De Weg Vragen
Asking for directions · a free Dutch immersion capsule
Useful sentences · 10
Phrases you'll actually use today. Tap Explain for the why behind each one.
Pardon, kunt u mij helpen? Ik zoek het station.
Excuse me, can you help me? I'm looking for the train station.
Literal Pardon, can you me help? I seek the station.
A polite opening for approaching a stranger. 'Kunt u' uses the formal second-person 'u', which is standard when speaking to someone you don't know on the street.
- 'Kunt u' is the formal question form of 'kunnen' (can) — use with strangers and older people
- 'Ik zoek' uses the present tense of 'zoeken' (to look for/seek)
Hoe kom ik bij het museum?
How do I get to the museum?
Literal How come I at the museum?
'Hoe kom ik bij...?' is one of the most useful fixed structures for asking directions in Dutch. 'Komen bij' means 'to arrive at / reach' a destination.
- Question inversion: verb 'kom' precedes subject 'ik' in direct questions
- 'Hoe kom ik bij...?' is a fixed, high-frequency direction question — memorise as a chunk
Ga rechtdoor tot aan de volgende straat.
Go straight ahead until the next street.
Literal Go straight-through until at the following street.
An imperative direction instruction. 'Ga' is the imperative of 'gaan' (to go). 'Rechtdoor' is a compound adverb meaning straight ahead.
- Imperative: 'Ga' is the command form of 'gaan' — no subject needed
- 'Rechtdoor' is a compound (recht + door = straight + through), written as one word
Sla dan links af bij het verkeerslicht.
Then turn left at the traffic light.
Literal Strike then left off at the traffic light.
'Afslaan' (to turn) is a separable verb. In this imperative, the base 'sla' comes first and the prefix 'af' moves to the end of the clause. 'Dan' links sequential steps naturally.
- Separable verb 'afslaan' splits in imperatives: 'Sla...af'
- 'Dan' (then) is the natural connector between sequential direction steps
Het hotel is aan de rechterkant.
The hotel is on the right-hand side.
Literal The hotel is on the right side.
'Aan de rechterkant' is a standard prepositional phrase for 'on the right side'. Its counterpart 'aan de linkerkant' (on the left side) follows the same pattern.
- 'Aan de rechterkant' / 'aan de linkerkant' = on the right/left side — high-frequency pair
- 'Kant' (side) is a de-word, so it takes 'de'
Is het ver van hier?
Is it far from here?
Literal Is it far from here?
A short, essential question to gauge distance. Yes/no questions in Dutch are formed by placing the verb at the very start. 'Ver' means far, 'van hier' means from here.
- Yes/no questions: verb comes first, before the subject
- 'Ver van hier' (far from here) contrasts with 'dicht bij' (close by) — useful pair
Nee, het is om de hoek — het is niet ver weg.
No, it's around the corner — it's not far away at all.
Literal No, it is around the corner — it is not far away.
'Om de hoek' (around the corner) is a very common phrase for nearby places. 'Niet ver weg' negates distance using 'niet', offering reassurance to the asker.
- 'Om de hoek' = around the corner — fixed prepositional phrase, very high frequency
- Negation with 'niet': 'niet ver weg' = not far away
Kunt u dat herhalen, alstublieft?
Could you repeat that, please?
Literal Can you that repeat, please?
An essential phrase when directions are too fast or unclear. 'Alstublieft' is the formal version of 'please', used alongside formal 'u'. 'Herhalen' means to repeat.
- 'Alstublieft' = formal please (als + u + belieft = if + you + it pleases)
- Infinitive 'herhalen' comes at the end of the clause in this structure
Ga langs het park en dan de brug over.
Go along the park and then over the bridge.
Literal Go along the park and then the bridge over.
'Langs' (along) is a preposition of movement. 'De brug over' shows a typical Dutch pattern where the directional preposition follows the noun — called a postposition.
- 'Langs' = along/past — preposition of movement alongside a landmark
- Postpositional use: 'de brug over' (the bridge over) — preposition can follow the noun in movement phrases
Heel erg bedankt voor uw hulp!
Thank you very much for your help!
Literal Very much thanks for your help!
'Heel erg bedankt' is warmer and more emphatic than a simple 'bedankt'. 'Uw' is the formal possessive 'your', maintaining the polite register established throughout the exchange.
- 'Heel erg' intensifies: heel (very) + erg (extremely) — stronger than 'heel erg'
- 'Uw' is the formal possessive pronoun, paired with 'u'
New words · 10
Themed vocabulary, each with an example you can borrow.
rechtdoor
straight ahead
Ga rechtdoor tot de kerk.
Go straight ahead to the church.
Compound: recht (straight) + door (through) — written as one word
links
left
Sla links af bij de supermarkt.
Turn left at the supermarket.
Opposite: rechts (right)
rechts
right
Het café is rechts van je.
The café is to your right.
Opposite: links (left)
het station
the train station
Hoe kom ik bij het station?
How do I get to the train station?
'Het' noun; 'station' is an international loanword with the same spelling
de straat
the street
De bakkerij is aan het einde van deze straat.
The bakery is at the end of this street.
'De' word; plural is 'straten'
het verkeerslicht
the traffic light
Sla rechts af bij het verkeerslicht.
Turn right at the traffic light.
Compound: verkeer (traffic) + licht (light)
om de hoek
around the corner
De apotheek is om de hoek.
The pharmacy is around the corner.
Fixed phrase; 'hoek' (corner) is a de-word
ver weg
far away
Het strand is niet ver weg.
The beach is not far away.
Pair with 'dicht bij' (close by) for a natural distance contrast
helpen
to help
Kunt u mij helpen?
Can you help me?
Regular verb; stem is 'help'; past tense: hielp
afslaan
to turn (a corner)
Sla na het park links af.
Turn left after the park.
Separable verb — 'sla...af' in imperatives and main clauses; 'afslaan' in infinitive
Short reading
A tiny story stitched from today's words. Translation is hidden, tap to peek.
Marta loopt door de drukke binnenstad van Utrecht en zoekt het historische stadhuis. Ze stopt een vriendelijke man op straat en vraagt: "Pardon, kunt u mij helpen? Ik zoek het stadhuis." De man glimlacht en antwoordt: "Ja, natuurlijk! Ga rechtdoor tot het einde van deze straat, sla dan rechts af bij het verkeerslicht, en het stadhuis is meteen aan uw linkerkant — het is om de hoek, niet ver weg." Marta bedankt hem hartelijk en loopt vrolijk verder.
Sentence by sentence
Marta loopt door de drukke binnenstad van Utrecht
Marta walks through the busy city centre of Utrecht
'Loopt' is the present tense of 'lopen' (to walk). 'Drukke' is the adjective 'druk' (busy) with an -e inflection, required before a de-word noun.
Ze stopt een vriendelijke man op straat
She stops a friendly man on the street
'Stopt' comes from 'stoppen' (to stop). 'Vriendelijke' = friendly with -e adjectival ending before an indefinite noun.
Pardon, kunt u mij helpen? Ik zoek het stadhuis.
Excuse me, can you help me? I'm looking for the town hall.
The core direction-asking formula in action: formal 'kunt u' + 'mij helpen' + 'Ik zoek...' — the same structures from sentences 1 and 2.
Ga rechtdoor tot het einde van deze straat
Go straight ahead to the end of this street
Imperative 'Ga' + compound adverb 'rechtdoor' + 'tot' (until/to) marking the destination endpoint.
sla dan rechts af bij het verkeerslicht
then turn right at the traffic light
Separable verb 'afslaan' in imperative: 'sla' at the start, 'af' at the end. 'Dan' links this step to the previous one. 'Bij' = at/near the landmark.
het stadhuis is meteen aan uw linkerkant
the town hall is immediately on your left
'Meteen' (immediately/right away) adds precision. 'Aan uw linkerkant' = on your left side, using formal possessive 'uw'.
het is om de hoek, niet ver weg
it's around the corner, not far away
'Om de hoek' and 'niet ver weg' together reassure the asker about proximity — both phrases appeared in the lesson sentences, reinforcing them in context.
Pattern of the day
One grammar move, explained once, that unlocks dozens of sentences.
Separable Verbs in Directions: afslaan (to turn)
Dutch has many separable verbs whose prefix splits away from the main verb in main clauses and imperatives. 'Afslaan' (to turn a corner) is one of the most important for directions. In an imperative or main clause, the base verb 'sla' appears early and the prefix 'af' moves to the end. In infinitives and subordinate clauses, they rejoin as 'afslaan'. Recognising this split is essential for following spoken directions.
Imperative: Sla [links/rechts] af + bij [landmark] | Main clause: Je slaat [links/rechts] af bij... | Infinitive: ...om [links/rechts] af te slaan
Sla links af bij de bibliotheek.
Turn left at the library.
Sla rechts af na het park.
Turn right after the park.
Je slaat af bij het verkeerslicht.
You turn at the traffic light.
Vergeet niet om rechts af te slaan.
Don't forget to turn right.
Mini practice · 5
Low-pressure, never graded. Just enough to make it stick.
Translate to Dutch: "Go straight ahead until the next street."
Hint Use the word for 'straight ahead' from your word list.
What does this sentence mean in English? "Het is om de hoek — het is niet ver weg."
Hint 'Om de hoek' is a very common expression for a nearby location.
Complete the direction: "Sla dan ___ af bij het verkeerslicht."
Hint You are turning to the opposite side of 'rechts'.
A stranger on the street looks confused. Which sentence politely asks if they need help finding the station?
Rewrite this sentence so the separable verb 'afslaan' is used correctly in a full sentence: "[you / links / bij het verkeerslicht / afslaan]"
Hint Remember: with separable verbs, the prefix 'af' goes to the END of the clause.
That’s today’s phraseberry.
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