Preparing a Comfortable Guest Room | Learn Dutch in English

Sentence explanations

1. Mijn nicht komt kort bij ons logeren.

   My cousin is coming to stay with us for a short visit.

   Mijn

   my

   nicht

   cousin

   komt

   is coming

   kort

   briefly

   bij ons

   with us

   logeren

   stay over

   More detail

   Mijn nicht means “my cousin.” Mijn is the possessive form used before a noun; it does not change for the noun’s gender or number. In Dutch, nicht can mean either “female cousin” or “niece.” Here it means “female cousin”: the fixed translation selects “cousin,” while the form nicht identifies the person as female. The context also refers to this person with ze (“she”). Komt is the third-person singular present form of komen, “to come.” The present tense can describe an arranged or expected event. The pattern komen + infinitive can mean “come to do something”: Ze komt eten means “She is coming to eat.” Kort describes the limited duration of the stay here: “for a short time” or “briefly.” The adjective kort (“short”) can also describe a person or object, but here it functions adverbially to limit the duration of logeren. Bij ons means “with us” or “at our place.” Ons is the object form corresponding to subject wij (“we”); after bij, Dutch uses ons in this expression. Logeren is the infinitive “to stay as a guest” or “to stay overnight.” It follows komt in the reusable pattern komt ... logeren, “is coming to stay.” Together, Mijn nicht identifies the visitor, komt presents her coming, kort limits the duration, and bij ons logeren says that she will stay with us. The whole utterance therefore means: “My cousin is coming to stay with us for a short visit.”

2. We moeten de logeerkamer comfortabeler maken voordat ze aankomt.

   We should make the spare room more comfortable before she arrives.

   We moeten

   we should

   logeerkamer

   spare room

   comfortabeler

   more comfortable

   maken

   make

   voordat

   before

   ze

   she

   aankomt

   arrives

   More detail

   We moeten is a reusable way to express that the subject has to or should do something. moeten is the infinitive form; after this modal verb, the other verb normally stays in the infinitive: We moeten vertrekken = “We have to leave.” Here the fixed translation selects the softer “should” sense. We identifies the speaker together with at least one other person, while moeten does not itself specify who the other person is. logeerkamer means a room intended for a guest to sleep in. It is a compound noun, built from logeren (“to stay as a guest”) and kamer (“room”); the whole word, not just kamer, names the room. Dutch compounds are written as one word. Example: De logeerkamer is klaar. — “The guest room is ready.” comfortabeler means “more comfortable” here. It is the comparative form of the adjective comfortabel: comfortabel → comfortabeler → het meest comfortabel (“comfortable” → “more comfortable” → “the most comfortable”). The ending -er marks comparison of the adjective itself. Example: Deze stoel is comfortabeler. — “This chair is more comfortable.” maken is the infinitive “to make.” In this sentence it forms the pattern iets comfortabeler maken: “to make something more comfortable.” The object is de logeerkamer, and comfortabeler describes the result that the room is intended to have. Example: We maken de stoel schoon. — “We clean the chair.” voordat introduces a time clause meaning “before.” In the subordinate clause after voordat, the finite verb comes at the end: voordat ze vertrekt — “before she leaves.” This word connects the preparation with the later event; it does not by itself say how long before it happens. ze is the unstressed Dutch subject pronoun used here for “she,” as fixed by the translation and context. Its form is not marked for a specific person’s name; the feminine referent is supplied by the situation. In another context, ze can also serve other functions, including “they” or an unstressed object form, so its role must be read from the sentence. Here it is the subject of aankomt. aankomt is the third-person singular present form of aankomen, “to arrive.” Aankomen is a separable verb: in a main clause one can say Ze komt aan — “She arrives,” but in this subordinate clause the parts appear together at the end: voordat ze aankomt. The form agrees with singular ze; it is not an infinitive. Together, We moeten de logeerkamer comfortabeler maken means “We should make the spare room more comfortable.” voordat ze aankomt adds the time condition “before she arrives.” The complete utterance therefore means: “We should make the spare room more comfortable before she arrives.”

3. Laat mij het bureau opruimen, zodat ze ruimte heeft voor haar laptop.

   Let me clear the desk so she has space for her laptop.

   Laat mij

   let me

   het bureau

   the desk

   opruimen

   clear up

   zodat

   so that

   ze

   she

   ruimte

   space

   heeft

   has

   haar

   her

   laptop

   laptop

   More detail

   Laat mij is a reusable “let me …” construction. Laat is the imperative of laten (“to let”); mij is the object form of the first-person pronoun, referring to the speaker. In this pattern, the following infinitive says what the speaker proposes to do: Laat mij helpen = “Let me help.” het bureau means “the desk” here. Bureau is a neuter noun, so its definite article is het. The article belongs to the noun phrase; it does not itself state a quantity. opruimen means “to clear up” or “to tidy.” It is a separable verb: in a finite main clause, the parts separate, as in Ik ruim het bureau op (“I clear the desk”), while the infinitive keeps the combined form opruimen. Here it is the action that the speaker asks permission to perform. Together, Laat mij het bureau opruimen means “Let me clear the desk.” The object het bureau identifies what is being cleared, while opruimen names the action. zodat introduces the result or purpose intended by the first clause: “so that.” In a clause after zodat, the finite verb normally comes at the end. For example, Ik zet het licht aan, zodat je kunt lezen means “I turn on the light so that you can read.” ze is the subject pronoun meaning “she” in this sentence, as fixed by the translation. Dutch ze can also have other uses in other contexts, but the intended reading here is singular feminine “she.” ruimte means “space” or “room” in the sense of available area. In ruimte hebben voor …, the pattern means “to have space for …”: We hebben ruimte voor één stoel means “We have space for one chair.” heeft is the third-person singular present form of hebben (“to have”): ik heb, jij hebt, hij/zij heeft. Here heeft agrees with ze, so ze heeft means “she has.” haar is the possessive form meaning “her” before laptop. It identifies the laptop as belonging to the female person referred to by ze; it is not the subject of the clause. For comparison, zijn laptop means “his laptop.” laptop means “laptop.” It is a noun used here after voor, and ruimte voor haar laptop means “space for her laptop.” The complete structure is Laat mij [het bureau opruimen], zodat [ze ruimte heeft voor haar laptop]: “Let me clear the desk so she has space for her laptop.” The first clause expresses the speaker’s proposed action, and the zodat clause gives the resulting purpose or benefit.

4. Leg de instructies voor internet op een plek waar ze ze gemakkelijk kan vinden.

   Leave the internet instructions where she can find them easily.

   Leg

   leave; put

   instructies

   instructions

   internet

   internet

   plek

   place

   waar

   where

   ze ze

   she ... them

   gemakkelijk

   easily

   kan

   can

   vinden

   find

   More detail

   Leg is the imperative of leggen, “to put” or “to lay.” Here the fixed translation uses “leave,” because the instruction is to put the instructions in a place and have them remain there. The imperative addresses an understood “you”; Dutch imperative forms commonly omit that subject. Example: Leg het boek op tafel. — “Put the book on the table.” instructies means “instructions.” It is the plural of instructie; the singular is instructie, and the plural ending is -s. Example: Lees de instructies. — “Read the instructions.” internet is the noun “internet.” In this sentence, voor internet identifies the subject or purpose of the instructions: they concern or are intended for internet use. The preposition voor expresses that relationship; this is not a noun compound. plek means “place” or “spot.” The phrase op een plek means “in a place” here; op is the preposition used with this location expression. Example: Leg het daar op een vaste plek. — “Put it there in a fixed place.” waar introduces the location clause waar ... kan vinden, meaning “where ... can find ... .” It connects the place with the information about what happens there. In a relative clause like this, the conjugated verb comes later than in a simple main clause. ze ze contains two separate occurrences of the same Dutch form. The first ze is the subject and, with the fixed translation, means “she”; the second is the object and means “them,” referring to the instructions. Dutch ze can therefore serve different grammatical roles, and its role is identified from the clause structure and context rather than from a different spelling here. Example: Ze kan ze lezen. — “She can read them.” gemakkelijk means “easily” in this sentence. The same form can also function as the adjective “easy,” depending on what it describes. Here it describes the action of finding, not the instructions or the place. Example: Hij vindt het gemakkelijk. — “He finds it easy.” kan is the third-person singular present form of kunnen, “can; to be able to.” With the subject ze meaning “she,” the form is kan. A modal verb such as kan is followed by an infinitive, which appears at the end of this subordinate clause. Example: Ze kan komen. — “She can come.” vinden is the infinitive “to find.” After kan, it stays in the infinitive rather than taking a personal ending. In kan vinden, the combination means “can find”; gemakkelijk specifies that the finding can be done easily. Together, Leg de instructies voor internet means “Leave the internet instructions,” and op een plek waar ze ze gemakkelijk kan vinden means “in a place where she can find them easily.” The full utterance therefore means: “Leave the internet instructions where she can find them easily.”

5. Zullen we extra handdoeken in de kamer leggen, of haar de kast laten zien?

   Should we put extra towels in the room, or show her the cupboard?

   Zullen we

   Shall we …?

   extra

   extra

   handdoeken

   towels

   kamer

   room

   leggen

   put; place

   haar

   her

   kast

   cupboard

   laten zien

   show

   More detail

   Zullen we begins a yes/no question. Zullen is the present-tense form of zullen with we (“we”); in this pattern, Zullen we ...? commonly proposes an action: “Shall we ...?” The following lexical verb stays in the infinitive at the end of its clause. Example: Zullen we beginnen? — “Shall we begin?” extra means additional or more than the amount already understood. It does not itself state an exact number. It modifies handdoeken here. Example: We hebben extra tijd. — “We have extra time.” handdoeken means towels. Its singular base form is handdoek; the plural is formed with -en: handdoek → handdoeken. The phrase extra handdoeken therefore means additional towels. kamer means room. Its base form is kamer, and the noun takes the article de: de kamer. In in de kamer, the preposition in combines with the article phrase to mean “in the room.” Example: De tas staat in de kamer. — “The bag is in the room.” leggen means to put or place something, generally by laying it down or placing it somewhere. It is the infinitive selected after zullen in the first proposed action: zullen ... leggen. Example: We leggen de boeken op tafel. — “We put the books on the table.” haar is the object pronoun “her.” It refers to a female person identified by the surrounding situation, but the supplied sentence does not identify that person by name. Here it is the recipient of the showing action, not the thing being shown. kast means cupboard or cabinet. Its base form is kast, with the article de: de kast. In this sentence it is the thing that will be shown. Example: De kast is groot. — “The cupboard is large.” laten zien is a reusable construction meaning “to show.” Literally, it combines laten (“let/cause”) with zien (“see”), but together they express showing someone something. In haar de kast laten zien, haar is the person shown something and de kast is the thing shown. Example: Ik laat hem mijn kamer zien. — “I show him my room.” The first alternative is extra handdoeken in de kamer leggen: place additional towels in the room. The second is haar de kast laten zien: show her the cupboard. Dutch places the infinitive leggen at the end of the first alternative and the construction laten zien at the end of the second. The coordinator of joins the two alternatives, so the complete utterance asks, “Should we put extra towels in the room, or show her the cupboard?”

6. Leg ze in de kamer. Dat geeft gasten meer privacy.

   Put them in the room. It gives guests more privacy.

   Leg

   put

   ze

   them

   in de

   in the

   kamer

   room

   Dat

   it

   geeft

   gives

   gasten

   guests

   meer

   more

   privacy

   privacy

   More detail

   Leg is the imperative of leggen, meaning “to put” or “to lay.” The Dutch imperative form can address one person or more than one; the form itself does not mark that distinction. Leg het boek hier. means “Put the book here.” Do not confuse it with lig, used for something that is lying somewhere. ze is the unstressed object pronoun “them” here. It refers to plural objects; in the supplied context, the extra towels are the supported referent. Its form does not name the objects. In other contexts, ze can have other functions, so its role here comes from its position after Leg and the intended translation. in de combines the preposition in (“in/into,” depending on the construction) with the definite article de (“the”). Together with the following noun, it forms a location phrase. in de tas means “in the bag.” kamer means “room.” It is a singular noun with the definite article de: de kamer. Its plural is kamers, as in twee kamers — “two rooms.” Dat means “that” or “it” here and is the subject of the second sentence. In this utterance, it refers back to the situation described in the first sentence rather than naming a separate participant. Dutch dat is also the demonstrative used with singular neuter nouns, but that is a different use from the pronoun-like reference here. geeft is the third-person singular present form of geven, “to give”: geven → geeft. The subject is Dat, so the singular form is required. Dat geeft mij rust. means “That gives me peace.” gasten means “guests.” It is the plural of gast. The bare plural here presents guests generically; de gasten would refer to specific guests. meer means “more.” It is the comparative form in the chain veel (“much/many”) → meer (“more”) → meest (“most”). Here it indicates a greater amount of privacy without specifying the comparison point. privacy means “privacy,” the state of having personal space or freedom from observation. In meer privacy, it is the thing being given in a greater amount. The noun is commonly used in Dutch as a loanword. Together, Leg ze in de kamer means “Put them in the room”: the imperative Leg takes ze as its plural object, followed by the location phrase in de kamer. Dat geeft gasten meer privacy means “It gives guests more privacy”: Dat refers to the situation in the first sentence, while geeft, gasten, and meer privacy express the giving, recipients, and benefit. The utterance instructs the addressee to put the items in the room and states the resulting benefit for guests.

7. Ik wil ontspannen en gastvrij zijn, niet iemand die elk detail uitlegt.

   I want to be a relaxed host, not someone who explains every detail.

   Ik wil

   I want to

   ontspannen

   relaxed

   gastvrij

   hospitable

   zijn

   be

   niet

   not

   iemand

   someone

   die

   who

   elk

   every

   detail

   detail

   uitlegt

   explains

   More detail

   Ik wil means “I want to.” wil is the present-tense form of willen used with ik; the infinitive follows it. For example: Ik wil leren. — “I want to learn.” ontspannen is an adjective here: it describes the speaker as relaxed. Although ontspannen can also be the infinitive “to relax,” the following zijn and the fixed translation support the adjective reading in this sentence. Compare: Ik wil ontspannen. — “I want to relax.” gastvrij is an adjective meaning hospitable or welcoming. ontspannen en gastvrij is a coordinated pair of descriptions, both linked to zijn. zijn is the infinitive “to be.” After wil, Dutch uses an infinitive, so wil ... zijn forms “want to be.” niet means “not” and introduces the contrast with the desired description. The pattern niet X, maar Y often contrasts two choices; here the second part is expressed as niet iemand die .... iemand means “someone” or “a person.” In niet iemand die ..., it introduces the kind of person the speaker does not want to be. die is a relative word meaning “who” here. It introduces a clause describing iemand; its exact form does not identify a person independently, but connects the description to that person. elk means “every” or “each” and occurs before the singular noun detail. The phrase elk detail therefore refers to every individual detail, not to a plural group expressed with a plural noun. detail is the noun “detail.” Its plural is details, as in veel details — “many details.” uitlegt comes from the separable verb uitleggen, “to explain.” Here it is the present-tense third-person singular form in the relative clause: die elk detail uitlegt — “who explains every detail.” The finite verb appears at the end of this subordinate clause, which is why the form is uitlegt rather than the infinitive uitleggen. Together, Ik wil ontspannen en gastvrij zijn says that the speaker wants to be relaxed and hospitable. niet iemand die elk detail uitlegt contrasts this with being someone who explains every detail. Thus the complete utterance means: “I want to be a relaxed host, not someone who explains every detail.”

8. Een kort briefje is genoeg, vooral voor de sleutels, de lampen en het ontbijt.

   A short note is enough, especially for keys, lights, and breakfast.

   kort

   short

   briefje

   note

   is genoeg

   is enough

   vooral

   especially

   voor

   for

   sleutels

   keys

   lampen

   lights

   ontbijt

   breakfast

   More detail

   kort means “short” here and describes briefje. Its comparative is korter (“shorter”) and its superlative is kortst (“shortest”); before a noun, the superlative commonly appears as kortste. Dutch adjectives often take -er and -st for comparison; kort itself does not change for the gender of the noun in this phrase. briefje means “note” here. It is a diminutive related to brief (“letter” or “written letter”), with the diminutive ending -je. Diminutives are grammatically neuter in Dutch, so this word takes het when used with a definite article: het briefje (“the note”). In the sentence, een is the indefinite article “a”; it does not by itself need to be understood as a numerical claim. is genoeg uses the present-tense form is of zijn (“to be”) with a singular subject, een kort briefje. genoeg means “enough” and stays unchanged here. A reusable pattern is [something] is genoeg: Een uur is genoeg. — “One hour is enough.” vooral means “especially” and highlights the items that are particularly relevant. It modifies the following voor phrase rather than naming one of the listed objects itself. voor means “for” in this context. It introduces the things the note is especially intended to cover. Dutch voor can also express other relations, such as location or time, so its exact meaning comes from the surrounding phrase. sleutels means “keys.” The singular is sleutel; sleutels is its plural. In de sleutels, de is the definite article used with this plural noun. The sentence identifies keys as a relevant category without specifying which individual keys. lampen means “lights” here. The singular is lamp; lampen is the plural. In de lampen, de is the definite article used with this plural noun. The sentence identifies lights as a relevant category without specifying which individual lights. ontbijt means “breakfast.” It is a singular neuter noun; with a definite article, it is het ontbijt (“the breakfast”). In this sentence, no article appears before ontbijt; it is the final item in the list after voor, coordinated with de sleutels and de lampen by en (“and”). Together, Een kort briefje means “a short note,” and is genoeg says that this note suffices. vooral voor de sleutels, de lampen en het ontbijt specifies the matters it is especially for: keys, lights, and breakfast. The whole utterance therefore means: “A short note is enough, especially for keys, lights, and breakfast.”

9. Als we het van tevoren klaarmaken, hoeven we ons later niet te haasten.

   Preparing it ahead of time would keep us from rushing later.

   Als we

   if we

   van tevoren

   in advance

   klaarmaken

   prepare

   hoeven we

   we need to …

   ons

   ourselves

   later

   later

   niet te haasten

   not to hurry

   More detail

   Als we introduces a condition: “if we …”. we is the first-person plural subject, “we/us.” Dutch commonly places the finite verb before the subject in the main clause when an als-clause comes first, as in Als we tijd hebben, beginnen we. — “If we have time, we start.” van tevoren is a fixed adverbial expression meaning that something happens before the relevant later time or event. It is useful as a whole expression rather than as a literal word-for-word combination. Example: Bel me van tevoren. — “Call me in advance.” klaarmaken is the infinitive “to prepare” or “to get something ready.” It is a separable verb: in a finite main clause, its parts can separate, as in We maken het klaar. — “We prepare it.” Here it stays together because it is an infinitive at the end of the conditional clause. The object pronoun het means “it”; the sentence does not identify the object more specifically here. hoeven we contains the finite verb hoeven followed by the subject we. In this sentence, hoeven expresses lack of necessity together with niet te and the infinitive haasten: we hoeven niet te ... means “we do not need to …” or “we do not have to …”. Example: Je hoeft niet te wachten. — “You do not need to wait.” The order hoeven we results from the preceding conditional clause: Als ... , hoeven we .... ons is the first-person plural reflexive pronoun, referring back to we. It is the form used when the people doing the action are also affected by it. Compare Ik haast me — “I hurry” and We haasten ons — “We hurry.” In this sentence, ons belongs with haasten, not with the earlier preparation action. later is an adverb meaning “later,” referring to a subsequent time. Example: We bespreken het later. — “We will discuss it later.” niet te haasten combines negation with te plus the infinitive haasten: “not to hurry.” The verb is haasten, “to hurry”; with this meaning, Dutch normally uses a reflexive pronoun, as in ons haasten, “hurry ourselves.” Example: Zij hoeft zich niet te haasten. — “She does not need to hurry.” Together, Als we het van tevoren klaarmaken means “if we prepare it in advance.” The main clause hoeven we ons later niet te haasten means “we do not need to hurry later.” The complete utterance therefore expresses the condition and result: “If we prepare it in advance, we do not need to hurry later,” matching the fixed translation’s idea that advance preparation prevents later rushing.

10. Daardoor voelt ze zich welkom, zonder dat het bezoek te formeel wordt.

    That will make her feel welcome without making the visit too formal.

    Daardoor

    as a result

    voelt

    feels

    ze

    she

    zich

    herself

    welkom

    welcome

    zonder dat

    without …

    bezoek

    visit

    formeel

    formal

    wordt

    becomes

    More detail

    Daardoor means “as a result” or “thereby.” It refers back to an earlier situation or action and presents the current clause as its consequence. When a clause-initial adverb such as Daardoor occupies the first position, Dutch normally places the finite verb before the subject: Daardoor voelt ze .... voelt is the present-tense third-person singular form of voelen, “to feel.” In zich voelen, the verb describes someone’s own state or experience: Ik voel me welkom means “I feel welcome.” The base form is voelen; voelt is used here because the subject is singular ze. ze means “she” here, as identified by the fixed translation. Dutch ze can also have other functions in other contexts, but its role in this sentence is the singular subject of voelt. zich is the third-person reflexive form. Together, ze ... zich voelen expresses “she feels”; the reflexive form agrees with the third-person subject rather than naming a separate participant. Other persons use forms such as me in ik voel me and ons in we voelen ons. welkom means “welcome” here. It is a predicate describing how she feels, following zich voelen: Hij voelt zich welkom means “He feels welcome.” In this predicative use, welkom does not take an ending. zonder dat introduces a subordinate clause meaning “without ...” or, more literally, “without the fact that.” The clause after it states the condition that does not occur. Dutch places the finite verb at the end of this subordinate clause. bezoek means “visit.” With het in het bezoek, it is a neuter noun; the article identifies the visit in question but does not itself state a numerical count. The phrase het bezoek functions as the subject of the subordinate clause. formeel means “formal.” Here it describes het bezoek after a change-of-state verb: De bijeenkomst wordt formeel means “The meeting becomes formal.” In this predicative position, it has no adjective ending. wordt is the present-tense third-person singular form of worden, “to become” here. The base form is worden; wordt is selected because the subject is singular het bezoek. In zonder dat het bezoek te formeel wordt, te formeel means “too formal,” and wordt says that the visit does not become that way. The form wordt can have other uses in Dutch, but this clause uses it as a change-of-state verb, not as a passive auxiliary. Together, Daardoor voelt ze zich welkom means “That will make her feel welcome” in the fixed translation: the earlier situation has the result that she experiences a welcome feeling. zonder dat het bezoek te formeel wordt adds the condition avoided: this happens without the visit becoming too formal. The complete meaning is therefore “That will make her feel welcome without making the visit too formal.”