Checking a message before sending | Learn Dutch in English

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Use Checking a message before sending to practice Dutch conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

Kun je dit bericht controleren?

koon yuh dit buh-RIKHT kon-troh-LAY-run? Can you check this message?

Ik kan het nu lezen.

ik kahn ut nyoo LAY-zun. I can read it now.

Ziet het er duidelijk uit?

zeet ut air DOY-duh-luk owt? Does it look clear?

Het belangrijkste punt is makkelijk te begrijpen.

ut buh-LAHNG-rike-stuh PUHNT iz MAH-kuh-luk tuh buh-GHRAY-pun. The main point is easy to understand.

Zie je fouten?

zee yuh FOW-tun? Do you see any mistakes?

Ik zie aan het einde één kleine spelfout.

ik zee ahn ut AYN-duh ayn KLAY-nuh SPEL-fowt. I see one small spelling mistake near the end.

Ik verbeter dat nu.

ik vur-BAY-tur daht nyoo. I will fix that now.

Daarna is het klaar om te versturen.

DAHR-nah iz ut klahr om tuh vur-STYUR-un. After that, it should be ready to send.

Word by Word

Kun “Kun” asks whether the other person is able to do something. In “Kun je dit bericht controleren?”, it comes before “je” because this is a question. This is a useful pattern for making a direct everyday request.

je “je” means “you” and refers to the person being asked. In “Kun je dit bericht controleren?”, it is the person who may check the message. This form is used in a direct, everyday request.

dit “dit” means “this” and points to the message being discussed. It appears directly before “bericht” in “dit bericht”. Use “dit bericht” when referring to the message at hand.

bericht “bericht” means “message” and is the thing being checked in “dit bericht controleren”. It refers here to a written message. This word is useful when discussing a message that someone may read, check, or send.

controleren “controleren” means “to check” or “to review”. In “Kun je dit bericht controleren?”, it is the action requested after “Kun”. This full question is useful when asking someone to review a message.

Ik “Ik” means “I” and identifies the speaker as the person who can read the message. In “Ik kan het nu lezen.”, it is the subject of the sentence. Use it when describing your own action or ability.

kan “kan” means “can” and expresses the speaker’s ability to read the message now. In “Ik kan het nu lezen.”, it is followed by the action “lezen”. This word is useful when saying that you are able to do something.

het “het” means “it” here and refers back to the message. In “Ik kan het nu lezen.”, it is the thing being read, so the noun does not need to be repeated. This is useful when the thing has already been mentioned.

nu “nu” means “now” and places the reading in the present moment. In “Ik kan het nu lezen.”, it says that the speaker can read the message at this time. Use it to specify that an action is happening or possible at present.

lezen “lezen” means “to read”. In “Ik kan het nu lezen.”, it is the reading action that follows “kan”. This form is useful when saying that someone can read a message or another text.

Ziet “Ziet” means “looks” in “Ziet het er duidelijk uit?”, which asks about the message’s appearance or clarity. It is part of the expression used to ask how something looks. This question is useful when checking whether information is clear.

er “er” helps form the appearance expression in “Ziet het er duidelijk uit?”. It does not refer to a separate place here; together with “ziet” and “uit”, it asks how something appears. Use the complete question when checking the clarity of a message.

duidelijk “duidelijk” means “clear” in “Ziet het er duidelijk uit?”. It describes the message’s appearance or comprehensibility. This word is useful when asking whether written information is easy to understand.

uit “uit” completes the expression in “Ziet het er duidelijk uit?” that asks how something looks. Its meaning here comes from the whole appearance expression, not from “uit” alone. Use the complete pattern when evaluating how clear something appears.

belangrijkste “belangrijkste” means “main” or “most important” and identifies the central point. In “Het belangrijkste punt”, it comes before “punt” and describes which point matters most. This form is useful when identifying the key idea in a message or explanation.

punt “punt” means “point” in “Het belangrijkste punt”. It refers to one idea or part of the message. This word is useful when talking about the central point someone needs to understand.

is “is” links “Het belangrijkste punt” to its description in “Het belangrijkste punt is makkelijk te begrijpen.”. It says what the point is like. This form is useful for describing a person, thing, or idea.

makkelijk “makkelijk” means “easy” in “makkelijk te begrijpen”. It describes the main point as requiring little difficulty to understand. This phrase is useful when evaluating whether information is clear.

te “te” introduces the infinitive “begrijpen” in “makkelijk te begrijpen”. Together, these words express that something is easy to understand. This is a reusable pattern for describing the difficulty of an action.

begrijpen “begrijpen” means “to understand”. In “makkelijk te begrijpen”, it refers to understanding the main point of the message. This form is useful when discussing whether information or an explanation is clear.

Zie “Zie” means “see” in “Zie je fouten?”, where the speaker asks whether the other person notices mistakes. It comes before “je” because the sentence is a question. This is useful when checking a written message for errors.

fouten “fouten” means “mistakes” and is the thing being looked for in “Zie je fouten?”. It refers here to errors in the message. This word is useful when asking about problems found while checking text.

aan “aan” forms the time or position phrase “aan het einde”. In “Ik zie aan het einde één kleine spelfout.”, it locates the mistake near the end. Use this phrase when indicating where something occurs at the end.

einde “einde” means “end” in “aan het einde”. It identifies the final part of the message where the mistake appears. This word is useful when locating something at the end of a text or activity.

één “één” means “one” and states the number of spelling mistakes found. In “één kleine spelfout”, it identifies a single specific mistake. Use it when counting one item in a message or text.

kleine “kleine” means “small” and describes the spelling mistake in “één kleine spelfout”. It presents the error as limited in size or importance. This form is useful before a noun when describing a small issue.

spelfout “spelfout” means “spelling mistake”. In “Ik zie aan het einde één kleine spelfout.”, it names the error found in the written message. This word is useful when discussing an incorrect spelling in text.

verbeter “verbeter” means “fix” or “correct” in “Ik verbeter dat nu.”. It expresses the speaker’s action of correcting the previously mentioned mistake. This sentence is useful when saying that you are correcting an error immediately.

dat “dat” means “that” and refers to the spelling mistake just mentioned. In “Ik verbeter dat nu.”, it is the thing being corrected. Use it when pointing back to an item already identified in the conversation.

Daarna “Daarna” means “after that” and connects the correction with the next step. In “Daarna is het klaar om te versturen.”, it shows that readiness follows the correction. This word is useful for sequencing actions in a process.

klaar “klaar” means “ready”. In “klaar om te versturen”, it says that the message is ready for the action that follows. This phrase is useful when confirming that something can move on to its next step.

om “om” introduces the purpose phrase “om te versturen”. In “klaar om te versturen”, it connects “klaar” with the action the message is ready for. This construction is useful when saying that something is ready for a particular action.

versturen “versturen” means “to send”. In “klaar om te versturen”, it is the action the message is ready for after the correction. This form is useful when talking about sending a message.

Grammar Points

het belangrijkste + zelfstandig naamwoord

het belangrijkste punt

ut buh-LAHNG-rike-stuh PUHNT

the most important point

The superlative uses -ste and usually appears with het: het belangrijkste punt.

een kleine + zelfstandig naamwoord

een kleine spelfout

ayn KLAY-nuh SPEL-fowt

a small spelling mistake

An adjective before a singular common noun usually takes -e after een: een kleine spelfout.

Dutch Vocabulary

begrijpen verb

buh-GHRAY-pun to understand

te begrijpen

belangrijk adj

buh-LAHNG-rike important belangrijkste

Het belangrijkste punt

bericht noun

buh-RIKHT message

dit bericht

controleren verb

kon-troh-LAY-run to check

dit bericht controleren

duidelijk adj

DOY-duh-luk clear

er duidelijk uit

einde noun

AYN-duh end

aan het einde

fout noun

FOWT mistake fouten

Zie je fouten?

lezen verb

LAY-zun to read

het nu lezen

makkelijk adj

MAH-kuh-luk easy

makkelijk te begrijpen

punt noun

PUHNT point

het belangrijkste punt

spelfout noun

SPEL-fowt spelling mistake

één kleine spelfout

zien verb

ZEEN to see; to look ziet

Ziet het er duidelijk uit?

Quiz

Word Order

Arrange the words in the correct order.

Can you check this message?

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Kun je dit bericht controleren?

I can read it now.

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Ik kan het nu lezen.

Does it look clear?

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Ziet het er duidelijk uit?

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

to see; to look

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ziet

message

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bericht

to check

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controleren

to read

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lezen