Checking in at a conference | Learn Dutch in English

Sentence explanations

1. Ik heb me online geregistreerd voor de conferentie van vandaag.

   I registered online for today's conference.

   Ik

   I

   heb

   have

   me

   myself

   online

   online

   geregistreerd

   registered

   voor

   for

   conferentie

   conference

   van vandaag

   of today; today’s

   More detail

   Ik is the first-person singular subject pronoun: “I.” It identifies the speaker as the person who performs the registration. heb is the first-person singular present form of hebben (“to have”). Here it is an auxiliary, not the main meaning “possess.” Dutch uses hebben with a past participle to form the perfect: ik heb ... geregistreerd = “I have registered” / “I registered.” me is the first-person singular reflexive pronoun. It refers back to the subject Ik; the verb is therefore expressed as ik heb me geregistreerd, literally involving the speaker’s own registration. Other subjects use other reflexive forms, such as zij heeft zich geregistreerd (“she registered”). online is an adverb describing the method or setting of the registration. It can be placed with other activity words to say that something happens online. geregistreerd is the past participle of registreren (“to register”). In this sentence it follows the auxiliary heb and completes the Dutch perfect construction. The useful pattern is hebben + past participle: Ik heb betaald = “I paid” / “I have paid.” voor is a preposition meaning “for” here. It introduces the event for which the registration was made. Its meaning is determined by the following noun phrase, not by geregistreerd alone. conferentie is a noun meaning “conference.” With its usual definite article, Dutch uses de conferentie; the article is not included in the selected quote. A reusable phrase is voor de conferentie (“for the conference”). van vandaag combines van (“of/from”) with vandaag (“today”) to identify the conference as the one taking place today. Together, de conferentie van vandaag means “today’s conference.” As a whole, Ik heb me online geregistreerd voor de conferentie van vandaag. uses the perfect construction heb ... geregistreerd to say that the speaker registered, me marks the speaker as the reflexive participant, online gives the method, and voor de conferentie van vandaag gives the event. The complete meaning is: “I registered online for today’s conference.”

2. Ik kan u helpen met het inchecken. Bevestig uw registratie op dit scherm.

   I can help you check in. Please confirm your registration on this screen.

   Ik kan

   I can

   u

   you

   helpen

   help

   het inchecken

   checking in

   Bevestig

   confirm

   uw

   your

   registratie

   registration

   dit

   this

   scherm

   screen

   More detail

   Ik kan means “I can.” kan is the present-tense form of kunnen with ik; the useful pattern is ik kan + an infinitive for ability or possibility. In this sentence, kan is followed by helpen, so the ability is “can help,” not merely “can.” Example: Ik kan morgen komen. — “I can come tomorrow.” u is the formal “you” pronoun here, the person being offered help. Dutch uses u for both singular and plural formal “you”; the form itself does not identify the number. In this sentence, the fixed translation supports addressing the person being helped. helpen means “to help.” It is an infinitive, and after a modal such as kan, Dutch keeps the lexical verb in the infinitive: Ik kan u helpen. — “I can help you.” The order is subject + modal + object + infinitive. het inchecken means “checking in.” inchecken is a verb meaning “to check in”; with het, the infinitive is used as a noun-like activity. This is a useful pattern for naming an activity: het lezen means “reading,” for example. Here, helpen met is followed by the activity: helpen met het inchecken — “help with checking in.” Bevestig means “confirm.” It is the imperative form of bevestigen, used here to give the instruction “confirm.” Dutch commonly uses the verb stem for a direct imperative, so Bevestig! is different from the infinitive bevestigen. Example: Bevestig uw keuze. — “Confirm your choice.” uw means “your” and belongs to the formal u form. It is a possessive determiner, not a statement about how many registrations there are. In Dutch, uw does not change to show the gender or number of the following noun: uw registratie and uw scherm both use uw. registratie means “registration.” It is a noun related here to registering for the conference, as supported by the surrounding context. The phrase uw registratie means “your registration.” Example: Uw registratie is voltooid. — “Your registration is complete.” dit means “this.” It is a demonstrative determiner used with a singular neuter noun in Dutch. Since scherm is a neuter noun (het scherm), the combination is dit scherm. Compare the reusable contrast dit scherm — “this screen” and deze pagina — “this page”; deze is used with a singular common-gender noun such as pagina. scherm means “screen.” The phrase op dit scherm means “on this screen”: op expresses the location, while dit identifies the screen as near or currently relevant. scherm is a neuter noun, so its definite article is het: het scherm. Together, Ik kan u helpen met het inchecken says “I can help you check in.” The modal kan combines with the infinitive helpen, and u is the person receiving the help; met het inchecken names the activity concerned. Bevestig uw registratie op dit scherm then gives the instruction “Please confirm your registration on this screen.” Bevestig is the direct imperative, uw registratie identifies the registration as belonging to the addressed person, and op dit scherm gives its location. The complete utterance is therefore: “I can help you check in. Please confirm your registration on this screen.”

3. Mijn registratie en de workshop die ik voor vanmiddag heb gekozen, staan erop.

   It shows my registration and the afternoon workshop I chose.

   Mijn

   my

   registratie

   registration

   workshop

   workshop

   voor vanmiddag

   for this afternoon

   heb gekozen

   have chosen

   staan erop

   are shown there

   More detail

   Mijn means “my” here and is the possessive form used before the noun registratie. Dutch also uses mijn before other singular nouns, for example: Mijn workshop staat erop. — “My workshop is shown there.” registratie means “registration.” It is a noun referring here to the learner’s registration. With the definite article, it is de registratie; with the possessive, the sentence uses mijn registratie instead. workshop is the noun “workshop.” The phrase de workshop is definite: it refers to a particular workshop. The adjective-like or descriptive information does not come from workshop itself; the following relative clause identifies it: de workshop die ik ... heb gekozen — “the workshop that I chose.” voor vanmiddag means “for this afternoon.” voor introduces the intended time or occasion, and vanmiddag is the single Dutch word for “this afternoon.” Example: Ik heb een afspraak voor vanmiddag. — “I have an appointment for this afternoon.” In die ik voor vanmiddag heb gekozen, die links the description to de workshop. Dutch uses die with a singular de-word such as de workshop; in this clause, die is the object of gekozen, while ik is the subject. The clause literally has the reusable pattern de [noun] die ik ... heb gekozen: “the [noun] that I chose.” heb gekozen is the perfect construction for “have chosen.” Its base verb is kiezen (“to choose”); the relevant forms are kiezen, koos (past singular), and gekozen (past participle). In this sentence, heb is the first-person singular present form of hebben, matching ik; gekozen does not carry the person marking. Example: Ik heb een andere workshop gekozen. — “I chose another workshop.” staan erop means “are shown/listed there” in this context. staan is the plural present form of staan, used because the coordinated subject is mijn registratie en de workshop. The separable-looking combination erop staan is a useful Dutch pattern for something being displayed or listed on a screen, page, or record. Example: De naam staat erop. — “The name is shown there.” The sentence first names two things: mijn registratie en de workshop. The relative clause specifies which workshop by saying that the speaker chose it for this afternoon. Finally, plural staan agrees with both items, and erop refers to the place or display already understood from the situation. Together, the utterance means: “My registration and the afternoon workshop I chose are shown/listed there.”

4. Ik zie die workshop bij uw badgegegevens staan.

   I see that workshop listed with your badge details.

   Ik

   I

   zie

   see

   die

   that

   workshop

   workshop

   bij

   with; at

   uw

   your

   badgegegevens

   badge details

   staan

   be listed

   More detail

   Ik is the first-person singular subject pronoun: “I.” It is the form used when the speaker refers to themself. For example, Ik lees. means “I read.” zie is the present-tense form of zien, “to see,” with ik. In Ik zie ..., the speaker reports visual perception. A useful pattern is Ik zie + object + infinitive, meaning “I see the object doing something” or “I see the object in a particular state.” die means “that” here and points to the intended workshop. workshop is a common-gender noun, so the singular demonstrative is die; the same form can also be used with plural nouns, so its form alone does not establish number. Here the fixed translation identifies one workshop. The contrasting demonstrative for a nearby singular de-word is deze, “this.” workshop is a noun meaning “workshop.” In this sentence it is the object seen by the speaker and the understood subject of staan: the workshop is the thing that is listed. Example: Ik zie een workshop staan. — “I see a workshop listed.” bij expresses the relation “with” or “at” here: the workshop is listed together with the badge details. Its exact relation depends on the noun phrase that follows; it is not itself part of the word badgegegevens. uw is the formal or respectful possessive form meaning “your.” It can address one person formally or more than one person, and it does not change for the gender of the possessed noun. The informal singular counterpart is jouw. Example: Uw naam staat hier. — “Your name is listed here.” badgegegevens is a compound noun meaning “badge details” or “badge information.” Dutch compounds are written as one word; the final component, gegevens, means “data/details,” while badge specifies what the details concern. Here it is the noun phrase after bij, so the relevant relation is “with your badge details.” staan is the infinitive of staan, whose basic meaning is “to stand.” In this construction after the perception verb zie, it means “to be listed” or “to appear” in a record or display. It remains the infinitive because zie is the finite verb: Ik zie ... staan, not a separate finite clause with agreement on staan. Example: Ik zie mijn naam op de lijst staan. — “I see my name listed on the list.” Together, Ik zie gives the speaker’s visual observation, die workshop identifies the workshop being observed, and bij uw badgegegevens locates it with the addressee’s badge details. The perception pattern Ik zie [noun] staan yields the complete meaning: “I see that workshop listed with your badge details.”

5. Is er een gedrukte agenda, of moet ik de online agenda gebruiken?

   Is there a printed agenda, or should I use the online one?

   Is er

   is there

   gedrukte

   printed

   agenda

   agenda

   of

   or

   moet ik

   should I

   online

   online

   gebruiken

   use

   More detail

   Is er is the Dutch existential question pattern meaning “is there …?” er is a grammatical element used to present or ask about the existence or presence of something; it does not identify a particular person or object here. In a yes/no question, is comes before er. Compare the reusable pattern Is er + noun? — “Is there a …?” gedrukte means “printed” here. It is the adjective form related to the verb drukken (“to print/press”), with the past participle gedrukt used adjectivally. Before the singular de-noun agenda, the adjective takes the ending -e: gedrukte agenda. The adjective describes the agenda; it is not the form carrying the noun’s number. agenda means “agenda” here, specifically the printed agenda document. Dutch uses de agenda; its plural is commonly agenda's, as in the following context. Example: Ik heb de agenda bij me. — “I have the agenda with me.” of connects alternatives and means “or.” It introduces the second option after the first option has been asked about. moet ik combines the first-person singular form moet of the modal verb moeten (“must/should”) with the subject ik (“I”). In this question, moet expresses what the speaker is expected or advised to do, so the natural translation is “should I.” The finite modal is placed before the subject in the question. Compare Ik moet de agenda gebruiken. — “I must/should use the agenda.” online means “online” and describes agenda in the following noun phrase, de online agenda. It contrasts here with the printed agenda, without changing for number or noun class. gebruiken is the infinitive of gebruiken, “to use.” After the modal moet, Dutch places the other verb in the infinitive, at the end of this question: moet ik ... gebruiken? The infinitive remains gebruiken; moet carries the present-tense, first-person-singular form. Together, Is er een gedrukte agenda asks whether a printed agenda exists or is available. of moet ik de online agenda gebruiken? presents the alternative and asks whether the speaker should use the online agenda instead. The complete meaning is: “Is there a printed agenda, or should I use the online one?”

6. De gedrukte agenda's liggen hier, maar de online versie bevat de nieuwste zaalindeling.

   Printed agendas are here, but the online version has the latest room assignments.

   gedrukte

   printed

   agenda's

   agendas

   liggen

   are located

   hier

   here

   online

   online

   versie

   version

   bevat

   contains; has

   nieuwste

   latest

   zaalindeling

   room assignments

   More detail

   gedrukte means “printed” here. It is the adjective form of gedrukt, the past participle of drukken (“to print”), used attributively before agenda's. In this position, Dutch gives the adjective the -e ending: een gedrukte agenda and gedrukte agenda's. Example: een gedrukte brief means “a printed letter.” agenda's is the plural of agenda (“agenda” or “planner”). The apostrophe is part of the written plural form: een agenda, twee agenda's. In this sentence, the plural form is also why liggen, rather than singular ligt, is used. liggen is the plural present form of liggen, meaning “to lie” or, for objects, “to be located.” Here it states where the printed agendas are. The singular present form is ligt: De agenda ligt hier means “The agenda is here.” Dutch can use liggen for the location of objects without asserting a special result or movement. hier means “here,” referring to the location relevant in the conversation. It is a location adverb and does not change for number or gender. Example: De boeken liggen hier — “The books are here.” online means “online.” It is an invariable modifier here: de online versie means “the online version.” The same form can modify other nouns, as in de online agenda (“the online agenda”). versie means “version.” It is a noun; its definite form is de versie, and its plural is versies. In this sentence, versie is the singular subject of bevat, so the online version is the thing that has the latest room layout or assignments. bevat is the third-person singular present form of bevatten (“to contain” or “to have”). The form agrees with singular de online versie: De versie bevat ... means “The version contains/has ...”. With a plural subject, use bevatten: De versies bevatten ... — “The versions contain ...”. nieuwste is the superlative form of nieuw (“new”). The useful comparison chain is nieuw — nieuwer — nieuwste, “new” — “newer” — “newest/latest.” In de nieuwste zaalindeling, it identifies the most recent room layout or assignment information, not merely something that is new relative to one other item. zaalindeling is a compound noun referring to the arrangement or assignment of rooms. zaal means “room” or “hall,” while indeling refers to an arrangement or division. Dutch compounds are written as one word, so zaalindeling is not written as two separate words here. The fixed translation renders it naturally as “room assignments.” The first part, De gedrukte agenda's liggen hier, says that the printed agendas are located here. maar then contrasts this with de online versie bevat de nieuwste zaalindeling: the online version has the latest room assignments. Together, the utterance presents two different sources of information—the printed agendas available here and the online version containing the most up-to-date room arrangement.

7. Ik gebruik de online agenda, zodat ik geen updates mis.

   I'll use the online agenda so I don't miss any updates.

   gebruik

   use

   online

   online

   agenda

   agenda

   zodat

   so that

   geen

   no / any in a negative clause

   updates

   updates

   mis

   miss

   More detail

   gebruik means “use” here. The observed form is the first-person singular present of gebruiken: ik gebruik. Dutch present tense can also describe a planned or imminent action, which fits the fixed translation “I’ll use.” Example: Ik gebruik de online agenda. — “I use / am using the online agenda.” online is an indeclinable descriptive word meaning “online.” It appears before agenda and specifies what kind of agenda is meant; it does not take a Dutch adjective ending here. Example: De online versie is beschikbaar. — “The online version is available.” agenda is the noun “agenda.” In this sentence it is singular and takes the definite article de; its plural is agenda’s. The preceding online narrows the noun to the online agenda. Example: De agenda’s liggen hier. — “The agendas are here.” zodat introduces a subordinate clause expressing the intended result or purpose: “so that.” In the clause after it, the finite verb goes to the end. This gives the reusable pattern zodat + subject + ... + verb. Example: Ik schrijf het op, zodat ik het niet vergeet. — “I write it down so that I don’t forget it.” geen means “no” and, in a negative clause, commonly corresponds to “any” in English. It negates the plural noun updates directly. This differs from niet, which negates other parts of a clause rather than this noun phrase. Example: Ik ontvang geen berichten. — “I don’t receive any messages.” updates is the plural noun “updates.” The singular is update; the plural keeps the ending -s. Here it is the thing that could be missed. Example: Ik lees de updates. — “I read the updates.” mis means “miss” here, as in fail to receive, notice, or catch something. It is the first-person singular present of missen: ik mis; the doubled s belongs to the infinitive and other forms such as jij mist, while ik has mis. Example: Ik mis geen belangrijke berichten. — “I don’t miss any important messages.” Together, Ik gebruik de online agenda states the speaker’s planned use of the online agenda. zodat then introduces the purpose or intended result: ik geen updates mis, literally structured as “I no updates miss.” The whole utterance therefore means, “I’ll use the online agenda so I don’t miss any updates.”

8. Hier zijn uw materialen en uw badge.

   Here are your materials and badge.

   Hier zijn

   here are

   uw

   your

   materialen

   materials

   badge

   badge

   More detail

   Hier zijn presents something as being available or located here. In Dutch, hier means “here,” while zijn is the present-tense form of zijn (“to be”) used with a plural subject. The coordinated subject uw materialen en uw badge is plural as a whole, so zijn is used. A useful pattern is Hier is ... for one item and Hier zijn ... for multiple items. Example: Hier zijn de sleutels. — “Here are the keys.” uw means “your” in a formal or polite form of address. The same form appears before both nouns here: uw materialen and uw badge. Uw does not change for the number or grammatical gender of the possessed noun. A less formal alternative is jouw when addressing one person informally. materialen means “materials” here: items or resources being provided. It is the plural of materiaal. Example: De materialen liggen op tafel. — “The materials are on the table.” badge means “badge,” such as an identification or access card. It is a noun borrowed into Dutch; its plural is commonly badges. Example: Ik heb mijn badge nodig. — “I need my badge.” Together, Hier zijn introduces the items, and the two possessive noun phrases identify them as the addressee’s materials and badge. The complete utterance means: “Here are your materials and your badge.”

9. Naar welke zaal moet ik eerst gaan?

   Which room should I go to first?

   Naar welke

   to which

   zaal

   room / hall

   moet ik

   should I

   eerst

   first

   gaan

   go

   More detail

   Naar welke asks for a destination: “to which …?” Naar marks movement toward a place, and welke means “which” before a noun. In this sentence, welke fits zaal, which is a de-word: de zaal, “the room/hall.” Compare Welke ingang? — “Which entrance?” zaal means “room” or “hall” here. Its plural is zalen: één zaal — “one room,” twee zalen — “two rooms.” The fixed translation supports the destination meaning “room”; the nearby context also mentions a large hall, so “hall” is a possible translation in other contexts. moet ik combines the present form moet of moeten (“must/should”) with the subject ik (“I”). In a Dutch main-clause question, the finite verb comes before the subject: Moet ik gaan? — “Should I go?” The modal expresses necessity or advice; here the fixed translation gives the intended “should.” eerst means “first,” indicating order: this is the place the speaker should go to before another destination or step. Example: Ik moet eerst naar de balie gaan. — “I must go to the desk first.” gaan is the infinitive “to go.” After the modal moet, the infinitive appears later in the clause: moet ik ... gaan. The same pattern works in Moet ik naar buiten gaan? — “Should I go outside?” Together, Naar welke zaal identifies the destination, moet ik asks about the speaker’s required or advisable action, eerst specifies that it comes first, and gaan supplies the movement. The whole utterance therefore means: “Which room should I go to first?”

10. De openingssessie is in de grote zaal, rechtdoor door deze gang.

    The opening session is in the main hall, straight down this corridor.

    openingssessie

    opening session

    is in

    is located in

    grote

    large; big

    zaal

    hall; room

    rechtdoor

    straight ahead

    door

    through

    deze

    this

    gang

    corridor

    More detail

    openingssessie means “opening session” here. It is a compound noun: opening modifies sessie, and the whole compound is written as one word. Dutch nouns are capitalized only at the beginning of a sentence, so this form is lowercase here. Example: De sessie begint om negen uur. — “The session starts at nine o’clock.” is in expresses location: “is in” or “is located in.” is is the present-tense form of zijn (“to be”) for a singular subject such as de openingssessie. The location phrase follows it. Example: De vergadering is in lokaal drie. — “The meeting is in room three.” grote means “large” or “big.” Its base form is groot; before the singular definite noun zaal, it appears as grote. This adjective ending is part of the noun-phrase pattern, not an inflection of zaal: de grote zaal means “the large hall.” Example: een grote zaal — “a large hall.” zaal means “hall” or “room,” depending on the place being described. It is a common-gender noun, so the definite article is de: de zaal. Its plural is zalen. Example: De zaal is open. — “The hall is open.” rechtdoor means “straight ahead” or “straight on.” It is written as one word and describes continuing without turning. Example: Loop rechtdoor. — “Walk straight ahead.” door means “through” here. It introduces the route or space that someone passes through. Example: We lopen door het park. — “We walk through the park.” deze means “this” and points to a nearby or currently relevant noun. In deze gang, it agrees with the common-gender singular noun gang; the form does not itself identify a particular person or object beyond that demonstrative reference. Compare deze gang (“this corridor”) with plural deze gangen (“these corridors”). gang means “corridor” or “hallway.” Its definite article is de: de gang; its plural is gangen. Example: De gang is lang. — “The corridor is long.” Together, in de grote zaal gives the destination or location “in the large hall.” The route information rechtdoor door deze gang means “straight through this corridor.” The whole utterance therefore says: “The opening session is in the main hall, straight down this corridor.”