Ik wacht bij de servicebalie op Tom.

I wait at the service desk for Tom.

Breakdown of Ik wacht bij de servicebalie op Tom.

• ik: I
• Tom: Tom
• bij: at
• wachten: to wait
• op: for
• de servicebalie: the service desk

Questions & Answers about Ik wacht bij de servicebalie op Tom.

Why is it “wachten op” and not “wachten voor,” even though English says “wait for”?

Dutch uses the fixed combination wachten op + [person/thing] to mean “to wait for.”

• Correct: Ik wacht op Tom.
• Incorrect for this meaning: Ik wacht voor Tom.

Be careful with voor:

• wachten voor [plek] = wait in front of a place: Ik wacht voor de deur.
• wachten voor [iemand] can also mean “wait on behalf of someone,” not “wait for them.”

So in your sentence, op Tom is required.

What does “bij de servicebalie” add, and could I use other prepositions like “aan” or “op”?

• bij de servicebalie = at/by the service desk (neutral location).
• aan de balie is also common, especially when you’re literally at the counter being helped.
• op de balie means “on top of the counter,” so it’s almost never what you want.

Your sentence uses the neutral locational bij, which is perfect here. You could also hear:

• Ik wacht aan de balie op Tom. (fine, with a slight “at-the-counter” feel)

Can I say “Ik wacht Tom” (without “op”)?

No. wachten is not transitive in this sense. You must say wachten op [iemand/iets].

• Correct: Ik wacht op Tom.
• Wrong: Ik wacht Tom.

Is “Ik wacht op Tom bij de servicebalie” also correct? Does word order matter?

Yes, both are correct:

• Ik wacht bij de servicebalie op Tom.
• Ik wacht op Tom bij de servicebalie.

Dutch allows some flexibility. A common tendency is to put newer or more important information later in the sentence. If “Tom” is the focus, placing op Tom near the end feels natural.

How do I turn this into a question like “Who are you waiting for?” or “What are you waiting for?”

• For a person: Op wie wacht je?
• For a thing: Waarop wacht je? (very formal) or more commonly Waar wacht je op?

Spoken Dutch sometimes uses Wie wacht je op?, but Op wie wacht je? is the standard form.

How do I replace “Tom” with a pronoun?

• Person: Ik wacht op hem/haar. (plural: formal op hen, informal op ze)
• Thing: use the R‑pronoun er with the preposition: Ik wacht erop.
  
  • With extra material, you can split it: Ik wacht er al lang op.

Note: er is not used for people; use hem/haar/ze/hen.

In a subordinate clause (after words like “omdat,” “dat”), how does the word order change?

The finite verb goes to the end:

• Main clause: Ik wacht bij de servicebalie op Tom.
• Subordinate: … omdat ik bij de servicebalie op Tom wacht.
• Both … omdat ik op Tom bij de servicebalie wacht and … omdat ik bij de servicebalie op Tom wacht are possible; the nuance is informational emphasis.

How do I express a continuous/progressive idea like “I’m waiting (right now)”?

Common options:

• Ik sta bij de servicebalie op Tom te wachten. (using a posture verb + te + infinitive)
• Ik ben bij de servicebalie op Tom aan het wachten. (aan het + infinitive)

Both are idiomatic; the first is very common in everyday Dutch.

Is “op Tom” ambiguous—could it mean “on top of Tom”?

In isolation, op can mean “on.” But with wachten, wachten op is a fixed unit meaning “wait for,” so op Tom here is understood as the person you’re waiting for. Context removes the physical “on top of” reading.

How do I negate this sentence?

Place niet before the part you negate:

• General negation: Ik wacht niet op Tom.
• Contrast: Ik wacht bij de servicebalie niet op Tom, maar op Eva.
• Negating place: Ik wacht niet bij de servicebalie, maar buiten.

What’s the difference between “iemand opwachten” and “op iemand wachten”?

• op iemand wachten = simply “wait for someone.”
• iemand opwachten (separable verb) = “be there to meet/greet someone on arrival,” often planned or ceremonial.
  • Ik wacht Tom op bij de servicebalie. = I’ll be there to meet Tom at the desk (to receive him), not just idly waiting.

Why is “servicebalie” written as one word? Could I write “service balie” or use a hyphen?

Dutch writes compounds as one word: servicebalie.

• Standard: servicebalie
• A hyphen (service-balie) is usually unnecessary (used only for readability in very long/awkward compounds).
• Two words (service balie) is incorrect in standard Dutch.

Grammar details:

• It’s a de‑word (because balie is de), so: de servicebalie.
• Plural: servicebalies.

Could I use other nouns instead of “servicebalie”?

Yes, depending on context:

• de balie (the counter/desk, general)
• de receptie (the reception desk)
• de informatiebalie (information desk)
• de kassa (the checkout)
  You’d keep the same structure: Ik wacht bij de receptie op Tom.

How do I pronounce tricky parts like “wacht,” “bij,” and “servicebalie”?

• wacht: the ch is a guttural sound , like clearing your throat.
• bij: the ij is a diphthong similar to English “ay” in “day,” but a bit more open.
• servicebalie: in Dutch, service sounds roughly like “SER-vus” (not English “sir-vis”); balie like “BAA-lee-uh” (final vowel is a schwa).

Can I front parts for emphasis, like starting with “Op Tom” or “Bij de servicebalie”?

Yes. Dutch allows fronting for emphasis, with inversion (verb in second position):

• Place focus: Bij de servicebalie wacht ik op Tom.
• Person focus: Op Tom wacht ik (bij de servicebalie).

Where do small words like “al,” “nog,” or time expressions go?

They typically go before the location and object phrases, but there’s flexibility:

• Ik wacht al een uur bij de servicebalie op Tom.
• Ik wacht nog bij de servicebalie op Tom.
• Ik wacht straks bij de servicebalie op Tom.

Is “aan de balie” interchangeable with “bij de balie” in the Netherlands and Flanders?

Both are understood everywhere. Rough tendencies:

• bij de balie: neutral “at/by the desk,” common in both NL and BE.
• aan de balie: also very common, especially when you’re literally at the counter interacting with staff (heard a lot in NL; also fine in BE).
  Use whichever matches your nuance: neutral location (bij) vs. physically at/attached to the counter (aan).