Learn Hardcore Dutch: Het is te laat om nog in de kantine te eten. - It is too late to still eat in the cafeteria.

Dutch uses an impersonal subject het in sentences that evaluate a situation (time, weather, possibility, etc.). Here, het doesn’t refer to any person or thing; it just lets you say “It is too late …”. You could also say We zijn te laat om nog in de kantine te eten (“We are too late …”), which focuses on people being late rather than time being late.

There are two te’s: te laat and te eten. Are they the same word?

They’re homographs with different functions:

te in te laat means “too” (too late). It’s an intensifier of the adjective/adverb and is often stressed: té laat.
te in te eten is the infinitive marker (“to eat”), usually unstressed. So the sentence literally has “too” and “to” as two different te’s.

Why do we need om … te? Could I say “Het is te laat te eten”?

You need om … te to introduce an infinitive clause after many adjectives and nouns: Het is te laat om te eten. Saying Het is te laat te eten is ungrammatical.

With adjectives like leuk, fijn, vervelend, belangrijk, you normally use om te: Het is leuk om te lezen.
With moeilijk/makkelijk/lastig, both patterns occur, but om te is very common: Het is moeilijk (om) te geloven.
With te + adjective like te laat, you must use om te: Het is te laat om te vertrekken.

What does nog add here?

nog means “still/any longer/any more,” depending on context. In this sentence it conveys “any longer/any more”: the window of opportunity has closed. Without nog (Het is te laat om in de kantine te eten) it’s still correct, but nog emphasizes that it used to be possible earlier and no longer is.

Why not meer instead of nog?

Use:

nog in affirmative contexts: Het is te laat om nog te eten (“too late to eat any longer”).
meer only after negation: We kunnen niet meer in de kantine eten (“we can’t eat in the canteen anymore”). There’s no negation in the original sentence, so nog is the right word.

Where does nog go? Could I move it?

Default and most natural: om nog in de kantine te eten. You can also say om in de kantine nog te eten for a slightly different rhythm or focus. Don’t split te from its verb and don’t put nog after te.

Why in de kantine and not bij de kantine or op de kantine?

in de kantine = inside the cafeteria (the normal choice for eating there).
bij de kantine = near/at the canteen area, not necessarily inside.
op de kantine is not used; op goes with some institutions (e.g., op school, op kantoor), but not with kantine.

Can I say Het is te laat om nog in de kantine te gaan eten?

Yes. gaan eten adds the nuance of “go and eat / go for a meal.” It can suggest movement or the start of the activity. Without gaan, it simply means “to eat” there. Both are fine; choose based on nuance.

Is kantine a de-word or het-word? And what’s its plural?

de kantine (common gender). Plural: de kantines.

Could I say Het is te laat voor de kantine?

Grammatically fine, but different in feel. te laat voor + noun is common with events/deadlines: te laat voor de film/trein/les. voor de kantine is looser shorthand meaning the canteen is (already) closed. If you want to emphasize the action, om … te is clearer: te laat om in de kantine te eten.

How do I negate the infinitive clause? Where does niet go?

Place niet before te + infinitive (and before the part it negates):

Action negated: We besloten om niet in de kantine te eten.
In your structure (less natural semantically, but correct form): Het is te laat om niet in de kantine te eten. If you negate the main clause instead: Het is niet te laat om nog in de kantine te eten.

Can I move in de kantine after te eten?

Yes: Het is te laat om te eten in de kantine is grammatical. The more typical order in Dutch places complements before the infinitive: om in de kantine te eten. The post-verbal version can be used for rhythm or emphasis.

Why not a comma before om?

Dutch doesn’t require a comma before om introducing an infinitive clause. You might see a comma in very long sentences for readability, but it’s not standard here.

Could I drop the article and say in kantine?

No. Singular count nouns normally need an article or determiner. You say in de kantine, in onze kantine, in die kantine, etc.

What’s the difference between Het is te laat and We zijn te laat?

Het is te laat … evaluates the time/situation as too late for something.
We zijn te laat … focuses on people being late. Both can be followed by an om te-clause: We zijn te laat om nog in de kantine te eten.

Any pronunciation tips?

te (infinitive marker) is usually unstressed: [tə].
te in te laat often carries stress because it means “too”: [teː] or stressed [tə].
kantine is stressed on the second syllable: kan-TI-ne, with ie pronounced like English “ee” in “see.”