn. zijn is the infinitive of zijn, “to be.” After kan, it stays in the infinitive, so lastig zijn means “be difficult.” The sentence begins with Ook, followed by the finite verb kan. The subject is the noun-like activity buiten eten, and the predicate is lastig zijn: Ook kan buiten eten lastig zijn. Thus the complete meaning is “Also, eating outside could be difficult.”

5. Zullen we afzeggen en elkaar liever binnen ontmoeten?

   Should we cancel and meet indoors instead?

   Zullen we

   Should we …? / Shall we …?

   afzeggen

   cancel

   elkaar

   each other

   liever

   rather / instead

   binnen

   indoors / inside

   ontmoeten

   meet

   More detail

   Zullen we is a reusable way to make a suggestion or proposal: “Shall we …?” or “Should we …?” Here, zullen is the finite verb and we is the subject; their order is reversed because this is a yes/no question. The following lexical verbs remain in the infinitive. Example: Zullen we vertrekken? — “Shall we leave?” afzeggen means “to cancel,” especially an appointment, arrangement, or event. It is a separable verb. In the infinitive it appears as afzeggen, but in a main-clause present-tense form the parts separate: Ik zeg de afspraak af. — “I cancel the appointment.” In this utterance, its infinitive follows zullen. elkaar is a reciprocal pronoun meaning “each other.” With the participants of we, it expresses that they meet one another mutually. Example: We helpen elkaar. — “We help each other.” liever means “rather” or “preferably.” It is the comparative form related to graag (“gladly”) and expresses a preference between options. Here it presents meeting indoors as the preferred alternative. Example: Ik blijf liever thuis. — “I would rather stay home.” binnen is an adverb meaning “indoors” or “inside.” It gives the location of the meeting and contrasts with buiten (“outside”). Example: We eten binnen. — “We eat indoors.” ontmoeten means “to meet.” It is an infinitive after zullen; with elkaar, it means “meet each other.” Example: We ontmoeten elkaar morgen. — “We are meeting each other tomorrow.” Together, Zullen we afzeggen asks whether the participants should cancel, and en elkaar liever binnen ontmoeten adds the preferred alternative of meeting each other indoors. The complete meaning is: “Should we cancel and meet indoors instead?”

6. Dat zou veiliger en gemakkelijker zijn.

   That would be safer and easier.

   Dat

   That

   zou

   would

   veiliger

   safer

   gemakkelijker

   easier

   zijn

   be

   More detail

   Dat means “that” here and refers to the proposal in the preceding sentence: cancelling and meeting indoors instead. As a demonstrative pronoun, it points to an identifiable situation rather than naming the situation again. Its specific referent is supported by the supplied context. zou is the conditional form of zullen (“will/shall”). With an infinitive, it presents a possible or hypothetical result: zou ... zijn = “would be ...”. The form zou is singular in this sentence; the plural counterpart is zouden. Example: Dat zou helpen. — “That would help.” veiliger is the comparative of veilig (“safe”). The comparison is expressed by -er: veilig → veiliger (“safer”). It compares the proposed situation with another relevant option, rather than asserting that it is absolutely safe. The superlative is veiligst (“safest”). gemakkelijker is the comparative of gemakkelijk (“easy” or “convenient” in the relevant sense). Its form is gemakkelijker (“easier”), again marked with -er. Example: Deze manier is gemakkelijker. — “This way is easier.” zijn is the infinitive of zijn (“to be”). It follows the conditional auxiliary zou; the adjective comparatives occur before this infinitive in the Dutch clause. The infinitive does not itself show the subject’s person or number. Together, Dat zou ... zijn means “That would be ...”, while veiliger en gemakkelijker supplies two coordinated comparative descriptions. The complete utterance therefore means: “That would be safer and easier.” In this context, “that” is the suggested alternative of cancelling and meeting indoors.

7. Laat me het in de groepschat aan iedereen vertellen.

   Let me tell everyone in the group chat.

   Laat me

   let me

   het

   it

   groepschat

   group chat

   iedereen

   everyone

   vertellen

   tell

   More detail

   Laat me combines the imperative laat of laten (“to let/allow”) with me (“me”). In this pattern, Laat me + infinitive asks for permission or proposes that the speaker do something: Laat me helpen. = “Let me help.” The following infinitive is vertellen, so Laat me does not itself mean “let me tell” without that neighboring verb. het is a neuter singular object pronoun meaning “it” here. Its exact referent is not identified by the supplied sentence, but it is the thing being told or communicated. Dutch object pronouns include het (“it,” for a neuter singular referent), hem (“him” or “it” for a masculine common-gender referent), and haar (“her” or “it” for a feminine common-gender referent); the correct choice depends on the referent’s grammatical properties and context. groepschat is a compound noun meaning “group chat”: groep means “group” and chat means “chat,” but groepschat functions as one noun. With the definite article, Dutch uses de groepschat. The phrase in de groepschat means “in the group chat,” describing the channel or place where the telling occurs. Example: Ik schrijf het in de groepschat. = “I write it in the group chat.” iedereen is the pronoun “everyone” or “everybody,” referring to all members of the relevant group. It is grammatically singular in Dutch, so a singular verb form is used with it: Iedereen luistert. = “Everyone is listening.” In this sentence, aan iedereen marks the people who are told something; aan is therefore part of the recipient expression, while iedereen supplies its meaning “everyone.” vertellen is the infinitive “to tell.” Its useful pattern is iemand iets vertellen or iets aan iemand vertellen: “to tell someone something” or “to tell something to someone.” In the fixed sentence, het is the thing told and aan iedereen identifies the recipients. The infinitive follows laat me in the permission/proposal pattern. Example: Zij vertelt hem het nieuws. = “She tells him the news.” Together, Laat me introduces the speaker’s request or proposal, het is the unspecified thing to be communicated, in de groepschat gives the communication channel, aan iedereen identifies all the recipients, and vertellen names the action. The complete meaning is: “Let me tell everyone in the group chat.”

8. Een café bij het park zou een goede keuze zijn.

   A cafe near the park would be a good choice.

   café

   café

   bij

   near

   park

   park

   zou

   would

   goede

   good

   keuze

   choice

   zijn

   be

   More detail

   café means “café” here. It is a neuter noun in Dutch: het café. With the indefinite article, the phrase is een café; the article marks an unspecified café, not a stated numerical count. bij expresses proximity or location by/near something. In bij het park, it introduces the place used as the reference point. het park means “the park”; park is a neuter noun, so its definite article is het. zou is a form of zullen used here for a tentative or conditional “would.” It combines with an infinitive: zou ... zijn = “would ... be.” This form presents the café as a possible choice rather than asserting that it is one. goede is the inflected form of the adjective goed (“good”). Before keuze, it takes -e: goede keuze. The adjective describes keuze, not café. A basic comparison is goed “good,” beter “better,” best “best.” keuze means “choice” or “option.” It is a common-gender noun, so the definite form is de keuze; the phrase here uses the indefinite form een goede keuze. zijn is the infinitive “to be.” After the modal zou, Dutch uses the infinitive: zou zijn, literally “would be.” Together, een café bij het park means “a café near the park,” and zou een goede keuze zijn means “would be a good choice.” The complete utterance is therefore: “A café near the park would be a good choice.”