Strong Wind and an Outdoor Event | Learn Dutch in English

Sentence explanations

1. De weersvoorspelling zegt dat de harde wind tijdens het buitenevenement zal aanhouden.

   The forecast says strong winds will continue during the outdoor event.

   weersvoorspelling

   forecast

   zegt

   says

   harde

   strong

   wind

   wind

   tijdens

   during

   buitenevenement

   outdoor event

   zal

   will

   aanhouden

   continue

   More detail

   weersvoorspelling means “forecast” here, specifically a weather forecast. It is a compound noun: weer means weather and voorspelling means forecast or prediction. The compound is used as a single noun, and de marks it as a common-gender noun in this sentence. zegt is the present-tense third-person singular form of zeggen, “to say” or “to tell.” In this sentence, the forecast is the subject, so zegt agrees with that singular subject. A useful pattern is X zegt dat ... — “X says that ...”; dat introduces the content of what is said. harde means “strong” in the expression harde wind, “strong wind.” Its base form is hard. The -e ending is the form used here because the adjective stands before the definite noun wind in this de-noun phrase. This is the adjective’s ending, not a form of the noun. For example, een harde wind means “a strong wind” as well. wind means “wind.” The observed form is singular; the Dutch sentence refers to wind as one mass or phenomenon, even though English may naturally use plural “winds” in the fixed translation. The noun remains wind in the phrase de harde wind. tijdens means “during” and introduces the time period in which something happens. It is a preposition, so tijdens het buitenevenement means “during the outdoor event.” buitenevenement means “outdoor event.” It is a compound of buiten (“outdoors” or “outside”) and evenement (“event”). In this sentence it is used as one noun and appears with the neuter definite article het: het buitenevenement. zal is the present-tense third-person singular form of zullen, used here as an auxiliary to express a future expectation: “will.” With a singular subject such as de harde wind, the form is zal; with a plural subject, the corresponding form is zullen. The following verb stays in the infinitive. aanhouden means “continue” or “persist” here. It is a separable verb: without another verb, a finite form can split, as in De wind houdt aan (“The wind continues”). After the auxiliary zal, it remains together as the infinitive aanhouden: zal aanhouden. Together, de harde wind ... zal aanhouden means “the strong wind will continue.” The time phrase places that continuation during the outdoor event. The full structure is De weersvoorspelling zegt dat ...: “The forecast says that ...,” followed by the content clause de harde wind tijdens het buitenevenement zal aanhouden, yielding: “The forecast says strong winds will continue during the outdoor event.”

2. Dat kan een probleem zijn met tenten en geluidsapparatuur.

   That could be a problem with tents and sound equipment.

   Dat

   that

   kan

   can; could

   probleem

   problem

   zijn

   be

   met

   with

   tenten

   tents

   geluidsapparatuur

   sound equipment

   More detail

   Dat means “that” here and functions as the subject: it points to a situation or matter understood from context, without naming a particular noun in this sentence. Dutch uses dat as a neuter singular demonstrative; the form differs from dit (“this”) mainly in distance or discourse contrast. Example: Dat is handig. — “That is useful.” kan is the present-tense singular form of kunnen, “can” or “to be able to.” With an infinitive, it expresses ability or possibility; in this sentence, the fixed translation shows a possibility, so “could” is the natural English rendering. The related plural form is kunnen: Wij kunnen helpen. — “We can help.” een probleem means “a problem.” Probleem is the noun; its plural is problemen. The article een is indefinite and introduces a non-specific problem; it does not by itself state a numerical count as the main point. Het probleem is groot. — “The problem is big.” zijn is the infinitive “to be.” After the modal kan, Dutch places the lexical verb in the infinitive: kan ... zijn, literally “can ... be.” The combination says that the situation may constitute a problem, rather than asserting that it definitely is one. met is the preposition “with.” Here it links een probleem to what the problem concerns: een probleem met ... is a reusable pattern meaning “a problem with ...”. tenten means “tents.” It is the plural of tent; the singular is een tent, and the plural ending is -en: tenten. Example: De tenten staan buiten. — “The tents are outside.” geluidsapparatuur means “sound equipment.” It is a compound noun: geluid relates to “sound,” and apparatuur means “equipment,” but the whole compound is the relevant noun here. Apparatuur is commonly treated as a mass or collective noun, so the sentence refers to sound equipment as equipment rather than presenting it as an ordinary plural count noun. Example: De geluidsapparatuur werkt. — “The sound equipment works.” Together, Dat kan ... zijn forms “That could be ...”; een probleem met specifies what kind of problem; and tenten en geluidsapparatuur names the two things concerned, joined by en (“and”). The complete meaning is: “That could be a problem with tents and sound equipment.”

3. We kunnen de tafels vastzetten, maar het ophangen van het spandoek kan gevaarlijk zijn.

   We can secure the tables, but putting up the banner might be dangerous.

   We kunnen

   we can

   tafels

   tables

   vastzetten

   secure; fasten

   ophangen

   putting up; hanging up

   spandoek

   banner

   kan

   might; can

   gevaarlijk

   dangerous

   More detail

   We kunnen means “we can” here: we is the first-person plural subject, and kunnen is the present-tense form of kunnen used with that subject. A modal verb is followed by an infinitive: We kunnen de tafels vastzetten (“We can secure the tables”). tafels is the plural of tafel (“table”): tafel → tafels. The definite article de is used with this plural noun. The phrase refers to the tables being secured, without stating how many tables there are. vastzetten is the infinitive meaning “to secure” or “to fasten” in this sentence. After the modal kunnen, it remains an infinitive and comes at the end of the clause. It is a separable verb in finite clauses: for example, We zetten de tafels vast means “We secure the tables.” maar introduces a contrast: “but.” It links the possible securing action with a different action that may be dangerous. ophangen means “to put up” or “to hang up.” Here it appears as a nominalized infinitive in het ophangen van het spandoek, literally “the putting up of the banner.” Dutch commonly uses het plus an infinitive to refer to an activity. As a separable verb, it can appear in a finite clause as We hangen het spandoek op (“We hang up the banner”). spandoek means “banner,” specifically a large cloth or sheet carrying a message or image. het spandoek is singular with the neuter definite article het; the article belongs to the noun, not to the activity word ophangen. kan is the singular present form of kunnen here. Because the subject of this clause is the singular activity phrase het ophangen van het spandoek, the verb is singular: ... kan .... With a plural subject, the corresponding form would be kunnen, as in De werkzaamheden kunnen gevaarlijk zijn (“The activities can be dangerous”). In this sentence, kan expresses possibility: “might” or “can.” gevaarlijk means “dangerous.” It is a descriptive adjective and does not take a special ending here because it follows zijn as a predicate adjective: kan gevaarlijk zijn (“might be dangerous”). Its opposite is veilig (“safe”), as in Het ophangen kan veilig zijn (“Putting it up can be safe”). The complete structure is We kunnen [object] [infinitive], followed by maar [het + infinitive + van + noun] kan [adjective] zijn. Thus, We kunnen de tafels vastzetten, maar het ophangen van het spandoek kan gevaarlijk zijn. means: “We can secure the tables, but putting up the banner might be dangerous.”

4. Veiligheid is belangrijker dan de oorspronkelijke opstelling behouden.

   Safety matters more than keeping the original setup.

   Veiligheid

   safety

   belangrijker

   more important

   oorspronkelijke

   original

   opstelling

   setup

   behouden

   keep; preserve

   More detail

   Veiligheid is the noun “safety.” It is a de-word: de veiligheid. Dutch often forms abstract nouns with -heid, as in zekerheid (“certainty”), but learn veiligheid as the complete noun here. Example: Veiligheid komt eerst. — “Safety comes first.” belangrijker means “more important” here. It is the comparative of belangrijk (“important”): belangrijk → belangrijker → belangrijkst (“most important”). The pattern X is belangrijker dan Y compares two priorities. Example: Rust is belangrijker dan snelheid. — “Calmness is more important than speed.” oorspronkelijke means “original” in the sense of belonging to the initial arrangement. Its base form is oorspronkelijk. The -e ending appears because the adjective comes before the definite de-word opstelling: de oorspronkelijke opstelling. This ending is an adjective inflection; it is not part of the noun’s form. opstelling is the noun “setup” or “arrangement,” here referring to the existing arrangement. It is a de-word: de opstelling. The related noun opstelling can describe how things are arranged, not only a physical collection of objects. Example: De opstelling staat klaar. — “The setup is ready.” behouden is the infinitive “to keep” or “to preserve.” In de oorspronkelijke opstelling behouden, it forms an infinitive phrase meaning “keeping the original setup.” The infinitive does not itself show who would do the keeping; that actor is left implicit in this sentence. Example: We willen de afspraak behouden. — “We want to keep the appointment.” The sentence uses the comparison pattern X is belangrijker dan [infinitive phrase]: Veiligheid is the first priority being compared, and de oorspronkelijke opstelling behouden is the alternative priority. Together, Veiligheid is belangrijker dan de oorspronkelijke opstelling behouden. means “Safety matters more than keeping the original setup.”

5. Zullen we het afzeggen of alles naar het buurthuis verplaatsen?

   Should we cancel, or move everything to the community hall?

   Zullen we

   Shall we …?

   afzeggen

   cancel

   alles

   everything

   naar

   to

   buurthuis

   community hall

   verplaatsen

   move

   More detail

   Zullen we introduces a suggestion or proposal. Here zullen is the present-tense plural form used with we; the infinitive of this verb is also zullen. In the question, inversion places zullen before we. A reusable pattern is Zullen we + infinitive ...?, meaning “Shall we ...?” afzeggen means “to cancel” here, for example an appointment, event, or arrangement. It is an infinitive after zullen, so it appears without te. The separate verb zeggen means “to say”; it is not the verb used here. Example: We moeten de afspraak afzeggen. — “We have to cancel the appointment.” alles is the pronoun “everything” or “all of it.” It refers broadly to the whole relevant set without naming its individual items. Example: Alles is klaar. — “Everything is ready.” naar marks movement toward a destination and is commonly translated as “to” in this use. Here it introduces the destination phrase naar het buurthuis. buurthuis is a noun meaning “community centre” or “community hall.” It is a Dutch compound used as the established word for a community facility. The article het belongs to the full noun phrase het buurthuis; it is not part of the quoted word buurthuis itself. verplaatsen is an infinitive meaning “to move” or “to relocate” something. It can describe changing an object’s or activity’s location. Example: We verplaatsen de stoelen naar binnen. — “We move the chairs indoors.” The sentence presents two alternatives joined by of (“or”): Zullen we het afzeggen and alles naar het buurthuis verplaatsen. The first asks whether the unspecified thing referred to by het should be cancelled. In the second alternative, alles is the object of verplaatsen, and naar het buurthuis gives the destination. The understood subject remains we in both alternatives. Together, the utterance asks: “Should we cancel it, or move everything to the community hall?”

6. Het is beter om naar binnen te gaan als de zaal beschikbaar is.

   Moving indoors is better if the hall is available.

   beter

   better

   naar binnen

   indoors

   gaan

   go

   als

   if

   zaal

   hall

   beschikbaar

   available

   More detail

   beter means “better” here. It is the comparative form of goed (“good”): goed → beter → best (“best”). The comparative presents going indoors as preferable to some alternative, without identifying what that alternative is. naar binnen means “indoors” or “to the inside.” naar marks direction, while binnen indicates the inside. This is a useful directional pattern: naar buiten means “outdoors” or “to the outside.” gaan means “go” and is the infinitive, the basic verb form. In this sentence it appears in the infinitive construction om ... te gaan, meaning “to go.” Dutch uses te before this infinitive after om. Example: Het is goed om vroeg te gaan. — “It is good to leave early.” als introduces the condition “if” in this sentence. It can also mean “when” when the context describes a time rather than a condition. Here, the availability of the hall is the condition for the recommendation. zaal means “hall” or “room,” depending on the setting. It is a noun with the common-gender article de: de zaal. In this sentence, the fixed translation identifies it as the hall. beschikbaar means “available.” It is an adjective describing whether something can be used or obtained. In de zaal beschikbaar is, it follows the noun and appears as the predicate adjective; Dutch does not add an ending to this adjective in this position. Example: De ruimte is beschikbaar. — “The space is available.” The opening Het is beter is an impersonal recommendation: literally, “It is better.” The following om naar binnen te gaan states what is better—going indoors. The conditional clause als de zaal beschikbaar is adds the condition “if the hall is available.” Together, the sentence means: “Moving indoors is better if the hall is available.”

7. Ik kan de organisator bellen en vragen naar de mogelijkheid om het evenement naar binnen te verplaatsen.

   I can call the organizer and ask about the indoor option.

   Ik kan

   I can

   organisator

   organizer

   bellen

   call

   vragen naar

   ask about

   mogelijkheid

   possibility; option

   evenement

   event

   naar binnen

   indoors

   verplaatsen

   move

   More detail

   Ik kan begins with the subject pronoun ik, “I,” followed by kan, the present-tense form of kunnen for ik. Here kunnen expresses ability or possibility: “I can.” With a following infinitive, the modal verb is conjugated and the other verb stays in the infinitive. Example: Ik kan helpen. — “I can help.” organisator means “organizer.” The full noun phrase in the sentence is de organisator; organisator is a common-gender noun and therefore uses de. The noun refers to the person responsible for organizing the event, without specifying that person’s gender. bellen is the infinitive “to call.” After the modal kan, it remains an infinitive: Ik kan de organisator bellen — “I can call the organizer.” Dutch commonly places the infinitive at the end of this first verb group. vragen naar is a reusable combination meaning “ask about” or “inquire about.” The preposition naar is part of the construction here: vragen naar iets means asking for information about something. Example: Zij vraagt naar de prijs. — “She asks about the price.” mogelijkheid means “possibility” or, in this context, “option.” Its definite form is de mogelijkheid. The phrase de mogelijkheid om ... te verplaatsen introduces an option and then specifies the action connected with that option. evenement means “event.” It is a neuter noun, so its definite article is het: het evenement. In this sentence it is the thing being moved, so it functions as the object of verplaatsen. naar binnen means “indoors” or “to the inside.” naar marks direction, while binnen identifies the inside as the destination. In this sentence it describes where the event is to be moved. The same expression can be used with a person or group: We gaan naar binnen. — “We are going indoors.” verplaatsen is the infinitive “to move” or “relocate.” Here het evenement verplaatsen means moving or relocating the event, and naar binnen specifies the destination. The construction om ... te verplaatsen is an infinitive clause meaning “to move ...” or “of moving ...”: de mogelijkheid om het evenement naar binnen te verplaatsen means “the option of moving the event indoors.” The te belongs with the infinitive clause; it is not part of the verb’s base form. Together, Ik kan de organisator bellen means “I can call the organizer.” en vragen naar de mogelijkheid om het evenement naar binnen te verplaatsen adds a coordinated action: “and ask about the option of moving the event indoors.” The complete utterance therefore means: “I can call the organizer and ask about the indoor option.”

8. Laat het de deelnemers ook weten voordat ze vertrekken.

   Tell participants before they start traveling, too.

   Laat het … weten

   make it known

   deelnemers

   participants

   ook

   also; too

   voordat

   before

   vertrekken

   leave; depart

   More detail

   Laat het … weten is a Dutch construction meaning “make it known” or, with a stated recipient, “let someone know.” Laat is the imperative of laten, used here to give an instruction. The object het means “it”; its specific referent is not identified in the supplied sentence. The recipient appears between het and weten: de deelnemers. The construction can be reused with a different recipient and message: Laat me het nieuws weten. — “Let me know the news.” deelnemers means “participants.” It is the plural of deelnemer; the singular is een deelnemer (“a participant”). The article de is used here with this plural noun. In this sentence, the participants are the people who should receive the information. ook means “also” or “too.” It adds this instruction to other relevant information or actions. Its exact English position can vary in translation, but here it contributes “too” to the instruction. voordat means “before” and introduces a clause describing an earlier time. Dutch places the finite verb at the end of this subordinate clause. Example: Bel me voordat je vertrekt. — “Call me before you leave.” vertrekken means “to leave” or “to depart.” In ze vertrekken, the form is present tense with plural ze (“they”): vertrekken is also the dictionary form. The fixed translation presents these people as starting their travel, so “before they start traveling” is a compatible rendering here. Together, Laat het de deelnemers ook weten gives the instruction “Let the participants know too,” and voordat ze vertrekken sets the deadline: “before they leave/start traveling.” The complete utterance means: “Tell the participants too before they leave.”

9. Late veranderingen zijn frustrerend, maar gevaarlijke omstandigheden zijn erger.

   Late changes are frustrating, but dangerous conditions are worse.

   Late

   late

   veranderingen

   changes

   zijn

   are

   frustrerend

   frustrating

   maar

   but

   gevaarlijke

   dangerous

   omstandigheden

   conditions

   erger

   worse

   More detail

   Late means “late” here: the changes happen or are made later than is desirable. Before a plural noun, the attributive adjective has the -e ending: late veranderingen. Compare late verandering for a singular indefinite noun. veranderingen means “changes” and is the plural of verandering (“change”). The related verb is veranderen (“to change”), but the noun refers to the changes themselves. Example: De veranderingen zijn klein. — “The changes are small.” zijn means “are” in this sentence. It is the present-tense plural form of zijn (“to be”): ik ben, jij bent, hij/zij is, wij/jullie/zij zijn. The plural subject here is late veranderingen, so zijn is the matching form. frustrerend means “frustrating” and describes the effect of the changes. It is a predicative adjective after zijn, so it appears without an adjective ending here. Example: Het wachten is frustrerend. — “Waiting is frustrating.” maar means “but” and connects two contrasting statements. It does not itself indicate which statement is stronger; that contrast comes from the meanings of the two clauses. gevaarlijke means “dangerous” here. It is the adjective gevaarlijk (“dangerous”) before the plural noun omstandigheden, so it has the attributive -e ending. Example: Gevaarlijke wegen zijn moeilijk. — “Dangerous roads are difficult.” omstandigheden means “conditions” in this context and is the plural of omstandigheid (“condition” or “circumstance”). The plural form identifies more than one condition as a situation, without specifying a numeric count. erger means “worse”. It is the comparative form of erg (“bad” or “severe” in relevant uses): erg, erger, ergst — “bad/severe”, “worse”, “worst”. In this sentence, erger compares the dangerous conditions with the late changes; the comparison standard is supplied by the two coordinated clauses. Together, Late veranderingen zijn frustrerend means “Late changes are frustrating.” maar gevaarlijke omstandigheden zijn erger contrasts this with “but dangerous conditions are worse.” The complete utterance therefore says: “Late changes are frustrating, but dangerous conditions are worse.”

10. Duidelijke communicatie is belangrijk wanneer het weer het plan verandert.

    Clear communication matters when weather changes the plan.

    Duidelijke

    clear

    communicatie

    communication

    belangrijk

    important

    wanneer

    when

    weer

    weather

    plan

    plan

    verandert

    changes

    More detail

    Duidelijke means “clear” here and describes communicatie. It is the attributive form of duidelijk; the -e ending is used in this noun phrase. The basic form is duidelijk; compare duidelijker (“clearer”) and het duidelijkst (“the clearest”). communicatie is the noun “communication”. It is a common-gender de-word: de communicatie. In this bare noun phrase, the adjective before it is duidelijke. This ending is not determined by noun gender alone: for example, een duidelijk plan means “a clear plan.” Example: Goede communicatie helpt. — “Good communication helps.” belangrijk is the predicate adjective “important”. After the linking verb is, it stays in its basic form rather than taking the attributive -e ending. Example: Dit is belangrijk. — “This is important.” wanneer introduces the time clause “when”. In this subordinate clause, the finite verb comes at the end: het weer het plan verandert. weer means “weather” in this sentence. With het, the phrase is het weer. The same spelling can have other functions in Dutch, but this sentence clearly uses the weather noun. plan means “plan”. The phrase het plan uses the neuter article het; the article does not itself assert a numerical count. Example: We bespreken het plan. — “We discuss the plan.” verandert means “changes” here. Its base form is veranderen; verandert is the present-tense form for a third-person singular subject. The subject is het weer, so the verb agrees with that singular noun phrase. Example: Het weer verandert. — “The weather changes.” Together, Duidelijke communicatie is the subject, and is belangrijk says that it is important. Wanneer het weer het plan verandert adds the time circumstance: the weather changes the plan. The whole utterance therefore means “Clear communication matters when weather changes the plan.”