Waiting for your turn | Learn Dutch in English

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Use Waiting for your turn to practice Dutch conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

Ik wacht nog steeds op mijn beurt.

ik VAHKHT nokh STAYS op mine BUHRT. I am still waiting for my turn.

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

zuh doon ur vuhn-DAAKH LAHNG OH-vur om EE-duh-RAYN op tuh ROO-pun. They are taking a long time to call each person today.

Dus moet ik in de buurt blijven.

duhs MOOT ik in duh BUHRT BLY-vun. So I should stay nearby.

Ze roepen je misschien snel op.

zuh ROO-pun yuh muh-SKHEEN snell op. They may call you soon.

Welke balie moet ik in de gaten houden?

VEL-kuh BAH-lee MOOT ik in duh GAH-tun HOW-dun? Which counter should I watch?

Het scherm laat de juiste balie zien.

hut SKHEHRM laht duh YOW-stuh BAH-lee ZEEN. The screen will show the right counter.

Dan houd ik het kaartje in mijn hand.

dahn HOWT ik ut KAHR-chuh in mine hahnt. Then I'll keep the ticket in my hand.

Dat maakt het makkelijker als je aan de beurt bent.

daht MAHKT ut MAH-kuh-luh-kur ahls yuh ahn duh BUHRT bent. That makes it easier when your turn comes.

Word by Word

Ik “Ik” means “I” and identifies the speaker in “Ik wacht nog steeds op mijn beurt.” It is used before the verb in a normal statement, for example “Ik wacht”. In a new example, you could use “Ik kom morgen” to say “I am coming tomorrow.”

wacht “wacht” means “wait” in “Ik wacht nog steeds op mijn beurt.” Here it describes waiting for an expected turn, and it is followed by “op” for what someone is waiting for. A common pattern is “Ik wacht op ...” when you are waiting for a person or thing.

nog “nog” contributes the meaning “still” in “Ik wacht nog steeds op mijn beurt.” Together with “steeds”, it emphasizes that the waiting continues. You can reuse “nog” with an ongoing action, such as in the new example “Ik ben nog hier” for “I am still here.”

steeds “steeds” reinforces the continuing meaning of “nog” in “Ik wacht nog steeds op mijn beurt.” The expression “nog steeds” means that the situation has not changed up to now. It is useful for ongoing situations, such as the new example “Het regent nog steeds” for “It is still raining.”

op In “Ik wacht nog steeds op mijn beurt”, “op” introduces what the person is waiting for. In “op te roepen”, it is part of the expression for calling people up. Use “wachten op ...” when naming the person or thing you are waiting for.

mijn “mijn” means “my” in “mijn beurt” and shows that the turn belongs to the speaker. It comes directly before the noun it describes. A common pattern is “mijn” plus a noun, as in the new example “mijn ticket” for “my ticket.”

beurt “beurt” means “turn” in “mijn beurt.” It refers to the time when this person will be called or served. The common expression “aan de beurt” is used when it is someone’s turn.

Ze “Ze” means “they” in “Ze doen er vandaag lang over om iedereen op te roepen” and “Ze roepen je misschien snel op.” It refers to the people responsible for calling or serving the waiting people. It appears before the verb in these statements.

doen “doen” is part of “Ze doen er vandaag lang over om iedereen op te roepen”, which says that they take a long time to call everyone. In this time expression, “doen ... over” describes the time needed for an activity. A reusable pattern is “Ik doe er lang over om ...” when saying that an activity takes you a long time.

er “er” is a fixed part of the time expression “Ze doen er vandaag lang over”. It helps form the expression for taking a certain amount of time; it does not refer to a particular place here. Reuse it in a pattern such as “Het duurt lang” or, with this construction, “Ik doe er vijf minuten over.”

vandaag “vandaag” means “today” in “Ze doen er vandaag lang over om iedereen op te roepen.” It specifies when the slow calling is happening. It can be placed with a statement about something happening on the current day, such as the new example “Vandaag wacht ik hier” for “Today I am waiting here.”

lang “lang” means “a long time” in “Ze doen er vandaag lang over”. It describes the amount of time needed for calling everyone. With “doen ... over”, it forms a common way to say that an activity takes a long time.

over “over” is part of the time expression “Ze doen er vandaag lang over”. Together with “doen er ... over”, it indicates the time an activity takes. A reusable pattern is “Hoe lang doe je erover?” when asking how much time someone needs.

om “om” introduces the purpose or activity in “om iedereen op te roepen”. Here it starts the pattern “om ... te” before the infinitive. Use “om ... te” when explaining what someone takes time or makes an effort to do.

iedereen “iedereen” means “everyone” in “om iedereen op te roepen.” It refers to all the people waiting, considered together. It can be used as the object of an action, as in the new example “Ik ken iedereen” for “I know everyone.”

te “te” is the infinitive marker in “om iedereen op te roepen”. It comes before “roepen” because the activity is introduced by “om”. The reusable pattern is “om ... te” plus an action, such as the new example “om te wachten” for “in order to wait.”

roepen “roepen” means “call” in “op te roepen”, where the people are called so they can take their turn. It appears after “te” in the expression introduced by “om”. A common pattern is “iemand roepen” when calling someone, while “iemand op te roepen” expresses calling someone up.

Dus “Dus” means “so” in “Dus moet ik in de buurt blijven.” It connects this decision with the earlier information that calling everyone takes a long time. It is commonly placed at the start of a conclusion or consequence.

moet “moet” expresses necessity or what the speaker should do in “Dus moet ik in de buurt blijven.” Here it is followed by “ik” and the action “in de buurt blijven”. A reusable pattern is “Ik moet ...” when saying what you need or should do.

in “in” means “in” in “in de buurt blijven”, describing staying within the nearby area. It is followed by the article “de” and the noun “buurt” in this expression. The same preposition can introduce a place, as in the new example “in de wachtkamer” for “in the waiting room.”

de “de” is the definite article in “de buurt” and means “the” in that noun phrase. It comes directly before “buurt”. It is also used in the expression “in de gaten houden”, where it is part of the complete expression.

buurt “buurt” means “nearby area” in “in de buurt blijven”. The phrase describes remaining close enough to be called. A common pattern is “in de buurt van ...” when specifying what or whom someone is near.

blijven “blijven” means “stay” or “remain” in “in de buurt blijven.” It describes not leaving the nearby area while waiting. After “moet”, it appears as the action the speaker needs to carry out, as in “Ik moet blijven.”

je “je” means “you” in “Ze roepen je misschien snel op” and “je aan de beurt bent.” In the first sentence it is the person being called; in the second it refers to the person whose turn it is. Its exact role depends on the surrounding expression and word order.

misschien “misschien” means “maybe” in “Ze roepen je misschien snel op.” It shows that the speaker is uncertain about whether the call will happen soon. It can be placed before the time or manner information in a sentence, as here before “snel”.

snel “snel” means “soon” in “Ze roepen je misschien snel op.” It says that the calling may happen after only a short wait. It can also describe speed in another context, but here its meaning is about near future timing.

Welke “Welke” means “which” in “Welke balie moet ik in de gaten houden?” It asks the listener to choose one counter from the relevant counters. It comes before the noun “balie” in this question.

balie “balie” means “counter” or “desk” in “Welke balie moet ik in de gaten houden?” It refers to the service point shown or watched in the waiting area. A common pattern is “bij de balie” when saying that someone is at the counter.

in de gaten houden “in de gaten houden” is the complete expression meaning “keep an eye on” or “watch” in “Welke balie moet ik in de gaten houden?” The components “in”, “de”, “gaten”, and “houden” belong together in this expression; together they describe monitoring something, not four separate actions. A reusable pattern is “Ik houd ... in de gaten”, keeping the object between “houd” and “in de gaten” when saying what you are watching.

Het “Het” means “the” in “Het scherm laat de juiste balie zien.” It is the definite article before “scherm”. It identifies the particular screen in the waiting area.

scherm “scherm” means “screen” in “Het scherm laat de juiste balie zien.” It is the display that gives information about the correct counter. A common pattern is “op het scherm” when saying that information appears on a screen.

laat “laat” is part of “laat ... zien”, which means “shows” in “Het scherm laat de juiste balie zien.” Together with “zien”, it expresses that the screen makes the counter visible or indicates it. A reusable pattern is “iets laten zien” for showing something.

juiste “juiste” means “right” or “correct” in “de juiste balie”. It identifies the counter that the person should use. It comes before the noun “balie” and helps distinguish the correct one from other counters.

zien “zien” means “see”, but in “laat de juiste balie zien” it completes the expression “laten zien”, meaning “show”. The screen is the thing that shows the correct counter. A common pattern is “iets laten zien” when one person or thing shows something to someone.

Dan “Dan” means “then” in “Dan houd ik het kaartje in mijn hand.” It introduces the speaker’s next action as a consequence of the information about watching the screen. It is commonly used at the start of a sentence to connect one action with what came before.

houd “houd” means “keep” or “hold” in “houd ik het kaartje in mijn hand.” It describes keeping the ticket physically in the speaker’s hand. With “in de gaten houden”, a related form of the same verb helps express watching something, but here the object is held physically.

kaartje “kaartje” means “ticket” in “het kaartje”. The ending gives the word the form used for this small ticket or ticket-like item. It appears after “het” and is the object of “houd” in the sentence.

hand “hand” means “hand” in “in mijn hand.” The phrase says where the ticket is kept. A common pattern is “in mijn hand” when describing something held by the speaker.

Dat “Dat” means “that” in “Dat maakt het makkelijker als je aan de beurt bent.” It refers back to keeping the ticket ready in the hand. It is the subject of “maakt” in this statement about the result.

maakt “maakt” means “makes” in “Dat maakt het makkelijker”. It describes the effect of keeping the ticket ready: the situation becomes easier. A reusable pattern is “Dat maakt het ...” followed by a description of the result.

makkelijker “makkelijker” means “easier” in “Dat maakt het makkelijker”. It describes a reduced difficulty compared with not having the ticket ready. It follows “maakt” in the pattern “iets maakt het makkelijker” when explaining what helps.

als “als” means “when” in “als je aan de beurt bent.” It introduces the situation in which the result matters: the moment when it is your turn. It can also introduce a condition, but here the sentence refers to the expected turn arriving.

aan de beurt “aan de beurt” is the complete expression meaning “it is one’s turn” in “als je aan de beurt bent.” The components “aan”, “de”, and “beurt” form the expression together; “aan” links the person to the turn, “de” is the article, and “beurt” means the turn itself. A reusable pattern is “Je bent aan de beurt” for telling someone that it is their turn.

bent “bent” means “are” in “je aan de beurt bent.” Together with “aan de beurt” it says that your turn has arrived or is current. It appears after the expression in this subordinate clause, following “als”.

Grammar Points

aan de beurt zijn

aan de beurt bent

ahn duh BUHRT bent

are next; have your turn

This fixed expression uses aan de beurt plus zijn. The verb changes with the subject; here zijn becomes bent.

makkelijk → makkelijker

makkelijker

MAH-kuh-luh-kur

easier

Dutch commonly forms the comparative by adding -er to an adjective: makkelijk becomes makkelijker.

Dutch Vocabulary

balie noun

BAH-lee counter; desk

Welke balie moet ik in de gaten houden?

beurt noun

BUHRT turn

Ik wacht nog steeds op mijn beurt.

blijven verb

BLY-vun to stay

Dus moet ik in de buurt blijven.

iedereen pron

EE-duh-RAYN everyone

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

in de buurt phrase

in duh BUHRT nearby

Dus moet ik in de buurt blijven.

misschien adv

muh-SKHEEN perhaps; maybe

Ze roepen je misschien snel op.

nog steeds adv

nokh STAYS still

Ik wacht nog steeds op mijn beurt.

oproepen verb

OP-ROO-pun to call someone op te roepen

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

snel adv

snell soon; quickly

Ze roepen je misschien snel op.

vandaag adv

vuhn-DAAKH today

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

wachten verb

VAHKH-tun to wait wacht

Ik wacht nog steeds op mijn beurt.

welke det

VEL-kuh which

Welke balie moet ik in de gaten houden?

Quiz

Word Order

Arrange the words in the correct order.

They may call you soon.

Show Answer

Ze roepen je misschien snel op.

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

turn

Show Answer

beurt

perhaps; maybe

Show Answer

misschien

to stay

Show Answer

blijven

today

Show Answer

vandaag