Breakdown of Je kunt je bestelling in de winkel ophalen.
in
in
de winkel
the store
kunnen
can
je
you
je
your
ophalen
to pick up
de bestelling
the order
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Questions & Answers about Je kunt je bestelling in de winkel ophalen.
Why are there two jes in the sentence?
The first je is the subject pronoun meaning you. The second je is a possessive pronoun meaning your, modifying bestelling (order). They look identical in writing but play different roles—subject pronoun comes before the verb, possessive pronoun comes directly before the noun it owns.
How does the separable verb ophalen work here?
Ophalen is a separable verb composed of op (prefix) + halen (to fetch). When you use it with a modal like kunt, you keep the full infinitive at the end of the clause—so ophalen stays intact at the end: “Je kunt je bestelling in de winkel ophalen.” In a simple present‐tense sentence without a modal, you’d split it: “Je haalt je bestelling op.”
Why is kunt used instead of kan?
The verb kunnen (can/to be able to) is conjugated normatively as ik kan, jij kunt, hij kan, etc. However, in everyday speech most Dutch speakers say je kan as well as je kunt. Both are understood; kunt is the more prescriptive form after jij/je, while kan is very common in informal contexts.
What’s the difference between je bestelling and jouw bestelling?
Both mean your order. Je is the unstressed possessive used in neutral, everyday speech. Jouw is the stressed form and is used when you want to emphasize or contrast (“This one is jouw bestelling, not iemand anders’”). In a simple instruction like this, je bestelling is more common.
Why is it in de winkel and not naar de winkel or bij de winkel?
Each preposition shifts the nuance:
- in de winkel means you go inside the shop to pick it up.
- naar de winkel highlights motion toward the shop (“go to the shop”), but doesn’t specify where inside or outside.
- bij de winkel means at or near the shop (e.g. outside, at the counter).
Here the sentence wants to stress that you collect the order inside the store, so in de winkel is most precise.
Can I use ophalen and afhalen interchangeably in this context?
Often yes—both can mean to pick up/collect. Ophalen focuses on going to fetch something, while afhalen emphasizes that the item is ready and waiting. In a shopping context, you’ll hear both: “Je kunt je bestelling in de winkel ophalen” or “Je kunt je bestelling in de winkel afhalen.” They’re interchangeable here.
Why is it de winkel and not het winkel?
Dutch nouns are either de-words or het-words, and you must memorize which is which. Unfortunately winkel is a de-word, so it takes de. There’s no rule to predict it—it’s a matter of vocabulary.