Checking ingredients and substitutions | Learn Dutch in English

Sentence explanations

1. Voordat we gaan koken, laten we de ingrediënten en eventuele vervangingen controleren.

   Before we start cooking, let's check the ingredients and any substitutions.

   Voordat

   before

   we

   we

   gaan

   are going to

   koken

   cook

   laten we

   let’s

   ingrediënten

   ingredients

   eventuele

   possible; any

   vervangingen

   substitutions

   controleren

   check

   More detail

   Voordat means “before” and introduces a subordinate clause. In this sentence, Voordat we gaan koken gives the time condition for the main proposal. In this subordinate clause, we is followed by the finite verb gaan and the infinitive koken. we is the first-person plural pronoun, “we.” It refers to the people included in the proposal, without the sentence specifying exactly who they are. Dutch also has the unstressed form we alongside the stressed form wij; we is the ordinary unstressed choice here. gaan is the present-tense form used with the subject we; its base form is also gaan. With an infinitive, as in gaan koken, it expresses an upcoming or intended action: “are going to cook.” The present-tense forms include ik ga, jij/je gaat, and we/ze gaan. By itself, gaan can also mean “go,” but that is not its meaning in this combination. koken is the infinitive “to cook.” The pattern gaan + infinitive is reusable for an action that is about to happen or is planned. Example: We gaan eten. — “We are going to eat.” laten we is a fixed proposal pattern meaning “let’s.” Here it introduces the suggested action de ingrediënten en eventuele vervangingen controleren. It is not the ordinary translation of every occurrence of laten; in other contexts, laten can mean “let,” “have,” or “leave.” Example: Laten we beginnen. — “Let’s begin.” ingrediënten is the plural of ingrediënt, “ingredient.” The plural ending is -en; the singular is used for one ingredient, while this form refers to ingredients collectively or to more than one. In this sentence, it is one of the things to be checked. eventuele means “possible,” “potential,” or “any that may be relevant.” It is the attributive form of eventueel before the plural noun vervangingen. It does not assert that substitutions definitely exist; it includes substitutions if there are any. Example: Neem eventuele wijzigingen mee. — “Include any possible changes.” vervangingen is the plural of vervanging, “substitution” or “replacement.” The noun refers to alternatives used in place of something else. Here it is paired with ingrediënten, so the proposal covers both the ingredients and any substitutions. controleren is the infinitive “to check” or “to inspect.” It follows laten we in this proposal pattern. The same infinitive can be used after other constructions that select an infinitive, for example Ik wil de lijst controleren. — “I want to check the list.” Taken together, Voordat we gaan koken means “Before we start cooking,” and laten we de ingrediënten en eventuele vervangingen controleren means “let’s check the ingredients and any substitutions.” The full utterance is therefore: “Before we start cooking, let’s check the ingredients and any substitutions.”

2. In het recept staan walnoten, en een van de gasten heeft een notenallergie.

   The recipe calls for walnuts, and one guest has a nut allergy.

   recept

   recipe

   staan

   are listed

   walnoten

   walnuts

   een van de

   one of the

   gasten

   guests

   heeft

   has

   notenallergie

   nut allergy

   More detail

   recept means “recipe” here. Its plural is recepten. It is a neuter noun, so the definite form is het recept; een recept means “a recipe.” staan is the present-tense form of staan, “to stand.” With a plural subject such as walnoten, Dutch uses staan. In this context, the verb is used for items being listed in a written text, so in het recept staan ... means that the recipe lists or calls for something. Compare the singular pattern In het recept staat .... walnoten is the plural of walnoot, “walnut.” The ending -en marks this plural: één walnoot, twee walnoten. In the sentence, it is the thing listed in the recipe. een van de is a reusable pattern meaning “one of the.” The noun after it is plural because the expression selects one member from a group: een van de gasten = “one of the guests.” The word een here identifies one member; it does not by itself state that only one guest exists. gasten is the plural of gast, “guest.” The phrase een van de gasten refers to one guest belonging to the group of guests. Because the selected person is singular, the verb later in the sentence is singular. heeft is the present-tense form of hebben, “to have,” used with hij, zij, or another third-person singular subject. Here the subject is the singular phrase een van de gasten, so heeft is required. The plural form is hebben, as in de gasten hebben .... notenallergie is a compound noun: noten (“nuts”) + allergie (“allergy”). It means “nut allergy.” The noun is singular here; its plural is notenallergieën. The compound refers to an allergy to nuts generally, not specifically to walnuts. Together, In het recept staan walnoten says that walnuts are listed or called for in the recipe. een van de gasten heeft een notenallergie says that one member of the group of guests has a nut allergy. The complete utterance therefore means: “The recipe calls for walnuts, and one guest has a nut allergy.”

3. Dan moeten we de walnoten helemaal weglaten.

   Then we should leave the walnuts out completely.

   Dan

   then

   moeten we

   we must / we should

   walnoten

   walnuts

   helemaal

   completely

   weglaten

   leave out

   More detail

   Dan means “then” here: it links this decision to a situation or conclusion already established. It can also refer to a time, as in Dan kom ik morgen (“Then I’ll come tomorrow”), but this sentence uses it to introduce the resulting action. moeten we is the reusable Dutch pattern moeten + subject. moeten is the present-tense form used with we (“we”); its infinitive is also moeten. In this context, moeten expresses what is advisable or necessary, so the fixed translation naturally uses “should.” A stronger obligation can also be expressed with moeten, depending on context. Compare We moeten vertrekken — “We must/need to leave.” walnoten means “walnuts.” It is the plural of walnoot: één walnoot (“one walnut”), twee walnoten (“two walnuts”). The form is the direct object of the action here. de identifies the walnuts as the specific ones under discussion; it does not itself state a number. helemaal means “completely” or “entirely.” It strengthens the action that follows: the walnuts are not merely reduced or partly removed, but left out altogether. For example, Ik ben helemaal klaar means “I am completely ready.” weglaten means “to leave out” or “omit.” It is a separable verb: in a finite present-tense clause, it can appear as We laten de walnoten weg (“We leave the walnuts out”), while after a modal such as moeten, the infinitive weglaten stays together at the end: We moeten de walnoten weglaten (“We have to leave the walnuts out”). The sentence follows the pattern Dan + moeten + subject + object + adverb + infinitive: Dan moeten we de walnoten helemaal weglaten. Dan occupies the first position, and the finite verb moeten comes next. The subject is we; de walnoten is what is omitted; helemaal specifies that the omission is complete; and weglaten names the action. Together, the utterance means: “Then we should leave the walnuts out completely.”

4. Geroosterde zaden zouden het gerecht toch wat knapperigheid geven.

   Toasted seeds would still give the dish some crunch.

   Geroosterde

   toasted

   zaden

   seeds

   zouden

   would

   het gerecht

   the dish

   toch

   still

   wat

   some

   knapperigheid

   crunch

   geven

   give

   More detail

   Geroosterde means “toasted” here and describes zaden. It is the adjective/participle related to roosteren (“to toast”): roosteren → geroosterd (“toasted”). The form agrees with the plural noun zaden in this noun phrase. Example: geroosterde groenten — “roasted vegetables.” zaden means “seeds.” Its singular base form is zaad; zaden is the plural. Example: Deze zaden zijn eetbaar. — “These seeds are edible.” zouden contributes “would” in this sentence. It is a form of zullen, used here with an infinitive to express a hypothetical or suggested result: zouden ... geven — “would give.” The form zouden is the plural form used with the plural subject geroosterde zaden; it does not itself mark the seeds as toasted. het gerecht means “the dish.” Gerecht is a neuter noun, which is why the definite article is het. Its plural is gerechten. Example: Het gerecht is bijna klaar. — “The dish is almost ready.” toch means “still” here. It presents the result as remaining valid despite the earlier plan to leave the walnuts out. Its exact effect depends on context; in this sentence it does not mean that the seeds are walnuts. wat means “some” here, indicating an unspecified amount of knapperigheid. In this use it is a quantity word, not the question word “what.” Example: Voeg wat water toe. — “Add some water.” knapperigheid means “crunch” or “crispness.” It is a noun related to the adjective knapperig (“crunchy,” “crispy”). The sentence presents crunch as something the seeds would give to the dish. Example: De noten geven een lekkere knapperigheid. — “The nuts add a pleasant crunch.” geven means “give.” It is the infinitive after zouden; the subject is geroosterde zaden, and het gerecht is the recipient or thing receiving the added quality. Example: Zaden geven de salade extra smaak. — “Seeds give the salad extra flavor.” Together, geroosterde zaden is the subject, zouden ... geven says “would give,” and het gerecht identifies what receives the effect. wat knapperigheid means “some crunch,” while toch adds the idea that this benefit remains. The complete meaning is: “Toasted seeds would still give the dish some crunch.”

5. Laten we in plaats daarvan zaden gebruiken en de allergienotitie zichtbaar houden tijdens het koken.

   Let's use seeds instead, and keep the allergy note visible while we cook.

   Laten we

   let's

   in plaats daarvan

   instead

   zaden

   seeds

   gebruiken

   use

   allergienotitie

   allergy note

   zichtbaar

   visible

   houden

   keep

   tijdens

   during

   koken

   cooking

   More detail

   Laten we is the reusable Dutch pattern for “let’s …”. It combines laten with we and is followed by an infinitive: Laten we beginnen. — “Let’s begin.” Here, the infinitive that completes the suggestion is gebruiken. in plaats daarvan means “instead” or “instead of that,” referring to an alternative understood from the context. It is a fixed adverbial expression; daarvan should not be treated as a separate replacement for the noun that follows. zaden means “seeds.” Its singular is zaad; zaden is the plural form. Example: Ik koop zaden. — “I’m buying seeds.” gebruiken is the infinitive “to use.” After Laten we, it stays in the infinitive: Laten we deze pan gebruiken. — “Let’s use this pan.” allergienotitie is a compound noun meaning “allergy note.” Dutch compounds are written as one word here: allergie + notitie. The definite article de before it makes the phrase refer to a specific note in this utterance; it does not itself state a number. zichtbaar is an adjective meaning “visible.” In zichtbaar houden, it describes the condition that is maintained. The adjective itself does not carry the infinitive ending; houden is the verb that expresses maintaining that condition. Example: Houd het etiket zichtbaar. — “Keep the label visible.” houden is the infinitive “to keep” or “to maintain.” With an adjective, iets zichtbaar houden means “keep something visible”: the object is maintained in the stated condition. This is different from simply saying that something is visible, such as De notitie is zichtbaar — “The note is visible.” tijdens means “during” and introduces a time period or activity. It is followed here by het koken, literally “the cooking.” koken is the infinitive “to cook.” After het, this infinitive is used as a noun for the activity: tijdens het koken means “while cooking” or “during the cooking.” The phrase does not say that the cooking is performed by a newly specified person; its intended meaning here is “while we cook,” as shown by the fixed translation. Together, Laten we ... gebruiken gives the suggestion “let’s use ... instead.” The object is zaden, and de allergienotitie zichtbaar houden adds the second coordinated action: keep the allergy note visible. tijdens het koken specifies when that second action is maintained. The complete meaning is: “Let’s use seeds instead, and keep the allergy note visible while we cook.”

6. Omdat dit een gebakken gerecht is, moeten we de hoeveelheden nog steeds nauwkeurig volgen.

   Since this is a baked dish, we should still follow the measurements closely.

   Omdat

   since/because

   dit

   this

   gebakken

   baked

   gerecht

   dish

   moeten we

   we should/must

   hoeveelheden

   measurements/amounts

   nog steeds

   still

   nauwkeurig

   closely/precisely

   volgen

   follow

   More detail

   Omdat introduces a reason: “because” or “since.” It starts the subordinate clause Omdat dit een gebakken gerecht is. dit means “this.” In Dutch, dit is the singular neuter demonstrative form, used with a singular neuter noun or with a situation being pointed out. Its form describes the grammatical type of the referent; the sentence does not identify that referent more specifically. gebakken means “baked” here. It is the past participle of bakken (“to bake”) and is used before gerecht to describe the dish. A useful form chain is bakken → gebakken: “to bake” → “baked.” For example: een gebakken appel means “a baked apple.” gerecht means “dish” in the sense of a prepared food item. Its plural is gerechten. The combination een gebakken gerecht means “a baked dish”; een marks an indefinite singular noun but does not itself state a numerical count as a separate claim. moeten we means “we must/need to” or, in this translation, “we should.” The base form is moeten, a modal verb. Dutch main-clause inversion places the modal before the subject here: compare we moeten ... (“we must ...”) with moeten we ... (“must/should we ...” or, in this statement, “we must/should ...”). The following verb remains an infinitive. hoeveelheden means “amounts” or “quantities”; in this cooking context, “measurements” is a natural translation. Its singular is hoeveelheid, and its plural is hoeveelheden. The plural form refers to more than one amount or measurement category, without specifying the exact number. nog steeds means “still.” It indicates that the need described by the sentence continues to apply. For example: We moeten nog steeds wachten. — “We still have to wait.” nauwkeurig means “precisely” or “carefully” here. It describes how the quantities are followed, so it functions adverbially with volgen. The same form can also be an adjective, as in een nauwkeurige meting (“an accurate measurement”); the surrounding sentence determines the function. volgen means “to follow.” It is an infinitive after the modal verb moeten. Here it means adhering to the stated quantities or measurements, not physically following a person. For example: Volg het recept nauwkeurig. — “Follow the recipe carefully.” Together, Omdat dit een gebakken gerecht is gives the reason: “Since this is a baked dish.” The main clause moeten we de hoeveelheden nog steeds nauwkeurig volgen says that we still need to follow the measurements closely. The complete meaning is: “Since this is a baked dish, we should still follow the measurements closely.”

7. Hebben we genoeg melk, of zal ik meer kopen?

   Do we have enough milk, or should I buy more?

   Hebben

   have

   genoeg

   enough

   melk

   milk

   of

   or

   zal ik

   should I

   kopen

   buy

   meer

   more

   More detail

   Hebben is the infinitive hebben (“to have”). In the construction with we, hebben is also the present-tense form for a first-person plural subject: we hebben = “we have.” Example: We hebben tijd. — “We have time.” genoeg means “enough” and expresses a sufficient amount or number. It normally comes before the noun or quantity it limits: genoeg water — “enough water.” In this sentence it says that the amount of milk is sufficient. melk is the noun “milk.” Dutch normally uses the common-gender article with this mass noun: de melk. A mass noun can be measured without marking individual items; genoeg melk means “enough milk,” not a stated number of containers. of links alternatives and means “or.” Here it introduces the alternative question about buying more. zal ik consists of zal, the first-person singular present form of the auxiliary zullen, plus ik, “I.” In this question, zal ik ...? asks whether the speaker should or is expected to do something; it is not simply a statement about a future event. Example: Zal ik helpen? — “Shall I help?” kopen is the infinitive “to buy.” After zal, Dutch uses the infinitive without an extra word equivalent to “to”: zal ik kopen means “shall/should I buy.” Example: Zal ik brood kopen? — “Should I buy bread?” meer is a quantity word meaning “more.” Here it refers to an additional amount of milk, with the noun understood from the earlier part of the sentence. It does not itself specify how much more. Compare veel melk (“a lot of milk”) with meer melk (“more milk”). Together, Hebben we genoeg melk asks whether the available milk is sufficient. of zal ik meer kopen presents the alternative of the speaker buying an additional amount. The whole utterance is therefore an alternative question: is the existing milk sufficient, or should the speaker buy more?

8. We hebben genoeg, maar controleer de houdbaarheidsdatum voordat je de melk gebruikt.

   We have enough, but check the date before using it.

   We hebben

   we have

   genoeg

   enough

   controleer

   check

   houdbaarheidsdatum

   use-by date

   voordat

   before

   melk

   milk

   gebruikt

   use

   More detail

   We hebben means “we have.” hebben is the present-tense form of hebben for we (first-person plural). Dutch uses we for a group that includes the speaker; the sentence therefore says that the group has something, with the object supplied by the following context. genoeg means “enough” and expresses a sufficient amount. It can stand on its own or come before a noun: genoeg melk means “enough milk.” Example: We hebben genoeg tijd. — “We have enough time.” controleer means “check.” It is the singular imperative of controleren, used here to give the addressee a direct instruction. Example: Controleer het antwoord. — “Check the answer.” houdbaarheidsdatum means “use-by date” or “best-before date” in this context. It is a Dutch compound noun referring to the date indicating how long a product remains suitable or safe according to its labeling. The noun is written as one word; its definite form would be de houdbaarheidsdatum. voordat means “before” and introduces a subordinate clause. In Dutch, the finite verb normally moves toward the end of such a clause: voordat je de melk gebruikt — “before you use the milk.” melk means “milk.” It is a mass noun and normally takes the definite article de: de melk. In this sentence, it is the object of gebruikt, the thing being used. gebruikt means “use” here, specifically “you use.” It is the present-tense form of gebruiken with singular je; the same spelling can also occur with other subjects in contexts where the verb form is identical, so the subject je establishes the person here. Example: Je gebruikt de melk vandaag. — “You use the milk today.” Together, We hebben genoeg says that the group has a sufficient amount. maar connects this with a contrast: despite having enough, the addressee is instructed to controleer de houdbaarheidsdatum. The subordinate clause voordat je de melk gebruikt places that checking before the use of the milk. The complete meaning is: “We have enough, but check the use-by date before using the milk.”

9. De ingrediënten lijken nu veilig en klaar voor gebruik.

   The ingredients look safe and ready now.

   ingrediënten

   ingredients

   lijken

   look; seem

   nu

   now

   veilig

   safe

   klaar

   ready

   voor gebruik

   for use

   More detail

   ingrediënten means “ingredients” here. It is the plural of ingrediënt; the singular is het ingrediënt. Dutch plural nouns commonly end in -en, though plural formation is not always identical for every noun. lijken means “look/seem” in this sentence. Its base form is also lijken; the plural subject de ingrediënten takes lijken. A useful pattern is iets lijkt ... for “something looks/seems ...” and iets lijkt te ... when the following idea is expressed with a verb. For example: De saus lijkt dik. — “The sauce looks thick.” nu means “now” and places the situation at the current time. It can also be moved for emphasis, but here it appears after lijken, before the descriptions of the ingredients. veilig means “safe.” It is an adjective describing de ingrediënten. In Dutch, an adjective used after a verb such as lijken is normally not given the ending used in some noun-phrase contexts: De ingrediënten lijken veilig. — “The ingredients look safe.” klaar means “ready.” It is a second adjective describing the same ingredients. The conjunction en between the two descriptions is not included in the selected quote, but it links veilig and klaar: the ingredients look safe and ready. voor gebruik means “for use.” voor introduces the purpose or intended use, while gebruik is the noun “use.” This pattern can be reused with other nouns, such as voor school (“for school”) or voor later (“for later”), when the context supports that purpose. Together, De ingrediënten lijken nu veilig en klaar voor gebruik. says: “The ingredients look safe and ready for use now.” The plural noun de ingrediënten is the subject; lijken presents the speaker’s appearance-based assessment, and veilig en klaar voor gebruik gives the two properties being assessed. The earlier context concerns checking the date before using the milk, while the following context concerns avoiding allergy risks and keeping the dish tasting right, so “now” refers to the current point in that checking process.

10. Deze controle moet ons helpen allergierisico's te vermijden en ervoor te zorgen dat het gerecht goed blijft smaken.

    This check should help us avoid allergy risks and keep the dish tasting right.

    Deze

    this

    controle

    check

    moet

    should

    ons

    us

    helpen

    help

    allergierisico's

    allergy risks

    te vermijden

    to avoid

    ervoor te zorgen

    to make sure

    het gerecht

    the dish

    goed

    well; right

    blijft smaken

    continues to taste

    More detail

    Deze controle means “this check.” Deze is a demonstrative used with a common-gender singular noun such as controle; it points to a specific check in the situation. With a neuter singular noun, the corresponding form is dit, as in dit gerecht. moet is the singular present form of moeten. Its basic meaning is “must,” but in this sentence the intended meaning is “should”: the check is expected or needed to produce the stated results. The subject is Deze controle, so the singular form is used. A useful pattern is iets moet helpen om ... or iets moet helpen ... te .... ons means “us.” It is the object form of the first-person plural pronoun; the related subject form is wij/we (“we”). Here, ons is the people whom the check is meant to help. helpen means “to help.” After helpen, Dutch can use te plus an infinitive to state what the help accomplishes: helpen ... te vermijden (“help ... avoid”). Example: Deze gids helpt beginners fouten te vermijden. — “This guide helps beginners avoid mistakes.” allergierisico's means “allergy risks.” It is a plural noun: singular allergierisico, plural allergierisico's. The apostrophe marks the plural spelling of this noun; it is part of the written form, not a contraction. te vermijden means “to avoid.” Vermijden is the base form, and te vermijden is the infinitive construction selected by helpen. Example: We proberen fouten te vermijden. — “We try to avoid mistakes.” ervoor te zorgen is the construction “to make sure” or “to ensure.” The pattern ervoor zorgen dat + clause introduces the result that is to be ensured. In this sentence, ervoor belongs with zorgen; it is not an independent reference to a named object. Example: We zorgen ervoor dat alles klaar is. — “We make sure that everything is ready.” het gerecht means “the dish.” Gerecht is a neuter singular noun, so it takes the definite article het. The article identifies a particular dish in this situation; it does not itself state a quantity. goed means “well” or, in this context, “right/properly.” It describes how the dish continues to taste, rather than naming a separate object. Compare goed smaken (“taste good/right”) with goed koken (“cook well”). blijft smaken means “continues to taste.” Blijft is the singular present form of blijven (“to remain; continue”), and smaken is the infinitive. The construction blijven + infinitive expresses continuation: Het blijft regenen. — “It keeps raining.” Here the dish is the subject of smaken, so the meaning is that its taste remains good. Together, the structure is Deze controle moet ons helpen [allergierisico's te vermijden] en [ervoor te zorgen dat het gerecht goed blijft smaken]. The check is expected to help us avoid allergy risks and to ensure that the dish continues to taste right. This is a practical, neutral formulation suitable for describing a food-safety check.