Cleaning Up a Common Room | Learn Dutch in English

Sentence explanations

1. We hebben de gemeenschappelijke ruimte een tijdje gebruikt.

   We used the common room for a while.

   We hebben

   we have

   gemeenschappelijke

   common; shared

   ruimte

   room; space

   een tijdje

   for a while

   gebruikt

   used

   More detail

   We hebben is the subject we plus the present-tense auxiliary hebben (“to have”). In this sentence it works with the later past participle gebruikt to form the Dutch perfect: we hebben gebruikt = “we used” / “we have used.” The auxiliary is hebben, not the lexical verb “use.” gemeenschappelijke means “common” or “shared” here. Its base form is gemeenschappelijk. Before the definite noun phrase de gemeenschappelijke ruimte, the adjective has the attributive -e form. This describes the room as shared or common; it does not mean that the room is necessarily jointly used at every moment. ruimte is a noun meaning “room” or “space.” In this utterance, the translation identifies the intended sense as “room.” The useful noun phrase pattern is de [adjective]e ruimte, for example, de stille ruimte = “the quiet room.” een tijdje means “for a while.” Tijdje is the diminutive form of tijd (“time”), but this expression is a normal way to indicate a limited, unspecified period. The een here is part of the expression and does not by itself assert a numerical count. gebruikt is the past participle of gebruiken, “to use.” With hebben, it expresses completed use in the Dutch perfect: hebben gebruikt. The form gebruikt is the relevant verb form; it is not an adjective describing ruimte. Together, We hebben de gemeenschappelijke ruimte een tijdje gebruikt. means “We used the common room for a while.” The structure is subject + hebben + object + duration + past participle: We hebben introduces the perfect construction, de gemeenschappelijke ruimte is what was used, een tijdje gives the duration, and gebruikt supplies the lexical meaning “used.”

2. Laten we de ruimte opruimen voordat we weggaan.

   Let's clean it up before we head out.

   Laten we

   let’s

   ruimte

   room; space

   opruimen

   clean up; tidy up

   voordat

   before

   we

   we

   weggaan

   leave; head out

   More detail

   Laten we is a fixed Dutch way to make a suggestion involving the speaker and others: “let’s …”. It is followed here by the infinitive opruimen. Compare the reusable pattern Laten we + infinitive: Laten we beginnen. — “Let’s begin.” This is a suggestion, not a statement that the action has already happened. ruimte is the noun meaning “room” or “space.” In this sentence, de ruimte means “the room/space,” referring to the area being tidied; the surrounding context identifies it as the shared room. The article de belongs to the noun phrase, while the noun itself is ruimte. opruimen means “to clean up” or “to tidy up.” It is an infinitive, so it stays in this form after Laten we. Dutch opruimen is a separable verb in other constructions: Ik ruim de tafel op. — “I clear the table.” The parts ruim ... op surround the object there, but the infinitive remains opruimen in this suggestion. voordat introduces a clause meaning “before.” It connects the suggested action with the later action: Voordat we eten, wassen we onze handen. — “Before we eat, we wash our hands.” In the fixed sentence, the voordat clause comes after the main suggestion. we is the subject pronoun “we,” referring to the speaker together with at least one other person. It is the subject of weggaan in the subordinate clause. Dutch also has the fuller subject form wij; we is the common unstressed form. weggaan means “to leave” or “to head out.” It is an infinitive here and appears at the end of the voordat clause. Like opruimen, it is separable in a finite main clause: We gaan nu weg. — “We’re leaving now.” Together, Laten we de ruimte opruimen means “Let’s clean up the room/space.” voordat we weggaan adds the time condition “before we leave” or “before we head out.” The complete utterance therefore means: “Let’s clean it up before we head out.”

3. Ik zet de stoelen terug waar ze stonden.

   I'll put the chairs back where they were.

   zet

   put; place

   stoelen

   chairs

   terug

   back

   waar

   where

   ze

   they

   stonden

   stood; were standing

   More detail

   zet is the first-person singular present form of zetten, “to put” or “to place.” The subject ik is understood from the verb form and means “I.” In the fixed sentence, zet describes the speaker’s intended action. Example: Ik zet het boek op tafel. — “I put the book on the table.” stoelen is the plural of stoel, “chair”: stoel → stoelen. The article de marks the definite noun phrase de stoelen, “the chairs”; it does not itself state how many chairs there are. Example: De stoelen staan buiten. — “The chairs are outside.” terug means “back” here: it indicates returning the chairs to an earlier location or arrangement. With zetten, the pattern iets terugzetten means “to put something back.” Example: Zet het glas terug. — “Put the glass back.” waar introduces a clause about location and means “where.” Here it connects the action of putting the chairs back with the location in which they previously stood. Example: Ik weet waar de sleutels liggen. — “I know where the keys are.” ze is a third-person plural pronoun meaning “they” in this clause. Its referent is the chairs, as established by the fixed translation and the sentence’s meaning. Dutch ze can also have other grammatical roles in other contexts, but here it is the plural subject of stonden. stonden is the past-tense plural form of staan, “to stand” or “to be standing”: staan → stonden. It describes the chairs’ earlier position or state, rather than the act of placing them. The plural form agrees with ze (“they”). Example: De dozen stonden daar. — “The boxes were standing there.” Together, Ik zet de stoelen terug means “I’ll put the chairs back,” with the present form expressing the speaker’s intended action in this context. waar ze stonden means “where they were,” literally referring to the place where the chairs previously stood. The whole utterance therefore means: “I’ll put the chairs back where they were.”

4. Ik ruim het afval van de tafels op.

   I'll clear the trash from the tables.

   Ik

   I

   ruim … op

   clear up; remove

   afval

   trash; waste

   tafels

   tables

   More detail

   Ik means “I” and is the subject of the sentence. It is the first-person singular pronoun. Dutch uses ik with the first-person singular present form of a verb: Ik werk means “I work.” ruim ... op is the separable verb opruimen, meaning “to clear up” or “to tidy away.” In the present tense, the first-person singular form is ruim; the particle op appears at the end of the clause: Ik ruim de kamer op means “I tidy the room.” The two parts are separate here because the verb is used in a main clause. afval means “trash” or “waste.” It is an uncountable noun in this sentence, so het afval refers to the waste as a mass rather than asserting a particular number of pieces. The form afval does not change for this use. tafels means “tables.” Its singular base form is tafel; the plural is formed with -s: tafels. The phrase de tafels means “the tables,” with de marking the definite plural noun phrase. Dutch uses de with all plural nouns, regardless of the noun’s singular article. van de tafels specifies the source or location from which the trash is cleared: “from the tables.” The preposition van commonly introduces a source or origin, as in Ik haal het boek van de tafel (“I take the book from the table”). Together, Ik ruim het afval van de tafels op means “I’ll clear the trash from the tables.” The subject is Ik; ruim ... op expresses the clearing-up action; het afval is what is cleared; and van de tafels identifies where that trash is located. The Dutch present tense can express a planned or immediate action when the context supports that reading.

5. Zullen we de lichten ook uitdoen?

   Should we turn off the lights too?

   Zullen we

   shall we

   lichten

   lights

   ook

   too

   uitdoen

   turn off

   More detail

   Zullen we combines zullen with we to make a first-person plural suggestion: “shall we …?” Here it asks whether the speaker and the listener should do the action together. Zullen is the present-tense form used with we; this construction is not the same as a firm command. For example: Zullen we beginnen? — “Shall we begin?” lichten means “lights” here. Its singular base form is licht, and lichten is the plural. The preceding de is the definite article, so de lichten means “the lights”; Dutch uses de with this plural noun. The plural ending is part of lichten, not of the article. ook means “too” or “also.” It adds this action to something already relevant, without changing who is being asked to act. Its position can vary in Dutch, but in this sentence it appears after de lichten and before the separable verb’s infinitive. uitdoen means “to turn off” in this sentence. It is a separable verb made from uit and doen; the base verb doen means “to do,” while the combination uitdoen has the specific meaning “to turn off” for something such as a light. In a finite clause, the parts separate: Doe de lichten uit. — “Turn off the lights.” In the question, the infinitive stays together at the end: ... uitdoen. Together, Zullen we introduces the suggestion, de lichten identifies what is affected, ook adds “too,” and uitdoen supplies the action. The complete meaning is: “Should we turn off the lights too?”

6. Doe de lichten uit.

   Turn off the lights.

   Doe … uit

   turn off

   lichten

   lights

   More detail

   Doe ... uit is the separated form of the Dutch separable verb uitdoen, meaning “to turn off” when used with lights or another device. Doe is the imperative form of doen here, addressing one or more people directly; the subject is understood rather than stated. In a separable verb, the prefix uit- moves to the end of the clause: Doe het licht uit. means “Turn off the light.” The quoted parts are separated because the noun phrase comes between them. Lichten means “lights.” Its singular form is licht; lichten is the plural. With the definite article, de lichten means “the lights,” referring to the particular lights intended in this situation. For comparison, een licht means “a light,” while de lichten means “the lights.” Together, Doe + de lichten + uit forms a direct imperative: “Turn off the lights.”

7. Doe de ramen dicht voordat we afsluiten.

   Close the windows before we lock up.

   Doe … dicht

   close

   ramen

   windows

   voordat

   before

   afsluiten

   lock up

   More detail

   Doe ... dicht is the reusable Dutch pattern for telling someone to close something. Doe is the imperative form of doen (“to do”), but in this construction it combines with dicht (“closed”) to mean “close.” The object can be placed between the two parts: Doe de deur dicht. — “Close the door.” The same pattern appears in the preceding example Doe de lichten uit, where uit changes the meaning to “turn off.” ramen means “windows” here. Its singular base form is raam; ramen is its plural. Dutch commonly forms this plural with -en, as in raam → ramen. The phrase de ramen means “the windows”; de marks the definite noun phrase and does not by itself specify how many windows there are. voordat introduces a clause for an earlier event: “before …”. It is a subordinating conjunction, so the finite verb in the clause it introduces comes at the end. For example: Bel me voordat je vertrekt. — “Call me before you leave.” afsluiten means “to close up,” “to shut down,” or, in this context, “to lock up.” It is the infinitive/base form of a separable verb. In voordat we afsluiten, afsluiten is the present-tense form used with we; it has the same visible form as the infinitive because Dutch present-tense forms with a plural subject can coincide with the infinitive. In a main clause, the separable parts are split: We sluiten af. — “We lock up.” Together, Doe de ramen dicht means “Close the windows,” and voordat we afsluiten adds the time condition “before we lock up.” The complete utterance is therefore: “Close the windows before we lock up.”

8. De ruimte lijkt klaar voor de volgende groep.

   The room looks ready for the next group.

   ruimte

   room

   lijkt

   looks; seems

   klaar

   ready

   volgende

   next

   groep

   group

   More detail

   ruimte means “room” here. Its base form is ruimte; the plural is ruimtes. The phrase de ruimte uses de, the definite article, because the sentence refers to a specific room in the situation. lijkt is the present-tense form of lijken for a singular third-person subject such as de ruimte. Here lijken means “to seem” or “to look,” not physical resemblance. A reusable pattern is X lijkt Y (“X seems/looks Y”). Example: Hij lijkt moe. — “He looks tired.” klaar means “ready.” In klaar voor ..., it describes readiness for a person, group, event, or action: We zijn klaar voor de les. — “We are ready for the lesson.” In the fixed sentence, klaar follows lijkt, so the room is presented as appearing ready rather than being asserted directly as ready. volgende means “next” in de volgende groep, “the next group.” It is an adjective modifying groep; before this singular de-word, it has the -e form. The contrasting adjective is vorige, meaning “previous” or “last”: de vorige groep — “the previous group.” groep means “group.” Its plural is groepen. In the fixed sentence it is singular, and de volgende groep identifies the group that comes next in the relevant sequence; the sentence does not state how many people are in it. The remaining function words connect these parts: voor means “for,” and de marks the definite noun phrases. Thus de ruimte is “the room,” lijkt klaar is “looks ready,” and voor de volgende groep is “for the next group.” Assembled, De ruimte lijkt klaar voor de volgende groep. means “The room looks ready for the next group.”

9. Dan kunnen we de deur op slot doen en weggaan.

   Then we can lock the door and leave.

   Dan

   then

   kunnen we

   we can

   deur

   door

   op slot doen

   lock

   weggaan

   leave

   More detail

   Dan means “then” here: it places the proposed actions after the situation already described. It is also commonly used to connect a condition or earlier event to a result, as in Dan ga ik naar huis (“Then I go home”). kunnen we combines kunnen (“can/be able to”) with we (“we”). kunnen is the present-tense form used with we; the infinitive is also kunnen. In this sentence it expresses ability or possibility, not a command. Dutch commonly places the infinitive after a modal: We kunnen vertrekken means “We can leave.” deur means “door.” Its base form is deur; the plural is deuren. The phrase de deur uses the definite article because the sentence refers to a particular door understood in the situation. The article itself does not mean “one.” op slot doen is a fixed Dutch construction meaning “to lock” a door or similar closure. The verb doen by itself has the broad meaning “do” or “put,” but in this construction op slot doen expresses securing something with a lock. The infinitive doen follows kunnen, while op slot stays with it as part of the construction. For example, Ik doe het raam op slot means “I lock the window.” weggaan means “to leave” or “go away.” It is a separable verb: in a finite main-clause form, the parts separate, as in We gaan weg (“We leave”); after a modal, the infinitive stays together: We kunnen weggaan (“We can leave”). Together, Dan kunnen we de deur op slot doen en weggaan means “Then we can lock the door and leave.” The modal kunnen applies to both coordinated actions: locking the door and leaving. The conjunction en links the two infinitives, op slot doen and weggaan, without changing who performs them: we is the actor for both.