Making a plan after being locked out | Learn Dutch in English

Sentence explanations

1. Ik ben buitengesloten en mijn reservesleutel ligt in het appartement.

   I am locked out, and my spare key is inside the apartment.

   Ik ben

   I am

   buitengesloten

   locked out

   en

   and

   mijn

   my

   reservesleutel

   spare key

   ligt

   is located

   in

   in

   het

   the

   appartement

   apartment

   More detail

   Ik ben is the Dutch first-person singular present form of zijn (“to be”): ik ben = “I am.” The same verb has forms such as jij bent (“you are”) and hij/zij is (“he/she is”). Here it combines with buitengesloten to describe the speaker’s current state. buitengesloten is the past participle of buitensluiten (“to lock or exclude someone outside”). In ben buitengesloten, the participle describes the resulting state: “am locked out.” This is different from simply saying that someone is outside; the form conveys that access is blocked. en connects the two coordinated parts of the sentence and means “and.” mijn is the possessive determiner “my.” It identifies the key as belonging to the speaker. mijn does not change for the gender of the following noun; the choice here is based on the first-person possessor. reservesleutel is a compound noun meaning “spare key.” Dutch commonly forms compounds by joining the parts into one word: reserve + sleutel → reservesleutel. The noun sleutel means “key,” while reserve indicates that it is an extra or backup one. ligt is the third-person singular present form of liggen, “to lie” or, for an object, “to be located.” The location verb is selected because the key is being presented as lying or situated in a place. For example: De sleutel ligt op tafel. — “The key is on the table.” in is the preposition “in” and introduces the place containing the key. Together with the following noun phrase, in het appartement means “inside the apartment.” het is the definite article “the.” It is the article used here with appartement; the article belongs to the noun phrase and is not itself a quantity marker. appartement means “apartment.” With het, the definite noun phrase is het appartement, “the apartment.” The first part, Ik ben buitengesloten, states that the speaker is locked out. en links this to the second part, mijn reservesleutel ligt in het appartement, which says that the speaker’s spare key is located inside the apartment. Together: “I am locked out, and my spare key is inside the apartment.”

2. Neem eerst contact op met de verhuurder.

   Try the landlord first.

   Neem … contact op … met

   contact opnemen met — contact someone

   eerst

   first

   verhuurder

   landlord

   More detail

   Neem contact op met is the imperative of the Dutch separable verb contact opnemen met, meaning “to contact someone.” In the present sentence, Neem is the command form of nemen; the particle op appears separated from the verb and follows contact. The pattern is Neem contact op met + person/service (“Contact + person/service”). For example: Neem contact op met de dokter. — “Contact the doctor.” eerst means “first” and places this action before another possible action. It does not itself specify how many actions there are; it simply marks the requested order. verhuurder means “landlord,” the person who rents out the accommodation. The word is a noun; its plural is verhuurders (“landlords”). Together, Neem contact op met de verhuurder means “Contact the landlord,” and adding eerst gives the complete meaning: “Try the landlord first.” The imperative addresses the listener directly and presents contacting the landlord as the first action.

3. Bel daarna een slotenmaker als je niet snel hulp kunt krijgen.

   Then call a locksmith if you cannot get help soon.

   Bel

   call

   daarna

   then; after that

   een slotenmaker

   a locksmith

   als

   if

   je

   you

   niet

   not

   snel

   soon; quickly

   hulp

   help

   kunt

   can; are able to

   krijgen

   get; receive

   More detail

   Bel is the imperative form of bellen (“to call”). Dutch commonly uses the verb stem for an imperative, and Bel! can address one or more people depending on context. Example: Bel de verhuurder. — “Call the landlord.” daarna is a time adverb meaning “after that” or “then.” It places this action after an earlier action in the sequence. een slotenmaker means “a locksmith.” Slotenmaker is a noun compound referring to a person who works with locks. Een is an indefinite article; here it introduces the locksmith to call, without itself stating a numerical count. als introduces the condition “if” in this sentence. The pattern als ... can introduce a condition: Bel als je hulp nodig hebt. — “Call if you need help.” Here als has the conditional reading supported by the fixed translation. je is an informal second-person subject pronoun, “you.” In this sentence it is the subject of kunt; the wording does not identify the addressee by name. niet is the negation word “not.” It negates the ability expressed by kunt ... krijgen, producing “cannot get.” snel can describe speed (“quickly”) or, with a time-related meaning, an early point in time (“soon”). With hulp krijgen here, it means “soon”: the issue is whether help can be obtained within a short time. hulp is the noun “help.” The reusable expression hulp krijgen means “to get or receive help.” Example: Ik krijg hulp. — “I get help.” kunt is a present-tense form of kunnen, “can” or “to be able to.” With je here, it is the second-person singular form and expresses ability or possibility. The construction kunnen + infinitive is followed by the infinitive of the other verb: Je kunt bellen. — “You can call.” krijgen is the infinitive “to get” or “to receive.” After the modal verb kunt, it remains in the infinitive form. In this sentence, krijgen combines with hulp to mean receiving or obtaining help, rather than acquiring a physical object. Together, Bel daarna gives the sequence “then call,” and een slotenmaker identifies the person to call. The conditional clause als je niet snel hulp kunt krijgen means “if you cannot get help soon”: je is the subject, niet makes the ability negative, kunt expresses ability, and hulp krijgen is the relevant action. The complete utterance therefore means: “Then call a locksmith if you cannot get help soon.”

4. Ik heb een bericht achtergelaten, maar de verhuurder heeft nog niet gereageerd.

   I left a message, but the landlord has not replied yet.

   Ik heb

   I have

   bericht

   message

   achtergelaten

   left behind

   maar

   but

   verhuurder

   landlord

   heeft

   has

   nog niet

   not yet

   gereageerd

   replied

   More detail

   Ik heb is the first-person singular form of hebben (“to have”). Here it is the auxiliary in the Dutch perfect: ik heb + a past participle. The auxiliary carries the person and number; the participle does not change to agree with the subject. For example: Ik heb gebeld. — “I called / I have called.” bericht means “message.” Its plural is berichten. In een bericht, een is the indefinite article; it introduces an unspecified message and does not by itself state a numerical count. achtergelaten is the past participle of achterlaten, “to leave behind” or “to leave.” This is a separable verb: in a present-tense main clause, its parts can separate, as in Ik laat een bericht achter. — “I leave a message.” In the perfect, the participle appears as the single form achtergelaten after the auxiliary: Ik heb een bericht achtergelaten. — “I left a message.” maar means “but” and links two contrasting clauses. It does not itself express the time or negation; those come from the verb forms and nog niet. de verhuurder means “the landlord.” verhuurder is a noun referring to the person who rents out a property, and de is its definite article. The fixed translation identifies this person as the landlord. heeft is the third-person singular present form of hebben. In de verhuurder heeft ... gereageerd, it is the auxiliary for the perfect, matching the singular subject de verhuurder. Compare De verhuurders hebben gereageerd. — “The landlords have replied.” nog niet means “not yet.” Together, these words say that the event has not happened up to the relevant point, while leaving open that it may happen later. They modify the clause containing heeft ... gereageerd. gereageerd is the past participle of reageren, “to respond” or “to reply.” The regular participle is formed with ge- and -d: reageren → gereageerd. With heeft, it forms the perfect: heeft gereageerd — “has replied.” The first clause, Ik heb een bericht achtergelaten, uses the Dutch perfect to report that the speaker left a message. Maar contrasts it with the second clause, de verhuurder heeft nog niet gereageerd, which says that the landlord has not replied yet. Together: “I left a message, but the landlord has not replied yet.”

5. Wacht nog iets langer, tenzij je meteen naar binnen moet.

   Wait a little longer unless you need to get in right away.

   Wacht

   Wait

   langer

   longer

   tenzij

   unless

   meteen

   right away

   naar binnen

   inside

   moet

   need to

   More detail

   Wacht is the imperative of wachten, “to wait.” In this sentence it gives a direct instruction to wait. The Dutch imperative here does not by itself specify the number of people addressed. A reusable example is Wacht even. — “Wait a moment.” langer is the comparative form of lang, “long.” The comparison is expressed by -er: lang → langer (“longer”). Here, nog iets langer means extending the waiting time a little more; nog and iets modify the comparison, while langer itself means “longer.” tenzij introduces an exception and means “unless.” It begins the condition that limits the instruction to wait. In the clause after tenzij, Dutch places the finite verb at the end: tenzij je ... moet. meteen means “immediately” or “right away.” It specifies that the movement in the following phrase would need to happen without delay. naar binnen is a directional phrase meaning “inside” or “inward.” With movement, naar binnen gaan means “to go inside.” Dutch can also use naar binnen moeten without stating gaan when the movement is understood: Ik moet naar binnen. — “I have to go inside.” moet is the present-tense singular form of the modal verb moeten, “must” or “need to.” With je, je moet means “you must” or, as here, “you need to.” The modal appears at the end of this subordinate clause, after je, meteen, and naar binnen. Together, Wacht nog iets langer gives the instruction “Wait a little longer.” tenzij then adds the exception je meteen naar binnen moet, “you need to get in right away.” The complete meaning is: “Wait a little longer unless you need to get in right away.”

6. Misschien moet ik bewijzen dat ik hier woon als iemand komt helpen.

   I may need to prove I live here if someone comes to help.

   Misschien

   maybe

   moet ik

   I must / need to

   bewijzen

   prove

   dat

   that

   hier

   here

   woon

   live

   als

   if

   iemand

   someone

   komt

   comes

   helpen

   help

   More detail

   Misschien means “maybe” and makes the statement uncertain rather than definite. It commonly appears at the start of a sentence: Misschien komt hij morgen = “Maybe he is coming tomorrow.” moet ik combines the modal verb moeten (“must; need to”) with the subject ik (“I”). In the present tense, moeten becomes moet with ik; moet is also used with singular jij/hij/zij, while plural subjects use moeten. Here, moet ik expresses possible necessity: “I may need to,” because misschien applies to the whole statement. The modal is placed before the subject in this main-clause word order: Misschien moet ik .... bewijzen is the infinitive “to prove.” After a modal such as moet, the other verb stays in the infinitive: Ik moet wachten = “I have to wait.” Thus moet ik bewijzen means “I need to prove,” not simply “I prove.” dat introduces the content of what must be proved: “that.” In the subordinate clause after dat, the finite verb is placed at the end: dat ik hier woon = “that I live here.” hier means “here,” referring to the place relevant in the situation. It is a location adverb and does not change form. Ik woon hier means “I live here.” woon is the present-tense form of wonen, “to live” in the sense of residing. With ik, the form is woon; for example, Ik woon in Amsterdam means “I live in Amsterdam.” The dat clause therefore says dat ik hier woon = “that I live here,” with woon at the end of the subordinate clause. als introduces the condition “if” in this utterance. It connects the possible need to prove residence with the condition that follows. A Dutch subordinate clause places its verb group toward the end; when a finite verb is combined with an infinitive, the finite verb can come before that infinitive, as in als iemand komt helpen. iemand is the indefinite pronoun “someone.” It refers to an unspecified person; it does not identify who that person is. Because iemand is grammatically singular, the following present-tense verb uses a singular form. komt is the third-person singular present form of komen, “to come.” The basic pattern is ik kom but hij/zij/iemand komt. Here it is followed by the infinitive helpen, forming komt helpen, “comes to help.” helpen is the infinitive “to help.” In komt helpen, it follows the finite form of komen and expresses the purpose or activity associated with coming: “comes to help.” Compare Zij komt werken = “She comes to work.” Together, Misschien moet ik bewijzen gives “I may need to prove.” The content of that proof is dat ik hier woon, “that I live here.” The condition is als iemand komt helpen, “if someone comes to help.” The complete meaning is: “I may need to prove I live here if someone comes to help.”

7. Houd je identiteitsbewijs klaar en wacht op een warme plek.

   Keep your identification ready and wait in a warm place.

   Houd … klaar

   keep ... ready

   je

   your

   identiteitsbewijs

   identification document

   wacht

   wait

   op

   in/at

   warme

   warm

   plek

   place

   More detail

   Houd ... klaar is an imperative construction: houd is the imperative of houden (“to keep/hold”), and klaar means “ready.” The subject is understood as “you,” so this gives the instruction “keep something ready.” The two parts are separated because je identiteitsbewijs is placed between them. je means “your” here and comes before the noun it specifies. Dutch je can have other functions in other sentences, but in this phrase it marks possession. identiteitsbewijs is a compound noun meaning an identification document or ID. The ending -bewijs is also found in words such as rijbewijs (“driving licence”); learn the complete compound identiteitsbewijs as the noun used here. wacht is the imperative of wachten (“to wait”). The same form can also be a present-tense form meaning “waits” with a third-person singular subject, and it can mean “wait” with an informal second-person subject in a statement. Here the command meaning is supported by the fixed translation and the coordinated instruction. op is a preposition. With een warme plek here, it marks the location of the waiting, giving the intended meaning “in/at a warm place.” In other contexts, wachten op can also mean “wait for” a person or thing; that is a different use of the same preposition with a different complement. warme is the form of the adjective warm before plek in this noun phrase. Plek is a common-gender noun (a de-word), and with the indefinite article een, a singular adjective before it takes the ending -e: een warme plek. This ending belongs to the adjective, not to the noun. With a singular neuter noun after een, the adjective commonly has no -e, as in the example een warm huis (“a warm house”). warm means “warm,” while koud is a useful opposite, as in een koude plek (“a cold place”). plek is a noun meaning “place” or “spot.” In this sentence it refers generally to a place suitable for waiting; the utterance does not identify a particular place. een is an indefinite article here, not a claim about a numerical count. Together, Houd je identiteitsbewijs klaar gives the first command, “Keep your identification ready.” en wacht op een warme plek adds a second command joined by en (“and”): “wait in a warm place.” The complete utterance is therefore: “Keep your identification ready and wait in a warm place.”

8. Ik wil geen slotenmaker bellen tenzij het nodig is.

   I do not want to call a locksmith unless it is necessary.

   Ik wil

   I want

   geen

   no; not any

   slotenmaker

   locksmith

   bellen

   to call

   tenzij

   unless

   nodig

   necessary

   More detail

   Ik wil uses the present form wil of willen (“to want”) with first-person singular ik. The infinitive normally follows it: Ik wil bellen means “I want to call.” Here, ik is the subject, while wil is the finite verb agreeing with that subject; wil is not the infinitive. Example: Ik wil wachten. — “I want to wait.” geen negates an indefinite noun phrase. Here, geen slotenmaker means “no locksmith” or, in the complete clause, “a locksmith ... not.” It is different from niet, which commonly negates a verb, adjective, or definite phrase. Geen does not by itself state a numerical count; it presents the noun as absent or unwanted in the relevant situation. slotenmaker is the noun “locksmith.” It is a compound word: sloten refers to locks, while maker means maker, but the complete word is the ordinary occupational noun and should be learned as a unit. Its plural is slotenmakers. Example: De slotenmaker komt morgen. — “The locksmith is coming tomorrow.” bellen is the infinitive “to call,” especially by telephone. After wil, it remains in the infinitive: Ik wil bellen — “I want to call.” The sentence does not use a past or present-tense form of bellen; wil carries the finite verb role. Example: Ik bel mijn broer. — “I call my brother.” 'tenzij introduces an exception and means “unless.” It starts the condition that limits the preceding wish: the speaker does not want to make the call except in the specified circumstance. Example: Ik ga niet mee tenzij het nodig is.` — “I am not going along unless it is necessary.” nodig is the adjective “necessary” here. In het nodig is, it is used as a predicate with is, the present form of zijn (“to be”): “it is necessary.” The adjective itself does not carry the tense; is does. Example: Dat is nodig. — “That is necessary.” The final clause tenzij het nodig is literally presents the exception as “unless it is necessary.” Het is the subject form used for the stated “it” in the fixed translation; this sentence does not specify what situation is being evaluated beyond the need expressed by the clause. Together, Ik wil + geen slotenmaker bellen gives “I do not want to call a locksmith,” and tenzij het nodig is adds the exception “unless it is necessary.” The complete meaning is therefore: “I do not want to call a locksmith unless it is necessary.”

9. Als de verhuurder nog steeds niet reageert, bel er dan een en leg de situatie uit.

   If the landlord still does not reply, call one and explain the situation.

   Als … dan

   if ..., then ...

   de verhuurder

   the landlord

   nog steeds

   still

   niet

   not

   reageert

   replies

   bel

   call

   er … een

   one (of them)

   leg … uit

   explain

   de situatie

   the situation

   More detail

   Als ... dan ... frames a condition and its consequence. Here, Als introduces the condition clause, and dan marks what should happen if that condition is true. This is a reusable Dutch pattern: Als het regent, dan blijf ik binnen. — “If it rains, then I stay indoors.” Dutch can sometimes omit dan, but it is present in this sentence. de verhuurder means “the landlord.” Verhuurder is a noun for a person who rents out property; its plural is verhuurders. The article de belongs to this noun as a common-gender Dutch noun. In this sentence, it is the subject of reageert. nog steeds means “still”: the situation continues up to the relevant time. Nog alone can mean “still” or “yet,” while nog steeds emphasizes continuation. Nog steeds niet therefore means “still not”; niet supplies the negation of the replying. reageert is the present-tense third-person singular form of reageren, “to respond” or “to reply.” The subject here is singular, de verhuurder. For example: Zij reageert niet. — “She does not reply.” The form reageert is not the imperative; the imperative of reageren is reageer. bel is the imperative of bellen, “to call.” It gives the instruction “call”; this form does not by itself specify whether one or more people are being addressed. The same form can also occur as the present-tense first-person singular form, but here its position after the conditional clause and its directive meaning show that it is an imperative. Example: Bel de dokter. — “Call the doctor.” er een means “one of them” in this context. Together, these words form a pronoun-like expression for one member of an understood set; the fixed texts do not identify the specific referent of een. Example: Ik zoek een monteur; bel er een. — “I am looking for a technician; call one.” leg ... uit comes from the separable verb uitleggen, “to explain.” In the sentence, leg is the imperative and uit moves to the end of the clause. The parts therefore appear separately: Leg het probleem uit. — “Explain the problem.” Do not treat uit here as an independent preposition; together with leg it completes the verb. de situatie means “the situation.” Situatie is a noun, and its plural is situaties. With de it is the direct object of leg ... uit: it is what should be explained. Together, Als de verhuurder nog steeds niet reageert means “If the landlord still does not reply.” The conditional clause comes first. bel er dan een gives the resulting instruction, “then call one [of them],” and leg de situatie uit adds the second instruction, “and explain the situation.” The complete utterance is therefore: “If the landlord still does not reply, call one and explain the situation.”

10. Ik kan in de lobby zitten en mijn telefoon aan laten staan.

    I can sit in the lobby and keep my phone on.

    Ik kan

    I can

    in de lobby

    in the lobby

    zitten

    sit

    telefoon

    phone

    aan laten staan

    keep on

    More detail

    Ik kan means “I can” here. kan is the first-person singular present form of kunnen (“can, be able to”). In Dutch, a modal verb such as kunnen is commonly followed by an infinitive; the infinitive then appears later in the clause. in de lobby means “in the lobby.” in introduces the location, and de belongs to the noun phrase de lobby. This is a reusable location pattern: in de ... + a place. zitten is the infinitive of “to sit” and can also describe being seated or staying in a seated position. After kan, it remains in the infinitive: Ik kan zitten = “I can sit.” telefoon means “phone.” In the sentence it appears in the possessive phrase mijn telefoon, “my phone”; mijn identifies the phone as belonging to the speaker. The noun itself does not receive a special plural or gender marking in this phrase. aan laten staan means “keep switched on.” aan expresses the on-state, while laten staan means causing something to remain in its current position or state. Together, mijn telefoon aan laten staan means keeping the speaker’s phone on. This is different from simply switching it on: the construction emphasizes allowing it to remain on. The two activities are coordinated by en: Ik kan in de lobby zitten + mijn telefoon aan laten staan. The modal kan applies to both infinitive activities, so the sentence says that the speaker can sit in the lobby and keep their phone on. The complete meaning is: “I can sit in the lobby and keep my phone on.”

11. Je kunt daar warm blijven terwijl je de verhuurder nog iets meer tijd geeft.

    You can stay warm there while you give the landlord a little more time.

    Je kunt

    you can

    daar

    there

    warm

    warm

    blijven

    stay

    terwijl

    while

    verhuurder

    landlord

    nog

    additional

    iets meer

    a little more

    tijd

    time

    geeft

    gives

    More detail

    Je kunt means “you can” here. Kunnen is the base form; kunt is its present-tense form with singular je or u. The same pattern is reusable in Je kunt hier zitten (“You can sit here”). The following blijven stays in the infinitive because it follows the modal verb kunt. Daar is a place adverb meaning “there.” It points to a place understood from the situation, but the supplied sentence does not identify that place more specifically. Compare hier (“here”) and daar (“there”). Warm means “warm” in warm blijven. It is a descriptive adjective used after blijven, and it remains uninflected in this position. Before a noun, the form can be different: een warme kamer means “a warm room.” Example: De kamer blijft warm. — “The room stays warm.” Blijven means “to stay” or “to remain.” Its base form is blijven; after kunnen, it remains an infinitive: Je kunt warm blijven — “You can stay warm.” The combination warm blijven describes continuing to be warm, rather than becoming warm. Terwijl means “while” and introduces an action occurring during the action in the main clause. It begins a subordinate clause, and Dutch normally places the finite verb toward the end of that clause. Here, that clause ends with geeft: terwijl je ... geeft (“while you give ...”). Verhuurder means “landlord,” the person who rents out a home or other property. In this sentence it appears as de verhuurder, with the common-gender article de; its plural is verhuurders. Example: De verhuurder belt vandaag. — “The landlord is calling today.” Nog contributes the idea of “additional” here. Together with iets meer tijd, it helps express that you are giving the landlord some additional time: nog iets meer tijd — “a little more time.” In other contexts, nog can also mean “still,” but that is not its intended meaning in this phrase. Iets meer means “a little more” or “somewhat more.” Meer is the comparative form used for a greater amount; iets softens it to a small additional amount. Example: Ik heb iets meer tijd nodig. — “I need a little more time.” Tijd means “time.” In this sentence it is the thing being given, in the expression iemand tijd geven (“to give someone time”). Dutch commonly uses tijd without treating it as a counted individual item in this meaning. Geeft comes from the base form geven, “to give.” With the subject je before the verb, the present-tense form is je geeft; compare ik geef (“I give”) and geven (“to give”). The pattern iemand iets geven means “to give someone something”: here de verhuurder is the recipient and iets meer tijd is what is given. The sentence combines Je kunt + warm blijven to express ability or possibility: “you can stay warm there.” Terwijl links that situation to je de verhuurder nog iets meer tijd geeft, “while you give the landlord a little more time.” Together, the utterance means: “You can stay warm there while you give the landlord a little more time.”