Letting someone go first | Learn Dutch in English

Sentence explanations

1. Pardon, u mag voor mij gaan.

   Excuse me, you can go ahead of me.

   Pardon

   excuse me

   u mag

   you may / can

   voor mij

   ahead of me

   gaan

   go

   More detail

   Pardon is a polite way to get someone's attention or apologize briefly, much like “excuse me.” It is also used in Dutch in other situations where English uses “pardon.” u mag combines the formal second-person pronoun u with mag, the present form of mogen (“may,” “be allowed to,” or, in a context like this, “can”). u is the formal “you”; the same form can also refer to more than one person. The modal mag is followed by an infinitive: u mag gaan means “you may/can go.” This expresses permission or allowance here, rather than simply physical ability. voor mij means “ahead of me” in this sentence. The preposition voor can describe a position in front of someone, while mij is the stressed form of the first-person pronoun corresponding to “me.” In this context, the fixed translation makes the positional meaning clear: the listener may move ahead of the speaker. gaan is the infinitive “to go.” After a modal such as mag, Dutch keeps the lexical verb in the infinitive: mag gaan, not a conjugated form after mag. Together, Pardon, u mag voor mij gaan. politely gives the other person permission to go ahead of the speaker: “Excuse me, you can go ahead of me.”

2. Weet u het zeker? Ik wil uw plek niet innemen.

   Are you sure? I don't want to take your place.

   Weet

   know

   zeker

   sure; certain

   uw

   your (formal)

   plek

   place; spot

   niet

   not

   innemen

   take; occupy

   More detail

   Weet is the present-tense form of weten (“to know”) used with u in this question. The pattern weet u ...? asks “do you know ...?”; with het zeker, the fixed expression asks “Are you sure?” Example: Ik weet het niet. — “I don’t know.” zeker means “sure” or “certain.” In Weet u het zeker?, it combines with het and weet to express certainty about the matter being discussed. This is not a comparative form such as “more certain.” uw is the formal second-person possessive meaning “your.” It marks possession of the following noun and does not itself state how many owners or objects there are. Example: Uw jas ligt hier. — “Your coat is here.” plek is a noun meaning “place” or “spot.” Here it means a person’s place or position. Its plural is plekken: Er zijn twee vrije plekken. — “There are two free places.” niet is the ordinary Dutch negation word “not.” Here it negates the speaker’s wanting to perform the action, so wil ... niet means “does not want to.” innemen is the infinitive meaning “to take” or “to occupy.” With plek, it means “to take someone’s place.” Because it is a separable verb, a finite form can split: Zij neemt mijn plek in. — “She takes my place.” The first sentence is Weet u het zeker?: weet asks about knowing, u is the formal “you,” and het zeker completes the established pattern “be sure.” The second sentence starts with Ik wil (“I want”); uw plek is “your place,” niet negates the wanting, and innemen stays in the infinitive after wil. Together, Ik wil uw plek niet innemen. means “I don’t want to take your place.”

3. Geeft niet, uw tassen zien er zwaar uit.

   It's all right, your bags look heavy.

   Geeft niet

   It's all right; no problem

   uw

   your

   tassen

   bags

   zien er … uit

   look …

   zwaar

   heavy

   More detail

   Geeft niet is a fixed Dutch expression meaning “It’s all right” or “No problem.” Although geeft is also the third-person singular present form of geven (“to give”), that literal meaning is not intended in this expression. The expression is useful for reassuring someone or dismissing a problem. uw means “your” in the polite/formal form. It does not change for the gender or number of the thing possessed, so the same form can occur with a singular or plural noun. The previous sentence also uses formal u, which fits this polite form. tassen means “bags” here. Its singular base form is tas; tassen is its plural. For example: één tas means “one bag,” while twee tassen means “two bags.” zien er ... uit is the separated form of er ... uitzien, meaning “to look” in the sense of “to appear.” In the sentence, zien is the present-tense form used with the plural subject tassen, and uit appears at the end of the clause. The pattern is iets ziet er ... uit for a singular subject and dingen zien er ... uit for a plural subject. Example: De kamer ziet er netjes uit. — “The room looks tidy.” zwaar means “heavy.” It describes how the bags appear in this sentence. With er ... uitzien, an adjective commonly follows er: De tas ziet er zwaar uit. — “The bag looks heavy.” Together, uw tassen means “your bags,” and zien er zwaar uit says that they look heavy. The complete utterance is therefore: “It’s all right; your bags look heavy.”

4. Dat waardeer ik.

   I appreciate it.

   Dat

   it

   waardeer

   appreciate

   ik

   I

   More detail

   Dat means “it” here and functions as the object of appreciation. It is a Dutch demonstrative pronoun; in this use, the sentence does not identify a more specific referent. The form dat is used for a singular neuter referent, while dit is the corresponding “this” form. waardeer is the first-person singular present form of waarderen, “to appreciate.” The useful pattern is ik waardeer ... (“I appreciate ...”). The verb changes with the subject: ik waardeer, jij waardeert, but wij waarderen. In this sentence, waardeer comes before ik because the object Dat has been placed first; Dutch main clauses commonly keep the finite verb in second position. ik means “I” and is the subject of waardeer. The same subject–verb combination in ordinary order is Ik waardeer dat. (“I appreciate that.”) With the object first, Dat waardeer ik. keeps the same meaning while putting emphasis on what is appreciated. Together, Dat (“it”) + waardeer (“appreciate”) + ik (“I”) produce “I appreciate it.” The sentence expresses appreciation, while the exact thing being appreciated is supplied by context rather than named in the utterance itself.

5. Ik ben maar een minuutje aan de balie.

   I'll only be a minute at the counter.

   Ik ben

   I am

   maar

   only

   minuutje

   minute

   aan

   at

   balie

   counter

   More detail

   Ik ben is the first-person singular present form of zijn (“to be”): ik ben = “I am.” Other present forms include jij bent (“you are”) and wij zijn (“we are”). Dutch can use the present tense for an imminent or contextually understood future situation, which fits the English translation “I’ll only be a minute.” maar means “only” here. It limits the duration that follows. In other contexts, maar can mean “but,” as in Ik kom, maar ik blijf niet lang (“I’m coming, but I’m not staying long”). minuutje is the diminutive of minuut (“minute”). The ending -je commonly gives a smaller, softer, or more casual sense; een minuutje here means “a minute” or “just a minute,” presenting the stay as brief and informal rather than emphasizing an exact measurement. aan is a preposition that can mark a location. In aan de balie, it contributes the meaning “at” in “at the counter.” balie is the noun “counter” or “desk.” With the definite article, de balie means “the counter.” The article een before minuutje is separate from the diminutive noun. It does not by itself assert a numerical count; the whole expression een minuutje presents a short duration. Together, Ik ben maar een minuutje aan de balie means “I’ll only be a minute at the counter.” maar een minuutje limits the duration, while aan de balie identifies the location.

6. Ik kan nog even wachten.

   I can wait a little longer.

   Ik kan

   I can

   nog even

   a little longer

   wachten

   wait

   More detail

   Ik kan means “I can” here. Ik is the first-person singular pronoun “I”, and kan is a present-tense form of kunnen (“can; be able to”). In Dutch, a modal verb such as kunnen is followed by an infinitive: Ik kan wachten = “I can wait.” Kan is used with ik and also occurs with singular third-person subjects; jij/u can use kan in some usage, while kunt is also common for jij/u. Plural subjects use kunnen. nog even adds the idea that the waiting can continue for a short additional time. nog means “still” or “yet”, while even can indicate a brief period here. Together, nog even is a useful pattern for “a little longer” or “for a little while yet.” It does not itself state an exact duration. wachten is the infinitive “to wait.” After kan, it remains in the infinitive rather than taking a present-tense ending. For example: Ik kan nog even blijven. — “I can stay a little longer.” Here blijven (“to stay”) occupies the same infinitive position as wachten. The complete structure is Ik kan + nog even + wachten: “I can wait a little longer.” It presents the speaker as able to continue waiting for a short additional period.

7. Ik zal ervoor zorgen dat ik u niet ophoud.

   I'll make sure I don't hold you up.

   Ik zal

   I will

   ervoor zorgen dat

   make sure that

   u

   you

   niet

   not

   ophoud

   hold up; delay

   More detail

   Ik zal expresses “I will”: zal is the first-person singular present form of zullen, used here to form a future or intention. The subject is ik (“I”). For a different subject, the form changes: ik zal, but hij zal and wij zullen. ervoor zorgen dat is a reusable construction meaning “make sure that” or “see to it that.” The dat clause states what the speaker will ensure. Example: Ik zorg ervoor dat hij komt. — “I make sure that he comes.” u is the formal or polite second-person pronoun, functioning here as the person affected by the action. It can be used for one person or, depending on context, more than one person; its form does not itself state the number. niet negates the following situation: the speaker will ensure that the delaying does not happen. Its exact scope is understood together with ophoud in the subordinate clause. ophoud is the form of ophouden (“to stop” or “to delay/hold up”) used with first-person singular ik in this subordinate clause. In the fixed sentence, the relevant meaning is “hold you up.” Because ophouden is separable, its main-clause form is ik houd op, while after dat the conjugated form appears together at the end: dat ik ophoud. Example: Ik hoop dat ik niet ophoud. — “I hope I don’t hold things up.” Together, Ik zal ervoor zorgen dat introduces the speaker’s intended assurance, ik u niet ophoud says what will not happen, and the complete utterance means: “I’ll make sure I don’t hold you up.”