Resolving a shared office room conflict | Learn Dutch in English

Sentence explanations

1. De vergaderruimte is dubbel geboekt in de agenda van het gedeelde kantoor.

   The meeting room is double-booked on the shared office calendar.

   vergaderruimte

   meeting room

   is

   is

   dubbel geboekt

   double-booked

   agenda

   calendar

   gedeelde

   shared

   kantoor

   office

   More detail

   vergaderruimte is a compound noun meaning “meeting room”: vergadering means meeting and ruimte means room or space. Dutch compounds are written as one word, so this is a useful model for combining a meeting-related noun with ruimte. is is the third-person singular present form of zijn, “to be”. Here it works with the past participle geboekt to describe the room’s current booking situation: is geboekt means “is booked”. dubbel geboekt means “double-booked”. boeken means “to book”, and geboekt is its past participle. The adverb dubbel indicates that the same room has been booked in overlapping or conflicting ways. The reusable pattern is is + past participle, as in De tafel is gereserveerd. — “The table is reserved.” agenda means “calendar” or “diary”. In this sentence it refers to the calendar in which the office’s bookings are recorded. agenda is a common-gender noun, normally used with de: de agenda. gedeelde means “shared”. It is the adjective form related to delen, “to share”; the base past participle is gedeeld, while gedeelde is used before the noun in het gedeelde kantoor. The -e form is required here because this is a definite noun phrase with the neuter noun kantoor; an indefinite neuter singular phrase would have no adjective ending: een gedeeld kantoor — “a shared office.” kantoor means “office”. It is a neuter noun: het kantoor. In het gedeelde kantoor, gedeelde describes this office, and van links that office to agenda. Together, De vergaderruimte identifies the subject, is dubbel geboekt describes its booking status, and in de agenda van het gedeelde kantoor specifies where that booking status is recorded. The complete meaning is: “The meeting room is double-booked on the shared office calendar.”

2. Wie heeft de ruimte het hardst nodig?

   Who needs it more urgently?

   Wie

   who

   heeft … nodig

   needs

   ruimte

   room; space

   het hardst

   most urgently

   More detail

   Wie means “who” and asks for the person being identified. In this question it is the subject: the person who has the greatest need. Dutch uses wie for a person without marking the person’s gender or number in the question word itself. heeft ... nodig is the reusable Dutch construction nodig hebben, “to need.” heeft is the present-tense form of hebben used with a third-person singular subject; with wie in this question, it appears as heeft. The object can come between the two parts of the construction, as in Wie heeft dit nodig? — “Who needs this?” ruimte means “room” or “space.” Here, with the surrounding de, it refers to the space being requested, consistent with the context about a meeting room. The noun’s useful form is de ruimte; its plural is de ruimtes (“rooms” or “spaces”). het hardst is the adverbial superlative of hard: hard, harder, het hardst. Although hard can describe physical hardness or loudness in other contexts, in hard nodig it expresses intensity, so het hardst nodig means “need most urgently” or “need most.” Example: Wie heeft dit het hardst nodig? — “Who needs this most urgently?” Together, Wie asks for the person, heeft ... nodig expresses needing, de ruimte supplies what is needed, and het hardst compares the urgency of the need. The whole utterance therefore means: “Who needs the space most urgently?”

3. Ik heb een privégesprek met een klant.

   I have a private client call.

   Ik heb

   I have

   privégesprek

   private conversation or call

   met

   with

   klant

   client

   More detail

   Ik heb means “I have” here. heb is the first-person singular present form of hebben (“to have”): ik heb, jij hebt, hij/zij heeft. In this sentence, it presents the speaker as having or being scheduled for the call; it does not by itself specify when the call takes place. privégesprek is a compound noun: privé describes the kind of gesprek, and gesprek means “conversation” or “call.” In this context, the fixed translation supports “private client call.” The adjective privé is invariable here; it does not take a separate gender or plural ending. A reusable pattern is een privégesprek (“a private conversation/call”). met introduces the other participant and means “with.” It is a preposition, so the following noun phrase identifies who the conversation or call is with. For example, Ik praat met een collega. means “I am talking with a colleague.” klant means “client” or “customer.” The form here is singular; its plural is klanten. The phrase een klant means “a client,” while met een klant means “with a client.” The article een marks an indefinite noun phrase; in this sentence it does not itself assert a numerical count beyond referring to a client. Together, Ik heb + een privégesprek + met een klant gives: “I have a private client call.” The sentence says that the speaker has such a call or conversation with a client, without adding a specific time or stating who arranged it.

4. Maar iemand anders heeft de ruimte geboekt om alleen te werken.

   But someone else booked it for solo work.

   iemand anders

   someone else

   heeft

   has

   de ruimte

   the space

   geboekt

   booked

   alleen

   alone; solo

   te werken

   to work

   More detail

   iemand anders means “someone else.” iemand is an indefinite pronoun meaning “someone/somebody,” while anders adds the contrast with another person. Together, the phrase refers to a different person, without specifying who that person is. Example: Iemand anders komt morgen. — “Someone else is coming tomorrow.” heeft is the third-person singular present form of hebben (“to have”). Here it is an auxiliary, not a statement that the person possesses something: it helps form the perfect tense with geboekt. The subject is singular because iemand refers grammatically to one unspecified person. de ruimte means “the space” or “the room.” ruimte is a common-gender noun, so its definite article is de. The article marks this as a specific space identifiable in the situation; it does not itself say that the space is large or enclosed. geboekt is the past participle of boeken (“to book” or “to reserve”). In heeft geboekt, the auxiliary heeft plus the past participle expresses a completed booking: “has booked” or, in this English context, “booked.” The regular past-participle pattern is ge- + boek + -t: boeken → geboekt. alleen means “alone” or “solo” here. It describes the intended manner or purpose of working: the person will work without others. It is different from zelf, which commonly emphasizes that someone does something themselves. Example: Zij werkt alleen. — “She works alone.” te werken contains werken (“to work”) with the infinitive marker te. After om, the pattern om ... te introduces a purpose: om alleen te werken means “in order to work alone” or more naturally here “for solo work.” werken is the infinitive; te does not mark tense or person. Together, iemand anders heeft de ruimte geboekt says that someone else made the booking for the specific space. The purpose phrase om alleen te werken explains what the space was booked for: working alone. The complete meaning is: “But someone else booked it for solo work.”

5. Vraag dan of die persoon je de ruimte even kan laten gebruiken.

   Then ask whether they can let you use it briefly.

   Vraag

   ask

   dan

   then

   die

   that

   persoon

   person

   je

   you

   ruimte

   space; room

   even

   briefly

   kan

   can

   laten

   let; allow

   gebruiken

   use

   More detail

   Vraag is the imperative of vragen (“to ask”). It gives a direct instruction: “Ask …”. The imperative has no written subject here; the understood subject is the person being addressed. Compare Ik vraag het (“I ask it”) with Vraag het! (“Ask it!”). dan means “then” in this sentence. It links this instruction to an earlier step or condition in the conversation; it does not itself express the ability to ask. die persoon means “that person”. Die is a demonstrative determiner placed before the noun persoon; it identifies a person without specifying who that person is in this sentence. The fixed translation renders this person with singular, gender-neutral “they”. je means “you” here and is the person who is to be allowed to use the room. Dutch je can also mean “your” in other contexts, but its role here is an object pronoun, not a possessive determiner. For example, Ik help je means “I help you.” de ruimte means “the room” or “the space”. Ruimte is the noun; its definite form is de ruimte. The article de marks this as a definite noun phrase, while the choice between de and het is a property of the noun and must be learned with it. even contributes “briefly” here. Dutch even often presents an action as lasting only a short time and can also make a request sound lighter. In Wacht even, it means “Wait a moment.” kan is the present-tense form of kunnen (“can; be able to”) for a third-person singular subject. Here that subject is die persoon, so kan expresses that person’s ability or possibility. In the subordinate clause after of, the finite verb appears later: of die persoon ... kan .... laten is the infinitive of laten (“to let; allow; have someone do something”). In the pattern iemand iets laten gebruiken, one person allows someone to use something. Here je is the person allowed to act, and de ruimte is what is used. gebruiken is the infinitive “to use”. It follows laten in the pattern laten + infinitive; it is not the form carrying the tense. For example, Ik laat haar mijn fiets gebruiken means “I let her use my bicycle.” Together, die persoon je de ruimte even kan laten gebruiken is a subordinate clause introduced by of: “whether that person can let you use the room briefly.” Dutch places the finite verb kan after the other clause material in this of-clause, while the infinitives laten gebruiken remain at the end. The complete utterance is an imperative followed by that question content: “Then ask whether that person can let you use the room briefly.”

6. Ik wil niet klinken alsof mijn taak belangrijker is.

   I do not want to sound like my task is more important.

   Ik wil

   I want

   niet

   not

   klinken

   sound

   alsof

   as if

   mijn

   my

   taak

   task

   belangrijker

   more important

   is

   is

   More detail

   Ik wil contains ik (“I”) and wil, the present form of willen (“to want”) used with ik. The infinitive is willen; compare ik wil (“I want”) with wij willen (“we want”). Here it introduces the action the speaker does not want to perform. niet negates the following idea: the speaker does not want to sound that way. Dutch commonly places niet before the negated verb phrase or clause in this kind of sentence. klinken means “to sound” or “to come across.” It is an infinitive after wil: Ik wil klinken means “I want to sound.” Example: Dat klinkt vriendelijk. — “That sounds friendly.” alsof introduces a comparison with an appearance or impression: “as if” or “like.” It introduces the clause mijn taak belangrijker is. The word order in this subordinate clause places the finite verb is at the end. mijn means “my.” It is a possessive form used with a singular noun here. It does not itself state how many tasks exist; it marks the task as belonging to or being associated with the speaker. taak means “task.” Its plural is taken. Example: Mijn taak is klaar. — “My task is finished.” belangrijker is the comparative form of belangrijk (“important”): belangrijk → belangrijker (“more important”) → het belangrijkst (“the most important”). The comparison is expressed by the adjective itself; taak is the noun it describes. Example: Deze taak is belangrijker. — “This task is more important.” is is the present-tense form of zijn (“to be”) used with the singular subject mijn taak. In mijn taak belangrijker is, it links the task to the description “more important.” Together, Ik wil niet klinken means “I do not want to sound,” and alsof mijn taak belangrijker is means “as if my task is more important.” The complete utterance therefore means: “I do not want to sound like my task is more important.” The sentence expresses the speaker’s wish to avoid giving that impression.

7. Bied een compromis aan, bijvoorbeeld dat je de ruimte voor het telefoongesprek gebruikt en meteen daarna weggaat.

   Offer a compromise, like using it for the call and leaving right after.

   Bied … aan

   offer

   compromis

   compromise

   bijvoorbeeld

   for example

   ruimte

   space; room

   telefoongesprek

   phone call

   gebruikt

   use

   meteen daarna

   right after that

   weggaat

   leave; go away

   More detail

   Bied ... aan is the separable verb aanbieden, “to offer.” In this sentence it is an imperative: bied is the command form, and aan appears later because the verb splits around the rest of the clause. Example: Bied een oplossing aan. — “Offer a solution.” compromis means “compromise”: an arrangement intended to accommodate competing preferences. The indefinite article in een compromis introduces the noun but does not by itself state a numerical count. bijvoorbeeld means “for example” and presents the following proposal as one possible compromise, not as the only option. Example: Neem bijvoorbeeld de trein. — “Take the train, for example.” ruimte means “space” or “room.” Here it is the space or room used for the phone call. Ruimte is a common-gender noun, so its definite article is de; the article does not itself determine whether the intended space is a room or another kind of space. telefoongesprek is the compound noun telefoon + gesprek, meaning “phone call.” Dutch compounds are written as one word. In het telefoongesprek, the definite article is het; the article belongs to the compound noun as a whole. gebruikt is the present-tense form of gebruiken, “to use.” With the subject je, the form is je gebruikt; the final -t is part of this present-tense form. It occurs in the subordinate clause introduced by dat: dat je de ruimte ... gebruikt — “that you use the space ...”. Example: Je gebruikt deze tafel. — “You use this table.” meteen daarna means “immediately afterward” or “right after that.” Meteen expresses immediacy, while daarna refers to the time after the activity just mentioned. Together they make the sequence explicit. weggaat is the present-tense form of the separable verb weggaan, “to leave” or “to go away.” With je, it is je gaat weg in a main clause, but in this subordinate clause the parts appear together at the end as je ... weggaat. Example: Je gaat meteen weg. — “You leave immediately.” Together, bijvoorbeeld dat je de ruimte voor het telefoongesprek gebruikt gives one proposed arrangement: using the space for the phone call. en meteen daarna weggaat adds the second coordinated action, leaving immediately afterward. The full utterance is therefore: “Offer a compromise, like using it for the call and leaving right after.”

8. Dat voelt eerlijk. Ik kan die persoon ook helpen een andere werkplek te vinden.

   That feels fair. I can also help them find another workspace.

   Dat

   that

   voelt

   feels

   eerlijk

   fair

   Ik kan

   I can

   die

   that

   persoon

   person

   ook

   also

   helpen

   help

   andere

   other

   werkplek

   workspace

   te vinden

   to find

   More detail

   Dat voelt eerlijk. Dat means “that” and is a demonstrative pronoun referring to an already understood situation or proposal. In this context, the surrounding compromise discussion supports understanding it as that arrangement, but the word itself does not identify a particular noun. Dat is also the subject of voelt. voelt is the present-tense form of voelen (“to feel”). With a singular subject such as dat, the form is voelt; for example: Dat voelt goed. — “That feels good.” eerlijk means “fair” here. It is an adjective describing how the situation feels. It can also mean “honest” in other contexts, but “fair” is the intended meaning in this sentence. Ik kan combines ik (“I”) with kan, the first-person singular present form of kunnen (“can; be able to”). A modal verb such as kan is followed by an infinitive: Ik kan helpen. — “I can help.” die persoon means “that person.” die is a demonstrative determiner used here with the singular noun persoon; persoon is a de-word, so this combination is die persoon, not dat persoon. The fixed translation identifies this person as the person being helped, while Dutch die itself does not specify the person’s gender. ook means “also” or “too.” It adds this helping action to something already relevant in the context. Its exact emphasis can vary with position, but here it contributes “also” to I can also help them. helpen is the infinitive of helpen (“to help”). It follows the modal kan, so it remains an infinitive rather than carrying the present-tense ending: Ik kan helpen — “I can help.” Dutch can use helpen with a person and a further infinitive phrase: Ik help haar de tas te dragen. — “I help her carry the bag.” andere means “other” here. It modifies werkplek and indicates a workspace different from the one already under discussion. The form andere has the ending used before this noun phrase; the adjective’s base form is ander. werkplek means “workspace” or “workplace.” It is a compound noun: werk (“work”) + plek (“place”), but werkplek functions as one noun. Its plural is werkplekken (“workspaces/workplaces”). te vinden is the infinitive phrase “to find.” vinden is the base verb “to find,” and te marks the infinitive in this construction. Together with helpen, een andere werkplek te vinden means “to find another workspace.” The sentence first evaluates the understood arrangement: Dat voelt eerlijk — “That feels fair.” It then states the speaker’s additional action: Ik kan die persoon ook helpen — “I can also help that person,” followed by the purpose or result een andere werkplek te vinden — “to find another workspace.” Together, the fixed utterance means: “That feels fair. I can also help them find another workspace.”

9. Daarmee laat je zien dat je ook hun reservering respecteert.

   That shows you respect their booking too.

   Daarmee

   with that; thereby

   laat … zien

   show

   ook

   too; as well

   hun

   their

   reservering

   booking; reservation

   respecteert

   respects

   More detail

   Daarmee means “with that” or “by doing that.” It is a demonstrative adverb: daar points to something established in the context, while -mee contributes the idea of “with.” Here it supports the result-oriented meaning “that shows.” laat zien is the reusable Dutch construction iets laten zien = “to show something.” In this sentence, je laat zien means “you show.” Laat is the present-tense form used with je in this word order; the infinitive is laten. Together, laten zien expresses showing. Example: Ik laat mijn pas zien. — “I show my pass.” ook means “too” or “as well.” It adds this respect for the booking to something else that is also included. hun is the possessive determiner “their.” It refers to a plural possessor and does not itself specify which people they are. Dutch uses hun before a possessed noun: hun reservering = “their booking.” reservering means “booking” or “reservation.” It is a noun; its plural is reserveringen. Example: De reservering staat nog vast. — “The reservation still stands.” respecteert means “respects” here, in the sense of treating the booking as something to honor. Its base form is respecteren; respecteert is the present-tense form with the second-person singular subject je. The clause has je as its subject, even though je appears before the verb in je respecteert; the nearby noun reservering is not the subject. Example: Zij respecteert die afspraak. — “She respects that agreement.” Together, Daarmee laat je zien expresses “By doing that, you show,” dat introduces the content of what is shown, and je ook hun reservering respecteert means “that you also respect their booking.” The complete utterance therefore means: “That shows you respect their booking too.”

10. Ik kan die persoon nu een bericht sturen en de situatie uitleggen.

    I can message them now and explain the situation.

    Ik kan

    I can

    die

    that

    persoon

    person

    nu

    now

    een bericht

    a message

    sturen

    send

    de situatie

    the situation

    uitleggen

    explain

    More detail

    Ik kan uses kan, the first-person singular present form of kunnen (“can, be able to”). In this sentence it expresses the speaker’s ability or possibility. Dutch commonly places an infinitive at the end after a modal: Ik kan komen. — “I can come.” die is a demonstrative meaning “that” before a singular de-word. Here it agrees with persoon; its demonstrative form does not itself identify a particular gender. The fixed translation supports referring to the person as “them,” but it does not specify more about that person. Compare deze persoon — “this person” — with die persoon — “that person.” persoon means “person.” Its plural is personen; the noun remains a de-word: de persoon, de personen. nu means “now,” locating the possible actions in the present time. For example, Ik bel nu. means “I’m calling now.” een bericht means “a message.” Een is the indefinite article used here with the singular count noun bericht; it introduces an unspecified message rather than identifying which message. The definite counterpart is het bericht, “the message.” sturen means “send.” It is an infinitive after the modal kan, so it does not show the speaker’s person or number here. For example, Ik kan een brief sturen. means “I can send a letter.” de situatie means “the situation.” Situatie is a singular de-word, so it takes de; its plural is situaties. The definite article presents the situation as identifiable in the context. uitleggen means “explain.” It is the infinitive after kan, coordinated with sturen, so the same modal applies to both actions. Uitleggen is separable in finite clauses: Ik leg de situatie uit. means “I explain the situation.” In the infinitive, it appears together as uitleggen. Together, Ik kan + die persoon + nu + een bericht sturen gives “I can send that person a message now.” The coordinated infinitive de situatie uitleggen adds the second action: “and explain the situation.” Thus the complete utterance means: “I can message them now and explain the situation.”

11. Houd het bericht kort en stel dat compromis voor.

    Keep the message brief and suggest that compromise.

    Houd

    keep

    bericht

    message

    kort

    brief; short

    stel … voor

    suggest

    dat

    that

    compromis

    compromise

    More detail

    Houd is the imperative of houden (“to keep/hold”). In this sentence it gives a direct instruction to the addressee or addressees: “Keep …”. A useful pattern is Houd + object + adjective, as in Houd de deur open (“Keep the door open”). bericht means “message”. Its plural is berichten. Here het bericht is a definite noun phrase: “the message”. The preceding context supports this as the message being sent, but the Dutch noun itself does not encode who will receive it. kort means “brief” or “short”. It is an adjective used after het bericht with Houd: the message is to remain brief. In this predicative position, kort has no ending. Compare attributive forms such as het korte bericht (“the brief message”) and een kort bericht (“a brief message”); the latter also has no -e because bericht is a singular neuter noun after indefinite een. stel ... voor is the separable verb voorstellen, here meaning “to suggest” or “to propose”. Its imperative is stel, while the particle voor appears at the end of this clause. In a main-clause pattern, the parts separate: Ik stel een oplossing voor means “I suggest a solution.” Do not treat stel here as the unrelated verb stellen (“to place”); voor completes the intended verb. dat means “that” here as a demonstrative determiner. It identifies the following noun phrase rather than introducing a clause. Dat is used with a singular het-word, such as het compromis; the corresponding demonstrative for a singular de-word is die. This dat is therefore different from conjunction dat in a clause such as Ik denk dat het werkt (“I think that it works”). compromis means “compromise”. Its plural is compromissen. In dat compromis, the noun is a singular het-word, which is why the demonstrative is dat. Together, Houd het bericht kort gives the instruction “Keep the message brief”, and stel dat compromis voor gives “suggest that compromise”. The two imperative clauses are joined by en, so the complete utterance means: “Keep the message brief and suggest that compromise.”