Resolving a shelf-label mismatch | Learn Dutch in English

Sentence explanations

1. De kassa geeft aan dat dit een ander artikel is.

   The register shows this as a different item.

   kassa

   cash register

   geeft aan

   shows; indicates

   dat

   that

   dit

   this

   ander

   different; another

   artikel

   item

   More detail

   kassa means “cash register” here. It is a noun: de kassa, plural kassa's. Depending on context, it can also mean a checkout point, but the fixed translation supports the register meaning here. geeft aan is the separable verb aangeven, meaning “to indicate” or “to show” in this use. With the singular subject de kassa, its present-tense form is geeft ... aan: the finite part is geeft, while the particle aan appears separately in a main clause. Example: Het scherm geeft de prijs aan. — “The screen shows the price.” dat introduces the content of what is shown: “that …”. In the subordinate clause beginning with dat, the finite verb comes at the end, as in dat dit ... is. dit means “this” and is the singular neuter demonstrative form. Dutch commonly contrasts dit with deze: dit is used with a singular neuter (het) noun, while deze is used with a singular common-gender (de) noun or with plural nouns. Here, dit identifies the thing being classified as an item. ander means “different” or “another” here. Its base form is ander; in een ander artikel, it has no -e because it stands before a singular neuter noun after the indefinite article een. Compare een andere kassa (“a different cash register”) and andere artikelen (“different items”). The form ander itself does not express a numeric count; een is the indefinite article in this noun phrase. artikel means “item” here. It is a singular neuter noun: het artikel; its plural is artikelen. The noun phrase een ander artikel therefore means “a different item” or “another item.” Together, De kassa geeft aan means “The register shows,” and dat dit een ander artikel is gives the content of that indication: “that this is a different item.” The whole utterance is therefore: “The register shows this as a different item.”

2. Maar het prijskaartje lag onder dit product.

   But the shelf label was under this product.

   Maar

   But

   prijskaartje

   shelf label

   lag

   was lying

   onder

   under

   dit

   this

   product

   product

   More detail

   Maar means “but” here and introduces a contrast with what has just been said. It is a coordinating conjunction and commonly connects two statements: Ik wil gaan, maar ik ben moe. — “I want to go, but I am tired.” prijskaartje means “price tag” or, in this retail context, “shelf label.” It is a compound noun: prijs means “price,” and kaartje is the diminutive form of kaart (“card”). The diminutive ending -je is part of the noun’s form; the complete noun is het prijskaartje. In another sentence, Het prijskaartje is duidelijk. means “The price label is clear.” lag is the singular past form of liggen, “to lie” or “be located.” Here it describes the price label’s location in the past: it was under the product. The useful chain is liggen → lag (past singular) → lagen (past plural). This verb is used for something positioned horizontally or described as lying in a place; it does not by itself say that the label was placed there deliberately. onder is the preposition “under” or “beneath.” It links the location to the following noun phrase: onder de tafel — “under the table.” dit means “this” and agrees with the noun phrase it determines here: dit product. In Dutch, dit is used with a singular neuter noun, while deze is used with a singular common-gender noun or a plural noun: dit product — “this product,” but deze tafel — “this table.” product means “product.” It is a singular neuter noun, so the phrase uses dit product; its definite article is het: het product. Its plural is producten: de producten — “the products.” Together, lag onder dit product says that the shelf label was located under this product. With the contrast marker Maar, the complete utterance means: “But the shelf label was under this product.”

3. Ik controleer het prijskaartje eerst voordat ik iets bij de kassa verander.

   I'll check the shelf label before changing anything at the register.

   controleer

   check

   prijskaartje

   shelf label

   eerst

   first

   voordat

   before

   iets

   anything

   kassa

   register

   verander

   change

   More detail

   controleer is the present-tense first-person singular form of controleren, “to check.” With ik, the verb has this form: ik controleer. Example: Ik controleer de bon. — “I check the receipt.” prijskaartje means “price tag” or “shelf label” here. It is a compound noun: prijs + kaartje; the observed noun is prijskaartje, not an adjective form. It is a neuter noun, so it is used with het: het prijskaartje. The context supports the shelf-label meaning. eerst means “first” or “at first in the sequence.” It places the checking before the later action. Example: Lees eerst de instructies. — “Read the instructions first.” voordat introduces a subordinate clause meaning “before.” The pattern is voordat + clause: voordat ik vertrek — “before I leave.” In the sentence, it introduces the action that has not yet happened at the point of checking. iets is an indefinite pronoun meaning “something” or, in this context, “anything.” It refers nonspecifically to an object being changed; the sentence does not identify which object. Example: Ik wil iets kopen. — “I want to buy something.” kassa means “checkout” or “cash register.” With bij de kassa, it contributes the location “at the register” or “at the checkout.” Kassa is a common-gender noun, so the definite article is de: de kassa. verander is the present-tense first-person singular form of veranderen, “to change.” The subject is again ik: ik verander. Example: Ik verander het plan. — “I change the plan.” The sentence combines Ik controleer het prijskaartje (“I check the shelf label”) with eerst (“first”). The subordinate clause voordat ik iets bij de kassa verander means “before I change anything at the register.” Together, the utterance means: “I’ll check the shelf label before changing anything at the register.” In Dutch, the present tense can express a planned or imminent action when the context makes that timing clear.

4. Het lag precies onder deze maat.

   It was directly below this size.

   Het

   it

   lag

   lay; was located

   precies

   exactly

   onder

   below; under

   deze

   this

   maat

   size

   More detail

   Het is the subject pronoun meaning “it” here. In this context, the translation and surrounding references support the price label as the thing being located. Dutch het can also be the definite article for neuter singular nouns, but that is a different use; here it is a pronoun. lag is the past tense of liggen, “to lie” or “to be located.” For an object’s position, Dutch uses liggen even when English commonly uses “be”: Het ligt daar means “It is located there,” and Het lag daar means “It was located there.” The past form lag places that location in the past; it is not the form of the transitive verb leggen, “to put” or “to lay.” precies means “exactly” here and strengthens the location: the object was directly at the stated position, not merely somewhere nearby. It can also mean “correctly” or “precisely” in other contexts, but its effect here is spatial emphasis. onder expresses a lower position relative to something else. In onder deze maat, it means “below this size.” The same preposition can mean “under” in a more physical sense, as in the example De tas ligt onder de stoel. — “The bag is under the chair.” deze means “this” and points to something relatively near or currently relevant. It is the form used with a singular common-gender de noun such as maat: deze maat. With a singular neuter het noun, Dutch uses dit, as in dit artikel (“this item”). maat is the noun “size” here. Its article is de: de maat. It can also mean a measurement or a clothing/shoe size, depending on context. The compound de kledingmaat means “the clothing size,” while the supplied sentence leaves the exact kind of size unspecified. Together, het lag says that the subject was located in the past; precies onder specifies an exact lower position; and deze maat identifies the reference point as this size. The complete meaning is: “It was directly below this size.”

5. Het prijskaartje komt niet overeen met het artikel in ons systeem.

   The label doesn't match the item in our system.

   prijskaartje

   price label

   komt niet overeen

   doesn't match

   artikel

   item

   systeem

   system

   More detail

   prijskaartje means “price label” here. It is a compound: prijs means “price” and kaartje means “small card” or “tag”; the full word refers to the label showing a price. Its diminutive ending is part of the noun, not a separate word to add independently. Example: Het prijskaartje is duidelijk. — “The price label is clear.” komt niet overeen expresses “doesn’t match” in this sentence. The underlying verb is the separable verb overeenkomen, used with met for the thing it matches: iets komt overeen met iets. In the present tense, komt is the third-person singular form of komen; overeen is placed after the finite verb in the main clause. Niet makes the statement negative. Example: De beschrijving komt niet overeen met het product. — “The description does not match the product.” artikel means “item” here, especially an item in a shop or record. It can also mean “article” in other contexts, so the intended meaning here comes from the fixed translation and the shopping-related context. Example: Dit artikel is beschadigd. — “This item is damaged.” systeem means “system.” It is a neuter noun, as shown by het systeem; in this sentence, ons means “our” and identifies the system as belonging to the speaker’s group. Example: De gegevens staan in ons systeem. — “The data is in our system.” Together, Het prijskaartje is the subject, komt ... niet overeen says that it does not match, and met het artikel in ons systeem identifies what it fails to match: the item recorded in the system. The complete meaning is: “The label doesn't match the item in our system.”

6. Kunt u het corrigeren voordat ik betaal?

   Could you correct it before I pay?

   Kunt u

   Could you

   het

   it

   corrigeren

   correct

   voordat

   before

   betaal

   pay

   More detail

   Kunt u is a polite question pattern meaning “Could you …?” Here kunt is the present-tense form of kunnen (“can, be able to”) used with formal u; u is the subject. The modal verb is followed by an infinitive: Kunt u corrigeren? means “Could you correct [it]?” In Dutch questions, the finite verb comes before the subject. het is a neuter singular pronoun meaning “it” here. Its exact referent is supplied by the situation rather than by this sentence, so it is best learned as a reusable object pronoun: Ik zie het. — “I see it.” corrigeren is the infinitive “to correct.” It follows kunt because kunnen is a modal verb and the other verb remains in the infinitive. The related noun correctie means “correction,” but it is a different word and is not the form used here. voordat means “before” and introduces a clause that gives the time condition for the requested action. The clause after it has its own subject and finite verb: voordat ik betaal — “before I pay.” betaal is the first-person singular present form of betalen, “to pay.” The subject ik makes the meaning “I pay”; with a different subject, the finite form changes, for example u betaalt — “you pay.” Together, Kunt u het corrigeren asks politely whether the listener can correct the unspecified item, and voordat ik betaal places that requested correction earlier than the speaker’s payment. The complete meaning is: “Could you correct it before I pay?”

7. Ik heb een leidinggevende nodig om de correctie goed te keuren.

   I need a supervisor to approve the correction.

   Ik

   I

   heb … nodig

   need

   leidinggevende

   supervisor

   correctie

   correction

   goed te keuren

   approve

   More detail

   Ik means “I” here. It is the first-person singular subject pronoun: the speaker presents themself as the person who needs something. A useful contrast is jij/u for “you”; the choice depends on the person being referred to and, for u, the polite form. heb ... nodig is the Dutch pattern for “need”: literally, it places the object between the form of hebben and nodig. heb is the first-person singular present form of hebben; other present forms include hebt with jij/u and heeft with hij/zij/u in the relevant uses. The fixed sentence does not express possession here: Ik heb een leidinggevende nodig means “I need a supervisor.” Example: Ik heb hulp nodig. — “I need help.” leidinggevende means “supervisor” or “manager” in this sentence. It is a noun referring to a person with responsibility for leading or supervising others. The word can also be used attributively in other contexts, but here it is the person being requested. Example: De leidinggevende beslist. — “The supervisor decides.” correctie means “correction.” It is a noun; its plural is correcties. The article de in the sentence identifies the correction as a specific one in the situation, rather than asserting a number. Example: De correctie is klaar. — “The correction is ready.” goed te keuren expresses “to approve.” It comes from the separable verb goedkeuren, whose present-tense form for hij/zij/u is keurt ... goed; with te before the infinitive, the parts appear as goed te keuren. The word goed here is part of the verb, not a separate description meaning that the correction is good. Example: Zij moet het plan goedkeuren. — “She must approve the plan.” The final part om de correctie goed te keuren is an om ... te infinitive construction. It gives the action that the supervisor is needed for: approving the specific correction. Together, Ik heb een leidinggevende nodig and this construction produce: “I need a supervisor to approve the correction.”

8. Ik kan wachten terwijl u het controleert.

   I can wait while you check.

   Ik kan

   I can

   wachten

   wait

   terwijl

   while

   u

   you

   het

   it

   controleert

   check

   More detail

   Ik kan combines the subject Ik (“I”) with kan, the first-person singular present form of kunnen (“can, be able to”). A modal such as kan is followed by an infinitive: Ik kan wachten = “I can wait.” wachten is the infinitive “to wait.” After kan, it stays in the infinitive rather than taking a personal ending. Example: Ik kan helpen. — “I can help.” terwijl means “while” and introduces a subordinate clause describing an action happening at the same time as the main-clause action. In that clause, the finite verb comes at the end: terwijl u het controleert = “while you check it.” u is the formal or polite second-person pronoun “you.” In this sentence it is the subject of the subordinate clause. With u, the verb form here is the singular present form controleert; this form is also used with a singular third-person subject such as hij or zij, although u itself means “you.” het is the object pronoun “it” in this sentence. The fixed translation identifies the intended object as “it,” but does not specify the object's exact noun. Do not confuse this use with het as the definite article “the” before a neuter noun; its role here is a standalone object pronoun. controleert comes from the infinitive controleren, “to check.” It is the present-tense form used with u here. The same verb has forms such as ik controleer (“I check”) and zij controleert (“she checks”). Example: U controleert het document. — “You check the document.” Together, Ik kan wachten states the speaker’s ability or willingness to wait, and terwijl u het controleert gives the simultaneous action: “I can wait while you check it.”

9. We lossen het bij de kassa op en passen het prijskaartje aan.

   We'll fix it at the register and update the shelf label.

   We

   we

   lossen … op

   fix; resolve

   bij de kassa

   at the register

   kassa

   register; checkout

   passen … aan

   adjust; update

   prijskaartje

   price label

   More detail

   We is the Dutch first-person plural subject pronoun: “we.” It refers to the speaker together with at least one other person. Compare ik (“I”) for one speaker. lossen ... op is the separable verb oplossen, meaning “to solve” or “resolve.” In this sentence, lossen is the present-tense form used with we, while op is placed later in the clause. A useful pattern is we lossen het probleem op (“we solve the problem”). The object het means “it” here, and the surrounding context supports the meaning “resolve the matter.” bij de kassa means “at the register.” bij expresses a location near or at something, and de kassa identifies the checkout/register location. For example, Ik wacht bij de kassa means “I’m waiting at the register.” kassa is the noun for “register” or “checkout.” In de kassa, it takes the common-gender article de; the article is part of the noun phrase, while the noun itself remains kassa. passen ... aan is the separable verb aanpassen, meaning “adjust” or “update.” With we, its present-tense form is passen, and the particle aan appears later. The pattern is we passen iets aan (“we adjust something”). This is different from passen by itself, which can mean “fit” or “suit,” depending on context. prijskaartje means “price label” or “price tag.” It is a compound noun related to prijs (“price”) and kaartje (“small card”); the full compound, rather than either part alone, names the label showing a price. In this sentence, it is the object being updated. For example, Het prijskaartje is duidelijk means “The price label is clear.” The sentence coordinates two actions with en (“and”): We lossen het bij de kassa op means “We’ll resolve it at the register,” and passen het prijskaartje aan means “update the price label.” Together, the fixed utterance means: “We’ll fix it at the register and update the shelf label.”

10. Ik los het liever nu op dan dat ik later terug moet komen.

    I'd rather settle it now than come back later.

    los … op

    settle; resolve

    liever

    rather

    nu

    now

    dan dat

    than

    later

    later

    moet

    must; have to

    terug … komen

    come back

    More detail

    los ... op is the separable verb oplossen, “to resolve” or “to settle.” In the sentence, los is the present-tense first-person singular form of oplossen, and op moves to the end of the clause: Ik los het op (“I resolve it”). The pronoun het is the thing being settled; the fixed translation supports the meaning “it.” liever expresses preference: “rather” or “preferably.” It is the comparative form associated with graag (“gladly”); the useful preference pattern is liever ... dan ... (“rather ... than ...”). A stronger preference can be expressed with het liefst (“most preferably”; “of all, preferably”). nu means “now,” referring here to settling the matter at the present time. It contrasts with later, which means “later,” at a subsequent time. Example: Ik doe het nu, niet later. — “I’ll do it now, not later.” dan dat introduces the alternative in this preference comparison. Here, dan dat ik ... means “than [that] I ...”; the repeated subject ik makes the second clause explicit. In the pattern Ik doe het liever nu dan dat ik later wacht, the meaning is “I would rather do it now than wait later.” moet is the present-tense form of the modal verb moeten (“must; have to”) for ik, jij/je, and hij/zij/het; the form itself does not show a different gender. In dat ik later terug moet komen, moet expresses necessity, while komen remains an infinitive at the end of the subordinate clause. terug komen means “come back” in this sentence. The verb is commonly written as the compound terugkomen; its infinitive is terugkomen, and in a subordinate clause such as this one it appears at the end: dat ik later terug moet komen. The word terug adds the idea of returning, rather than simply coming. Together, Ik los het liever nu op means “I’d rather settle it now.” The comparison dan dat ik later terug moet komen adds the alternative “than have to come back later.” Thus the complete utterance means: “I’d rather settle it now than come back later.”