Booking a quiet room and leaving it tidy | Learn Dutch in English

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Use Booking a quiet room and leaving it tidy to practice Dutch conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

Ik heb een rustige kamer nodig voor een telefoongesprek.

ik hep uhn RUHS-tuh-guh KAH-mur NOH-dikh fohr uhn tuh-lee-FOHNG-uh-sprek. I need a quiet room for a call.

Kijk eerst in de agenda van het gedeelde kantoor.

KAYK ayrst in duh ah-ZHEN-dah vahn ut ghuh-DAYL-duh kun-TOHR. Check the shared office calendar first.

De kleine kamer lijkt vanmiddag beschikbaar.

duh KLY-nuh KAH-mur laykt vahn-muh-DAKH buh-SKIK-bahr. The small room looks available this afternoon.

Voeg de reservering aan de agenda toe voordat je de kamer gebruikt.

foohkh duh reh-zer-VAY-ring ahn duh ah-ZHEN-dah too fohr-DAHT yuh duh KAH-mur ghuh-BROYKT. Add the booking to the calendar before you use it.

Moet ik na het telefoongesprek nog iets doen?

moot ik nah ut tuh-lee-FOHNG-uh-sprek nokh its doon? Should I do anything after the call?

Ruim het bureau op en neem je spullen mee.

roym ut buh-ROH ohp en naym yuh SPUH-lun may. Clear the desk and take your things with you.

Ik laat het bureau netjes achter voordat ik wegga.

ik laht ut buh-ROH NET-yus AKH-tur fohr-DAHT ik WEKH-ghah. I'll leave it tidy before I go.

Dat helpt de volgende persoon om zonder problemen te beginnen.

daht helpt duh FOHL-ghun-duh pur-SOHN om ZON-dur proh-BLAY-mun tuh buh-GIN-nun. That helps the next person get started smoothly.

Word by Word

Ik “Ik” means “I” and identifies the speaker as the person who needs the room. It is used as the subject in “Ik heb een rustige kamer nodig” and can be reused before an action or statement about yourself.

heb In “Ik heb een rustige kamer nodig”, “heb” is the form of hebben used with “Ik”; together with “nodig”, the whole expression means “I need a quiet room”. A reusable pattern is Ik heb [object] nodig, with the needed thing in the middle.

een “Een” introduces “rustige kamer” as one non-specific room, meaning “a” or “an”. It is placed before a singular noun phrase and can introduce an unspecified person, thing, or place.

rustige “Rustige” means “quiet” here and describes the room in “een rustige kamer”. It is placed before the noun it describes; the same pattern can be used with another adjective and noun.

kamer “Kamer” means “room”, specifically the room being requested and later used. It appears after the article and adjective in “een rustige kamer”; it can refer to a room in an office or another building.

nodig In “Ik heb een rustige kamer nodig”, “nodig” expresses that the speaker requires the room, so the whole expression means “I need a quiet room”. The reusable pattern Ik heb [something] nodig is useful when stating a need.

voor “Voor” means “for” in “voor een telefoongesprek” and shows the purpose of the room. It can be placed before a noun to say what something is intended for.

telefoongesprek “Telefoongesprek” means “telephone call” and is the purpose in “voor een telefoongesprek”. It can be used after voor when explaining that a room, time, or place is for a call.

Kijk “Kijk” tells the other person to check or look in the calendar. In “Kijk eerst in de agenda”, it is a direct instruction and can be used at the start of a request to inspect something.

eerst “Eerst” means “first” and places checking the calendar before the other actions. It can be used with an instruction to show what should happen before something else.

in “In” means “in” in “in de agenda”, indicating where the person should look. It is commonly placed before a noun naming a place, document, or resource.

de “De” marks “agenda” as a specific calendar in “de agenda van het gedeelde kantoor”. It is used before a definite noun phrase when the listener can identify the item being discussed.

agenda “Agenda” means “calendar” here, the shared office calendar that should be checked. It appears after “in de” and can be used for a calendar in which appointments or bookings are recorded.

van “Van” links “agenda” to “het gedeelde kantoor” in “de agenda van het gedeelde kantoor”, meaning the calendar belonging to or associated with the shared office. A reusable pattern is noun + van + noun to specify an association or source.

het “Het” marks “kantoor” as a specific office in “het gedeelde kantoor”. It is placed before the noun phrase when referring to a particular identifiable office.

gedeelde “Gedeelde” means “shared” and describes the office in “het gedeelde kantoor”. It is placed before the noun and can describe something used by more than one person.

kantoor “Kantoor” means “office” in “het gedeelde kantoor”. It is the place associated with the calendar and can be used after an adjective or article to name an office.

kleine “Kleine” means “small” and describes the room in “De kleine kamer”. It comes before the noun and can be used in the same position with another description of a room or object.

lijkt “Lijkt” means “seems” or “looks” in “De kleine kamer lijkt vanmiddag beschikbaar”, presenting availability as an impression rather than a direct command. A reusable pattern is subject + lijkt + description when something appears to have a certain condition.

vanmiddag “Vanmiddag” means “this afternoon” and specifies when the room appears available. It can be used to place an event or availability in the afternoon of the current day.

beschikbaar “Beschikbaar” means “available” in “lijkt vanmiddag beschikbaar”, describing the room’s apparent availability. It can follow a verb such as lijkt to describe whether a room, time, or resource can be used.

Voeg “Voeg” instructs the listener to add something in “Voeg de reservering aan de agenda toe”. Together with “toe”, the construction means “add the booking to the calendar”; it is useful for giving a direct instruction about adding an item.

reservering “Reservering” means “booking” or “reservation”, the item that must be added to the calendar. It appears as the object in “Voeg de reservering aan de agenda toe” and can be used for a room or appointment booking.

aan “Aan” introduces the destination or list receiving the booking in “Voeg de reservering aan de agenda toe”. In this adding construction, it is placed before the noun that receives the added item.

toe In “Voeg de reservering aan de agenda toe”, “toe” completes the verb meaning “add”; the booking is added to the calendar. It is a separable verb particle and appears at the end of this instruction.

voordat “Voordat” means “before” and introduces the action that must happen before using the room in “voordat je de kamer gebruikt”. It can connect a main action with a later clause describing what happens first.

je “Je” means “you” and refers to the person who will use the room in “voordat je de kamer gebruikt”. It is placed before the verb in this clause and can identify the person being addressed.

gebruikt “Gebruikt” means “use” in “voordat je de kamer gebruikt”, referring to using the room. It follows “je” in this clause; a reusable pattern is a person + gebruikt + object.

Moet “Moet” expresses necessity or asks whether something is required in “Moet ik na het telefoongesprek nog iets doen?”. The pattern Moet ik ...? is useful for asking whether you need to take an action.

na “Na” means “after” in “na het telefoongesprek” and places the possible action later than the call. It can be followed by a noun naming an event or time.

nog “Nog” means “still” or, in this question, “anything else” in “nog iets doen”. It adds the idea of an additional action after the call and can be used before an unspecified thing or action.

iets “Iets” means “something” or “anything” here, referring to an unspecified task in “nog iets doen”. It is useful when asking whether there is an additional thing to do without naming that thing.

doen “Doen” means “do” in “Moet ik na het telefoongesprek nog iets doen?”. It stays in this base form after “Moet ik” and can follow an object when describing an action.

Ruim “Ruim” begins the instruction “Ruim het bureau op”, telling the listener to clear or tidy the desk. Together with “op”, it forms the action of tidying up; this construction is useful for giving a direct instruction about a space.

bureau “Bureau” means “desk”, the surface that should be cleared in “Ruim het bureau op”. It appears after the definite article and can be used as the object of an instruction about tidying.

op In “Ruim het bureau op”, “op” completes the separable verb meaning “tidy up” or “clear”. It appears at the end of the instruction after the object, so the object stays between the verb parts.

en “En” means “and” and joins the two instructions “Ruim het bureau op” and “neem je spullen mee”. It can connect two actions that should both be carried out.

neem “Neem” tells the listener to take something in “neem je spullen mee”. Together with “mee”, the construction means “take your things with you”; it is useful for directing someone to bring personal items along.

spullen “Spullen” means “things” or “belongings” in “neem je spullen mee”, referring to the listener’s personal items. It commonly appears after a possessive such as “je” when talking about someone’s belongings.

mee In “neem je spullen mee”, “mee” adds the meaning “along” or “with you”, so the things should be taken away by the listener. It is a separable verb particle and appears after the object in this instruction.

laat In “Ik laat het bureau netjes achter”, “laat” contributes the action of leaving the desk in a certain condition; the whole expression means “I’ll leave the desk tidy”. A reusable pattern is Ik laat [object] [description] achter when saying what condition something will be left in.

netjes “Netjes” means “tidy” in “Ik laat het bureau netjes achter”, describing the condition in which the desk is left. It can be used with achterlaten to say that a room, desk, or other place is left orderly.

achter In “Ik laat het bureau netjes achter”, “achter” completes the verb meaning “leave behind” or “leave in place”. It appears at the end of the main clause after the object and description.

wegga “Wegga” means “go away” or “leave” in “voordat ik wegga”, referring to the speaker leaving the office or room. It appears at the end of the clause introduced by “voordat”, and the same pattern can describe leaving before another action.

Dat “Dat” means “that” and refers to the previous action of leaving the desk tidy in “Dat helpt de volgende persoon”. It can be used as the subject when commenting on an action or situation just mentioned.

helpt “Helpt” means “helps” in “Dat helpt de volgende persoon om zonder problemen te beginnen”. It describes how the tidy room benefits the next person; a reusable pattern is helpt iemand om te + verb.

volgende “Volgende” means “next” and identifies the person who will use the room after the current user in “de volgende persoon”. It is placed before the noun to indicate the one coming after the current person.

persoon “Persoon” means “person” in “de volgende persoon”, referring to the next user of the room. It can follow an adjective such as “volgende” when identifying someone by their position in a sequence.

om “Om” introduces the action that the next person is helped to do in “om zonder problemen te beginnen”. Together with “te beginnen”, it forms an infinitive construction after “helpt”; this pattern is useful for describing what someone is helped to do.

zonder “Zonder” means “without” in “zonder problemen”, indicating that the next person can begin without problems. It is placed before a noun to describe the absence of something.

problemen “Problemen” means “problems” in “zonder problemen”, describing difficulties that the next person will not have. It follows “zonder” and can name obstacles absent from an action or situation.

te “Te” marks the infinitive in “te beginnen” after “om”. It is placed directly before the verb in this construction, which expresses what the next person is helped to do.

beginnen “Beginnen” means “begin” or “get started” in “om zonder problemen te beginnen”. It follows “te” in the infinitive construction after “helpt” and can describe starting work, a task, or another activity.

Grammar Points

Scheidbare werkwoorden: voeg ... toe

Voeg de reservering toe.

foohkh duh reh-zer-VAY-ring too.

Add the reservation.

With separable verbs, the prefix moves to the end of the main clause.

voordat + bijzin

Voordat je weggaat, ruim je het bureau netjes op.

fohr-DAHT yuh WEKH-ghaht, roym yuh ut buh-ROH NET-yus ohp.

Before you leave, tidy the desk neatly.

After voordat, the verb goes to the end of the subordinate clause.

Dutch Vocabulary

agenda noun

ah-ZHEN-dah calendar

de agenda van het gedeelde kantoor

eerst adv

AYRST first

Kijk eerst in de agenda

gedeeld adj

ghuh-DAYLT shared gedeelde

het gedeelde kantoor

kamer noun

KAH-mur room

een rustige kamer

kantoor noun

kun-TOHR office

het gedeelde kantoor

kijken verb

KAY-kuhn to check; to look Kijk

Kijk eerst in de agenda

klein adj

KLYN small kleine

De kleine kamer

lijken verb

LAY-kuhn to seem; to look lijkt

De kleine kamer lijkt beschikbaar

nodig adj

NOH-dikh needed

Ik heb een rustige kamer nodig

rustig adj

RUHS-tikh quiet rustige

een rustige kamer

telefoongesprek noun

tuh-lee-FOHNG-uh-sprek phone call

voor een telefoongesprek

vanmiddag adv

vahn-muh-DAKH this afternoon

vanmiddag beschikbaar

Quiz

Word Order

Arrange the words in the correct order.

The small room looks available this afternoon.

Show Answer

De kleine kamer lijkt vanmiddag beschikbaar.

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

calendar

Show Answer

agenda

quiet

Show Answer

rustige

shared

Show Answer

gedeelde

to check; to look

Show Answer

Kijk