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Questions & Answers about De zaal is vol.
Why is it de and not het?
Because zaal is a common‑gender noun (a de‑word), so it takes de. The indefinite form is een zaal. There is no reliable rule from the ending; you just learn that zaal is a de‑word (unlike, for example, het lokaal).
What exactly does zaal mean compared to kamer, hal, or ruimte?
- zaal: a large room used for gatherings/events, e.g. a theater hall, cinema auditorium, gym, museum gallery. Examples: de theaterzaal, zaal 3, de sportzaal.
- kamer: a (usually smaller) room in a house or building, e.g. slaapkamer, vergaderkamer.
- hal: a hall/entryway or large concourse, especially near an entrance, e.g. de ingangshal.
- ruimte: space/room (more general/abstract), not necessarily a distinct room with walls.
Is vol an adjective here, and does it change form?
Yes. vol is a predicative adjective after the copula is. Predicative adjectives don’t take the -e ending, regardless of gender/number:
- De zaal is vol.
- De zalen zijn vol.
No change to vol.
How do I say the full hall versus the hall is full?
- Predicative (after a verb): De zaal is vol. (no -e)
- Attributive (before a noun): de volle zaal, een volle zaal (adjective gets -e here)
Note the neuter exception: with a neuter singular noun without article de/het, no -e: een vol huis (but het volle huis).
How do I negate it: niet or geen?
Use niet, because you’re negating an adjective: De zaal is niet vol.
Use geen only to negate a noun: Er is geen zaal (There is no hall).
Are there more natural verbs than is with vol?
Yes, Dutch often uses posture or motion verbs for nuance:
- De zaal zit vol (met mensen). — seats are all taken; very idiomatic with people.
- De zaal staat vol (met stoelen). — full of things that stand.
- De vloer ligt vol (met papieren). — full of things that lie.
- Process: De zaal loopt vol. / De zaal is volgelopen.
How do I say what it’s full of?
- De zaal is vol mensen.
- De zaal is vol met mensen. (very common in speech; both are accepted)
Most idiomatic with people: De zaal zit vol met mensen.
Does De zaal is vol also mean a show is sold out?
It describes the physical state. For ticket/booking status use:
- De voorstelling is uitverkocht. (sold out)
- Het hotel is volgeboekt. / Het hotel zit vol. (fully booked)
How do I pronounce it?
- de: [də] (schwa)
- zaal: [zaːl] (long aa like the a in father)
- is: [ɪs] (short i)
- vol: [vɔl] (short o as in British lot; v is voiced)
Main stress on zaal and vol.
What about questions and word order?
- Yes/no question: Is de zaal vol?
- Subordinate clause: … dat de zaal vol is.
- Fronting for emphasis like Vol is de zaal is possible but literary; normal speech keeps De zaal is vol.
How do I say it in other tenses?
- Past: De zaal was vol.
- Future: De zaal zal vol zijn.
Note the difference between zaal (hall) and zal (will); they look similar but mean different things.
What are common intensifiers or near‑synonyms for vol?
- helemaal vol, hartstikke vol (very full)
- bomvol, propvol, stampvol (colloquial: packed)
- overvol (overfull, beyond capacity)
Comparatives exist but are less common: voller, het volst(e).
Any useful idioms with zaal?
- volle zalen trekken — to draw big audiences
- voor een volle zaal spelen — to perform to a full house
How do I express busyness versus fullness?
- Full: De zaal is vol.
- Busy/crowded: use druk with an impersonal construction: Het is druk in de zaal.
Avoid De zaal is druk for this meaning.
Can I say this about people or things other than rooms?
Yes, vol is widely used:
- Mijn agenda zit vol. (my schedule is packed)
- Mijn telefoon is vol. (storage full)
- After eating: Ik zit vol. or Ik ben volgegeten. Avoid Ik ben vol for this meaning.
Is it normal to drop the article or contract words?
Standard Dutch keeps the article: De zaal is vol. You don’t contract is (no De zaal’s vol). In signs or headlines you might see elliptical forms like Zaal vol, but that’s not full‑sentence standard usage.