Planning a Photography Walk | Learn Dutch in English

Dutch lesson set in a contemporary Amsterdam everyday setting: Before a photo walk, two adults plan to meet early, photograph old buildings, and compare their pictures later..

EN → NL / Level: A2

About This Lesson

Use Planning a Photography Walk to practice Dutch conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

A

Wil je morgen meegaan met een fotowandeling?

vihl yuh MOR-khuh MAY-khahn met uhn FOH-toh-vahn-duh-ling? Would you like to come on a photo walk tomorrow?
B

Ik wil meer oefenen met fotografie.

ihk vihl mair OO-fuh-nun met foh-toh-khrah-FEE. I could use more practice with photography.
A

Het ochtendlicht zou beter moeten zijn voor straatfoto's.

uht OKH-tunt-likht zow BAY-tur MOO-tun zine vohr STRAHT-foh-tohs. Morning light should be better for street photos.
B

Wat zullen we eerst fotograferen?

vaht ZUH-lun vuh AIRST foh-toh-khrah-FAY-run? What should we photograph first?
A

We kunnen beginnen met oude gebouwen.

vuh KUH-nun buh-KHIN-un met OW-duh khuh-BOW-un. We can start with old buildings.
B

Ik neem mijn kleine camera en een extra batterij mee.

ihk naim mine KLINE-uh KAH-muh-ruh uhn uhn EK-strah bah-tuh-RAY may. I'll bring my small camera and an extra battery.
A

Laten we afspreken voordat de straten druk worden.

LAH-tun vuh AHF-spray-kun vohr-DAHT duh STRAH-tun DRUHK VOR-dun. Let's meet before the streets get busy.
B

Dan kunnen we onze foto's later vergelijken.

dahn KUH-nun vuh ON-zuh FOH-tohs LAH-tur vur-KHAY-luh-kun. Then we can compare our photos later.

Word by Word

Wil In Wil je morgen meegaan..., Wil asks whether someone wants or would like to do something. It is the form of willen used here, before je. The reusable pattern is Wil je + infinitive? Use it for a friendly invitation.
je In Wil je..., je refers to the person being invited. It appears directly after Wil in this question. Use je when addressing one person in an informal context.
morgen Morgen means tomorrow and sets the time for meegaan. In morgen meegaan, it comes before the action. Use it when making a plan for the following day.
meegaan Meegaan means to come or go along, here to join the photo walk. In Wil je morgen meegaan met een fotowandeling?, it describes joining the planned activity. Use meegaan met + an activity or person when inviting someone to join.
met In meegaan met een fotowandeling, met links the action of going along to the activity. It means with in this phrase. Use met + a noun for the person or activity accompanying an action.
een Een introduces fotowandeling as one unspecified photo walk. It comes directly before the singular noun. Use een + singular noun when mentioning an unspecified item or activity.
fotowandeling Fotowandeling names the planned activity: a walk focused on taking photos. In een fotowandeling, it is the noun after the article een. Use it when talking about going out to take photographs while walking.
Ik Ik means I and identifies the speaker as the subject in Ik wil... and Ik neem.... It appears at the beginning of both statements. Use Ik + a verb to describe your own plans, actions, or preferences.
meer Meer means more in meer oefenen, referring to additional practice. It comes before the activity oefenen. Use meer with an activity or noun when you want an increased amount.
oefenen Oefenen means to practise, here describing the activity the speaker wants to do with photography. It follows wil in wil meer oefenen. Use oefenen met + a skill or activity when describing what you practise.
fotografie Fotografie means photography, the subject of the practice in oefenen met fotografie. It follows met to name the skill being practised. Use it when discussing photography as an activity or field.
Het Het means the and identifies ochtendlicht as the relevant light in this situation. It comes directly before ochtendlicht. Use Het + a noun when referring to a specific thing.
ochtendlicht Ochtendlicht means morning light and is the subject being judged for photography. In Het ochtendlicht, it names the light available in the morning. Use it when discussing light conditions for an early outdoor activity.
zou In zou beter moeten zijn, zou makes the statement tentative and expresses an expectation that the light will be better. It comes before moeten. Use zou when making a cautious prediction or presenting something as likely rather than certain.
beter Beter means better and compares the morning light with another possible light condition. In beter moeten zijn, it describes the expected quality of the light. Use beter when comparing quality or suitability.
moeten In zou beter moeten zijn, moeten expresses that the light is expected or should be better. It follows zou and comes before zijn. Use moeten + an infinitive to express an expectation, requirement, or obligation.
zijn Zijn means be and completes the description of the morning light in beter moeten zijn. It follows moeten as the final verb in this phrase. Use an adjective + zijn to describe a condition or quality.
voor Voor marks the intended use of the light in voor straatfoto's: it is suitable for street photos. It comes before the noun naming that purpose. Use voor + a noun to say what something is intended or suitable for.
straatfoto's Straatfoto's means street photos, the type of photos for which the morning light is expected to be better. In voor straatfoto's, it names the intended photographic subject. Use it when discussing photographs made in streets or public urban spaces.
Wat Wat asks what in Wat zullen we eerst fotograferen? It introduces a question about the thing to choose. Use Wat zullen we... when asking what a group should do or choose.
zullen In Wat zullen we eerst fotograferen?, zullen helps make a joint suggestion about what to do. It is used with we and the infinitive fotograferen. Use Zullen we + infinitive? to suggest or decide on a shared action.
we We means we and refers to both people planning the photo walk. It is the subject after zullen in Wat zullen we eerst fotograferen? Use we + a verb for actions or plans shared by the speaker and others.
eerst Eerst means first and sets the order of the photography plan. In eerst fotograferen, it comes before the action to be done first. Use it when deciding the first step in a sequence.
fotograferen Fotograferen means to photograph, and in Wat zullen we eerst fotograferen? it names the action being planned. It follows zullen as an infinitive and has an object such as Wat or oude gebouwen. Use fotograferen + an object when discussing what to photograph.
kunnen Kunnen means can or be able to, here presenting an action as possible in We kunnen beginnen... and Dan kunnen we... vergelijken. It is followed by an infinitive. Use we kunnen + infinitive to propose a feasible next action.
beginnen Beginnen means start or begin, here describing the first photographic subjects. In kunnen beginnen met oude gebouwen, it follows kunnen and combines with met. Use beginnen met + a noun or activity to say what you start with.
oude Oude means old and describes gebouwen in oude gebouwen. It comes before the noun it modifies. Use an adjective before a noun to describe a feature of the thing being discussed.
gebouwen Gebouwen means buildings and names the first subjects for the photo walk. In oude gebouwen, it follows the adjective oude. Use it when talking about buildings as places or photographic subjects.
neem In Ik neem mijn kleine camera en een extra batterij mee, neem expresses taking or bringing items along. It is the form of nemen used with Ik and works with the particle mee. Use Ik neem ... mee when saying what you will bring to an activity.
mijn Mijn means my and shows that the camera belongs to or is associated with the speaker. It comes before kleine camera. Use mijn + a noun to identify something connected with you.
kleine Kleine means small and describes the camera in mijn kleine camera. It appears before the noun it describes. Use an adjective before a noun to specify its size or another quality.
camera Camera means camera and names one of the items the speaker will bring. In mijn kleine camera, it is described as the speaker's small camera. Use it when talking about the equipment used for photography.
en En means and and connects camera with extra batterij in the list of things to bring. It joins two items of equal importance. Use noun en noun when adding another item to a list.
extra Extra means additional and describes the battery as something brought in addition to the camera. It comes directly before batterij. Use extra + a noun for a spare or additional item.
batterij Batterij means battery and names the additional item being brought. In een extra batterij, it follows the article and adjective. Use it when discussing power supplies for equipment such as a camera.
mee In neem ... mee, mee signals that the camera and battery are taken along with the speaker. It is the particle in the expression neem ... mee. Use a verb with an object followed by mee when saying that something is brought along.
Laten In Laten we afspreken, Laten introduces a suggestion for a joint action. It is followed by we and the infinitive afspreken. Use Laten we + infinitive to propose doing something together.
afspreken Afspreken means arrange to meet or meet at an agreed time. In Laten we afspreken, it is the shared action being suggested. Use afspreken met + a person when arranging to meet someone.
voordat Voordat means before and introduces the time condition in voordat de straten druk worden. It shows that the meeting should happen earlier than the streets becoming busy. Use voordat + a clause to order two events in time.
de De means the and identifies straten as the streets relevant to the plan. It comes directly before straten. Use de + a noun when referring to a specific thing or group.
straten Straten means streets and is the subject of druk worden. In de straten, it refers to the streets that may become busy. Use it when discussing roads or public streets in an urban setting.
druk Druk means busy or crowded and describes the condition the streets will reach. In de straten druk worden, it appears before worden. Use druk worden to describe a place becoming busy.
worden Worden means become or get and describes a change in the streets' condition in druk worden. It follows the adjective druk in the clause. Use an adjective + worden when someone or something changes into a new state.
Dan Dan means then and marks the next step after meeting early. It connects the timing plan with comparing the photos later. Use Dan kunnen we + infinitive to describe what will happen next.
onze Onze means our and shows that the photos belong to or were made by both people. It comes before foto's in onze foto's. Use onze + a noun for something shared by the speaker and others.
foto's Foto's means photos and names the images that the two people will compare. In onze foto's, it refers to the photos made by both people. Use foto's vergelijken when discussing a comparison of images.
later Later means later and places vergelijken after the photo walk. In later vergelijken, it indicates a later follow-up action. Use it when an action will happen after the current activity rather than immediately.
vergelijken Vergelijken means compare, and in onze foto's later vergelijken it names the action performed on the photos. It follows kunnen as an infinitive and takes an object such as onze foto's. Use iets met iets vergelijken when examining two things side by side.

Grammar Points

worden + bijvoeglijk naamwoord

Straten worden druk.

STRAH-tun VOR-dun DRUHK.

Streets become busy.

worden expresses a change of state; the adjective describes the new state.

oude/kleine + meervoudig zelfstandig naamwoord

oude gebouwen

OW-duh khuh-BOW-un

old buildings

Before a plural noun, the adjective takes the -e ending: oude, kleine.

Dutch Vocabulary

beginnen verb
buh-KHIN-un to start
beter adj
BAY-tur better
eerst adv
AIRST first
fotograferen verb
foh-toh-khrah-FAY-run to photograph
fotografie noun
foh-toh-khrah-FEE photography
fotowandeling noun
FOH-toh-VAHN-duh-ling photo walk
meegaan verb
MAY-khahn to come along
morgen adv
MOR-khuh tomorrow
ochtendlicht noun
OKH-tunt-likht morning light
oefenen verb
OO-fuh-nun to practise
oud adj
OWT old oude
straatfoto noun
STRAHT-foh-toh street photo straatfoto's

Quiz

Word Order

Arrange the words in the correct order.

I could use more practice with photography.

Show AnswerIk wil meer oefenen met fotografie.

What should we photograph first?

Show AnswerWat zullen we eerst fotograferen?

We can start with old buildings.

Show AnswerWe kunnen beginnen met oude gebouwen.

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

better

Show Answerbeter

morning light

Show Answerochtendlicht

photography

Show Answerfotografie

to come along

Show Answermeegaan