Question 1

What does contactloos mean here, and how is it functioning grammatically in the sentence?

Accepted Answer

contactloos literally means “contactless.” Grammatically it’s an adjective that’s used adverbially to describe how you pay. In Dutch you can often use an adjective directly as an adverb without changing its form.

Question 2

Why is it bij de kassa? Can you also say aan de kassa or in de kassa?

Accepted Answer

- bij de kassa means “at the checkout/register,” indicating location.  
- aan de kassa is also possible and fairly common; it emphasizes the point of payment (“at the counter”).  
- in de kassa would mean “inside the cash register” and isn’t used here.

Question 3

What’s the role of want in this sentence, and how does it differ from omdat?

Accepted Answer

- want is a coordinating conjunction meaning “for” or “because.” It links two main clauses without changing their word order.  
- omdat is a subordinating conjunction meaning “because,” and it sends the verb in its clause to the end.  
So you can say:  
 • Ik betaal contactloos bij de kassa, want dat gaat sneller.  
 • Ik betaal contactloos bij de kassa omdat dat sneller gaat.

Question 4

Why is the verb gaat in second position in dat gaat sneller, and what would happen with omdat?

Accepted Answer

Because want is coordinating, the clause dat gaat sneller is a main clause and follows the normal Subject–Verb–Object (SVO) or Subject–Verb–Adverb order. With omdat (a subordinating conjunction), the verb moves to the end:  
 • … omdat dat sneller gaat.

Question 5

What does dat refer to in want dat gaat sneller? Could you use het instead?

Accepted Answer

dat is a demonstrative pronoun referring back to the idea of “paying contactlessly at the checkout.” You can often substitute het for actions or general statements, but dat is more common when pointing to a full preceding clause. Both are acceptable:  
 • Ik betaal contactloos bij de kassa, want dat gaat sneller.  
 • Ik betaal contactloos bij de kassa, want het gaat sneller.

Question 6

Why is the comparative sneller used instead of something like meer snel?

Accepted Answer

Short adjectives (one syllable or stressed syllable) form the comparative by adding -er. So snel → sneller. You only use meer + adjective for longer adjectives (e.g. meer interessant).

Question 7

Should there be a dan after sneller, like in “sneller dan …”?

Accepted Answer

You only add dan when you explicitly compare two things (e.g. “sneller dan contant betalen”). Here the comparison is implied (“faster than other methods”), so sneller stands alone. If you want to specify the comparison, you’d say:  
 • Ik betaal contactloos bij de kassa, want dat gaat sneller dan contant betalen.

Question 8

Is the adverb position flexible? Could I say Ik betaal bij de kassa contactloos?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Dutch allows some flexibility in adverb placement. You can say:  
 • Ik betaal contactloos bij de kassa.  
 • Ik betaal bij de kassa contactloos.  
Both are correct; you simply shift emphasis slightly depending on what you want to highlight.

Ik betaal contactloos bij de kassa, want dat gaat sneller.

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