About This Lesson
Use Managing a wait when you have somewhere else to be to practice Dutch conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.
Dialogue
A
Het lijkt nog lang te duren voordat ik aan de beurt ben.
hət LAYKT nawkh lahng tuh DYOO-run vaw-DAHT ik ahn duh BURT ben. My turn still seems a long way off.
A
Ik moet binnenkort ergens anders zijn.
ik MOOT bih-nun-KORT ER-khens AHN-ders zine. I need to be somewhere else soon.
B
Laat me eerst uitleggen hoe de rij opschuift voordat je beslist of je wilt blijven.
LAHT muh AYRST OYT-lekh-un hoo duh RAY OP-skhoift vaw-DAHT yuh buh-LIST off yuh vilt BLAY-vun. Let me explain how the queue is moving before you decide whether to stay.
A
Gaat de rij in een vast tempo vooruit?
KHAHT duh RAY in un vahst TEM-poh vohr-OYT? Is it moving at a steady pace?
B
Het tempo wisselt vandaag. Sommige aanvragen duren langer dan verwacht.
hət TEM-poh VIS-ult vahn-DAHKH. SOM-khuh-guh AHN-vrah-khun DYOO-run LAHNG-er dan ver-VAKHT. The pace is uneven today. Some requests are taking longer than expected.
A
Als ik even wegga, kan ik dan op dezelfde plek in de rij terugkomen?
ahls ik AY-vun VEKH-gah, kan ik dan op DAY-zelf-duh plek in duh RAY tuh-RUK-koh-mun? If I step away for a moment, can I come back to the same place?
B
Je kunt je plek alleen behouden als je dicht bij de rij blijft.
yuh kunt yuh plek ah-LEEN buh-HOW-dun ahls yuh DIKHT bye duh RAY BLAY-vun. You can only keep your place if you stay close to the line.
A
Dan moet ik beslissen of dit kan wachten.
dahn MOOT ik buh-LIS-un off dit kan VAKH-tun. Then I need to decide whether this can wait.
B
Als deze dienst vandaag belangrijk is, is dichtbij blijven de veiligste keuze.
ahls DAY-zuh DEENST vahn-DAHKH buh-LAHNG-rike is, is dikh-BAY BLAY-vun duh VAY-likh-stuh KUR-zuh. If this service is important today, staying close is the safer choice.
A
Ik kan de andere persoon een bericht sturen en de vertraging uitleggen.
ik kan duh AHN-druh per-SOHN un buh-RIKHT STYOO-run en duh ver-TRAH-khing OYT-lekh-un. I can message the other person and explain the delay.
B
Dat zou hen moeten helpen begrijpen waarom je te laat bent.
daht zow hen MOO-tun HEL-pun buh-KHRAI-pun vah-ROM yuh tuh LAHT bent. That should help them understand why you are running late.Word by Word
Het
In “Het lijkt nog lang te duren”, Het points to the situation or expected waiting time. In “Het tempo”, the same form is the definite article before a noun; “Het lijkt …” is useful for giving an impression about a situation.
lijkt
In “Het lijkt nog lang te duren”, lijkt means that something seems or appears to be the case. The expression presents an impression rather than a definite statement, which is useful when estimating a wait.
nog
In “nog lang te duren”, nog means still: the waiting time has not ended and is continuing. It is useful with a time expression when something continues longer than desired.
lang
In “nog lang te duren”, lang describes a long amount of time. It combines with a duration expression when you want to say that something will take a considerable time.
te
In “te duren”, te marks the infinitive used after lijkt. This form helps connect an impression about the duration with the action or process being described.
duren
In “nog lang te duren”, duren means to take time or last. It is used here with lang to describe how long the wait will continue.
voordat
In “voordat ik aan de beurt ben”, voordat means before and introduces the event that must happen later. It is useful for describing one action or event in relation to another.
ik
In “voordat ik aan de beurt ben”, ik means I and identifies the person whose turn is being discussed. It is used for the speaker as the subject of the clause.
aan de beurt
The expression “aan de beurt” means that it is someone’s turn, as in “voordat ik aan de beurt ben”. Within the expression, aan marks the relation to the turn, de is the article, and beurt means turn; together they describe being next to receive service.
ben
In “aan de beurt ben”, ben means am and completes the statement about the speaker’s turn. It occurs with ik in the clause “voordat ik aan de beurt ben”.
moet
In “Ik moet binnenkort ergens anders zijn”, moet expresses the speaker’s need or obligation to be somewhere else. It is useful when explaining a necessary action or appointment.
binnenkort
In “binnenkort ergens anders zijn”, binnenkort means soon or in the near future. It gives a time limit for where the speaker needs to be.
ergens
In “ergens anders”, ergens means somewhere without naming a specific place. It is useful when the exact location is not stated or is not important.
anders
In “ergens anders”, anders means elsewhere or a different place from the current one. Together with ergens, it describes another location.
zijn
In “ergens anders zijn”, zijn means to be and describes being present at another place. It completes the need expressed in “Ik moet binnenkort ergens anders zijn”.
Laat
In “Laat me eerst uitleggen”, Laat invites or allows the speaker to explain something. “Laat me …” is useful when offering to do an action for the conversation.
me
In “Laat me eerst uitleggen”, me refers to the speaker as the person who will explain. It identifies the person being invited or allowed to act.
eerst
In “Laat me eerst uitleggen”, eerst means first and places the explanation before the listener’s decision. It is useful for ordering actions in a conversation.
uitleggen
In “Laat me eerst uitleggen hoe de rij opschuift”, uitleggen means to explain or make something clear. Here it introduces an explanation of how the queue is moving.
hoe
In “hoe de rij opschuift”, hoe means how and introduces a description of the queue’s movement. It is useful when asking or explaining the manner in which something happens.
de
De is the definite article in expressions such as “de rij”, “de plek”, “de andere persoon”, and “de vertraging”. It marks a specific noun that is already identifiable in the situation.
rij
In “de rij opschuift” and “bij de rij”, rij means the queue or line of people waiting. It is useful for describing both the movement of the queue and one’s position near it.
opschuift
In “hoe de rij opschuift”, opschuift describes the queue moving forward as people are served. With de rij as the subject, it explains the progress of the line.
je
In “voordat je beslist”, je means you, the person making the decision. In “je plek”, it refers to your place, showing the place connected to that person.
beslist
In “voordat je beslist of je wilt blijven”, beslist means decide. It is used for making a choice about staying in the queue.
of
In “of je wilt blijven”, of means whether and introduces the choice being considered. It is useful after an expression about deciding between possible actions.
wilt
In “of je wilt blijven”, wilt means want and expresses the other person’s wish to stay. It is followed here by blijven to state the desired action.
blijven
In “of je wilt blijven”, blijven means stay or remain in the current place. The same action appears in “dichtbij blijven”, where staying near the queue is the recommended choice.
Gaat
In “Gaat de rij in een vast tempo vooruit?”, Gaat asks whether the queue is moving forward. It is useful for asking about progress or movement.
in
In “in een vast tempo”, in introduces the pace or manner in which the queue moves. The expression describes the rate of movement rather than a physical location.
een
In “een vast tempo”, een is the indefinite article before tempo and means a. It presents one kind of pace without referring to a previously identified specific pace.
vast
In “een vast tempo”, vast means steady or fixed. It describes movement that keeps a regular pace.
tempo
In “een vast tempo”, tempo means pace or rate of movement. Here it describes how quickly the queue progresses.
vooruit
In “in een vast tempo vooruit”, vooruit means forward and shows the direction of the queue’s movement. It is useful when describing progress toward the front of a line.
wisselt
In “Het tempo wisselt vandaag”, wisselt means varies or changes. It explains that the pace is not the same throughout the day.
vandaag
In “Het tempo wisselt vandaag”, vandaag means today and sets the time of the observation. It is useful for limiting a statement to the current day.
Sommige
In “Sommige aanvragen duren langer dan verwacht”, Sommige means some and refers to only part of the requests. It is useful when a statement applies to several items but not all of them.
aanvragen
In “Sommige aanvragen duren langer dan verwacht”, aanvragen means requests or applications being handled. Here these requests determine how long people must wait.
langer
In “langer dan verwacht”, langer means longer and compares the duration with an expectation. It is useful when something takes more time than was anticipated.
dan
In “langer dan verwacht”, dan means than and introduces the comparison with what was expected. In “Dan moet ik beslissen”, the capitalized form Dan means then and marks the next step in the situation.
verwacht
In “langer dan verwacht”, verwacht refers to what was expected or anticipated. It provides the standard against which the actual duration is compared.
Als
In “Als ik even wegga” and “Als deze dienst vandaag belangrijk is”, Als means if and introduces a condition. It is useful for discussing what happens when a particular situation applies.
even
In “Als ik even wegga”, even means for a moment or briefly. It limits the planned absence to a short time.
wegga
In “Als ik even wegga”, wegga means go away or step away from the current place. It describes a temporary departure from the queue.
kan
In “kan ik dan op dezelfde plek in de rij terugkomen?”, kan asks whether returning is possible. It is useful for asking about ability or permission in a specific situation.
op
In “op dezelfde plek in de rij”, op indicates the position or spot where someone returns. It connects terugkomen with the particular place in the queue.
dezelfde
In “dezelfde plek”, dezelfde means the same and refers to the original place. It is useful when the place or thing should remain unchanged.
plek
In “op dezelfde plek in de rij”, plek means place or spot. Here it identifies the person’s position in the queue.
terugkomen
In “in de rij terugkomen”, terugkomen means come back or return. It describes returning to the queue after stepping away.
kunt
In “Je kunt je plek alleen behouden”, kunt means can or are able to. The sentence states what is possible under the condition of staying close to the queue.
alleen
In “je plek alleen behouden als je dicht bij de rij blijft”, alleen means only and limits when the place can be kept. It highlights that staying close is the required condition.
behouden
In “je plek alleen behouden”, behouden means keep or retain. Here it describes keeping one’s position in the queue.
dicht
In “dicht bij de rij”, dicht means close. Together with bij, it describes a short distance from the queue.
bij
In “dicht bij de rij”, bij means near or close to and identifies the queue as the reference point. It is used with dicht to describe location.
blijft
In “bij de rij blijft”, blijft means stays or remains. It describes the person continuing to stay near the queue.
dit
In “of dit kan wachten”, dit means this and points to the matter currently being discussed. It is useful when referring to a specific situation or task without naming it again.
deze
In “deze dienst”, deze means this and identifies the particular service under discussion. It is used before the noun to point to a specific service.
dienst
In “deze dienst”, dienst means service. Here it refers to the service for which the speaker is waiting.
belangrijk
In “deze dienst vandaag belangrijk is”, belangrijk means important and expresses the value or urgency of the service. It helps determine whether staying close to the queue is worthwhile.
is
In “belangrijk is” and “is dichtbij blijven de veiligste keuze”, is links the subject with its description or result. It states that something has a certain quality or that one option has a certain status.
dichtbij
In “dichtbij blijven”, dichtbij means nearby or close by. It describes remaining close to the queue while waiting.
veiligste
In “de veiligste keuze”, veiligste means safest and identifies the option judged to involve the least risk. It is useful when selecting the most secure option among possibilities.
keuze
In “de veiligste keuze”, keuze means choice or option. Here it refers to the decision to stay close to the queue.
andere
In “de andere persoon”, andere means other and distinguishes this person from the speaker or the person currently present. It is useful when referring to an additional person already relevant to the situation.
persoon
In “de andere persoon”, persoon means person. Here it identifies the person who should receive the message about the delay.
bericht
In “een bericht sturen”, bericht means message. It refers to the written communication sent to explain the delay.
sturen
In “de andere persoon een bericht sturen”, sturen means send. It describes sending a message to another person.
en
In “sturen en de vertraging uitleggen”, en means and and joins the two actions. It shows that sending the message and explaining the delay are connected actions.
vertraging
In “de vertraging uitleggen”, vertraging means delay. Here it is the delay that the speaker plans to explain to the other person.
Dat
In “Dat zou hen moeten helpen”, Dat means that and refers back to the action of sending a message and explaining the delay. It is useful for referring to a previous action as a whole.
zou
In “Dat zou hen moeten helpen”, zou presents the help as an expected or possible result. It makes the statement less direct than a simple assertion.
hen
In “hen moeten helpen begrijpen”, hen means them and refers to the people who are expected to understand the delay. It is the group affected by the help.
moeten
In “zou hen moeten helpen begrijpen”, moeten expresses what should happen as part of the expected result. Together with zou, it presents helping them understand as the likely useful effect of the message.
helpen
In “helpen begrijpen”, helpen means help or assist. It describes making it easier for someone to understand the reason for the delay.
begrijpen
In “helpen begrijpen waarom je te laat bent”, begrijpen means understand. It introduces the information that the other person should come to understand.
waarom
In “begrijpen waarom je te laat bent”, waarom means why and introduces the reason for being late. It is useful when asking for or explaining a cause.
bent
In “te laat bent”, bent means are and describes the person’s state of being late. It completes the explanation of why the other person needs to understand the delay.
Grammar Points
lijken te + infinitief
Het lijkt lang te duren.
hət LAYKT LAHNG tuh DYOO-run.It seems to take a long time.
Dutch gebruikt lijken gevolgd door te en het hele werkwoord om een indruk of verwachting uit te drukken.
Dutch Vocabulary
aan de beurt
phrase
ahn duh BURT
one's turn
beslist
verb
buh-LIST
decide
binnenkort
adv
bih-nun-KORT
soon
blijven
verb
BLAY-vun
to stay
de rij
noun
duh RAY
the queue
eerst
adv
AYRST
first
ergens anders
phrase
ER-khens AHN-ders
somewhere else
gaat vooruit
phrase
KHAHT vohr-OYT
moves forward
lang te duren
phrase
LAHNG tuh DYOO-run
to take a long time
lijkt
verb
LAYKT
seems
opschuift
verb
OP-skhoift
moves forward
uitleggen
verb
OYT-lekh-un
to explain
Quiz
Word Order
Arrange the words in the correct order.
I need to be somewhere else soon.
Show Answer
Ik moet binnenkort ergens anders zijn.Spelling
Tap the letters to spell the word.
first
Show Answer
eerstsoon
Show Answer
binnenkortseems
Show Answer
lijktto explain