Learn Hardcore Dutch: Kunt u morgen uiterlijk om tien uur uitchecken, alstublieft? - Could you please check out by ten o’clock tomorrow?

Yes/no questions in Dutch put the finite verb first (verb–subject inversion). Here, the conjugated modal verb kunt comes first, then the subject u, and the rest follows. The main verb uitchecken (infinitive) goes to the end because it’s part of a verb cluster with a modal.

Statement: U kunt morgen uiterlijk om tien uur uitchecken.
Question: Kunt u morgen uiterlijk om tien uur uitchecken?

Why is it kunt u and not kan u?

Both occur. With u, standard Dutch (especially in the Netherlands) prefers u kunt; in Belgium, u kan is very common and fully accepted. So:

Netherlands: prefer Kunt u…
Belgium: Kan u… is natural Both are understood everywhere.

What’s the difference between Kunt u… and Wilt u…?

Kunt u… literally asks about ability (“can you”), but functions as a polite request.
Wilt u… asks about willingness (“would you”), and also functions as a polite request. In service contexts, both are fine. Some hear Wilt u… as a touch softer, but the difference is small.

How can I make it even more polite/softer?

Use the conditional:

Zou u morgen uiterlijk om tien uur kunnen uitchecken, alstublieft?
Zou u morgen uiterlijk om tien uur willen uitchecken, alstublieft? These feel less direct than plain “Kunt u/Wilt u…?”

How would I say this informally to a friend?

Use je/jij and the informal please:

Kun je morgen uiterlijk om tien uur uitchecken, alsjeblieft? Notes:
With inversion, it’s usually kun je, though kan je is very common in speech.
With emphasis: Kun jij morgen…? (not “kunt jij”).

Why is uitchecken at the very end?

Because kunnen is a modal. In Dutch, when a modal is the finite verb, the lexical verb stays in the infinitive and goes to the clause-final position:

Kunt u … uitchecken If you use the main verb without a modal, the separable verb splits:
Checkt u morgen om tien uur uit, alstublieft.

Is uitchecken a separable verb? How does it behave in other tenses?

Yes, it’s separable (prefix uit- + loan verb checken):

Present: U checkt om tien uur uit.
Simple past: U checkte om tien uur uit.
Perfect: U heeft/hebt om tien uur uitgecheckt. (past participle is one word: uitgecheckt)

Is uitchecken the best verb here? Are there alternatives?

In hotel contexts, uitchecken is the normal choice. Alternatives:

Afrekenen = settle the bill (not the same as leaving the room)
Uitschrijven = deregister (rarely used for hotels)
Uitboeken exists but is more “back-office” or less common to guests So stick with uitchecken for guest-facing language.

What exactly does uiterlijk add?

Uiterlijk means “at the latest / no later than.” Without it, “om tien uur” means at ten o’clock exactly. With uiterlijk, anytime up to ten o’clock is okay.

Synonyms: op zijn laatst (NL), ten laatste (BE).

Where can I place uiterlijk in the time phrase?

Most natural:

uiterlijk om tien uur Common variants:
morgen uiterlijk om tien uur
uiterlijk morgen om tien uur (same meaning) Less idiomatic: om uiterlijk tien uur (heard, but “uiterlijk om tien uur” is preferred). In notes/signs you might also see: uiterlijk 10.00 uur (no “om”).

Why om tien uur and not op tien uur?

Dutch uses:

om for clock times: om tien uur
op for dates/days (optional and more common in BE): (op) maandag, (op) 12 mei Related time words:
voor tien uur = before ten
rond/tegen tien uur = around/about ten
na tien uur = after ten

Is the comma before alstublieft necessary? Can it go elsewhere?

The comma is optional. Alstublieft is a politeness marker that can be set off with a comma, but many writers omit it:

With comma: … uitchecken, alstublieft?
Without: … uitchecken alstublieft? Position is flexible:
Alstublieft, kunt u…
Kunt u, alstublieft, … uitchecken (more formal/literal)

What’s the difference between alstublieft and alsjeblieft?

alstublieft = formal “please” (with u)
alsjeblieft = informal “please” (with je/jij) They’re the same word with different politeness levels.

Do I ever need te here (e.g., “uit te checken”)?

Not after a modal: modals take a bare infinitive, so kunt … uitchecken is correct.
You will see te with separable verbs in other constructions, where te splits the verb:

… om uiterlijk om tien uur uit te checken.

How could I answer this politely with yes or no?

Yes:
- Ja hoor, dat kan.
- Ja, geen probleem; ik check morgen uiterlijk om tien uur uit.
No (with an alternative):
- Sorry, dat red ik niet. Is half elf ook goed?
- Sorry, dat wordt iets later. Kan het om half elf?

Does morgen mean “tomorrow” or “morning” here?

Here it means tomorrow. In the Netherlands, “morning” is usually ochtend; in Belgium, morgen can also be a noun meaning “morning” (often with an article: de morgen). To be explicit:

morgenochtend = tomorrow morning
morgen om tien uur = tomorrow at ten (am or pm depends on context; add ’s ochtends/’s avonds if needed)

Should u be capitalized (U)?

Standard modern usage is lowercase u. Capital U is an old-fashioned courtesy form sometimes seen in very formal letters. You don’t need to capitalize it.

How do I pronounce the sentence?

Approximate IPA (Netherlands Dutch):
/kʏnt y ˈmɔrɣə(n) ˈœy̯tərlək ɔm tin yr ˈœy̯tʃɛkə(n), ɑlstʏˈblift?/

kunt [kʏnt], u [y]
morgen [ˈmɔrɣə(n)]
uiterlijk [ˈœy̯tərlək] (stress on the first syllable)
tien uur [tin yr]
uitchecken [ˈœy̯tʃɛkə(n)]
alstublieft [ɑlstʏˈblift] Tip: link the sounds in speech: the -t of kunt connects to u → [kʏn t y].