Comparing online and in-store product information | Learn Dutch in English

Sentence explanations

1. De online productinformatie is handig.

   The online listing is helpful.

   online

   online

   productinformatie

   product information

   handig

   helpful; convenient

   More detail

   online means “online” here and can directly modify a noun: online productinformatie = “online product information.” It is also commonly used independently, as in Ik werk online. (“I work online.”) productinformatie is a compound noun: product + informatie, meaning information about a product. Dutch compounds are written as one word. In this sentence it refers to the online listing or product information as a whole; the fixed translation chooses the natural English wording “listing.” handig means “helpful” here. Its basic meaning can also be “convenient” or “handy,” depending on what it describes. The comparative is handiger (“more helpful/convenient”) and the superlative is het handigst (“the most helpful/convenient”). Example: Deze app is handig. — “This app is convenient.” The sentence pattern is De + [modifier] + [noun] + is + [adjective]: De online productinformatie is the subject, and is handig says that this information is helpful. De is the Dutch definite article used with this noun phrase; is is the singular present form of zijn (“to be”). Together, the utterance means: “The online listing is helpful.”

2. Maar ik wil de rugzak in de winkel uitproberen.

   But I want to try the backpack in person.

   Maar

   But

   ik wil

   I want

   rugzak

   backpack

   winkel

   shop; store

   uitproberen

   try out

   More detail

   Maar means “but” and links this statement to a contrast. Here it contrasts wanting to try the item in the shop with relying only on online product information. It normally appears at the start of the contrasting clause. ik wil contains ik, “I,” and wil, the present-tense form of willen (“to want”) used with ik. The pattern ik wil + infinitive expresses “I want to …”: Ik wil kijken. — “I want to look.” After wil, the other verb remains in its infinitive form. rugzak is the noun “backpack.” In this sentence it appears as de rugzak, with the common-gender definite article de; the article identifies a particular backpack in the situation, rather than stating a numerical quantity. Een rugzak means “a backpack” when the noun is introduced without that definite identification. winkel means “shop” or “store.” In de winkel, the definite article makes it “the shop/store.” The phrase in de winkel gives the place where the trying-out happens. A useful contrast is in de winkel — “in the shop” versus online — “online.” uitproberen means “to try out” something, especially to test how it works or feels. It is a separable verb: the infinitive is uitproberen, while a finite form can split as Ik probeer de rugzak uit. — “I try out the backpack.” In the fixed sentence it stays together because it follows the modal verb wil. Together, Maar ik wil de rugzak in de winkel uitproberen. means “But I want to try the backpack in the shop.” Maar supplies the contrast; ik wil expresses the speaker’s desire; de rugzak is the item; in de winkel specifies the location; and uitproberen expresses testing that item in person.

3. In de winkel kun je de banden, rits en het materiaal goed bekijken.

   In the shop, you can check the straps, zipper, and material closely.

   In de winkel

   in the shop

   kun je

   you can

   banden

   straps

   rits

   zipper

   materiaal

   material

   goed

   well; carefully

   bekijken

   look at; inspect

   More detail

   In de winkel means “in the shop.” in marks location here, and de winkel is the noun phrase “the shop.” The article de is the ordinary definite article for this noun; it does not indicate a quantity. kun je combines kunnen (“can, be able to”) with je (“you”). The observed form kun is the present-tense form used with je when the subject follows the verb in a question-like or inverted order: kun je ...? In a neutral statement, the order is commonly je kunt ... (“you can ...”). Here kun je expresses ability or permission in the given situation, not a completed action. banden means “straps” here. Its singular base form is band; banden is the plural form. Dutch band can have other meanings in other contexts, so the fixed translation identifies the intended sense here. rits means “zipper.” It is singular in this sentence. The plural form is ritsen, as in zwakke ritsen (“weak zippers”) in the supplied next sentence. materiaal means “material.” It is a mass noun here, referring to the material of the item rather than to a separately counted object. The definite phrase is het materiaal; the article het belongs to this noun phrase. goed means “well” in this sentence and modifies the inspection described by bekijken. It can also mean “good” when used as a descriptive adjective, but that is not its role here. Compare goed materiaal (“good material”), where it describes the noun, with het materiaal goed bekijken (“inspect the material carefully”), where it describes how the action is carried out. bekijken is the infinitive “to look at” or, more usefully here, “to inspect/check.” Its present forms include ik bekijk (“I inspect”) and je bekijkt (“you inspect”); its past participle is bekeken (“inspected/looked at”). It is more focused on examining something than the more general kijken (“look/watch”). Together, de banden, rits en het materiaal lists the parts or features being examined. After the modal construction kun je, the infinitive bekijken comes at the end of the clause. Thus the full utterance means: “In the shop, you can inspect the straps, zipper, and material carefully.”

4. In verschillende reviews worden zwakke ritsen genoemd, dus ik wil dat onderdeel goed testen.

   Several reviews mention weak zippers, so I want to test that part carefully.

   verschillende

   several; different

   reviews

   reviews

   worden … genoemd

   are mentioned

   zwakke

   weak

   ritsen

   zippers

   dus

   so

   ik wil

   I want to

   dat

   that

   onderdeel

   part; component

   goed

   carefully; thoroughly

   testen

   test

   More detail

   verschillende means “several” here: it indicates an unspecified number greater than one. It can also mean “different” when the context contrasts kinds or items, but that is not the intended sense in this sentence. Example: verschillende mensen — “several people.” reviews is the plural of review, a review or evaluation. The plural ending is written -s here. Example: Ik lees twee reviews. — “I read two reviews.” worden genoemd is a present-tense passive construction: worden is the plural present form of worden, and genoemd is the past participle of noemen (“to mention; to call”). The zippers are presented as the things being mentioned. Zijn genoemd would use zijn and present the mentioning as completed. Example: De problemen worden genoemd. — “The problems are being mentioned.” zwakke is the inflected form of the adjective zwak (“weak”). It describes plural ritsen, so the adjective has the ending -e: zwakke ritsen. The adjective itself, not the noun, has this inflection. Example: zwakke banden — “weak straps.” ritsen is the plural of rits (“zipper”). In this sentence it is the subject of the passive construction: the zippers are the things being mentioned. Example: Deze ritsen werken goed. — “These zippers work well.” dus connects the first statement to its consequence and means “so” or “therefore.” It signals that the following clause follows from what came before. Example: De rits is zwak, dus ik test hem. — “The zipper is weak, so I test it.” ik wil combines the subject pronoun ik (“I”) with wil, the first-person singular present form of willen (“to want”). Wil is irregular: the infinitive is willen, but the form with ik is ik wil. With a following infinitive, it expresses the speaker’s desire or intention. Example: Ik wil dit bekijken. — “I want to look at this.” dat means “that” here as a demonstrative determiner: it points to the part the speaker wants to test. It is not the conjunction that introduces a subordinate clause. In dat onderdeel, it accompanies the singular neuter noun onderdeel (het onderdeel). Example: Ik neem dat boek. — “I take that book.” onderdeel means “part” or “component.” It is singular here and is the object of testen; the fixed translation identifies it as “that part” without specifying a more exact physical referent. Its plural is onderdelen. Example: Dit onderdeel is belangrijk. — “This part is important.” goed modifies the action of testing here, so it is an adverb meaning “carefully” or “thoroughly,” rather than the adjective “good” describing a noun. Example: Lees de instructies goed. — “Read the instructions carefully.” testen is the infinitive of testen, “to test.” It follows wil: ik wil ... testen. The phrase dat onderdeel is the object of this infinitive, and goed describes how the testing is done. Example: Ik wil het materiaal testen. — “I want to test the material.” Together, In verschillende reviews worden zwakke ritsen genoemd means “Several reviews mention weak zippers,” with the passive wording making the zippers the grammatical subject. Dus links that information to the speaker’s intention. In ik wil dat onderdeel goed testen, dat onderdeel means “that part,” wil expresses the intention, testen is the following infinitive, and goed describes the testing. The complete utterance therefore means: “Several reviews mention weak zippers, so I want to test that part carefully.”

5. Probeer hem dan een paar keer open te maken.

   Then try opening it a few times.

   Probeer

   try

   hem

   it

   dan

   then

   een paar keer

   a few times

   open te maken

   to open

   More detail

   Probeer is the imperative of proberen (“to try”). It addresses one or more people without stating their names: Probeer ... means “Try ...”. With an infinitive, the reusable pattern is Probeer [something] te + verb, as in Probeer het te begrijpen — “Try to understand it.” hem is a singular object pronoun: it refers to the thing being tried and is placed after the verb. Dutch pronoun choice reflects the grammatical properties of the referent; the English translation “it” does not by itself show those properties. Here, the fixed meaning supports “it,” without requiring a more specific English noun. dan means “then.” It links this instruction to the relevant earlier step or situation. In this sentence it does not change the action itself; it places the attempt after that step. een paar keer is a reusable frequency expression meaning “a few times.” keer is the noun “time” in the sense of an occurrence, and een paar indicates a small number rather than one exact count. For example, Lees de zin een paar keer means “Read the sentence a few times.” open te maken contains the infinitive construction for “to open.” openmaken is a separable Dutch verb meaning “to open”; in an infinitive with te, its parts appear as open te maken. The form maken is the infinitive of maken, while open contributes the resulting state. This is different from treating open as the main verb by itself. For example, Ik probeer de deur open te maken means “I try to open the door.” Together, Probeer gives the instruction “Try,” hem identifies the object as “it,” dan places the action at that point, een paar keer specifies several attempts, and open te maken gives the attempted action. The complete meaning is: “Then try opening it a few times.”

6. Vraag naar het ruilbeleid voordat je beslist.

   Ask about the exchange policy before you decide.

   Vraag naar

   ask about

   ruilbeleid

   exchange policy

   voordat

   before

   beslist

   decide

   More detail

   Vraag naar is a reusable Dutch pattern meaning “ask about” or “inquire about.” Vraag is the imperative of vragen (“to ask”); this imperative has the same form as the present-tense form used with singular je or jij: Vraag naar ... (“Ask about ...”). The preposition naar belongs to this pattern here; it introduces the topic being asked about. Example: Vraag naar de prijs. — “Ask about the price.” ruilbeleid is a noun meaning “exchange policy.” It is a compound: ruil relates to exchanging, and beleid means policy, but the complete word names a policy governing exchanges. Example: Ik lees het ruilbeleid. — “I am reading the exchange policy.” voordat means “before” and introduces a subordinate clause that places one action earlier than another. In voordat je beslist, the clause after voordat describes the deciding that comes later. Example: Bel me voordat je vertrekt. — “Call me before you leave.” beslist is the present-tense form of beslissen (“to decide”) with je in this sentence. The subject je is the person who decides; beslist is not the imperative here, because it follows je inside the clause introduced by voordat. Example: Je beslist later. — “You decide later.” Together, Vraag naar het ruilbeleid means “Ask about the exchange policy,” and voordat je beslist establishes the time relation “before you decide.” The complete utterance is therefore: “Ask about the exchange policy before you decide.”

7. Deze hier voelt steviger aan, hoewel de website de kleurkeuzes duidelijker laat zien.

   The one here feels stronger, though the website shows the color options more clearly.

   Deze hier

   this one here

   voelt … aan

   feels

   steviger

   stronger; sturdier

   hoewel

   though; although

   website

   website

   kleurkeuzes

   color options

   duidelijker

   more clearly

   laat zien

   shows

   More detail

   Deze hier means “this one here.” Deze is a demonstrative form used for a nearby or specifically indicated singular common-gender noun, but the supplied sentence does not identify exactly what the item is. Hier adds the location “here.” Together they form a reusable way to identify one nearby item without naming it. voelt is the present-tense third-person singular form of voelen, “to feel.” Here it is part of the separable expression aanvoelen / aan ... voelen, meaning that something has a particular felt quality. In this sentence, voelt agrees with the singular subject Deze hier; aan appears later because the verb is separable. Example: De stof voelt zacht aan. — “The fabric feels soft.” steviger is the comparative form of stevig, “firm” or “sturdy.” The comparison is carried by the adjective steviger, not by the item being described. The basic chain is stevig — steviger — het stevigst (“firm/sturdy” — “firmer/sturdier” — “the firmest/most sturdy”). Here the comparison is understood against another relevant option, while the sentence itself does not specify that option. hoewel introduces a subordinate clause meaning “although” or “though.” It connects the first statement with a contrast: the item feels sturdier, while the website presents the options more clearly. In the clause that follows, the verb group is placed at the end: hoewel ... laat zien. website is the noun “website.” It is a useful loanword in Dutch and normally takes the article de: de website. In this sentence it is the subject of the second clause, the thing that presents the options. kleurkeuzes is the plural noun “color options” or “color choices.” It is a compound: kleur means “color,” and keuzes is the plural of keuze, “choice.” The plural ending belongs to keuzes, so kleurkeuzes refers to multiple choices, specifically choices involving color. Example: De kleurkeuzes zijn beperkt. — “The color choices are limited.” duidelijker is the comparative form of the adverb duidelijk, “clearly.” It describes how the website shows the options: more clearly than some comparison point understood in context. This is distinct from the adjective duidelijk when it directly describes a noun. Example: Deze pagina legt het duidelijker uit. — “This page explains it more clearly.” laat zien is the expression “shows” or “makes visible.” It consists of laat, the present-tense third-person singular form of laten, and zien, “to see”; together they form laten zien, “to show.” Here de website is the singular subject, de kleurkeuzes is what is shown, and duidelijker modifies the manner of showing. Example: De afbeelding laat het verschil zien. — “The image shows the difference.” As a whole, Deze hier voelt steviger aan says that the nearby indicated item has a firmer or sturdier feel. Hoewel de website de kleurkeuzes duidelijker laat zien adds the contrast that the website presents the color options more clearly. Thus the complete meaning is: “The one here feels stronger, though the website shows the color options more clearly.”

8. Gebruik de website om de keuzes te bekijken.

   Use the website for the options.

   Gebruik

   use

   de website

   the website

   de keuzes

   the options

   te bekijken

   to view

   More detail

   Gebruik is the imperative of gebruiken (“to use”). It addresses the listener directly and gives an instruction. The present-tense form for “I use” is ik gebruik; the imperative has the same visible form: Gebruik de website. — “Use the website.” de website means “the website.” de is the Dutch definite article used with this noun; the article is part of the noun phrase, while website is the noun itself. Example: Ik bezoek de website. — “I visit the website.” de keuzes means “the options” here. keuze is the singular noun “choice”; keuzes is its plural. Dutch uses de with this plural noun phrase: de keuze — “the choice,” de keuzes — “the options.” Example: Bekijk de keuzes. — “View the options.” te bekijken is the infinitive construction “to view.” bekijken is the base verb “to view” or “to look at,” and te marks this infinitive in the construction used here. In Gebruik ... om ... te bekijken, the pattern means “Use ... in order to view ...”: Gebruik de website om de keuzes te bekijken. Together, Gebruik de website gives the instruction “Use the website,” and om de keuzes te bekijken states the purpose: “to view the options.” The complete utterance therefore means: “Use the website for the options,” naturally understood as “Use the website to view the options.”

9. Gebruik het bezoek aan de winkel om de kwaliteit te beoordelen.

   Use the shop visit to judge the quality.

   Gebruik

   use

   bezoek

   visit

   winkel

   shop

   om … te

   in order to

   kwaliteit

   quality

   beoordelen

   judge; evaluate

   More detail

   Gebruik means “use” here and is the imperative of gebruiken. Dutch commonly uses the stem as the imperative: Gebruik de website. = “Use the website.” The subject “you” is understood rather than stated. bezoek means “visit” here. It is a noun, not the verb bezoeken (“to visit”); its plural is bezoeken. In het bezoek, het is the definite article used with this noun. winkel means “shop” or “store.” In het bezoek aan de winkel, aan de winkel identifies the shop connected with the visit and is rendered here as “to the shop.” om ... te introduces a purpose: “in order to ...” or simply “to ...”. The infinitive after te is beoordelen, so om ... te beoordelen means “in order to evaluate ...”. This is a reusable pattern: Gebruik X om Y te doen. = “Use X to do Y.” kwaliteit means “quality.” It is a noun of the de class, so the definite form is de kwaliteit; here the phrase refers to the quality in question. beoordelen means “to judge” or “to evaluate.” It is the infinitive here. Present-tense forms include ik beoordeel (“I evaluate”) and zij beoordelen (“they evaluate”); the infinitive itself does not show the subject. Together, Gebruik het bezoek aan de winkel means “Use the visit to the shop,” and om de kwaliteit te beoordelen gives the purpose: “to judge the quality.” The complete utterance is therefore: “Use the shop visit to judge the quality.”

10. Zo kan ik ze beter met elkaar vergelijken.

    That gives me a clearer way to compare them.

    Zo

    that way

    kan ik

    I can

    ze

    them

    beter

    better

    met elkaar

    with each other

    vergelijken

    compare

    More detail

    Zo means “this way” or “in this manner” here. It points to the method just described, rather than naming a separate object. A useful pattern is zo kan ik ...: “this way, I can ...”. kan ik means “I can”. kan is the present-tense form of kunnen for ik; it expresses ability or a possible way to act. In a main clause after an opening element such as zo, Dutch places the finite verb before the subject: Zo kan ik ..., not Zo ik kan .... For example: Zo kan ik de kwaliteit beoordelen. — “This way, I can judge the quality.” ze means “them” in this sentence. It is the object pronoun referring to the items being compared; the supplied translation confirms the plural “them,” but does not identify those items more specifically. The object form is also used in other contexts for “her” or as an unstressed form of “they,” so the exact role comes from the sentence structure and context. beter means “better” here and modifies the manner or result of comparing. It is the comparative form of goed (“good”): goed → beter → best (“best”). Dutch uses beter when one way or result is judged more favorable than another; it does not mean that the compared items themselves are necessarily better. met elkaar is a reciprocal construction meaning “with each other” or, with an action such as comparing, “with one another.” elkaar is the reciprocal pronoun; met indicates the relation or pairing. For example: Ze praten met elkaar. — “They talk to each other.” vergelijken is the infinitive “to compare.” Its base form is vergelijken; after a modal verb such as kan, the infinitive comes at the end of the clause: kan ... vergelijken. A useful pattern is A met B vergelijken — “to compare A with B.” Together, Zo kan ik introduces the method and ability, ze supplies the objects, beter says that the comparison can be made more effectively, and met elkaar vergelijken expresses comparing the objects with one another. The whole utterance therefore means: “That gives me a clearer way to compare them.”

11. Kies de rugzak die betrouwbaar aanvoelt en ook de stijl heeft die je wilt.

    Choose the one that feels reliable and still has the style you want.

    Kies

    choose

    de rugzak

    the backpack

    die

    that/which

    betrouwbaar

    reliable

    aanvoelt

    feels

    de stijl

    the style

    heeft

    has

    je

    you

    wilt

    want

    More detail

    Kies is the imperative of kiezen (“to choose”). It addresses the listener directly: Kies ... means “Choose ...”. The present-tense forms are ik kies, jij/je kiest, and the imperative kies. de rugzak means “the backpack”. Rugzak is a de-word, so its definite article is de; the article is definite, not a statement about how many backpacks there are. In this sentence, it is the thing being chosen. die immediately after de rugzak introduces a relative clause and refers back to that backpack. Here it is the subject of aanvoelt: “that feels ...”. Dutch uses die with de-words in this role; the form also has other uses, so its exact role comes from this construction. betrouwbaar means “reliable” and describes how the backpack feels. It is an adjective used after the linking verb aanvoelen; in this position it has no adjective ending. The related noun betrouwbaarheid means “reliability”, but it is not the form used here. aanvoelt comes from the separable verb aanvoelen, “to feel” or “to seem/feel in a particular way”. Its subject is singular die, referring to the backpack. In a subordinate clause, the verb’s parts appear together at the end: die betrouwbaar aanvoelt (“that feels reliable”). Compare the main-clause order De rugzak voelt betrouwbaar aan (“The backpack feels reliable”). de stijl means “the style”. Stijl is another de-word, which is why it takes de. It is the thing that the backpack has in the second part of the sentence. heeft is the third-person singular present form of hebben, “to have”: ik heb, jij/je hebt, hij/zij/het heeft. Its subject is again the backpack, understood from the relative-clause structure. ook (“also”) links this property with the earlier one: the backpack feels reliable and also has the desired style. The second die refers to de stijl, not to the backpack. It introduces the relative clause die je wilt, where die is the object of wilt: “that you want”. This is a different grammatical role from the first die, even though the form is the same. je is the informal second-person pronoun “you” and is the subject of wilt. Wilt is a present-tense form of willen, “to want”, used here with je: je wilt. A common alternative is je wil; both occur, while wilt is the form shown in the sentence. Together, de rugzak die betrouwbaar aanvoelt means “the backpack that feels reliable”. en ook de stijl heeft die je wilt adds “and also has the style that you want”. The whole utterance is therefore an instruction: “Choose the one that feels reliable and still has the style you want.”