Log inSign up

Helaas is mijn lamp kapot, dus het is donker in de kamer.

Helaas is mijn lamp kapot, dus het is donker in de kamer.
Unfortunately my lamp is broken, so it is dark in the room.
FromLesson 23inHardcore Dutch
……

Breakdown of Helaas is mijn lamp kapot, dus het is donker in de kamer.

zijn
to be
in
in
het
it
mijn
my
de kamer
the room
dus
so
donker
dark
helaas
unfortunately
de lamp
the lamp
kapot
broken

Questions & Answers about Helaas is mijn lamp kapot, dus het is donker in de kamer.

What does helaas mean and how is it used?

helaas = unfortunately. It’s a sentence adverb expressing regret. You can place it:

  • At the very start: Helaas ben ik te laat.
  • After the subject: Ik ben helaas te laat.
Why is the sentence Helaas is mijn lamp kapot and not Helaas mijn lamp is kapot?

Dutch follows the verb-second (V2) rule. When an adverbial element (like helaas) opens the clause, the finite verb must come directly after it. Structure:

  1. Adverbial (Helaas)
  2. Verb (is)
  3. Subject (mijn lamp)
  4. Rest (kapot)
What part of speech is kapot? Can I say mijn kapotte lamp instead of mijn lamp is kapot?

kapot is an adjective.

  • As a predicative adjective (after a linking verb): Mijn lamp is kapot.
  • As an attributive adjective (before a noun): it takes -e on a de-word: mijn kapotte lamp.
Can I use stuk instead of kapot? Are they the same?

Mostly yes—both mean “broken” or “not working.”

  • stuk may imply something is in pieces or completely unusable.
  • kapot focuses on damage/functionality.
    Example: Mijn lamp is stuk. = Mijn lamp is kapot.
What does dus mean in this sentence and can I move it?

dus = so/therefore, indicating a conclusion.

  • Standard: …, dus het is donker.
  • You can also say …, het is dus donker, but that slightly shifts emphasis to dus.
Why is there a comma before dus?

When you join two independent clauses with dus, a comma is commonly used in Dutch for clarity.
Example: Mijn lamp is kapot, dus het is donker.

Why does it say het is donker? What is this het?

This het is a dummy (pleonastic) pronoun used in impersonal statements about weather, light, time, etc.
Examples:

  • het regent (it’s raining)
  • het is koud (it’s cold)
  • het is donker (it’s dark)
Why in de kamer and not op de kamer or in mijn kamer?
  • in de kamer = “in the room” (the one under discussion or that you’re in).
  • op de kamer is used mainly for personal rooms in student housing or boarding (more like “in your dorm room”).
  • in mijn kamer adds a possessive: “in my room.” Without mijn, de kamer is understood from context.

More from this lesson

de herfstdalenDe prijs kan na het feest dalen.de temperatuurIn de herfst daalt de temperatuur snel.de bioscoopWe gaan naar de bioscoop wanneer het buiten hard regent.het publiek
AI Language TutorTry it ↗
“What's the best way to learn Dutch grammar?”
Dutch grammar becomes intuitive with practice. Focus on understanding the core patterns first — how sentences are structured, how verbs change form, and how words relate to each other. Our course breaks these concepts into small lessons so you can build understanding step by step.

Sign up free — start using our AI language tutor

Start learning Dutch

Master Dutch — from Helaas is mijn lamp kapot, dus het is donker in de kamer to fluency

All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods.

  • ✓ Infinitely deep — unlimited vocabulary and grammar
  • ✓ Fast-paced — build complex sentences from the start
  • ✓ Unforgettable — efficient spaced repetition system
  • ✓ AI tutor to answer your grammar questions
Start learning Dutch freeBrowse the full course