Waiting for your turn | Learn Dutch in English

Sentence explanations

1. Ik wacht nog steeds op mijn beurt.

   I am still waiting for my turn.

   Ik

   I

   wacht

   wait / am waiting

   nog steeds

   still

   op

   for

   mijn

   my

   beurt

   turn

   More detail

   Ik means “I” here: the speaker is the subject. Dutch personal pronouns change with their grammatical role; ik is the subject form, while mij is used in other roles, such as after a preposition. wacht is the present-tense form of wachten (“to wait”) for ik: ik wacht. The present tense can describe an action happening now, so it corresponds here to “am waiting.” Example: Ik wacht op de bus. — “I am waiting for the bus.” nog steeds means “still.” It presents the situation as continuing up to the relevant moment. It is a reusable adverbial expression: Zij werkt nog steeds hier. — “She still works here.” op belongs with wachten in the pattern wachten op + noun: “to wait for + noun.” The preposition is therefore not translated independently as a general choice here; it forms the normal Dutch construction with “wait.” Example: We wachten op hem. — “We are waiting for him.” mijn means “my,” showing possession by the speaker. It is the possessive form used before a noun; unlike a form such as ons, it does not itself indicate that the possessor is plural. Example: mijn tas — “my bag.” beurt means “turn,” as in a person’s opportunity or place in an order. The expression op mijn beurt can mean “in my turn,” while in this sentence wachten op mijn beurt means “wait for my turn.” Together, Ik wacht gives “I am waiting,” nog steeds shows that the waiting continues, and op mijn beurt specifies what the speaker is waiting for. The complete utterance means: “I am still waiting for my turn.”

2. Ze doen er vandaag lang over om iedereen op te roepen.

   They are taking a long time to call each person today.

   Ze

   they

   doen er … over

   take time

   vandaag

   today

   lang

   long

   iedereen

   everyone; each person

   op te roepen

   to call

   More detail

   Ze is a third-person plural pronoun meaning “they” here. Its form is used for a plural group; the sentence does not identify exactly who makes up that group. doen er ... over is part of the reusable Dutch time-expression er ... over doen: “to take/spend time.” doen is the present-tense plural form of doen (“to do”). In this construction, er and over belong together around the amount or description of time. For example: We doen er een uur over. — “We take an hour.” vandaag means “today” and places the situation on the current day. It can be moved in other sentences for emphasis, but here it occurs after the time-taking construction’s verb phrase. lang means “a long time” in this context: it describes the duration, not the physical length of an object. Its basic adjective form is lang; the comparative is langer (“longer”), and the superlative is langst (“longest”). For example: Het duurt lang. — “It takes a long time.” iedereen means “everyone” or, in this object position, “each person.” It is an indefinite pronoun referring to people as individuals taken together. It does not by itself state a particular numerical count. For example: Iedereen luistert. — “Everyone is listening.” op te roepen means “to call” here. The verb is the separable verb oproepen; with te in the infinitive, its parts appear as op te roepen. A finite form can separate in a different pattern: Ze roepen iedereen op. — “They call everyone.” The exact meaning of oproepen depends on context; in this sentence it is the act of calling each person. Together, Ze doen er vandaag lang over om iedereen op te roepen uses the pattern er ... lang over doen om ... te ...: “to take a long time to ...” The subject is “they,” the time is “today,” and the action taking a long time is calling each person. Thus the whole utterance means: “They are taking a long time to call each person today.”

3. Dus moet ik in de buurt blijven.

   So I should stay nearby.

   Dus

   so

   moet ik

   I should

   in de buurt

   nearby

   blijven

   stay

   More detail

   Dus links this sentence to what has just been established or inferred. Here it means “so” or “therefore,” rather than introducing a new event. Example: Dus ga ik naar huis. — “So I am going home.” moet ik contains the present-tense form moet of moeten (“must/need to”) and the subject pronoun ik (“I”). In this sentence, moet is understood as “should”: the speaker presents staying nearby as the appropriate or necessary action. Because Dus is placed first, Dutch main-clause word order puts the finite verb before the subject: Dus moet ik .... Compare the neutral order Ik moet ... — “I must/should ...”. in de buurt is a reusable prepositional expression meaning “nearby” or “in the vicinity.” buurt is the noun “neighborhood/area,” and de is its accompanying definite article; together, the expression is normally used for location rather than for naming a specific neighborhood. Example: De winkel is in de buurt. — “The shop is nearby.” blijven is the infinitive “to stay” or “to remain.” After a modal such as moeten, Dutch uses the infinitive: Ik moet blijven. — “I must stay.” The form blijven itself does not show who the subject is; the subject is supplied by ik. Taken together, Dus (“so”) + moet ik (“I should”) + in de buurt (“nearby”) + blijven (“stay”) gives: “So I should stay nearby.” The speaker presents remaining in the vicinity as the consequence or appropriate action, without specifying a more exact location.

4. Ze roepen je misschien snel op.

   They may call you soon.

   Ze

   they

   roepen … op

   call up

   je

   you

   misschien

   maybe

   snel

   soon

   More detail

   Ze means “they” here. It is an unstressed third-person plural subject pronoun. The sentence does not specify which people it refers to. Compare zij, the stressed or contrastive form of the same subject pronoun. roepen ... op is the separable verb oproepen, meaning “to call” or “summon” someone. In this sentence, roepen is the present-tense finite form used with the plural subject ze, while the particle op appears at the end of the clause. The object is placed between the verb and particle: Ze roepen je op (“They call you”). Do not treat op here as an independent preposition meaning “on”; it belongs to this verb. Je is the unstressed object form meaning “you”. It can refer to one addressee or to more than one, depending on context. The stressed form jou can be used for emphasis or contrast, as in Ze roepen jou op (“They call you, not someone else”). Misschien means “maybe” or “possibly”. It marks the call as uncertain rather than stating that it will definitely happen. Snel most literally means “quickly” or “fast”, but here it has a time meaning: “soon”. It refers to when the calling may happen, not to the speed of the calling. Together, Ze roepen je op gives “They call you”, misschien adds uncertainty, and snel places the possible call in the near future. The whole utterance therefore means: “They may call you soon.”

5. Welke balie moet ik in de gaten houden?

   Which counter should I watch?

   Welke

   which

   balie

   counter

   moet ik

   should I

   in de gaten houden

   watch / keep an eye on

   More detail

   Welke means “which” and selects one choice from a set. Before a singular noun with the common de type, Dutch uses welke; before a singular het noun, it uses welk. Example: Welke trein neem je? — “Which train are you taking?” balie means “counter” or “service desk.” Its plural is balies. In this utterance it is the counter being monitored, not a person working there. moet ik combines moet, the present-tense form of moeten for ik, with the subject pronoun ik (“I”). Moeten expresses necessity or obligation; in this question, the fixed translation naturally gives the practical meaning “should.” Dutch yes/no and information questions commonly place the finite verb before the subject: moet ik rather than statement order ik moet. Example: Moet ik wachten? — “Should I wait?” in de gaten houden is a fixed Dutch expression meaning “to keep an eye on” or “to watch.” The literal parts are not normally translated separately in this use. The verb houden is the infinitive here, following the finite modal moet; the construction can be reused with another object, for example Ik moet de deur in de gaten houden. — “I have to keep an eye on the door.” Together, Welke balie asks the listener to identify one counter, moet ik asks which one is necessary or advisable for the speaker to monitor, and in de gaten houden supplies the monitoring action. The complete utterance therefore means: “Which counter should I watch?”

6. Het scherm laat de juiste balie zien.

   The screen will show the right counter.

   scherm

   screen

   laat … zien

   shows

   juiste

   right; correct

   balie

   counter

   More detail

   scherm means “screen” here. Its base form is scherm; the plural is schermen. Dutch nouns are often learned together with their article: het scherm is “the screen.” laat ... zien is the separable verb construction laten zien, meaning “to show.” In this sentence, laat is the present-tense form of laten, with het scherm as the subject; zien remains at the end of the clause. The two parts work together, so do not interpret laat alone as the main meaning “shows.” Example: De gids laat de kaart zien. — “The guide shows the map.” juiste means “right” or “correct” in the sense of the one that is appropriate. Its base form is juist; before the definite noun phrase de juiste balie, the adjective has the -e form juiste. This is different from a directional use such as “right” meaning the opposite of “left.” balie means “counter” or “service desk” here. Its plural is balies. The phrase de juiste balie means “the right counter,” identifying the appropriate desk rather than asserting a numerical quantity. Together, het scherm is the subject, laat ... zien expresses what it will show, and de juiste balie is what is shown. The complete meaning is: “The screen will show the right counter.”

7. Dan houd ik het kaartje in mijn hand.

   Then I'll keep the ticket in my hand.

   Dan

   then

   houd

   keep

   ik

   I

   kaartje

   ticket

   mijn

   my

   hand

   hand

   More detail

   Dan means “then” here: it links this action to the earlier situation in time or sequence. It commonly appears at the start of a sentence, as in Dan ga ik naar huis (“Then I go home”). houd is the present-tense form of houden (“to hold” or “to keep”) for ik (“I”): ik houd. In this sentence, it describes keeping or holding the ticket in the hand. The same verb can also mean “like” in another construction, such as Ik houd van muziek (“I like music”); that is a different use. ik is the first-person singular subject pronoun, “I.” The verb form houd agrees with this subject. In a question, Dutch can invert them: Houd ik het kaartje vast? means “Am I holding the ticket?” kaartje means “ticket” here. It is a noun formed from kaart (“card” or “map”) with the diminutive ending -je; depending on context, a diminutive can indicate a smaller item or a familiar/specific item. The article het before it shows that kaartje is a neuter noun: het kaartje. Do not treat kaartje as the same word as the unmodified noun kaart in every context; the diminutive is its own noun form. mijn means “my” and indicates possession. It does not change for the possessor’s gender or number: mijn kaartje (“my ticket”) and mijn hand (“my hand”). A useful contrast is jouw (“your”), as in jouw kaartje (“your ticket”). hand means “hand.” In the fixed phrase, it occurs after the preposition in and after the possessive mijn: in mijn hand (“in my hand”). For a hand as a noun, the ordinary definite article is de: de hand (“the hand”). Together, houd ik het kaartje forms “I keep/hold the ticket,” and in mijn hand states where it is being kept. With Dan at the beginning, the whole utterance means: “Then I’ll keep the ticket in my hand.” Dutch uses the present form houd with ik here; the future meaning comes from the sequence or context rather than from a separate future auxiliary.

8. Dat maakt het makkelijker als je aan de beurt bent.

   That makes it easier when your turn comes.

   Dat

   That

   maakt

   makes

   makkelijker

   easier

   als

   when

   je

   you

   aan de beurt bent

   are having your turn

   More detail

   Dat is a demonstrative pronoun meaning “that.” Here it is the subject of the sentence; the fixed translation identifies what is being said as “that,” without requiring a more specific noun referent. maakt is the present-tense form of maken (“to make”) for a third-person singular subject: maken → maakt. In this sentence, Dat maakt ... means “That makes ...”. makkelijker is the comparative form of makkelijk (“easy”): makkelijk → makkelijker (“easier”). It compares the situation with a less easy alternative, without stating exactly what that alternative is. For example: Deze oefening is makkelijker. — “This exercise is easier.” als introduces the time condition here and means “when.” Dutch als can also introduce a condition meaning “if,” so the surrounding meaning determines the reading. In this sentence, the intended reading is the time-related “when.” je is the informal second-person singular subject pronoun, “you.” In als je ... bent, it is the subject of the subordinate clause and corresponds to “your” in the fixed translation because the clause describes the time when you have a turn. aan de beurt bent is the Dutch expression for “it is your turn” or “you are having your turn.” The expression is built with aan de beurt zijn; bent is the present-tense second-person singular form of zijn (“to be”). In the subordinate clause, the finite verb comes at the end: als je aan de beurt bent — “when it is your turn.” Together, Dat maakt het makkelijker means “That makes it easier,” and als je aan de beurt bent specifies when: “when your turn comes.” The whole utterance therefore means “That makes it easier when your turn comes.”