Een auto huren
Renting a car · a free Dutch immersion capsule
Useful sentences · 10
Phrases you'll actually use today. Tap Explain for the why behind each one.
Goedemiddag, ik heb een reservering gemaakt voor een middenklasse auto.
Good afternoon, I have made a reservation for a mid-size car.
Literal Good afternoon, I have a reservation made for a mid-class car.
Introduces yourself at the rental counter using the present perfect to state what you have already arranged.
- Present perfect: 'heb gemaakt' (have made)
- Indefinite article 'een' before both 'reservering' and 'middenklasse auto'
Heeft u een rijbewijs en een creditcard bij u?
Do you have a driver's license and a credit card with you?
Literal Has you a driver's license and a credit card with you?
A standard counter question using subject-verb inversion to form a yes/no question politely.
- Inversion for yes/no question: 'Heeft u' instead of 'U heeft'
- 'Bij u' means 'with you / on your person'
Welke soorten auto's zijn er beschikbaar voor dit weekend?
Which types of cars are available for this weekend?
Literal Which sorts of cars are there available for this weekend?
Uses 'er' as a dummy subject alongside the real subject 'soorten auto's', common in Dutch availability questions.
- 'Er' used as dummy subject with 'zijn'
- Plural of 'auto': auto's — apostrophe before -s preserves the long vowel
De kleine auto is goedkoper, maar de grotere heeft meer ruimte voor bagage.
The small car is cheaper, but the larger one has more space for luggage.
Literal The small car is cheaper, but the larger has more room for luggage.
Compares two vehicle options using comparative adjectives to help the customer decide.
- Comparative adjectives: 'goedkoper' (cheaper), 'grotere' (larger)
- 'De grotere' uses the adjective as a noun substitute, replacing 'de grotere auto'
Zou u me meer kunnen vertellen over de verzekeropties?
Could you tell me more about the insurance options?
Literal Would you me more can tell about the insurance options?
A polite conditional request using 'zou...kunnen', the Dutch equivalent of 'could you'.
- 'Zou...kunnen' forms a conditional polite request
- Verb cluster at end of clause: 'meer kunnen vertellen'
De allrisk verzekering dekt alle schade, ook als het uw eigen schuld is.
The comprehensive insurance covers all damage, even if it is your own fault.
Literal The all-risk insurance covers all damage, also if it your own fault is.
Explains coverage using a conditional clause with 'als'. Notice how the verb moves to the end inside the 'als'-clause.
- 'Als' introduces a conditional subordinate clause
- Verb-final order in subordinate clause: 'uw eigen schuld is'
Mag ik ook weten wat het kilometerbeleid is?
May I also know what the mileage policy is?
Literal May I also know what the mileage policy is?
Uses the modal verb 'mag' to politely ask permission to inquire, followed by an indirect question with verb-final order.
- Modal 'mag' expresses permission (may / am I allowed to)
- Indirect question 'wat het kilometerbeleid is' has verb-final word order
U moet de auto met een volle tank terugbrengen, anders berekenen wij extra kosten.
You must return the car with a full tank, otherwise we will charge extra costs.
Literal You must the car with a full tank return, otherwise calculate we extra costs.
States a rental obligation with 'moet' and a consequence introduced by 'anders', which triggers inversion in the following clause.
- Modal 'moet' expresses obligation
- Inversion after 'anders': 'berekenen wij' instead of 'wij berekenen'
Kunt u hier tekenen om het huurcontract te bevestigen?
Can you sign here to confirm the rental agreement?
Literal Can you here sign to the rental contract to confirm?
Uses the 'om...te + infinitive' structure to express purpose—meaning 'in order to confirm'.
- 'Om...te + infinitive' expresses purpose
- Polite inversion question with 'Kunt u'
Bij het inleveren controleren we de auto samen op eventuele schade.
When returning the car, we will check it together for any possible damage.
Literal At the returning check we the car together for possible damage.
Uses 'bij het + infinitive' as a temporal expression meaning 'upon / when doing something', common in practical Dutch.
- 'Bij het + infinitive' as a temporal prepositional phrase
- Inversion after fronted phrase: 'controleren we' instead of 'we controleren'
New words · 10
Themed vocabulary, each with an example you can borrow.
huurcontract
rental agreement
Kunt u het huurcontract hier ondertekenen?
Can you sign the rental agreement here?
Compound noun: huur (rent) + contract
verzekering
insurance
Welke verzekering is inbegrepen bij de huurprijs?
Which insurance is included in the rental price?
From 'verzekeren' (to insure); the -ing suffix nominalizes the verb
rijbewijs
driver's license
Heeft u uw rijbewijs bij u?
Do you have your driver's license with you?
borg
deposit
Er wordt een borg van tweehonderd euro gevraagd.
A deposit of two hundred euros is required.
Security deposit held until the car is returned undamaged
brandstof
fuel
De auto rijdt op benzine; diesel is niet beschikbaar.
The car runs on petrol; diesel is not available.
schade
damage
We noteren eventuele schade voor vertrek.
We record any damage before departure.
reservering
reservation
Ik heb een reservering gemaakt via de website.
I made a reservation through the website.
inleveren
to return / to hand in
U moet de auto voor tien uur inleveren.
You must return the car before ten o'clock.
Separable verb: in + leveren; prefix 'in' splits off in main clauses
beschikbaar
available
Zijn er nog compacte auto's beschikbaar voor morgen?
Are there still compact cars available for tomorrow?
kilometerbeleid
mileage policy
Mag ik het kilometerbeleid van dit contract lezen?
May I read the mileage policy of this contract?
Compound: kilometer + beleid (policy)
Short reading
A tiny story stitched from today's words. Translation is hidden, tap to peek.
Sara loopt naar de balie van het autoverhuurbedrijf op het vliegveld van Amsterdam. Ze heeft online een compacte auto gereserveerd voor vijf dagen. De vriendelijke medewerker vraagt om haar rijbewijs en creditcard, en legt de verschillende verzekeropties uit. Sara kiest voor de allrisk verzekering en ondertekent het huurcontract. Met de sleutels in haar hand rijdt ze tevreden de parkeergarage uit.
Sentence by sentence
loopt naar de balie
walks to the counter
'Lopen naar' means to walk toward; 'balie' is a service or reception counter
heeft online gereserveerd
has booked online
Present perfect 'heeft gereserveerd'; 'online' sits before the past participle in natural Dutch word order
legt de verschillende verzekeropties uit
explains the different insurance options
Separable verb 'uitleggen' (to explain): prefix 'uit' detaches and moves to the end of the clause
ondertekent het huurcontract
signs the rental agreement
'Ondertekenen' means to sign a formal document; 'huurcontract' is a compound: huur (rent) + contract
rijdt tevreden de parkeergarage uit
drives contentedly out of the parking garage
Directional 'uit' at the end signals exiting the garage; 'tevreden' (satisfied/content) functions as an adverb
Pattern of the day
One grammar move, explained once, that unlocks dozens of sentences.
Polite Questions with Subject-Verb Inversion
In Dutch, yes/no questions and polite requests are formed by placing the verb before the subject—there is no auxiliary verb like English 'do'. Common patterns at a rental counter include 'Heeft u...?' (Do you have...?), 'Kunt u...?' (Can you...?), and 'Mag ik...?' (May I...?). The conditional 'Zou u...kunnen?' adds extra politeness for sensitive requests.
[Verb] + [u / ik / Subject] + [Object or Complement]?
Heeft u een geldig rijbewijs bij u?
Do you have a valid driver's license with you?
Kunt u de verzekeropties uitleggen?
Can you explain the insurance options?
Mag ik de auto eerder terugbrengen?
May I return the car earlier?
Zou u de contractvoorwaarden kunnen toelichten?
Could you clarify the contract terms?
Mini practice · 5
Low-pressure, never graded. Just enough to make it stick.
Translate to Dutch: "I have made a reservation for a mid-size car."
Hint Use the present perfect: heb + gemaakt.
What does this sentence mean? "Heeft u een rijbewijs en een creditcard bij u?"
Hint "Rijbewijs" is a key vocabulary word from this lesson.
Complete the sentence: "U moet de auto met een volle tank __________, anders berekenen wij extra kosten."
Hint The word means "to return" or "to bring back."
Which sentence correctly asks about insurance options using polite subject-verb inversion?
Rewrite this statement as a polite question using subject-verb inversion: "Ik mag weten wat het kilometerbeleid is."
Hint Move the verb to the front — what happens to "ik"?
That’s today’s phraseberry.
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