Basic messages and asking for help | Learn Dutch in English

Sentence explanations

1. Zeg het alstublieft nog een keer.

   Please say it again.

   Zeg

   say

   het

   it

   alstublieft

   please

   nog een keer

   again

   More detail

   Zeg is the imperative of zeggen (“to say”). The imperative uses the stem zeg and normally leaves the subject unstated, so Zeg ... means “Say ...”. Example: Zeg het. — “Say it.” het is the Dutch singular neuter object pronoun meaning “it” here. Its specific referent is not identified in the supplied sentence; it refers to something understood from the situation. Het can also be the neuter definite article (“the”), but its position after Zeg and the fixed translation show its pronoun use here. alstublieft is a polite way to say “please”. It can make a request courteous without changing the requested action. Example: Wacht alstublieft. — “Please wait.” nog een keer is a reusable expression meaning “again”, literally “another time” in this context. Nog contributes the idea of an additional occurrence, while een keer refers to one occasion; together they form the natural repetition expression. Example: Lees het nog een keer. — “Read it again.” Together, the imperative Zeg, object het, polite request marker alstublieft, and repetition expression nog een keer produce: “Please say it again.” The utterance asks the listener to repeat the understood content.

2. Schrijf het alstublieft op.

   Please write it down.

   Schrijf

   write

   het

   it

   alstublieft

   please

   op

   down

   More detail

   Schrijf is the imperative of schrijven (“to write”). The imperative uses the verb stem here and addresses the listener directly: Schrijf! means “Write!” A complete example is Schrijf je naam. — “Write your name.” het is the object pronoun meaning “it” here. It is a third-person singular pronoun for a neuter referent in Dutch; the sentence itself does not identify exactly what “it” is. Compare hem (“him” or “it” for a masculine common-gender referent) and haar (“her” or “it” for a feminine common-gender referent), used according to the referent’s grammatical gender. alstublieft is a polite way to say “please,” especially in formal or respectful interaction. It can be used with a request, as in Wacht alstublieft. — “Please wait.” op is the separable particle used with opschrijven, meaning “to write down” or “to note.” In this imperative, the particle appears separately after the object: Schrijf het op. The op here belongs to the verb construction; it does not independently describe downward movement. In a finite non-imperative clause, the same particle can also separate: Ik schrijf het op. — “I write it down.” Together, Schrijf + het + op forms the polite request Schrijf het op: “Write it down.” Adding alstublieft makes the request polite: Schrijf het alstublieft op. — “Please write it down.”

3. Laat het me alstublieft zien.

   Please show me.

   Laat … zien

   show

   het

   it

   me

   me

   alstublieft

   please

   More detail

   Laat … zien is a Dutch construction meaning “show.” Laat is the imperative of laten used here in a direct request, and zien means “see” in this construction. The parts can be separated by the thing shown, the recipient, and a politeness expression. Reusable pattern: Laat [object] [recipient] zien. Example: Laat ons de foto zien. — “Show us the photo.” het means “it” here. It is the Dutch object pronoun used for a singular neuter referent; the sentence does not identify what that referent is. Example: Ik zie het. — “I see it.” me means “me” here and marks the person to whom the object is shown. In this sentence, me is the recipient and het is what is shown. Example: Laat me de brief zien. — “Show me the letter.” alstublieft is a polite “please.” It is a respectful politeness expression; in this sentence it softens the request. Putting the words together, Laat het me alstublieft zien literally means “Show it to me, please.” The fixed English translation expresses the same request as “Please show me,” with the object understood from the Dutch het.

4. Help me alstublieft.

   Please help me.

   Help

   help

   me

   me

   alstublieft

   please

   More detail

   Help is the imperative of helpen (“to help”). The imperative addresses the listener directly and requests an action; the subject “you” is normally understood rather than stated. Example: Help me! — “Help me!” In Hoe kan ik u helpen?, helpen is the infinitive used after the modal verb kan, not a present-tense form. The sentence means “How can I help you?” me is the unstressed object form meaning “me.” It identifies the person who should receive the help. A stressed or contrasted form is mij, as in Help mij, niet hem. — “Help me, not him.” The form me itself does not indicate the listener’s level of formality. alstublieft is a polite formula meaning “please.” It can make a request more courteous and is also used in other polite interactions. In the supplied context, the same formula appears in Laat het me alstublieft zien. — “Please show me.” Together, Help gives the requested action, me gives its recipient, and alstublieft marks the request as polite: “Please help me.”

5. Hoe kan ik u helpen?

   How can I help?

   Hoe

   how

   kan ik

   can I

   u

   you (formal)

   helpen

   help

   More detail

   Hoe asks about the manner or method: “how.” It is the usual Dutch question word for asking how something can be done. Example: Hoe gaat het? — “How are you?” kan ik combines the present-tense form kan of kunnen (“can, be able to”) with the subject pronoun ik (“I”). Kan is the form used with ik and also with some third-person singular subjects; the plural form is kunnen, as in Wij kunnen helpen — “We can help.” In a Dutch question, the finite verb commonly comes before the subject: Kan ik ...? means “Can I ...?” u is the formal second-person pronoun, meaning “you.” Here it is the person receiving the help. U does not show the addressee’s gender, and this form can address one or more people formally. A less formal singular form is often je or jij, depending on the context. helpen is the infinitive “to help.” After a modal verb such as kan, Dutch uses the infinitive: Ik kan helpen — “I can help.” The infinitive is also used after other modal verbs, for example Ik wil helpen — “I want to help.” Together, Hoe kan ik u helpen? asks by what means the speaker can help the addressed person or people. Its fixed meaning is “How can I help?” The word order is question word + finite verb + subject + formal object pronoun + infinitive: Hoe kan ik u helpen?

6. Bel me later alstublieft.

   Please call me later.

   Bel

   call

   me

   me

   later

   later

   alstublieft

   please

   More detail

   Bel is the imperative of bellen, “to call.” The imperative gives a direct instruction to the listener; the subject “you” is normally understood rather than stated. Useful forms are bellen (infinitive), ik bel (“I call”), and bel! (“call!”). Example: Bel me morgen. — “Call me tomorrow.” me is the unstressed object pronoun meaning “me.” It marks the person who receives the action of calling. The stressed form mij also means “me,” but is used for emphasis or contrast; me is the ordinary light form here. Example: Kun je me bellen? — “Can you call me?” later is an adverb meaning “later,” referring to a time after now. It does not itself specify exactly when. Example: Ik bel later. — “I’ll call later.” alstublieft is a polite word meaning “please.” In this sentence it softens the instruction. It is also used in other polite situations, such as when offering something or handing something to someone, but here its function is a request marker. Together, Bel me means “call me”: the listener is the understood caller, and me is the person to be called. later places the call after the present moment, and alstublieft adds politeness. The complete utterance therefore means: “Please call me later.”