Mijn veter zit los.

My shoelace is loose.

Breakdown of Mijn veter zit los.

• mijn: my
• de veter: the shoelace
• loszitten: to be loose

Questions & Answers about Mijn veter zit los.

What exactly does veter mean, and what are its gender and plural?

• veter means shoelace. It can also mean a lace/cord in clothing, but for hoodies or sweatpants people often say koord or touwtje instead.
• Gender: common gender → de veter (not het).
• Indefinite: een veter.
• Plural: veters.
• You’ll also hear the longer form schoenveter (shoelace).

Why is it zit los and not is los?

Dutch uses so‑called posture/location verbs (zitten, liggen, staan, hangen) to describe how things are positioned or attached. For things that are attached or supposed to be fixed in place, zitten is idiomatic. So a shoelace that isn’t tight anymore zit los. You can say is los, and people will understand, but zit los is the natural collocation here.

What part of speech is los here?

los is a predicate adjective meaning loose. In combination with zitten, it forms a common pattern: [iets] zit los = something is loose. Related words:

• vast = tight/stuck; [iets] zit vast.
• losmaken = to loosen/untie.
• losser = looser; losjes = loosely.

How do I say both laces are loose?

Use the plural:

• Mijn veters zitten los.
• Agreement changes the verb: singular zit, plural zitten.

Can I say mijn schoenveter zit los or de veter van mijn schoen zit los?

Both are correct. The most concise and common are:

• Mijn veter zit los. (context makes it clear it’s a shoelace)
• Mijn schoenveter zit los. (explicit)
• If you need to specify which shoe: De veter van mijn linkerschoen zit los.

Is mijn veter is los wrong?

Not wrong, just less idiomatic. For physical attachment, Dutch prefers zitten: Mijn veter zit los. Use is for inherent properties or results, but with laces, screws, tiles, etc., zit los sounds most natural.

What’s the verb for tying shoelaces?

• strikken = to tie in a bow: Ik ga mijn veters strikken.
• To untie: losmaken or ontstrikken (less common).
• Nouns you may hear: een strik = a bow/knot; een knoop = a knot (not a bow).

How does word order work here and in a subordinate clause?

Dutch main clauses are V2: the finite verb is in second position.

• Main clause: Mijn veter (1st slot) zit (2nd) los. In a subordinate clause, the verb goes to the end:
• … omdat mijn veter los zit. Not: … omdat mijn veter zit los.

How do I talk about past or ongoing change?

• Past state: Gisteren zat mijn veter los.
• Present perfect of the separable verb loszitten: Mijn veter heeft losgezeten.
• Beginning to come loose: Je veter gaat los! (Someone’s warning)

How would I tell someone politely that their lace is untied?

• Informal: Je veter zit los. or Je veters zitten los.
• More emphasis on possession: Jouw veter zit los.
• Polite/formal: Uw veter zit los.

How do you pronounce the words?

Approximate guide:

• mijn ≈ “mine” but with the Dutch ij/ei sound.
• veter ≈ “VAY-ter” (long first vowel).
• zit with a voiced z, like English z in “zoo”.
• los like English “loss.”

Are there other common uses of zitten like this?

Yes, for items fixed/contained/attached:

• De schroef zit los/vast. (The screw is loose/tight.)
• Er zit zand in mijn schoen. (There is sand in my shoe.)
• De batterij zit achter dit klepje. (The battery is behind this flap.)

What’s the difference between los, kwijt, and open?

• los = loose, not tight/attached: Mijn veter zit los.
• kwijt = lost/missing: Ik ben mijn veter kwijt. (I’ve lost my lace.)
• open = open (not closed): Mijn schoen is open. (could imply the laces aren’t tied)

Any regional or lexical variations?

• Throughout the Netherlands and Flanders, veter for shoelace is standard.
• For cords in hoodies/sweatpants, people often say koord or touwtje rather than veter.
• Both je veter zit los and je veter is los are understood everywhere; the former is more idiomatic.