Word
Houd je paspoort bij je.
Meaning
Keep your passport with you.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of Houd je paspoort bij je.
het paspoort
the passport
bij
at / near / by
je
your (unstressed)
houden
to hold, to keep
Questions & Answers about Houd je paspoort bij je.
Why does the verb Houd not have a -t at the end?
This sentence is a command (imperative). In Dutch, you make a command by using just the stem of the verb without adding a -t. The stem of houden (to keep) is houd.
I often see hou instead of houd. Are both correct?
Yes! For the verb houden, it is very common to drop the d in informal speech and writing. Saying Hou je paspoort bij je is completely natural and correct.
There are two jes in this sentence. Are they doing the same thing?
No, they have different jobs here! The first je is a possessive pronoun meaning "your" (je paspoort = your passport). The second je is an object pronoun meaning "you" (bij je = with you).
Why do we use the preposition bij here instead of met for "with"?
In Dutch, when you talk about carrying something on your person or having it in your physical possession, you use bij. If you used met, it would sound like you and your passport are doing an activity together as companions.