Convenience Store

16 phrases · Dutch with romanization, English and audio

  1. Wilt u een tasje? Dat kost tien cent.

    Would you like a bag? That's ten cents.

    Usage

    Said by staff. Carrier bags have been charged for in the Netherlands since 2016, and even a buurtsuper will ask. Decline with "Nee, dank u"

    Grammar Note

    Adding "-je" to "tas" makes the diminutive "tasje", which is always neuter and takes "het". Dutch diminutives soften as much as they shrink, so a carrier bag is normally a "tasje" rather than a "tas"

  2. Nee, ik heb mijn eigen tas bij me.

    No, I've got my own bag with me.

    Usage

    How to turn the bag down. Bringing your own is thoroughly normal in the Netherlands — buying one marks you out as a visitor

    Grammar Note

    "Bij me" is the set phrase for having something on your person; the stressed form "bij mij" sounds a shade more careful. The verb sits in second position, as Dutch main clauses require

  3. Heeft u een bonuskaart?

    Do you have a Bonuskaart?

    Usage

    Said by staff. Albert Heijn's Bonuskaart unlocks the discount prices and you will be asked at every till, including the Albert Heijn to go in stations. If you have none, say "Nee, die heb ik niet"

    Grammar Note

    With "u" the verb can be "heeft" or "hebt", and shops overwhelmingly use "heeft". The informal version is "Heb je een bonuskaart?". Staff will default to "u" with a visitor

  4. Kan ik hier statiegeld inleveren?

    Can I return deposit bottles here?

    Usage

    Dutch plastic bottles carry a 15-25 cent deposit and cans 15 cents. Most supermarkets have a machine, but a small buurtsuper or an Albert Heijn to go may not — worth asking first

    Grammar Note

    "Inleveren" is a separable verb: in a main clause the prefix moves to the end ("Ik lever het statiegeld in"). Here the modal "kan" keeps it in the infinitive at the end, so it stays intact

  5. Waar staat de statiegeldautomaat?

    Where is the deposit return machine?

    Usage

    The machine usually sits near the entrance or against the back wall. Feed bottles in one at a time and it prints a voucher, which the till either deducts from your bill or pays out in cash

    Grammar Note

    Dutch picks a posture verb for location — "staan" (upright), "liggen" (lying), "zitten" (enclosed). Machines and bottles are upright, hence "staan"; plain "zijn" is understood but sounds off

  6. Wilt u de bon verzilveren of uitbetaald krijgen?

    Do you want to put the voucher towards your shopping or take it as cash?

    Usage

    Said by staff when you hand over the machine's voucher. Answer "Verzilveren, graag" to knock it off your shopping or "Uitbetaald, graag" for cash

    Grammar Note

    "Verzilveren" is built on "zilver" (silver) — literally to turn something into cash. "Krijgen + past participle" forms a receiving passive, so "uitbetaald krijgen" is "to get paid out"

  7. Kan ik alleen pinnen of ook contant betalen?

    Is it card only, or can I also pay cash?

    Usage

    The Netherlands runs on "pinnen" (debit card), and card-only shops are common. Conversely a small buurtsuper may be cash-only, so it pays to check

    Grammar Note

    "Pinnen" is a home-grown Dutch verb from entering a PIN, and gives the noun "pinpas" (debit card). In the Netherlands "card" means debit card first and foremost

  8. Wij accepteren geen creditcards, alleen pin.

    We don't take credit cards, debit only.

    Usage

    Said by staff. Dutch corner shops routinely refuse credit cards because of the fees, and it catches visitors out more than anything else. You will need a Maestro/V Pay debit card or cash

    Grammar Note

    Dutch has two negators: "geen" before indefinite or bare nouns, "niet" everywhere else. "Creditcards" is a bare plural, so "geen" is required — "niet accepteren creditcards" is wrong

  9. Is er een minimumbedrag om te pinnen?

    Is there a minimum amount for paying by card?

    Usage

    Belgian night shops and independent stores often set a five- or ten-euro floor. Dutch supermarket chains almost never do

    Grammar Note

    "Om te + infinitive" expresses purpose, matching the English to-infinitive. Bare "te" is often not enough; when the infinitive modifies a noun, "om te" is effectively obligatory

  10. Tot hoe laat is de nachtwinkel open?

    How late is the night shop open?

    Usage

    A Belgian "nachtwinkel" opens around 18:00 and runs until morning — the go-to for drinks and snacks once the supermarkets shut. The Netherlands has almost nothing equivalent

    Grammar Note

    "Tot hoe laat" literally asks "until how late" and is the natural way to ask a closing time. For opening time, use "Vanaf hoe laat...?"

  11. Verkoopt u na tien uur nog alcohol?

    Do you still sell alcohol after ten?

    Usage

    Dutch shops may not sell alcohol between midnight and 06:00. Belgian night shops do stock it, but individual municipalities restrict late sales — Antwerp is among the stricter ones

    Grammar Note

    Dutch writes times on the 24-hour clock but speaks them on the 12-hour clock, leaving context to sort out day from night. Add "'s avonds" — "tien uur 's avonds" — if you need to be explicit

  12. Mag ik uw legitimatie zien?

    May I see your ID?

    Usage

    Said by staff. Alcohol and tobacco are 18+ in the Netherlands, and anyone who looks under 25 will be asked for ID — the NIX18 sticker on the door is the giveaway. Show a passport or driving licence

    Grammar Note

    The modal "mag" (mogen) asks permission, as distinct from "kan" (ability), and the infinitive "zien" goes to the end as Dutch word order demands. Colloquially staff shorten it to "Mag ik je ID zien?"

  13. Kunt u dit in de magnetron opwarmen?

    Could you heat this up in the microwave?

    Usage

    Station-format shops like Albert Heijn to go keep a microwave for soups and ready pasta, often for customers to use themselves. A neighbourhood buurtsuper usually has none

    Grammar Note

    Dutch says "magnetron", named after the magnetron tube, rather than borrowing "microwave". "Opwarmen" is separable too, but the modal "kunt" keeps it whole in final position

  14. Waar liggen de belegde broodjes?

    Where are the filled rolls?

    Usage

    "Belegde broodjes" are filled rolls, the standard Dutch shop lunch — cheese and ham above all. Station shops also sell them with a kroket inside

    Grammar Note

    Goods lying flat on a shelf take "liggen", not "staan". The adjective "belegd" adds the "-e" ending before a definite plural noun, giving "belegde"

  15. Is dit vandaag nog houdbaar?

    Is this still good today?

    Usage

    Labels split into THT ("tenminste houdbaar tot", best before) and TGT ("te gebruiken tot", use by) — do not eat past a TGT date. Items nearing the date get a yellow reduction sticker

    Grammar Note

    "Houdbaar" is "houden" (to keep) plus the suffix "-baar", the Dutch counterpart of English "-able". The same pattern gives "eetbaar" (edible) and "zichtbaar" (visible)

  16. Deze is afgeprijsd, hij moet vandaag op.

    This one's reduced — it needs to be eaten today.

    Usage

    Said by staff. Items on their date get yellow 35% or 50% stickers, and the discount deepens towards closing. The trade-off is that you have to eat it straight away

    Grammar Note

    "Op moeten" is the colloquial way to say something has to be used up; the bare particle "op" carries the sense of finishing without any verb of eating. Note that "hij" refers back to a de-word, so Dutch uses it for objects too

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