Politely clarifying a taxi route | Learn Dutch in English

Sentence explanations

1. Nemen we vanwege het verkeer een andere route?

   Excuse me, are we taking a different route because of traffic?

   Nemen we

   are we taking?

   vanwege

   because of

   verkeer

   traffic

   andere

   different; another

   route

   route

   More detail

   Nemen we begins a yes/no question. The base verb is nemen, “to take”; here it is the present-tense form used with we (“we take”). Dutch places the finite verb before the subject in this type of question: We nemen ... becomes Nemen we ...? The phrase therefore asks whether the group is taking something, here a route. vanwege is a preposition meaning “because of” and introduces the reason. It is followed here by het verkeer, literally “the traffic.” The noun verkeer means traffic or road traffic; the article het belongs to the larger noun phrase, not to the meaning of verkeer alone. Example: Vanwege de regen blijven we binnen. — “Because of the rain, we are staying inside.” andere means “different” or “another” in this sentence. Its base adjective is ander. Before the singular common-gender noun route, the form is andere: een andere route. With a singular neuter noun after indefinite een, the form is commonly een ander ..., as in een ander plan — “another plan.” route is a noun meaning “route” or “way.” It is a common-gender de-word: de route, and after een it remains een route. Example: We kiezen een korte route. — “We choose a short route.” Together, Nemen we forms the question, een andere route means “a different route,” and vanwege het verkeer gives the reason. The complete utterance asks whether the group is taking a different route because of the traffic. The supplied translation presents this as “Excuse me, are we taking a different route because of traffic?”; the Dutch wording itself contains the route question and its reason.

2. De weg verderop is geblokkeerd, dus ik moet omrijden.

   The road ahead is blocked, so I need to take a detour.

   weg

   road

   verderop

   ahead; farther on

   geblokkeerd

   blocked

   dus

   so; therefore

   ik moet

   I have to

   omrijden

   take a detour; go around

   More detail

   weg means “road” here. It is a common-gender Dutch noun, so the definite article is de: de weg = “the road.” Its plural is wegen. verderop is an adverb meaning “farther on” or “ahead.” It locates something farther along the route, rather than directly nearby. Example: De winkel is verderop. — “The shop is farther on.” Together, de weg verderop means “the road farther ahead.” geblokkeerd is the past participle of blokkeren, “to block.” Here it describes the road’s condition: it is blocked. Dutch uses zijn plus a past participle in is geblokkeerd; is is the form of zijn, while geblokkeerd is the participle of blokkeren. Example: De ingang is geblokkeerd. — “The entrance is blocked.” dus connects a situation to its consequence and means “so” or “therefore.” Here it introduces the consequence of the road being blocked. ik moet contains ik, “I,” and moet, the first-person singular present form of the modal verb moeten, “must” or “have to.” The form is the same with singular jij: jij moet = “you have to,” while plural subjects use moeten: Wij moeten wachten. — “We have to wait.” omrijden is an infinitive meaning “to go around” an obstruction or “to take a detour.” It is separable: in a finite main clause, its parts can separate, as in Ik rijd om. — “I take a detour.” After the modal moet, the infinitive stays at the end: ik moet omrijden = “I have to take a detour.” The first part, De weg verderop is geblokkeerd, says that the road farther ahead is blocked. Dus marks the consequence, and ik moet omrijden says that the speaker therefore has to go around it. The complete meaning is: “The road ahead is blocked, so I need to take a detour.”

3. Ik vroeg het omdat ik deze buurt niet herken.

   I was asking because I don't recognize this area.

   Ik

   I

   vroeg

   asked; was asking

   het

   it

   omdat

   because

   deze

   this

   buurt

   neighborhood; area

   niet

   not

   herken

   recognize

   More detail

   Ik is the first-person singular pronoun “I.” It is the subject here; this form does not mark the speaker’s gender. vroeg is the simple past form of vragen, “to ask.” The useful form chain is vragen → present vraag → past vroeg. In this sentence, Ik vroeg is rendered by the fixed translation as “I was asking.” Example: Ik vroeg de weg. — “I asked for directions.” het is the object pronoun “it.” Its specific referent is not identified in the supplied sentence or translation, so it is best learned here as an object whose content is understood from context. The same spelling can also be the article “the” before a singular neuter noun, but it has the pronoun role here. omdat means “because” and introduces the reason clause. In this clause, the finite verb comes at the end: omdat ik deze buurt niet herken, “because I do not recognize this area.” deze means “this” and modifies the singular noun buurt. For a singular de-noun, Dutch uses deze; with a singular het-noun, the corresponding form is dit. This distinction is based on the noun’s article class, not simply on physical distance. buurt means “neighborhood” and, in this sentence, “area.” It is a de-noun: de buurt. Its plural is buurten: de buurten, “the neighborhoods.” niet is the ordinary Dutch negator “not.” Here it negates the speaker’s recognizing the area: ik herken niet, “I do not recognize.” herken is the first-person singular present form of herkennen, “to recognize”: ik herken, “I recognize.” The form is not a separable verb form in this sentence; it appears as the single finite verb herken. Example: Ik herken deze straat. — “I recognize this street.” The meaningful structure is Ik vroeg het + omdat ik deze buurt niet herken: a past asking clause followed by a reason clause. The complete utterance means, “I was asking because I don’t recognize this area.”

4. Deze route is iets langer, maar zo kunnen we blijven doorrijden.

   This way is a little longer, but it should keep us moving.

   Deze

   this

   route

   route

   is

   is

   iets

   a little

   langer

   longer

   maar

   but

   zo

   this way

   kunnen we

   we can

   blijven doorrijden

   keep driving

   More detail

   Deze means “this” here and stands before route. In Dutch, deze is used with a singular common-gender noun such as de route; with a singular neuter noun, Dutch uses dit instead. A useful contrast is deze route “this route” and die route “that route.” route is the noun “route” or “way.” Its plural is routes. Here it names the route being assessed. is is the present-tense form of zijn (“to be”) for a singular subject. Here it links deze route with its description. For example, De weg is lang means “The road is long.” iets means “a little” or “somewhat” in this use. It softens the comparison that follows; it does not state a precise amount or count. For example, Het is iets moeilijker means “It is a little more difficult.” langer means “longer.” It is the comparative of the adjective lang (“long”): lang → langer → langst (“longest”). The comparison is expressed by the form of lang, not by route. maar means “but” and connects the first assessment with the contrasting consequence. It introduces the idea that, despite the route being longer, continuing to drive remains possible. zo means “this way” or “in this manner” here. It presents the route or manner just being discussed. In another example, Doe het zo means “Do it this way.” kunnen we contains the present-tense modal verb kunnen (“can, be able to”) followed by the subject we (“we”). Here it expresses possibility: this way, continuing to drive is possible. The fixed translation renders that context as “it should keep us moving.” Because zo comes first in the main clause, the finite verb comes before the subject: Zo kunnen we ... means “This way, we can ...”. blijven doorrijden is a continuation pattern: blijven (“to remain, keep”) is followed by an infinitive, here doorrijden (“to continue driving” or “drive on”). Together they mean “keep driving” or “continue on.” For example, We blijven wachten means “We keep waiting.” Together, Deze route is iets langer says “This route is a little longer.” maar zo kunnen we blijven doorrijden adds the contrast: “but this way we can keep driving.” In the supplied translation, the complete meaning is rendered as “This way is a little longer, but it should keep us moving.”

5. Kunnen we, als het mogelijk is, op grotere wegen blijven?

   Could we stay on larger roads if possible?

   Kunnen we

   could we

   als het mogelijk is

   if possible

   grotere

   larger

   wegen

   roads

   blijven

   stay

   More detail

   Kunnen we begins a yes/no question. kunnen is the base form of the modal verb meaning “can” or, in a polite request like this, “could”; we is the subject. In a main-clause question, the finite verb comes before the subject: Kunnen we ...? Compare the statement We kunnen ... (“We can ...”). The verb after kunnen stays in the infinitive. als het mogelijk is is a conditional clause meaning “if possible.” mogelijk is the adjective “possible,” and is is the present-tense form of zijn (“to be”) for het. The clause can be reused after or before a request: Als het mogelijk is, vertrekken we vroeg. — “If possible, we will leave early.” grotere is the comparative form of groot (“large, big”): groot → groter (“larger”) → grootst (“largest”). Before the plural noun wegen, the comparative has the attributive ending -e: grotere wegen. The sentence compares the roads with other available roads, without specifying exactly which roads those are. wegen is the plural of weg, “road.” The singular/plural pair is weg → wegen. In this sentence, it is the noun governed by op in the expression op grotere wegen, “on larger roads.” blijven is the infinitive of “stay” or “remain.” After the modal kunnen, it remains an infinitive: We kunnen blijven. — “We can stay.” Here it describes continuing to use the larger roads rather than changing to another type of road. Together, Kunnen we ... blijven? asks politely whether the group can continue staying on something. op grotere wegen specifies where, and als het mogelijk is adds the condition “if possible.” The complete meaning is: “Could we stay on larger roads if possible?”

6. Dat kan ik doen.

   I can do that.

   Dat

   that

   kan

   can

   ik

   I

   doen

   do

   More detail

   Dat means “that” here and functions as the object of the action. Dutch uses this demonstrative form for a neuter singular referent; the sentence itself does not identify exactly what “that” refers to. kan is the present-tense singular form of kunnen, “can” or “to be able to.” With ik, the form is kan: ik kan = “I can.” Kunnen is also used with plural subjects, as in the preceding question Kunnen we ...? = “Could we ...?” ik is the first-person singular pronoun, “I.” It identifies the person who is able to perform the action. doen is the infinitive “to do.” After a modal verb such as kan, Dutch places the following lexical verb in the infinitive: kan ... doen = “can ... do.” The sentence begins with the object Dat. In this main-clause word order, the finite verb kan comes next, followed by the subject ik; the infinitive doen remains at the end. Together, Dat kan ik doen means “I can do that.”

7. Het kan een paar minuten extra kosten.

   It may add a few minutes.

   Het kan

   It may

   een paar

   a few

   minuten

   minutes

   extra

   extra

   kosten

   add; cost

   More detail

   Het kan combines het (“it”) with kan, the present-tense form of kunnen for a singular subject. Here it introduces a possibility: “it may…”. The following verb stays in the infinitive. In the fixed sentence, het is the sentence subject for the situation being discussed; the text does not identify a more specific noun that it refers to. een paar means “a few” here. It is a quantity expression used before a plural noun. een is part of this expression; by itself, an indefinite article does not assert a numerical count. minuten is the plural of minuut, “minute”. The singular–plural contrast is een minuut / twee minuten. In this sentence it names the amount of added time. extra means “additional” or “extra”. It is unchanged in form and tells us that the minutes are added to an already relevant amount of time. In een paar minuten extra, it contributes the idea of additional minutes rather than changing the noun’s number. kosten is the infinitive of kosten, “to cost”. After the modal kan, the infinitive appears at the end: Het kan ... kosten means “It may cost ...”. In this context, English “add” is the natural translation because the thing that costs is additional time. Compare the ordinary present-tense forms het kost (“it costs”) and de minuten kosten (“the minutes cost”); the observed kosten is infinitival here, not a plural finite verb. Together, Het kan + een paar minuten extra + kosten gives “It may add a few minutes.” The modal marks this as a possibility, and een paar minuten extra specifies the possible additional time. This pattern is reusable: Het kan [amount] extra kosten means “It may cost/add [amount] extra.”

8. Maar dan is de route makkelijker te volgen.

   But it will be easier to follow.

   Maar

   but

   dan

   then; in that case

   is

   is; will be

   route

   route

   makkelijker

   easier

   volgen

   follow

   More detail

   Maar means “but” and links this utterance to something contrasting with or qualifying what came before. It is a conjunction and does not change form. dan means “then” or, here, “in that case.” In a conditional or consequence-like context, maar dan can be understood as “but then” or “but in that case.” This is a reusable short pattern: maar dan .... is is the present-tense form of zijn (“to be”) for a singular subject and also for u (“you,” formal). Here it is the verb in the structure “the route is easier to follow.” Dutch present tense can describe an expected future situation when the context makes that reading clear, which is why the fixed translation uses “will be”; is itself is not a separate future-tense form. route is a noun meaning “route” or “way.” Its plural is routes. With the definite article, Dutch uses de route, as in the source. Example: De route is lang. — “The route is long.” makkelijker is the comparative form of makkelijk, “easy” or “easy to do.” The useful comparison chain is makkelijk (“easy”), makkelijker (“easier”), het makkelijkst (“the easiest”). The ending -er marks comparison here; it belongs to the adjective makkelijker, not to route. Example: Deze weg is makkelijker. — “This way is easier.” volgen means “to follow.” It is the infinitive, and te volgen is the pattern te + infinitive. After a comparative such as makkelijker, this pattern expresses that something is easier to do: makkelijker te volgen means “easier to follow.” Example: Deze aanwijzingen zijn makkelijk te volgen. — “These instructions are easy to follow.” Together, de route is the subject, is supplies the “is/will be” link, and makkelijker te volgen says that following the route requires less difficulty than the relevant alternative. With Maar dan at the beginning, the complete meaning is: “But then it will be easier to follow.”

9. Dat is prima. Ik heb geen haast.

   That works. I'm not in a hurry.

   Dat

   that

   is

   is

   prima

   fine; okay

   Ik

   I

   heb

   have

   geen haast

   no hurry

   More detail

   Dat means “that.” As a demonstrative pronoun, its form reflects its grammatical use; the sentence and translation support the meaning “that,” but they do not identify a more specific referent. Is is the present-tense third-person singular form of zijn (“to be”). Prima means “fine,” “good,” or “okay”; here it expresses acceptance. Together, Dat is prima means “That works” or “That is fine.” Ik means “I.” Heb is the first-person singular present form of hebben (“to have”): ik heb, jij hebt, hij/zij heeft. The observed form agrees with the subject ik. Geen haast means “no hurry.” Haast is a noun meaning “hurry” or “rush,” and geen negates a noun phrase. The Dutch expression haast hebben literally uses “have” with “hurry,” so geen haast hebben means “not to be in a hurry.” This is different from niet, which generally negates other parts of a sentence. For example, Ik heb haast means “I am in a hurry,” while Ik heb geen haast means “I am not in a hurry.” The whole utterance first gives acceptance with Dat is prima, “That works,” and then states the speaker’s situation with Ik heb geen haast, “I’m not in a hurry.”

10. Ik zal vanaf hier de kleine zijstraten vermijden.

    I'll avoid the small side streets from here.

    Ik zal

    I will

    vanaf hier

    from here

    kleine

    small

    zijstraten

    side streets

    vermijden

    avoid

    More detail

    Ik zal combines ik (“I”) with zal, the first-person singular present form of zullen (“will/shall”). Here, zal helps express a future intention, and the following verb remains in the infinitive. For example: Ik zal morgen komen. — “I will come tomorrow.” vanaf hier means “from here”: vanaf marks the starting point, and hier means “here”. In this sentence, the starting point is spatial. Example: Vanaf hier lopen we naar het station. — “From here we walk to the station.” kleine is the adjective klein (“small”) in its -e form. It has -e here because it modifies the plural noun phrase introduced by de: de kleine zijstraten. The basic comparison is klein (“small”), kleiner (“smaller”), het kleinst (“the smallest”). Example: een kleine straat — “a small street”; de kleine straten — “the small streets.” zijstraten means “side streets”. Its singular base form is zijstraat, a compound of zij (“side”) and straat (“street”); zijstraten is its plural. The plural ending is part of straten, the plural form of straat. Example: Deze zijstraat is rustig. — “This side street is quiet.” vermijden means “to avoid” and is an infinitive. After zal, Dutch uses this infinitive at the end of the clause: Ik zal de drukke weg vermijden. — “I will avoid the busy road.” This describes choosing not to use or encounter something; it is different from merely passeren (“to pass”). Together, Ik zal expresses the speaker’s future intention, vanaf hier gives the point from which that intention applies, de kleine zijstraten identifies the streets concerned, and vermijden states the action. The whole utterance therefore means: “I’ll avoid the small side streets from here.”

11. Ik waardeer het dat u de route uitlegt.

    I appreciate you explaining the route.

    waardeer

    appreciate

    het dat

    the fact that

    u

    you (formal or plural)

    route

    route

    uitlegt

    explain

    More detail

    waardeer means “appreciate” here. It is the first-person singular present form of waarderen, used with ik: ik waardeer = “I appreciate.” The form changes with the subject, for example: Wij waarderen uw hulp. — “We appreciate your help.” het dat introduces the appreciated situation. Het is an anticipatory object, while the dat-clause explains what is appreciated; together this pattern can correspond to “the fact that” or, more naturally here, “that.” A reusable pattern is Ik waardeer het dat ... — “I appreciate that ...”. u is the Dutch second-person pronoun for formal singular “you” or for plural “you.” Its exact number is not established by this sentence. With u, Dutch commonly uses a singular-looking verb form, as in u legt — “you explain.” route means “route” or “the way to get somewhere.” It is a noun and appears with the definite article de: de route. Example: Ik ken de route. — “I know the route.” uitlegt means “explain” in this sentence. It is the present-tense form of uitleggen used with u; the separable verb’s parts appear together in this subordinate clause. In a main clause, the parts separate: U legt de route uit. — “You explain the route.” In the dat-clause, the finite verb comes at the end: dat u de route uitlegt. Together, Ik waardeer expresses the speaker’s appreciation, het dat introduces the situation being appreciated, and u de route uitlegt identifies that situation: the addressee explains the route. The complete meaning is “I appreciate you explaining the route.”

12. Ik laat het u weten als ik de route weer moet veranderen.

    I'll let you know if I need to change it again.

    laat … weten

    let ... know

    het

    it

    u

    you (formal)

    als

    if

    route

    route

    weer

    again

    moet

    need to

    veranderen

    change

    More detail

    laat ... weten is a reusable Dutch construction meaning “let someone know” or “inform someone.” Here laat is the present-tense form of laten with the subject ik, and weten is the infinitive “to know.” The words are separated by the recipient and het, so a useful pattern is iemand iets laten weten (“let someone know something”). In this context, the Dutch present tense naturally expresses the speaker’s future intention. het means “it” in the fixed translation. In iets aan iemand laten weten, it occupies the thing-being-communicated position; here the following als-clause gives the relevant information. This pronoun does not by itself identify a separate concrete object. u is the formal second-person pronoun, “you.” It can refer to one person or more than one person; this form does not mark that distinction. als introduces the condition “if.” Here it connects the possible situation ik ... moet veranderen with the action of informing the listener. In other contexts, als can also mean “when,” but “if” is the intended meaning here. route is the noun “route” or “course.” Its plural is routes. Example: Ik ken de route. — “I know the route.” weer means “again” or “once more.” It marks the changing as repeated, without specifying how many earlier changes occurred. moet is the first-person singular present form of moeten, “must” or “need to.” With ik, Dutch uses moet, and the following verb remains an infinitive. Example: Ik moet vertrekken. — “I need to leave.” veranderen is the infinitive “to change.” With moet, it remains the infinitive in moet veranderen. In this sentence, de route is the explicit object of veranderen; it is not merely understood from context. Taken together, Ik laat het u weten means “I’ll let you know,” and als ik de route weer moet veranderen means “if I need to change the route again.” The whole utterance therefore means: “I’ll let you know if I need to change it again.”