Confirming delay information and where to wait | Learn Dutch in English

Sentence explanations

1. De omroep zegt dat er vertraging is, maar niet waarom.

   The announcement says there is a delay, but it does not say why.

   omroep

   announcement service

   zegt

   says

   vertraging

   delay

   er … is

   there is

   maar niet waarom

   but not why

   More detail

   omroep refers here to the announcement or public broadcast that communicates the information. It is a noun; the definite article in de omroep identifies this source of the announcement. Example: De omroep geeft nieuws. — “The announcement service provides news.” zegt is the present-tense third-person singular form of zeggen, “to say.” The form changes with the subject: ik zeg (“I say”), but de omroep zegt (“the announcement service says”). Here, zegt dat ... introduces the content of what is said. Example: De omroep zegt dat de trein komt. — “The announcement says that the train is coming.” vertraging means “delay,” especially a delay affecting transport or a scheduled event. It is a noun; its plural is vertragingen. Example: De trein heeft vertraging. — “The train is delayed” (literally, “The train has a delay”). er is is the Dutch existential pattern for introducing something that exists or is present: er is + noun. is is the third-person singular present form of zijn, “to be.” In this pattern, er is a presentational element rather than a word naming a place. Example: Er is een probleem. — “There is a problem.” maar niet waarom means “but not why.” maar marks a contrast, while niet negates the understood saying of the reason: the announcement says that there is a delay, but does not say why. waarom is the question word “why,” used here to refer to the reason. Example: Ze vertelt wat er gebeurt, maar niet waarom. — “She tells what is happening, but not why.” Together, De omroep zegt identifies the announcement as the source of the statement. dat er vertraging is gives the content of that statement: there is a delay. maar niet waarom contrasts this with the missing explanation of its cause. The complete meaning is: “The announcement says there is a delay, but it does not say why.”

2. Ik denk dat ze de trein controleren voordat ze mensen laten instappen.

   I think they are checking the train before letting people board.

   Ik denk

   I think

   ze

   they

   de trein

   the train

   controleren

   check

   voordat

   before

   mensen

   people

   laten instappen

   let board

   More detail

   Ik denk means “I think.” denk is the first-person singular present form of denken (“to think”): ik denk, but wij denken (“we think”). This expression introduces the speaker’s view rather than stating the following information as certain fact. The pattern Ik denk dat ... is a common way to say “I think that ...”. ze means “they” here, as confirmed by the translation. Dutch ze can also be an unstressed form meaning “she” in another context, but the intended subject here is plural. The same form is used again later in the sentence for the subject of the voordat clause. de trein means “the train.” trein is a singular noun; its plural is treinen (“trains”). de is the Dutch definite article used with this noun. The phrase refers to the train being checked, not to the people who will board. controleren means “to check” or “to inspect.” It is the infinitive, the base form used here after dat in a subordinate clause. In the main clause, Dutch commonly places the finite verb at the end of this type of dat clause: ze de trein controleren (“they check the train”). Example: Ze controleren de deur. — “They check the door.” voordat means “before” and introduces an action that happens earlier than another action. It starts the subordinate clause voordat ze mensen laten instappen. In that clause, the verb group comes at the end, as in ze mensen laten instappen. mensen means “people.” It is the plural of mens (“person” or “human being”). The form mensen does not itself identify a particular number beyond plural; it is used here for the people who are allowed to board. Example: Mensen wachten op het perron. — “People are waiting on the platform.” laten instappen means “let [someone] board” or “allow [someone] to get on.” laten is the infinitive of laten and expresses causing or allowing; instappen means “to board” or “to get on.” In this construction, mensen is the people who board, while the subject ze allows that action. The separable verb instappen appears as one word in the infinitive; in a finite main clause it can split, for example: De mensen stappen in. — “The people board.” Together, Ik denk dat introduces the speaker’s assessment. The subordinate clause ze de trein controleren says that they are checking the train. voordat ze mensen laten instappen places the checking earlier than the action of allowing people to board. The complete meaning is: “I think they are checking the train before letting people board.”

3. Zullen we hier blijven, of zullen we een ander perron zoeken?

   Should we stay here, or should we look for another platform?

   Zullen we … zullen we

   shall we? / should we?

   hier

   here

   blijven

   stay; remain

   ander

   different; another

   perron

   platform

   zoeken

   look for; search

   More detail

   Zullen we appears twice, once before each possible action. Zullen is the present-tense form of zullen with we (“we”); in this question, the combination is a reusable way to propose an action: “shall we…?” or, naturally in English, “should we…?” Dutch places the finite verb before the subject in this yes/no question. The repeated form makes the two alternatives parallel. For example: Zullen we wachten? — “Shall we wait?” hier means “here” and specifies the place of staying. It is an adverb, so it does not change for number or gender. For example: We blijven hier. — “We are staying here.” blijven is the infinitive “to stay; to remain.” After zullen, Dutch uses the infinitive for the proposed action, commonly at the end of the clause: We zullen blijven. — “We will stay.” In the fixed question, zullen we blijven therefore means “shall/should we stay?” ander means “another” in een ander perron. Its form is determined by the noun phrase, not by perron being an adjective base. Ander is the form used with a singular neuter noun after the indefinite article een; with a common-gender singular noun or with a plural noun, the corresponding form is commonly andere, as in een andere trein (“another train”) and andere perrons (“other platforms”). perron is the noun “platform,” here meaning a railway platform. Its plural is perrons. The phrase een ander perron means “another platform”; een marks an indefinite noun phrase, but does not by itself state a numeric count. zoeken is the infinitive “to look for; to search.” With zullen, it names the proposed action: zullen we ... zoeken? — “shall we look for ...?” For example: We zoeken een rustige plek. — “We are looking for a quiet place.” The full structure is Zullen we [place] blijven, of zullen we [noun phrase] zoeken? The first alternative is hier blijven, “stay here.” Of means “or,” and the second alternative repeats zullen we before een ander perron zoeken, “look for another platform.” Together, the utterance asks whether the speakers should remain where they are or search for a different platform.

4. Blijf voorlopig in de buurt. Als er iets verandert, zeggen medewerkers waar we heen moeten.

   Stay close for now. If it changes, staff will say where to go.

   Blijf

   stay

   voorlopig

   for now

   in de buurt

   nearby

   iets

   something

   verandert

   changes

   zeggen

   say

   medewerkers

   staff members

   waar we heen moeten

   where we need to go

   More detail

   Blijf is the imperative of blijven (“to stay”): blijf means “stay!” in a direct instruction. In standard Dutch, this imperative form is also used when addressing more than one person. Example: Blijf hier. — “Stay here.” voorlopig means “for now” or “for the time being.” It limits the instruction to the current period; it does not say how long that period will last. in de buurt is a reusable location expression meaning “nearby” or “in the vicinity.” The article and noun form a fixed phrase here rather than a literal statement about a particular named place. Example: Er is een winkel in de buurt. — “There is a shop nearby.” iets is an indefinite pronoun meaning “something.” In this sentence it refers generally to an unspecified thing that may change. Dutch can use iets where English, with the same intended context, may translate the idea as “it.” Compare iets nieuws — “something new.” verandert is the present-tense third-person singular form of veranderen, “to change.” The ending -t marks this form here: het verandert — “it changes.” In er iets verandert, iets is the grammatical subject, so the singular form is appropriate. zeggen means “to say” or “to tell.” It is the infinitive/base form, although it is also identical in spelling to the present-tense plural form. Here medewerkers zeggen means “staff members say/will say”: medewerkers is plural, and the present tense is understood in the conditional situation introduced by als. medewerkers means “staff members” or “employees.” It is the plural of medewerker, “staff member/employee.” The plural form is why the sentence uses zeggen, not singular zegt. Example: De medewerkers helpen ons. — “The staff members help us.” waar we heen moeten is an embedded question meaning “where we need to go.” waar asks for a place, we is the subject, heen adds direction toward that place, and moeten is the plural present form of moeten, “must/need to.” Dutch places the finite verb at the end of this embedded clause: waar we heen moeten. Example: Ik weet waar we heen moeten. — “I know where we need to go.” Together, Als er iets verandert means “If something changes.” Als introduces the condition, and the subordinate clause places verandert after its subject phrase. The main clause is zeggen medewerkers waar we heen moeten: “staff members will say where we need to go.” The word order puts the finite verb zeggen before the subject medewerkers because the conditional clause comes first. The complete utterance therefore means: “Stay nearby for now. If something changes, staff will say where we need to go.”

5. Ik heb bagage bij me, dus ik wil niet steeds heen en weer lopen.

   I have luggage, so I do not want to keep moving around.

   heb

   have

   bagage

   luggage

   bij me

   with me

   dus

   so

   wil

   want

   niet

   not

   steeds

   repeatedly

   heen en weer lopen

   move back and forth

   More detail

   heb is the first-person singular present form of hebben (“to have”): ik heb = “I have.” The form agrees with ik; other present forms include jij hebt and wij hebben. Example: Ik heb tijd. — “I have time.” bagage means “luggage” here. It is normally used as a mass noun, so Dutch does not normally make it plural to mean separate pieces of luggage. Example: De bagage is zwaar. — “The luggage is heavy.” bij me means “with me” or “in my possession.” me is the unstressed first-person pronoun after the preposition bij; the stressed form is mij, used for emphasis or contrast. Example: Neem je je tas bij je mee? — “Are you taking your bag with you?” dus links a reason to its result and means “so” or “therefore.” Here it introduces the consequence of having luggage. Example: Het regent, dus ik neem een jas mee. — “It is raining, so I take a coat with me.” wil is the first-person singular present form of willen, “to want.” ik wil expresses the speaker’s desire or intention; it is followed here by niet and an infinitive phrase. Example: Ik wil wachten. — “I want to wait.” niet negates the following desire or action in this sentence: the speaker does not want to keep walking back and forth. Dutch placement of niet depends on what is being negated; with wil ... lopen, it occurs before the adverb and infinitive phrase here. steeds means “repeatedly” or “again and again.” In this sentence it describes repeated movement, not merely one act of walking. Example: Hij kijkt steeds op zijn telefoon. — “He keeps checking his phone.” heen en weer lopen is a movement pattern meaning “to walk back and forth” or, in this context, “to keep moving around.” heen en weer contributes the two-way, repeated movement, while lopen is the infinitive of lopen (“to walk” or sometimes “to move/go on foot”). After wil, the infinitive remains lopen: Ik wil lopen — “I want to walk.” Together, Ik heb bagage bij me says “I have luggage with me.” dus connects that situation to the result, and ik wil niet steeds heen en weer lopen says that the speaker does not want to keep walking back and forth. The complete meaning is: “I have luggage, so I do not want to keep moving around.”

6. Ik zal vragen of ze kunnen helpen als we van perron moeten wisselen.

   I will ask whether they can help if we need to switch platforms.

   Ik zal

   I will

   vragen

   ask

   of

   whether

   ze

   they

   kunnen

   can

   helpen

   help

   als

   if

   we

   we

   perron

   platform

   moeten

   need to

   wisselen

   switch

   More detail

   Ik zal uses zal, the first-person singular present form of zullen. With an infinitive, zal expresses a future plan or intention: Ik zal bellen. — “I will call.” The subject form Ik means “I”; Dutch subject pronouns include ik “I,” je/jij “you” (singular), and we/wij “we.” vragen is the infinitive “to ask.” After zal, Dutch places the infinitive after the modal/future form: Ik zal vragen. — “I will ask.” of introduces an indirect yes/no question. Here it means “whether,” not the alternative conjunction “or”: Ik weet niet of hij komt. — “I do not know whether he is coming.” ze means “they” in this sentence, as confirmed by the fixed translation. It is also a form that can have other pronoun uses in Dutch, but here it is the plural subject of kunnen. kunnen is the infinitive and the plural present form of kunnen, “can” or “be able to.” In this clause, ze kunnen helpen means “they can help.” A singular subject has a different present form: hij kan helpen — “he can help.” helpen is the infinitive “to help.” It follows kunnen: Ze kunnen helpen. — “They can help.” als introduces the condition “if” here. It can also mean “when” when the context presents an expected time, but this sentence presents a possible need: Als we tijd hebben, helpen we. — “If we have time, we help.” we is the first-person plural subject pronoun “we.” It is the subject of the conditional clause, not of the earlier clause about asking. Dutch also has the fuller variant wij; we is the common unstressed form. perron means “platform,” specifically in this travel context. The plural is perrons: De perrons zijn druk. — “The platforms are busy.” moeten means “must” or “need to” here. It is the plural present form of moeten, and it appears before the infinitive wisselen at the end of the subordinate clause: we moeten wisselen — “we need to switch.” With a singular subject, the form is moet: Ik moet wisselen. — “I need to switch.” wisselen is the infinitive “to switch” or “to change.” In van perron wisselen, the construction means “to change platforms,” literally using van with the platform being changed from. The observed noun is perron; wisselen is the verb, not a form derived from that noun. Together, of ze kunnen helpen forms the indirect question “whether they can help.” The conditional clause als we van perron moeten wisselen means “if we need to switch platforms.” In this subordinate clause, Dutch places the finite modal moeten and the infinitive wisselen together at the end, in the order moeten wisselen. The complete utterance therefore means: “I will ask whether they can help if we need to switch platforms.”

7. Dat zou helpen als de verandering op het laatste moment komt.

   That would help if the change comes at the last minute.

   Dat

   That

   zou

   would

   helpen

   help

   als

   if

   verandering

   change

   laatste

   last

   moment

   moment

   komt

   comes

   More detail

   Dat means “that” here and functions as the subject. Dutch demonstrative forms depend on the noun they refer to when used with a noun, but standalone dat can refer to an understood situation or fact. Example: Dat is handig. — “That is useful.” zou is the singular past form of zullen, used here to express “would”; it is not a separate conditional infinitive. With an infinitive, the reusable pattern is zou/zouden + infinitive, which presents a possible or hypothetical result. zou is used with a singular subject, while zouden is the plural form. Here it combines with helpen rather than asserting that the help is actually happening. helpen is the infinitive “to help.” After zou, Dutch uses the infinitive: Dat zou werken. — “That would work.” The form helpen itself does not show the subject’s person or number here; zou carries the relevant singular form. als introduces the condition “if” in this sentence. A reusable pattern is X zou ... als Y ...: “X would ... if Y ...”. It can also introduce a time-related clause in other contexts, but the fixed sentence uses it for a condition. verandering is the noun “change.” Its form is verandering; in the source, the noun phrase is de verandering. Dutch has many nouns ending in -ing, but each noun’s form should still be learned individually rather than generated by a universal rule. laatste means “last” in het laatste moment.” It is the form used with the neuter singular noun moment after het. Compare de laatste dag` — “the last day”: the adjective form is the same here, while the article changes with the noun. moment means “moment.” In het laatste moment, it is a neuter singular noun, so the phrase uses het. The complete phrase op het laatste moment is the usual Dutch expression for “at the last minute,” with op meaning “at/on” in this time expression. komt means “comes” here. It is the present-tense singular form of komen (“to come”): ik kom, hij/zij/het komt. The subject of this clause is de verandering, so the singular form komt agrees with it. Example: De trein komt op tijd. — “The train arrives on time.” Putting the parts together, Dat zou helpen means “That would help,” and als de verandering op het laatste moment komt means “if the change comes at the last minute.” The whole utterance therefore means: “That would help if the change comes at the last minute.”

8. Zodra ze het bord hebben bijgewerkt, kunnen we gaan zonder te hoeven gokken.

   Once they update the board, we can move without guessing.

   Zodra

   as soon as; once

   ze

   they

   bord

   board

   hebben bijgewerkt

   have updated

   kunnen

   can; be able to

   we

   we

   gaan

   go; move

   zonder

   without

   te hoeven

   to have to; to need to

   gokken

   guess

   More detail

   Zodra introduces a time clause meaning “as soon as” or “once.” It presents the next event as happening immediately after the condition is met. Example: Zodra hij klaar is, beginnen we. — “As soon as he is ready, we begin.” ze means “they” here, as confirmed by the fixed translation. It is the third-person plural subject of hebben bijgewerkt; Dutch ze can also have other functions in other contexts, but this sentence uses it as a plural subject. het bord means “the board.” Bord is a neuter noun, so its definite article is het; the article is not part of the noun itself. The plural is borden: het bord — “the board,” de borden — “the boards.” hebben bijgewerkt is the perfect form of bijwerken, “to update.” The auxiliary hebben is in the present tense and agrees with the plural subject ze; bijgewerkt is the past participle. The separable verb bijwerken is built from bij + werken, but the useful form here is the complete verb meaning “update,” not merely “work.” Example: Ze hebben de lijst bijgewerkt. — “They have updated the list.” kunnen means “can” or “be able to.” It is the present-tense plural form of the modal verb kunnen; its infinitive is also kunnen. In this sentence it expresses that we have the ability or possibility to proceed. With a modal verb, the following verb remains an infinitive: We kunnen gaan. — “We can go.” we means “we” and is the subject of kunnen gaan. It refers to the speaker together with at least one other participant; the sentence does not specify the exact number. gaan means “go” or, in this context, “move/proceed.” It is the infinitive selected after kunnen, rather than a finite form. A useful contrast is gaan — “go” versus komen — “come”; the choice depends on the direction or viewpoint. Example: We kunnen nu gaan. — “We can go now.” zonder means “without.” It introduces something that does not happen or is not required as part of the surrounding action. With an infinitive clause, Dutch commonly uses the pattern zonder te + infinitive. te hoeven is part of the construction zonder te hoeven gokken, meaning “without having to guess.” Hoef/hoeven comes from hoeven, a verb used for necessity or obligation, usually with a negation or a limiting expression such as zonder. Here te hoeven is an infinitive sequence, and gokken gives the action that is unnecessary. Compare We hoeven niet te wachten. — “We do not have to wait.” gokken means “guess” in the sense of making a conjecture without enough certainty. It is the infinitive after hoeven. This is distinct from a well-supported conclusion: Ik wil niet gokken. — “I do not want to guess.” The sentence first sets a condition in time: Zodra ze het bord hebben bijgewerkt, “once they have updated the board.” The perfect form presents that update as completed before the next situation. The main clause is kunnen we gaan, literally “can we go,” with Dutch placing the finite modal kunnen before the subject we after the initial subordinate clause. Finally, zonder te hoeven gokken says that proceeding is possible without having to guess. Together: “Once they update the board, we can move without guessing.”