Checking meeting room equipment | Learn Dutch in English

Sentence explanations

1. We moeten de apparatuur in de vergaderruimte controleren.

   We should check the meeting room equipment.

   We moeten

   we should

   apparatuur

   equipment

   vergaderruimte

   meeting room

   controleren

   check

   More detail

   We moeten means “we should” here. we is the first-person plural subject, and moeten is the present-tense form of moeten for “we.” This modal verb can express necessity (“must/have to”) or a recommendation (“should”); the fixed translation supports the recommendation reading here. After a modal verb, Dutch normally places the other verb in the infinitive: We moeten controleren means “We should check.” apparatuur means “equipment.” It is a noun referring to equipment as a general mass or collection, rather than normally marking individual items with a plural in this use. In the sentence, the definite article de belongs to this noun phrase: de apparatuur means “the equipment.” vergaderruimte means “meeting room.” It is a Dutch compound noun: vergader relates to meeting, and ruimte means “room” or “space.” The compound is treated as one noun, and de is its definite article: de vergaderruimte. A useful related contrast is vergadering (“meeting”), which names the event, while vergaderruimte names the place. controleren is the infinitive “to check.” Its form does not show the subject here; moeten carries the modal and controleren remains in the infinitive. For example, We controleren de apparatuur. means “We check the equipment,” without the modal idea. Together, de apparatuur in de vergaderruimte means “the equipment in the meeting room.” The prepositional phrase in de vergaderruimte specifies which equipment is meant. Combining it with We moeten and the infinitive controleren gives: “We should check the meeting room equipment.”

2. De vergadering begint zo.

   The meeting starts soon.

   vergadering

   meeting

   begint

   starts

   zo

   soon

   More detail

   vergadering means “meeting” here. It is a noun; its plural is vergaderingen. The preceding de is the definite article, so de vergadering means “the meeting.” begint means “starts” in this sentence. Its base form is beginnen (“to begin/start”). begint is the present-tense form used with a singular subject such as de vergadering; for example, De les begint om negen uur. means “The lesson starts at nine o’clock.” zo means “soon” here, referring to a time shortly ahead. Dutch zo can also mean “so” or “in this way” in other contexts, but the time meaning is the one supported by this sentence. For example, Ik kom zo. means “I’ll come soon.” Together, De vergadering (“the meeting”) + begint (“starts”) + zo (“soon”) produces: “The meeting starts soon.” The sentence is a simple present-tense statement about an event expected shortly.

3. Laten we het nu doen.

   Let's do it now.

   Laten we

   let's

   het

   it

   nu

   now

   doen

   do

   More detail

   Laten we is the standard Dutch construction for “let’s” when suggesting that the speaker and the listener(s) do something together. It uses laten (“let” or “have”) with we (“we”); in this construction, the following verb stays in the infinitive. For example: Laten we beginnen. — “Let’s begin.” het is a neuter singular pronoun. Here it means “it,” referring to the action or matter understood in the situation; the sentence does not specify exactly what that is. Dutch also uses het as the definite article for neuter singular nouns, but its role here is a pronoun. nu is the adverb “now,” placing the proposed action at the present time. For comparison, zo means “soon” or “in a moment,” as in De vergadering begint zo. — “The meeting starts soon.” doen is the infinitive “to do.” After Laten we, the infinitive names the action being proposed: Laten we lezen. means “Let’s read.” The form doen is the base form; a present-tense form with we is also doen, as in We doen het nu. — “We are doing it now.” Together, Laten we introduces a joint suggestion, het doen supplies the action “do it,” and nu specifies when. The complete utterance therefore means: “Let’s do it now.”

4. Is de projector op de laptop aangesloten?

   Is the projector connected to the laptop?

   projector

   projector

   op

   to / on

   laptop

   laptop

   aangesloten

   connected

   More detail

   projector means “projector” here. It is a loanword used as a noun; its plural is projectoren. In this sentence, de projector is the subject: “the projector.” op means “on” or “to,” depending on the relation being expressed. With a device connection, as in op de laptop aangesloten, it marks the device to which something is connected. The fixed translation supports “to the laptop” here. laptop means “laptop.” It is a noun, and the phrase de laptop refers to the laptop as a definite, identifiable device. For example, De laptop staat op tafel. means “The laptop is on the table.” aangesloten means “connected” here. It is the past participle of aansluiten (“to connect”); the participle is used with zijn in is aangesloten to describe a resulting state. For example, De kabel is aangesloten. means “The cable is connected.” Do not confuse this with the active verb aansluiten: Ik sluit de kabel aan. means “I connect the cable.” The question begins with Is, the third-person singular present form of zijn (“to be”), followed by the subject de projector. Dutch commonly forms this kind of yes/no question by placing the finite verb before the subject: Is de projector ...? The rest is op de laptop aangesloten: the connection relation followed by the connected state. Together, Is de projector op de laptop aangesloten? asks whether the projector is connected to the laptop: “Is the projector connected to the laptop?”

5. Ja, maar deze kabel zit een beetje los.

   It is, but this cable feels a little loose.

   Ja

   yes

   maar

   but

   deze

   this

   kabel

   cable

   zit

   is situated

   een beetje

   a little

   los

   loose

   More detail

   Ja means “yes” and confirms the preceding question’s basic situation. maar means “but” and introduces a qualification or contrast. Together, Ja, maar is a reusable way to agree and then add a problem or correction. deze means “this” and points to a specific item. In Dutch, deze is used with singular de-nouns and with plural nouns. kabel is a singular de-noun, so deze kabel means “this cable”. The contrasting form dit is used with singular het-nouns. Example: Deze kabel is lang. — “This cable is long.” kabel means “cable”; its plural is kabels. zit is the third-person singular present form of zitten, whose basic meaning is “sit”. Dutch also uses zitten to describe an object’s position or condition. Here, deze kabel zit ... presents the cable as being in a particular condition. Example: De stekker zit goed vast. — “The plug is firmly secured.” een beetje means “a little” or “slightly”. Here it reduces the strength of the description that follows: the cable is loose to a small degree. los means “loose” here: the cable is not firmly secured or connected. A useful opposite is vast, meaning “tight” or “secure”. Example: De kabel zit vast. — “The cable is secure.” In this sentence, los is a predicative adjective and does not take an ending; zit carries the verb inflection. The whole utterance combines Ja, maar + deze kabel + zit + een beetje + los: “Yes, but this cable feels a little loose.” The Dutch use of zitten presents the cable as being in that loose condition, while een beetje makes the description mild.

6. Laten we de microfoon testen voordat de mensen komen.

   Let's test the microphone before people arrive.

   Laten we

   let’s

   de microfoon

   the microphone

   testen

   test

   voordat

   before

   de mensen

   people

   komen

   come

   More detail

   Laten we is a reusable way to propose an action together: Laten we + infinitive means “let’s …”. In this construction, laten is followed by we and then the infinitive of the proposed action. Example: Laten we beginnen. — “Let’s begin.” de microfoon means “the microphone.” microfoon is a noun; its plural is microfoons. de is the Dutch definite article used with this noun, and it does not itself express a numerical count. Example: De microfoon staat hier. — “The microphone is here.” testen is the infinitive “to test.” The present forms include ik test (“I test”) and wij testen (“we test”); the form here is the infinitive because it follows Laten we. Example: We testen de kabel. — “We test the cable.” voordat is a subordinating conjunction meaning “before.” It introduces an event that occurs later in the stated time order. In a Dutch subordinate clause introduced by voordat, the finite verb normally comes at the end. Example: Bel me voordat je vertrekt. — “Call me before you leave.” de mensen means “people” here. mensen is the plural of mens (“person”); this plural is irregular rather than being formed by simply adding the regular plural ending to the singular. de is the definite article used with this plural noun phrase; Dutch definite plurals can correspond to an English bare plural such as “people.” Example: De mensen wachten. — “The people are waiting.” komen means “come” here. It is the present-tense plural form used with de mensen, and it is also the infinitive of the verb komen. Because it appears in the subordinate clause after voordat, it is placed at the end: voordat de mensen komen. Example: De mensen komen morgen. — “The people are coming tomorrow.” Dutch present tense can describe a scheduled or expected future event when the context supports that reading. Together, Laten we de microfoon testen proposes that the speaker and listener test the microphone. voordat de mensen komen adds the time condition, with komen at the end of the subordinate clause. The whole utterance means: “Let’s test the microphone before people arrive.”

7. Hij werkt, maar het volume is laag.

   It works, but the volume is low.

   Hij

   it (here)

   werkt

   works

   maar

   but

   volume

   volume

   is

   is

   laag

   low

   More detail

   Hij is the Dutch third-person singular pronoun. Although it often means “he,” it can also refer to a common-gender de-noun, including a nonhuman thing. Here it is translated as “it.” The supplied context makes the microphone a compatible possible referent, but the texts do not uniquely identify the referent of this pronoun. A neuter het-noun uses het as its pronoun. Example: De telefoon werkt. Hij werkt goed. — “The phone works. It works well.” werkt means “works” here. It is the present-tense singular form of werken (“to work”): ik werk, hij/zij werkt. In this sentence, the -t form agrees with the singular third-person subject. Example: Zij werkt thuis. — “She works at home.” maar means “but” and connects two statements with a contrast. Example: Ik kom, maar ik blijf niet lang. — “I’m coming, but I’m not staying long.” volume is the noun “volume,” here meaning sound level. It appears with the definite article in het volume. Example: Het volume staat hoog. — “The volume is set high.” is is the present-tense singular form of zijn (“to be”): hij is, het is, and het volume is. Example: Het geluid is duidelijk. — “The sound is clear.” laag means “low” here and describes the volume level. Its comparative form is lager (“lower”): Het volume is lager. — “The volume is lower.” As a predicate adjective after is, it describes het volume. Together, Hij werkt means “It works.” maar introduces the contrast, and het volume is laag states that the sound level is low. The complete utterance means: “It works, but the volume is low.”

8. Ik zet het volume iets hoger.

   I'll turn it up a little.

   Ik

   I

   zet

   turn / set

   volume

   volume

   hoger

   higher / up

   More detail

   Ik means “I” and is the first-person singular subject pronoun. It does not identify the speaker’s gender. Dutch subject pronouns include ik “I,” jij/je “you” singular, and hij/zij/ze “he/she/they,” with the choice depending on the referent and construction. zet is the first-person singular present form of zetten, whose basic meanings include “to put” and, in suitable contexts, “to set” or “to adjust.” Here, with a volume level and hoger, it means “turn up” or “raise,” rather than physically putting something somewhere. Useful forms are zetten (infinitive), zet (present with ik), zette (past singular), and gezet (past participle). Example: Ik zet de muziek zachter. — “I turn the music down.” volume is the noun “volume,” here meaning the loudness level of the audio. Dutch uses it with the article het: het volume. Its plural is volumes. Example: Het volume is laag. — “The volume is low.” hoger is the comparative form of hoog (“high”). In this sentence it describes increasing the volume level: hoger means “higher” or, naturally in English for this control, “up.” Dutch comparatives commonly use the -er form: hoog → hoger (“high” → “higher”). Example: De prijs is hoger. — “The price is higher.” Together, Ik zet het volume identifies the speaker as the person adjusting the audio level, and iets hoger specifies a small increase. The Dutch present form zet can describe an immediate intended action; with the fixed translation, the complete meaning is “I’ll turn it up a little.”

9. Dat klinkt beter. De ruimte is klaar.

   That sounds better. The room is ready.

   Dat

   that

   klinkt

   sounds

   beter

   better

   ruimte

   room/space

   klaar

   ready

   More detail

   Dat is a Dutch demonstrative pronoun meaning “that” here. It functions as the subject of klinkt; its exact referent is understood from the situation rather than being named in this sentence. Dutch also uses dit for “this” in the corresponding singular-neuter contrast: Dit klinkt beter. means “This sounds better.” klinkt is the present-tense form of klinken, “to sound.” In this sentence it is the third-person singular form, matching dat: dat klinkt. The same verb can describe how something sounds, for example De muziek klinkt zacht. — “The music sounds soft.” beter means “better” and is the comparative form of goed (“good”): goed → beter → het best (“the best”). It compares the sound with an earlier or alternative state; the comparison is supplied by the situation, not by an explicit second item in this sentence. The phrase klinkt beter therefore means that it sounds better than before or than the relevant alternative. ruimte is a noun meaning “room” or “space.” In the fixed translation, the intended sense is “room.” Dutch commonly uses the article de with this noun, giving de ruimte; the article is separate from the quoted noun. The sentence does not state how many rooms there are. klaar means “ready” here. With is, it is a predicate adjective: de ruimte is klaar says that the room is ready. Dutch adjectives used after a linking verb such as zijn do not take the attributive ending used before many nouns: compare De ruimte is klaar. — “The room is ready.” Together, Dat klinkt beter. means “That sounds better”: dat is the subject, klinkt expresses how it sounds, and beter gives the comparison. De ruimte is klaar. means “The room is ready”: de ruimte is the subject, is is the present form of zijn (“to be”), and klaar describes the room’s state. The two short sentences are separate statements.