Breakdown of Bovenaan mijn lijstje met boodschappen staat brood.
het brood
the bread
met
with
staan
to stand
mijn
my
het lijstje
the list
bovenaan
at the top of
de boodschappen
the groceries
Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Dutch grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about Bovenaan mijn lijstje met boodschappen staat brood.
What does Bovenaan mean in this sentence?
Bovenaan literally means “at the top (of).” Here it tells you that brood occupies the highest position on your shopping-list. It’s more specific than just “above” – it pinpoints the very top.
Why is staat the second word and brood comes after it?
Dutch follows the V2 (verb-second) rule. Because we started the sentence with the adverbial Bovenaan mijn lijstje met boodschappen, the finite verb staat must come in second position. The subject (brood) then follows the verb.
Why is there no article (like het or een) before brood?
Brood here is an uncountable, generic item (“bread” in general). When you list things in Dutch, you often omit the article, just as in English you’d say “bread” rather than “the bread” on a general shopping list.
What role does met play in lijstje met boodschappen?
Here met means “with” and introduces the content of the list. Lijstje met boodschappen literally is “little list with (your) groceries,” i.e. a shopping list.
What does the -je suffix in lijstje do?
The -je is the diminutive ending. It makes lijst into lijstje, literally a “small list.” In practice it just softens or shrinks the word and makes it neuter (so you say het lijstje).
Why not use the single word boodschappenlijstje instead of lijstje met boodschappen?
You absolutely can. Boodschappenlijstje is a common compound meaning “shopping list.” Lijstje met boodschappen and boodschappenlijstje are interchangeable; the former just breaks it into two parts.
Could I say Op mijn boodschappenlijstje staat brood instead?
Yes. Op mijn boodschappenlijstje staat brood (“On my grocery list is bread”) is equally natural. You’re just using op (“on”) instead of bovenaan to indicate placement.
Could I rephrase it as Mijn lijstje met boodschappen begint met brood?
Definitely. Mijn lijstje met boodschappen begint met brood (“My shopping list begins with bread”) is a common alternative. Notice that now you start with the subject (Mijn lijstje), then the verb begint (still V2), and finish with met brood.