Labeling food in a shared fridge | Learn Dutch in English

About This Lesson

Use Labeling food in a shared fridge to practice Dutch conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

Kan ik deze soep in de gedeelde koelkast zetten?

kan ik DAY-zuh SOOP in duh guh-DAYL-duh KOOHL-kahst ZET-uhn? Can I put this soup in the shared fridge?

Plak een label op de bak voordat je hem daar laat staan.

plahk uh(n) LAY-buhl awp duh bahk vohr-DAHT yuh hem dahr laht stahn. Label the container before you leave it there.

Moet ik de datum er ook op schrijven?

MOOT ik duh DAH-tum ur ohk awp SKHRAY-vuhn? Should I write the date on it too?

Zo weten mensen hoe lang het al in de koelkast staat.

zoh VAY-tun MEN-sun hoo lahng ut al in duh KOOHL-kahst staht. That helps people know how long it has been inside.

Welke plank is voor eigen eten?

VEL-kuh plahngk is vohr EYE-ghun AY-tun? Which shelf is for personal food?

Gebruik de bovenste plank, weg van het eten dat voor iedereen is.

guh-BROYK duh BOH-vun-stuh plahngk, vekh vahn ut AY-tun daht vohr EE-duh-RAYN is. Use the top shelf, away from the shared items.

Ik laat het daar staan en neem het binnenkort mee naar huis.

ik laht ut dahr stahn en NAYM ut bih-nuh-KORT may nahr hows. I'll keep it there and take it home soon.

Zo loopt de koelkast niet vol met oud eten.

zoh lohpt duh KOOHL-kahst neet vol met owt AY-tun. That way the fridge does not fill up with old food.

Word by Word

Kan “Kan” means “can” here and is used to ask for permission to put the soup in the fridge. It begins the question “Kan ik ... zetten?” and is useful when asking someone whether an action is allowed.

ik “ik” means “I” and identifies the person who wants to put the soup in the fridge. It follows “Kan” in the question “Kan ik ... zetten?” and is used when talking about your own action.

deze “deze” means “this” and points to the soup that is being referred to. It comes before “soep” in “deze soep” and is useful when identifying a nearby or clearly indicated thing.

soep “soep” means “soup”, the food that the speaker wants to put in the shared fridge. It is used as the object of “zetten” in “deze soep ... zetten” and can name a particular food item in a kitchen conversation.

in “in” means “in” and shows that the soup is going inside the fridge. It is used in the pattern “iets in de koelkast zetten” for putting something into a refrigerator.

de “de” means “the” and introduces the specific fridge being discussed. It appears in “de gedeelde koelkast” and is used before this noun phrase when referring to that shared fridge.

gedeelde “gedeelde” means “shared” and describes the fridge as belonging to or being used by several people. It comes before “koelkast” in “de gedeelde koelkast” and is useful for distinguishing shared facilities from private ones.

koelkast “koelkast” means “fridge” or “refrigerator”, the place where the soup is to be stored. It is used in “in de gedeelde koelkast” and is a common word when discussing where food is kept.

zetten “zetten” means “put” or “place” here, specifically putting the soup into the fridge. It follows “Kan ik” in “Kan ik deze soep in de gedeelde koelkast zetten?” and is used for placing something somewhere.

Plak “Plak” tells someone to attach something, here a label to the container. It is the direct instruction in “Plak een label op de bak” and is useful when giving a simple practical instruction.

een “een” means “a” and introduces one label without identifying a particular label. It comes before “label” in “een label” and is used when referring to an unspecified item.

label “label” means “label”, the item that should be attached to the container. In “Plak een label op de bak”, it is the thing being attached, and the same word is useful for marking food or containers.

op “op” means “on” and shows the surface where the label should be attached. It is used in the pattern “een label op de bak plakken” for putting a label on a container.

bak “bak” means “container” here, referring to the container holding the soup. It follows “de” in “de bak” and is useful when talking about a food container.

voordat “voordat” means “before” and introduces the action that must happen first: labeling the container. It connects “Plak een label op de bak” with “je hem daar laat staan” and is useful for putting two actions in time order.

je “je” means “you” and refers to the person leaving the container in the fridge. It is the subject of “laat staan” in “voordat je hem daar laat staan” and is used for addressing one person informally.

hem “hem” refers to the container as “it” in “je hem daar laat staan”. It is the object of the action and is useful when the previously mentioned container does not need to be repeated.

daar “daar” means “there” and points to the place where the container will remain, namely the fridge. It appears in “hem daar laat staan” and is useful for referring to a place already clear from the conversation.

laat “laat” means “leave” here as part of “laat staan”, telling someone to leave the container in place. It is used with “staan” in “je hem daar laat staan” and is useful when instructing someone not to move something.

staan “staan” means “stand” or “remain” here as part of “laat staan”, meaning that the container remains there. The expression “iets ergens laten staan” is useful for saying that something is left in a particular place.

Moet “Moet” means “must” or “should” here and introduces a question about whether writing the date is necessary. It begins “Moet ik ... schrijven?” and is useful when asking about an obligation or recommended action.

datum “datum” means “date”, the information that may be written on the container. It is the object of “schrijven” in “de datum ... schrijven” and is useful when marking when food was stored.

er “er” refers back to the container or its label location in “de datum er ook op schrijven”. Together with “op”, it expresses writing the date on it, and this type of reference avoids repeating the container.

ook “ook” means “also” or “too” and adds writing the date to the earlier instruction to attach a label. It appears before “op schrijven” in “er ook op schrijven” and is useful when adding another action or detail.

schrijven “schrijven” means “write”, here writing the date on the container or label. It follows “Moet ik” in “Moet ik de datum er ook op schrijven?” and is used for recording written information.

Zo “Zo” means “that way” and refers to labeling the container and writing the date. It introduces the result in “Zo weten mensen ...” and is useful for explaining how an action helps achieve a result.

weten “weten” means “know” and describes what people can know from the date on the container. It is used in “Zo weten mensen hoe lang ...” and is useful when talking about having information.

mensen “mensen” means “people”, referring here to the people who use the shared fridge. It is the subject of “weten” in “weten mensen ...” and is useful when speaking generally about several people.

hoe “hoe” means “how” and begins the question about the length of time. It is used with “lang” in “hoe lang” and is useful for asking about degree or duration.

lang “lang” means “long” in the expression “hoe lang”, which asks for the duration of the food’s storage. It is used with “hoe” in “hoe lang het al ... staat” and is useful when asking how much time has passed.

het “het” means “it” here and refers to the food or container being kept in the fridge. It is the subject of “staat” in “het al in de koelkast staat” and is useful when referring back to something already mentioned.

al “al” means “already” and emphasizes that the food has been in the fridge for some time. It appears before “in de koelkast staat” in “het al in de koelkast staat” and is useful for referring to an action or state that began earlier.

staat “staat” means “is standing” or “is kept” here, describing the food as remaining in the fridge. It is used in “het al in de koelkast staat” and is useful for saying where something is kept.

Welke “Welke” means “which” and asks the listener to choose one shelf from the available shelves. It begins “Welke plank ...?” and is useful when asking someone to identify a particular option.

plank “plank” means “shelf”, here a shelf inside the fridge. It is the noun in “Welke plank” and is useful when asking or explaining where something should be stored.

is “is” means “is” and connects the shelf with its purpose in “Welke plank is voor eigen eten?” It is used to ask which shelf is designated for personal food.

voor “voor” means “for” and shows the intended use of the shelf. It appears in “voor eigen eten” and is useful for describing what a place or object is intended for.

eigen “eigen” means “personal” or “one’s own” and distinguishes the speaker’s food from food shared by everyone. It comes before “eten” in “eigen eten” and is useful when identifying something belonging to a particular person.

eten “eten” means “food” in “eigen eten” and refers to food that is kept for one person. It can also refer to food generally, as in “oud eten” later in the dialogue.

Gebruik “Gebruik” means “use” and gives the instruction to use a particular shelf. It begins “Gebruik de bovenste plank” and is useful when telling someone which available thing to use.

bovenste “bovenste” means “top” or “uppermost” and identifies the shelf at the highest position. It comes before “plank” in “de bovenste plank” and is useful when selecting one item by its position.

weg “weg” means “away” and indicates that the personal food should be kept apart from the shared food. It appears in “weg van het eten dat voor iedereen is” and is useful for describing distance or separation.

van “van” means “from” and introduces what the food should be kept away from. It follows “weg” in “weg van het eten ...” and is used in the pattern “weg van iets” for being away from something.

dat “dat” introduces the clause describing the food intended for everyone in “het eten dat voor iedereen is”. It connects “eten” with the information “voor iedereen is” and is useful for adding a description to a noun.

iedereen “iedereen” means “everyone” and refers to all the people sharing the kitchen or fridge. It appears in “voor iedereen” and is useful when describing something intended for all people in a group.

neem “neem” means “take” here and describes taking the food home later. It is used in “neem het binnenkort mee naar huis” and is useful when saying that you will take something with you.

en “en” means “and” and joins the two actions of leaving the food in place and taking it home. It connects “laat het daar staan” with “neem het ... mee” and is useful for linking related actions.

binnenkort “binnenkort” means “soon” and indicates that the food will be taken home in the near future. It appears in “neem het binnenkort mee” and is useful for referring to an expected near-future action.

mee “mee” contributes the meaning “along” or “with” in “mee naar huis”, showing that the food is taken along to the home. It is used with “nemen” in “het ... mee naar huis nemen” and is useful when taking something from one place to another.

naar “naar” means “to” and marks the destination of the food. It appears in “naar huis” and is useful for describing movement toward a place.

huis “huis” means “home” in the expression “naar huis”, the destination where the food will be taken. It is used without an article in this destination expression and is useful when describing going or taking something home.

loopt “loopt” means “runs” literally, but in “loopt de koelkast niet vol” it describes the fridge becoming full. Together with “vol” it forms the expression “vol lopen”, which is useful for saying that a space fills up.

niet “niet” means “not” and negates the idea that the fridge becomes full. It appears in “loopt de koelkast niet vol” and is useful for making this statement negative.

vol “vol” means “full” and describes the fridge’s condition in “loopt ... vol”. With “loopt” it expresses that the fridge fills up, which is useful when talking about a space reaching its capacity.

met “met” means “with” and introduces what would fill the fridge: old food. It appears in “vol met oud eten” and is useful for describing what a place or container contains.

oud “oud” means “old” and describes food that has been stored for a long time. It comes before “eten” in “oud eten” and is useful when distinguishing older food from recently prepared food.

Grammar Points

meenemen → neem ... mee

Neem eten mee naar huis.

NAYM AY-tun MAY nahr hows.

Take food home.

In Dutch, the separable verb meenemen splits in a command: neem ... mee.

gedeelde + zelfstandig naamwoord

gedeelde soep

guh-DAYL-duh SOOP

shared soup

Before a noun, gedeeld gets -e here: gedeelde soep.

Dutch Vocabulary

bak noun

BAHK container

op de bak

datum noun

DAH-tum date

de datum

gedeeld adj

guh-DAYLT shared gedeelde

de gedeelde koelkast

koelkast noun

KOOHL-kahst fridge

de gedeelde koelkast

label noun

LAY-buhl label

een label

laten staan phrase

LAH-tun stahn to leave standing; to leave laat staan

je hem daar laat staan

plakken verb

PLAH-kuhn to stick; to put on Plak

Plak een label op de bak

schrijven verb

SKHRAY-vuhn to write

er ook op schrijven

soep noun

SOOP soup

deze soep

voordat conj

vohr-DAHT before

voordat je hem daar laat staan

weten verb

VAY-tun to know

Zo weten mensen

zetten verb

ZET-uhn to put

in de gedeelde koelkast zetten

Quiz

Word Order

Arrange the words in the correct order.

Which shelf is for personal food?

Show Answer

Welke plank is voor eigen eten?

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

soup

Show Answer

soep

before

Show Answer

voordat

to stick; to put on

Show Answer

Plak

label

Show Answer

label