Preparing for Changeable Weather on a Hike | Learn Dutch in English

Sentence explanations

1. De weersverwachting voor de wandeling verandert steeds, met zon en kans op buien.

   The forecast for the hike keeps changing, with sun and possible showers.

   weersverwachting

   forecast

   wandeling

   walk or hike

   verandert

   changes

   steeds

   continually

   zon

   sun

   kans

   chance or possibility

   buien

   showers

   More detail

   weersverwachting means “forecast” here. It is a compound noun: weer means weather and verwachting means expectation or forecast. The article de marks this noun as a common-gender singular noun; it does not itself express a quantity. Example: De weersverwachting is goed. — “The weather forecast is good.” wandeling means “walk” or “hike” in this sentence. It is a singular noun, and de wandeling means “the walk/hike.” The phrase voor de wandeling means “for the walk/hike”: voor introduces what the forecast is intended for. Example: We maken een wandeling. — “We are taking a walk.” verandert means “changes” here. Its base form is veranderen; verandert is the present-tense form used with a singular third-person subject such as de weersverwachting. Example: Het plan verandert. — “The plan changes.” steeds means “continually” or “again and again” here. With verandert, it emphasizes that the forecast keeps changing rather than changing just once. Example: De situatie verandert steeds. — “The situation keeps changing.” zon means “sun” here. de zon is the ordinary noun phrase for “the sun.” Example: De zon schijnt. — “The sun is shining.” kans means “chance” or “possibility.” In kans op ..., the preposition op introduces what there is a chance of: kans op buien means “a chance of showers.” Example: Er is kans op regen. — “There is a chance of rain.” buien means “showers.” Its singular form is bui; buien is the plural form. In this weather context, it refers to rain showers, not to rain in general. Example: Er komen buien. — “Showers are coming.” Together, De weersverwachting voor de wandeling means “the forecast for the walk/hike.” verandert steeds says that this forecast keeps changing. The final part, met zon en kans op buien, adds the current or described conditions: there is sun and a possibility of showers. The complete meaning is: “The forecast for the hike keeps changing, with sun and possible showers.”

2. Draag laagjes en neem een waterdichte jas mee.

   Wear layers and bring a waterproof jacket.

   Draag

   wear

   laagjes

   layers

   neem … mee

   bring along

   waterdichte

   waterproof

   jas

   jacket

   More detail

   Draag is the imperative of dragen, “to wear/carry.” Here it is a direct instruction to wear something. The same verb can mean “carry” in other contexts, so the object or situation determines the meaning. Example: Draag een hoed. — “Wear a hat.” laagjes means “layers.” It is the plural of laagje, a small or individual layer; laagjes is formed with the plural ending -s. Example: Ik draag meerdere laagjes. — “I wear several layers.” neem ... mee is the separable verb construction meenemen, “to take or bring along.” In this imperative, neem appears at the start and the particle mee appears later in the sentence. The instruction is to bring the jacket along, not merely to take it in an unspecified direction. Example: Neem je jas mee. — “Bring your jacket.” waterdichte means “waterproof” here. Its base form is waterdicht; before this noun it has the ending -e, as in een waterdichte jas. This adjective describes protection against water; it is not the noun’s base form. Example: Dit is een waterdichte tas. — “This is a waterproof bag.” jas means “jacket.” Its plural is jassen. Example: De jas hangt daar. — “The jacket is hanging there.” Together, Draag laagjes gives the first instruction: “Wear layers.” neem een waterdichte jas mee gives the second: “bring a waterproof jacket along.” The conjunction en joins these two imperative instructions, producing the complete meaning: “Wear layers and bring a waterproof jacket.”

3. Het pad is open, maar het hogere deel kan modderig zijn.

   The trail is open, but the higher section may be muddy.

   pad

   trail; path

   open

   open

   hogere

   higher

   deel

   section; part

   kan … zijn

   may be

   modderig

   muddy

   More detail

   pad means a path or trail. In het pad, the definite article het makes this a specific trail in the situation. Example: Dit pad is smal. — “This trail is narrow.” open is an adjective meaning open or accessible here. After the linking verb is, it describes the condition of het pad: Het pad is open. — “The trail is open.” hogere is the comparative form of hoog (“high”): hoog → hoger (“higher”) → hoogst (“highest”). The -e in hogere appears here because the adjective is inside the definite noun phrase het hogere deel; it agrees with that phrase in Dutch. It does not mean that deel is the base form of the adjective. Example: We nemen het hogere pad. — “We take the higher path.” deel means a part or section. In het hogere deel, it refers to the higher section of the trail, matching the fixed translation. Example: Dit deel is steil. — “This section is steep.” kan ... zijn expresses possibility here: “may be.” kan is a form of kunnen (“can, be able to”), and zijn is the infinitive (“to be”). In a Dutch clause with this modal structure, kan is the finite verb and zijn comes at the end; modderig stands between them. This use expresses a possible condition, not physical ability. Example: Het weer kan koud zijn. — “The weather may be cold.” modderig means muddy. It describes the possible condition of het hogere deel. Example: De schoenen zijn modderig. — “The shoes are muddy.” The sentence first states Het pad is open (“The trail is open”). maar (“but”) then introduces a contrasting qualification: het hogere deel kan modderig zijn (“the higher section may be muddy”). Together: “The trail is open, but the higher section may be muddy.”

4. We moeten het rustig aan doen, vooral op de stukken bergafwaarts.

   We should take it slowly, especially on the downhill parts.

   We moeten

   we should / we must

   het rustig aan doen

   take it slowly

   vooral

   especially

   stukken

   sections / parts

   bergafwaarts

   downhill

   More detail

   We moeten expresses that we should or must do something. Here moeten is the finite present-tense form used with we; it also happens to be the infinitive form. Dutch modal verbs such as moeten are followed by another verb in the infinitive. Compare We moeten wachten. — “We should/must wait.” In this sentence, the fixed translation supports the recommendation “should.” het rustig aan doen is a fixed Dutch expression meaning “to take things slowly” or “to take it easy.” doen is the infinitive and base form of “to do”; after moeten, it remains in the infinitive. Example: Doe het rustig aan. — “Take it easy.” vooral means “especially” and highlights one part of a broader situation. It does not itself mean “only.” Example: Ik ben vooral 's avonds moe. — “I am especially tired in the evenings.” stukken is the plural of the noun stuk, here meaning “parts” or “sections.” The plural is marked by -en. In de stukken, the plural noun takes the definite article de; the sentence does not specify how many sections there are. Example: We lopen nog twee stukken. — “We are walking two more sections.” bergafwaarts means “downhill” or “toward a lower level.” Here it identifies which sections are meant: the sections that are downhill. A useful opposite is bergopwaarts, “uphill,” although that word is not in the fixed sentence. Together, We moeten gives the recommendation, and het rustig aan doen says to proceed slowly. vooral gives special emphasis to op de stukken bergafwaarts: “on the downhill sections.” The complete meaning is: “We should take it slowly, especially on the downhill parts.”

5. Als het weer slecht wordt, kunnen we bij het uitzichtpunt omkeren.

   If the weather turns bad, we can turn back at the viewpoint.

   Als

   if

   weer

   weather

   slecht

   bad

   wordt

   becomes / turns

   kunnen we

   we can

   bij

   at / by

   uitzichtpunt

   viewpoint

   omkeren

   turn back

   More detail

   Als introduces a condition: “if/when.” In this sentence it opens the condition rather than stating that the event definitely happens. A useful reusable pattern is Als + clause, .... weer means “weather” here. Dutch weer can also mean “again,” but the surrounding words and the fixed translation clearly give the weather meaning in this utterance. As a noun, it commonly appears in expressions such as het weer (“the weather”). slecht means “bad” and describes het weer: slecht weer means “bad weather.” Its opposite is goed (“good”), as in goed weer (“good weather”). wordt is the present-tense third-person singular form of worden, “to become” or “to turn.” Here, het weer is singular, so wordt agrees with it. The combination het weer wordt slecht literally presents the weather as becoming bad, which naturally corresponds to “the weather turns bad.” In the conditional clause, Dutch places the finite verb wordt after the subject and adjective: Als het weer slecht wordt. In a longer reusable sentence, this clause can come first and be followed by a main clause, as here. kunnen we expresses “we can.” kunnen is the present-tense form of kunnen for we; we is the subject pronoun “we.” With a modal verb such as kunnen, the other verb normally stays in the infinitive: We kunnen vertrekken means “We can leave.” In this sentence, the modal is finite and appears before we because the conditional clause comes first and the main clause begins with the verb. bij is a preposition meaning “at” in this location expression. het uitzichtpunt is the object of bij, giving bij het uitzichtpunt, “at the viewpoint.” uitzichtpunt means “viewpoint” or “viewing point.” It is a compound noun built from uitzicht (“view” or “view”) and punt (“point”), but it functions as one noun here and takes the article het: het uitzichtpunt. Example: We rusten bij het uitzichtpunt. — “We rest at the viewpoint.” omkeren means “to turn back” or “to turn around and go back.” It is the infinitive selected by kunnen: We kunnen omkeren means “We can turn back.” Dutch also uses the separable form in a finite clause: We keren om — “We turn back.” The fixed sentence uses the infinitive omkeren because kunnen carries the tense and the lexical verb remains at the end. Together, Als het weer slecht wordt gives the condition “If the weather turns bad.” The main clause kunnen we bij het uitzichtpunt omkeren says that, under that condition, “we can turn back at the viewpoint.” The complete utterance is therefore: “If the weather turns bad, we can turn back at the viewpoint.”

6. Laten we dat zeggen voordat we beginnen, zodat niemand zich onder druk gezet voelt om door te gaan.

   Let's say that before we start, so no one feels pressured to continue.

   Laten we

   let's

   dat

   that

   zeggen

   say

   voordat

   before

   we

   we

   beginnen

   start

   zodat

   so that

   niemand

   no one

   zich onder druk gezet voelt

   feels pressured

   om door te gaan

   to continue

   More detail

   Laten we is the Dutch first-person plural suggestion pattern: literally “let us,” but naturally “let’s.” It is followed by an infinitive. For example, Laten we beginnen means “Let’s start.” The form we is the subject form used for “we”; it is not the object form ons. dat means “that” here and refers to the content being proposed, without the utterance identifying that content more specifically. Dutch also uses dit for “this” and dat for “that”; the choice depends on the demonstrative reference, not on the grammatical gender of a following noun in this use. zeggen is the infinitive “to say.” In the suggestion pattern, Laten we zeggen means “let’s say.” The infinitive has no person ending here because laten we supplies the first-person-plural suggestion structure. For example, Laten we wachten means “Let’s wait.” voordat means “before” and introduces a subordinate clause. In voordat we beginnen, we is the subject and beginnen is the finite verb, so the verb appears at the end of this subordinate clause. voordat can introduce an event that must happen earlier than another event, as in Bel me voordat je vertrekt — “Call me before you leave.” we means “we.” Here it is the subject of beginnen, not the subject of the earlier suggestion. Dutch uses we as a subject form; ons is used for “us” in object or other non-subject roles. beginnen means “to start” or “to begin.” In this sentence it is the present-tense plural form with subject we; the infinitive and the first-person-plural present form are both beginnen. Compare ik begin — “I start” — with we beginnen — “we start.” zodat means “so that” and introduces the intended result or purpose of the preceding action. Its clause also places the finite verb at the end: zodat niemand ... voelt. It is different from omdat, which means “because” and gives a reason rather than the intended result. niemand means “no one” or “nobody.” It is grammatically singular, which is why the verb later appears as voelt, the singular form of voelen. For example, Niemand weet het means “No one knows it.” zich onder druk gezet voelt is a Dutch construction meaning “feels pressured.” zich is the reflexive pronoun associated here with the subject niemand; onder druk means “under pressure”; gezet is the past participle of zetten, “to put”; and voelt is the third-person-singular present form of voelen, “to feel.” The wording presents the person as feeling that pressure has been placed on them. In this fixed sentence, voelt agrees with singular niemand, while gezet does not change to show that agreement. A related example is Zij voelt zich moe — “She feels tired.” om door te gaan is an infinitive phrase meaning “to continue.” Dutch doorgaan is a separable verb meaning “to continue” or “to go on”; after om, its infinitive appears as door te gaan, with te between the two parts. For example, Hij besluit door te gaan means “He decides to continue.” Here, this phrase expresses what the person may feel pressured to do. Putting the parts together: Laten we dat zeggen proposes saying that content; voordat we beginnen places the saying before the start; and zodat niemand zich onder druk gezet voelt om door te gaan gives the intended result, namely that nobody feels pressured to continue. The complete meaning is: “Let’s say that before we start, so no one feels pressured to continue.”

7. Zullen we de groep eraan herinneren dat ze geen gewone schoenen moeten dragen?

   Should we remind the group not to wear casual shoes?

   Zullen we

   shall we

   de groep

   the group

   eraan herinneren

   remind someone of it/that

   geen

   no; not any

   gewone

   ordinary; casual

   schoenen

   shoes

   moeten

   must; need to

   dragen

   wear

   More detail

   Zullen we combines zullen with we to make a first-person plural question about a proposed action: “shall we…?” In Dutch, zullen is the conjugated verb in this question, while the main action appears later as an infinitive. For example: Zullen we beginnen? — “Shall we begin?” de groep means “the group.” de is the definite article used here with groep; the phrase refers to the group identified in the situation, without stating how many people it contains. eraan herinneren is a useful construction meaning “remind someone of it/that.” eraan is the pronominal adverb er + aan, and herinneren is the infinitive “to remind.” With a person or group as the object, Dutch can use the pattern iemand eraan herinneren dat ...: “to remind someone that …” Here, de groep is the group being reminded, and the dat clause states what they are to remember. geen makes the following noun phrase negative: “no” or “not any.” It is used here instead of an indefinite article because the sentence says that the group should wear none of the specified kind of shoes. Compare geen schoenen — “no shoes” — with niet dragen — “not wear”; geen negates a noun phrase, while niet generally negates an action or another constituent. gewone describes schoenen here as ordinary or casual. The base form is gewoon; before this plural noun, the adjective has the form gewone. For example: gewone kleding — “casual clothing.” schoenen means “shoes.” It is the plural of schoen (“shoe”): één schoen — “one shoe,” twee schoenen — “two shoes.” The plural form is the noun carrying the plural meaning here; gewone agrees with it in this noun phrase. moeten expresses obligation or what is required, and here the negative noun phrase gives the practical meaning “should not / must not wear [casual shoes].” Its base form is moeten; with we as the subject, the present form is also moeten. Dutch places the following infinitive at the end of this clause in this structure. dragen is the infinitive “to wear” here. It can also mean “to carry” in other contexts, but the reference to shoes selects the clothing sense. For example: Zij draagt een jas. — “She is wearing a coat.” Together, Zullen we ...? proposes an action, de groep eraan herinneren dat ... gives the people to be reminded and the content of the reminder, and ze geen gewone schoenen moeten dragen says that they are required not to wear casual shoes. The complete meaning is: “Should we remind the group not to wear casual shoes?”

8. Vraag ze om geschikte schoenen te dragen; modderige paden kunnen glad zijn.

   Ask them to wear proper shoes; muddy trails can be slippery.

   Vraag

   ask

   ze

   them

   geschikte

   suitable; proper

   schoenen

   shoes

   te dragen

   to wear

   modderige

   muddy

   paden

   trails; paths

   kunnen

   can

   glad

   slippery

   zijn

   be

   More detail

   Vraag is the imperative of vragen (“to ask”). The bare form is used for a direct request or instruction: Vraag het aan haar. — “Ask her.” In this sentence, the request is directed at the listener. ze is the object pronoun meaning “them” here, as fixed by the translation. Dutch ze can have other functions in other contexts, but here it receives the action of asking. The reusable pattern is vraag iemand om ... — “ask someone to ...”. geschikte comes from the adjective geschikt, “suitable” or “proper.” Before the plural noun schoenen, the adjective has the attributive -e form: geschikte schoenen. This describes the shoes as appropriate for the purpose; it does not itself state a particular number of shoes. schoenen is the plural of schoen, “shoe”: een schoen — “a shoe”; schoenen — “shoes.” The plural noun is the object of dragen in the requested action. te dragen is te plus the infinitive dragen, “to wear.” After vragen om, Dutch commonly uses om ... te with an infinitive: Ik vraag hem om te wachten. — “I ask him to wait.” Here, te dragen expresses the action that the people are being asked to perform. modderige comes from modderig, “muddy.” It has the attributive -e form before the plural noun paden: modderige paden, “muddy trails.” The adjective characterizes the trails, not the shoes. paden is the plural of pad, “path” or “trail”: een pad — “a path”; paden — “paths” or “trails.” In the second clause, these trails are the subject of kunnen. kunnen is the present-tense plural form of the modal verb kunnen, “can” or “be able to.” With a plural subject such as paden, the form is kunnen; the following verb remains an infinitive: De paden kunnen glad zijn. — “The trails can be slippery.” Here, “can” presents slipperiness as a possibility or characteristic, not as a guaranteed fact. glad means “slippery” in this context. It is the adjective describing the trails through the linking verb zijn. Dutch also uses glad for a smooth surface, but “slippery” is the intended meaning here. zijn is the infinitive of “to be.” It follows the modal kunnen, because a modal verb is followed by an infinitive: kunnen ... zijn. The combination glad zijn means “be slippery.” Together, Vraag ze om geschikte schoenen te dragen means “Ask them to wear proper shoes.” The reusable request pattern is vraag [person] om [te + infinitive]. The semicolon then adds modderige paden kunnen glad zijn, meaning “muddy trails can be slippery.” The whole utterance tells the listener to ask them to wear suitable shoes and states that muddy trails can be slippery.

9. Een herinnering om vanavond in te pakken zou helpen.

   A packing reminder tonight would help.

   herinnering

   reminder

   vanavond

   tonight

   in te pakken

   to pack

   zou helpen

   would help

   More detail

   herinnering means “reminder” here. Its base noun is herinnering; the related verb is herinneren (“to remind”), but they are not the same form. Dutch nouns are commonly introduced with an article, as in een herinnering (“a reminder”). In this sentence, een presents the reminder without stating a numeric count. vanavond is the time adverb “tonight.” It is written as one word and can be placed in other positions, for example: Ik pak vanavond in. — “I am packing tonight.” in te pakken is the infinitive construction “to pack.” The verb is the separable verb inpakken (“to pack”). With te, the parts are separated: in te pakken. Compare the ordinary main-clause form Ik pak in. — “I pack / I am packing.” The pattern om ... te introduces the intended action or purpose: een herinnering om in te pakken means “a reminder to pack.” Here vanavond is placed inside that construction, specifying when the packing should happen: om vanavond in te pakken. zou helpen means “would help.” zou is the singular form of zullen used for a conditional or hypothetical result; helpen remains the infinitive after it. The subject here is singular, een herinnering, so the form is zou, not plural zouden. Example: Een kaart zou helpen. — “A map would help.” Together, Een herinnering supplies the subject, om vanavond in te pakken specifies what the reminder concerns and when the action should occur, and zou helpen gives the conditional result. The complete meaning is: “A packing reminder tonight would help.”

10. Stuur die vroeg genoeg, zodat iedereen zich kan voorbereiden.

    Send it early enough for everyone to prepare.

    Stuur

    send

    die

    it

    vroeg genoeg

    early enough

    zodat

    so that

    iedereen

    everyone

    zich

    themselves

    kan

    can

    voorbereiden

    prepare

    More detail

    Stuur is the imperative of sturen, “to send.” It addresses an understood you, so it is useful for a direct request: Stuur de brief. — “Send the letter.” The imperative form itself does not state who the recipient is; that is supplied by context or another phrase. die means “it” here and refers to the item being sent, as confirmed by the fixed translation. Dutch die can also be a demonstrative or relative pronoun in other contexts, but here it is the object pronoun for the intended item. vroeg genoeg means “early enough”: vroeg is “early,” and genoeg sets the required limit. The phrase expresses sufficient earliness, not merely an early time. Compare te vroeg, “too early.” zodat introduces a clause describing the intended result or sufficient consequence, commonly translated “so that.” A reusable pattern is ..., zodat ...: Zet het licht aan, zodat iedereen kan lezen. — “Turn on the light so that everyone can read.” iedereen means “everyone.” Although it refers to all members of a group in meaning, it is grammatically singular in Dutch, which is why the verb later appears as kan, not a plural form. zich is the reflexive pronoun used with the subject of voorbereiden here. Together, iedereen and zich voorbereiden mean that each person prepares themself. Reflexive forms depend on the subject; for example, ik bereid me voor means “I prepare myself,” while zij bereiden zich voor means “they prepare themselves.” kan is the third-person singular present form of the modal verb kunnen, “can” or “is able to.” In Dutch, a modal verb is followed by an infinitive, so kan ... voorbereiden means “can prepare.” voorbereiden means “to prepare.” With a person as the subject, the reflexive construction zich voorbereiden means “to prepare oneself” or simply “to get prepared.” The infinitive stays after the modal: Iedereen kan zich voorbereiden. — “Everyone can prepare.” Together, Stuur die gives the request “Send it.” vroeg genoeg adds the required timing, and zodat iedereen zich kan voorbereiden gives the purpose or intended result: everyone should have enough time to get prepared. The complete utterance therefore means, “Send it early enough for everyone to prepare.”