Breakdown of Je moet bij de kassa's wachten.
wachten
to wait
bij
at / near / by
moeten
to have to, must
je
you (unstressed form of jij)
de kassa
the cash register
Questions & Answers about Je moet bij de kassa's wachten.
Why does kassa's have an apostrophe to make it plural?
In Dutch, nouns ending in a single vowel (a, i, o, u, or y) get an apostrophe plus 's' to make them plural. If we just added an 's' to write kassas, the final 'a' would be read as a short vowel. The apostrophe keeps the 'a' sounding long.
Why is wachten at the very end of the sentence?
Because of the verb moet (must/have to). When you use a helping verb like moeten in the second position of a sentence, it pushes the main action verb (wachten) to the very end in its full dictionary form (the infinitive).
Why do we use bij to say 'at the cash registers'?
The preposition bij is used to mean 'at', 'near', or 'by' a specific physical place or object. When you are waiting 'at' a counter, register, or desk, bij is the correct preposition to use.
Does je moet mean 'you have to' or 'you must'?
It can mean both! The Dutch verb moeten covers both 'must' and 'have to'. While English often uses 'have to' for rules or instructions, moeten works perfectly for both situations in Dutch.
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