Asking about a product warranty | Learn Dutch in English

Sentence explanations

1. Ik denk erover om deze kleine speaker te kopen.

   I'm thinking about buying this small speaker.

   denk erover om

   am thinking about

   deze

   this

   kleine

   small

   speaker

   speaker

   te kopen

   to buy

   More detail

   denk erover om expresses thinking about doing something. The observed verb denk is the first-person singular present form of denken (“to think”); the subject ik supplies that person and number. In this construction, erover means “about it/about that,” and om ... te introduces the action being considered. Example: Ik denk erover om morgen te gaan. — “I’m thinking about going tomorrow.” deze means “this” and is the singular demonstrative used here with speaker. In the fixed sentence, the translation identifies the intended referent as the speaker being considered for purchase. Dutch also uses deze with plural nouns; the form itself does not state a numerical count in this singular use. A contrasting form is die (“that/those”), used for greater distance or contrast. kleine means “small.” Its base form is klein; the observed -e form appears before the de-word noun speaker in this noun phrase. Example: een kleine speaker — “a small speaker.” Here kleine describes the speaker, not the act of buying. speaker is the noun “speaker,” referring here to an audio device. It is a Dutch loanword and takes the article de in this phrase: deze kleine speaker. Example: De speaker werkt goed. — “The speaker works well.” te kopen means “to buy.” kopen is the infinitive base form; te marks the infinitive in this om ... te construction. The verb is placed at the end of the infinitival part: om deze kleine speaker te kopen — “to buy this small speaker.” Together, Ik denk erover om (“I’m thinking about”) + deze kleine speaker (“this small speaker”) + te kopen (“to buy”) gives: “I’m thinking about buying this small speaker.” The sentence presents the purchase as something under consideration, not as a completed purchase or a definite decision.

2. Ik kan de garantie uitleggen voordat je beslist.

   I can explain the warranty before you decide.

   Ik kan

   I can

   garantie

   warranty

   uitleggen

   explain

   voordat

   before

   beslist

   decide

   More detail

   Ik kan combines Ik (“I”) with kan, the first-person singular present form of kunnen (“can, be able to”). A modal such as kan is followed by an infinitive: Ik kan helpen. means “I can help.” garantie is the noun “warranty” here. With de, it forms the definite noun phrase “the warranty.” Its plural is garanties. uitleggen is the infinitive “to explain.” After the modal, it remains in the infinitive: Ik kan het uitleggen. means “I can explain it.” This verb is separable in a finite main clause: Ik leg het uit. voordat means “before” and introduces a subordinate clause. It places one event earlier than another in time. beslist is the present-tense form of beslissen (“to decide”) used with je (“you”). Je beslist morgen. means “You decide tomorrow.” In this sentence it is a verb in the subordinate clause introduced by voordat, not an imperative. Together, Ik kan ... uitleggen expresses the speaker’s ability to explain the warranty, and voordat je beslist places that explanation before the addressee decides. The complete meaning is: “I can explain the warranty before you decide.”

3. Wat valt er onder de garantie?

   What does the warranty cover?

   Wat

   what

   valt er onder

   falls under

   garantie

   warranty

   More detail

   Wat is the Dutch question pronoun “what.” Here it asks what is covered, rather than asking about a person. Compare the practice example Wie valt onder de garantie? — “Who is covered by the warranty?” valt er onder belongs to the reusable pattern onder iets vallen, meaning “to fall under something” and, in a coverage context, “to be covered by something.” Valt is the present-tense singular form of vallen; the base form is vallen. In this question, er is part of the natural Dutch wording and is not a separate concrete object meaning “it.” Practice example: De reparatie valt onder de garantie. — “The repair is covered by the warranty.” garantie means “warranty” here. It is a common-gender noun, used with the definite article de: de garantie. Its plural is garanties. In onder de garantie, onder introduces the warranty’s coverage framework; it does not describe a physical position underneath something. Together, Wat + valt er onder + de garantie asks what falls within the warranty’s coverage: “What does the warranty cover?” The Dutch wording presents the covered matter as falling under the warranty, while the fixed English translation expresses the same meaning with “cover.”

4. De garantie dekt gebreken aan het product bij normaal gebruik.

   It covers product faults during normal use.

   garantie

   warranty

   dekt

   covers

   gebreken

   defects; faults

   product

   product

   normaal

   normal

   gebruik

   use

   bij normaal gebruik

   during normal use

   More detail

   garantie means “warranty” here. It is a singular common-gender noun with the definite article de: de garantie. Its plural is garanties. In this sentence, it is the subject—the thing that provides the coverage. dekt is the present-tense form of dekken, “to cover.” The ending -t marks a third-person singular present form here because the subject is de garantie: de garantie dekt. The same verb can describe covering something physically or covering it under an agreement, as in this sentence. gebreken means “faults” or “defects.” It is the plural of gebrek (“fault” or “defect”). The plural presents defects in the plural. Example: Het gebrek is klein. — “The defect is small.” product means “product.” In aan het product, it is a singular neuter noun with the definite article het. The preposition aan links the faults to the product: gebreken aan het product means “faults in/on the product” or, naturally here, “product faults.” normaal means “normal” in normaal gebruik. It describes the kind of use meant, rather than expressing a comparison. A related comparison is normaler (“more normal”), but that form would require an actual comparison; none is made here. gebruik means “use” here. It is a neuter noun: het gebruik. In the expression normaal gebruik, Dutch uses the adjective without -e with a neuter singular noun used without a determiner: normaal gebruik. With a definite noun phrase, the form is commonly het normale gebruik. bij normaal gebruik is a reusable expression meaning “during normal use” or “under normal use.” bij can mark the circumstances in which something applies. Together, the phrase sets the condition for the coverage; it does not say that there is a particular number of uses. The sentence builds as De garantie (“the warranty”) + dekt (“covers”) + gebreken aan het product (“faults in the product”) + bij normaal gebruik (“during normal use”). Thus, the complete meaning is: “It covers product faults during normal use.” The wording states what the warranty covers and the circumstances—normal use—in which that coverage applies.

5. Hoe zit het met schade door een ongeluk?

   What about accidental damage?

   Hoe zit het met

   What about …?

   schade

   damage

   ongeluk

   accident

   More detail

   Hoe zit het met is a reusable Dutch way to ask how a matter is treated or what its status is: “What about …?” The form zit is the present-tense singular form of zitten (“to sit”), but in this fixed construction the expression is idiomatic rather than a literal question about sitting. For example: Hoe zit het met de levering? — “What about the delivery?” schade means damage or harm, and here it refers to damage as the matter being asked about. It is a noun; Dutch commonly uses it without a plural when referring to damage generally. For a particular instance, de schade means “the damage.” The related adjective beschadigd means “damaged,” as in Het product is beschadigd. — “The product is damaged.” ongeluk means accident. It is a neuter noun, so its singular indefinite form is een ongeluk and its definite form is het ongeluk. The indefinite article een marks an unspecified accident here; it does not by itself assert a numerical count as a teaching point. Its plural is ongelukken. The middle part, schade door een ongeluk, identifies the type of damage: damage caused by an accident. door introduces the cause or source, and een ongeluk is the cause phrase. Combining this with Hoe zit het met gives Hoe zit het met schade door een ongeluk? — “What about accidental damage?” In the supplied context, the question asks about the treatment or coverage of that kind of damage.

6. Dat valt er niet onder.

   That would not be included.

   Dat

   that

   valt … er … niet … onder

   is not included

   More detail

   Dat means “that” here and functions as the subject. In this exchange, it points to the matter just raised—accidental damage—without needing to repeat it. Dutch demonstrative dat is used with a singular neuter referent; the form itself does not identify the referent independently of context. valt er niet onder is the reusable Dutch construction onder iets vallen / er ... onder vallen, meaning “to be covered by or included under something.” valt is the present-tense form of vallen for a third-person singular subject such as dat; the base form is vallen. er is an unstressed reference element meaning roughly “under it” in this construction, not English “there.” niet places the construction in the negative. The words er and onder are separated here by niet, but they work together as the discontinuous pattern er ... onder vallen. Example: Deze schade valt er wel onder. — “This damage is covered by it.” Here wel makes the construction affirmative; it does not belong to the supplied sentence. Together, Dat + valt er niet onder gives “That would not be included,” or more literally, “That does not fall under it.” In the supplied exchange, the sentence answers whether the matter being discussed is included within the relevant coverage or category.

7. Waar moet ik heen als het niet meer werkt?

   Where should I go if it stops working?

   Waar

   where

   moet ik

   should I

   heen

   to / away

   als

   if

   het

   it

   niet meer

   no longer

   werkt

   works

   More detail

   Waar asks for a place: “where.” In Waar ... heen?, it asks about the destination or direction of movement. Compare the reusable question Waar ga je heen? — “Where are you going?” moet ik combines the present-tense modal verb moeten with the subject ik (“I”). moet is the form used with singular ik in the present; in this question, the verb comes before the subject because Dutch uses inversion. With a destination, Waar moet ik heen? means “Where should I go?” Here, moeten expresses what is advisable or required in the situation, not necessarily a strict command. heen is a directional adverb meaning “to/away toward a destination.” Together with a place question word, waar ... heen forms a destination question. It is different from simply asking where something is: Waar is de doos? means “Where is the box?” als introduces the condition “if” here. It can also mean “when” when the context presents an expected event, but this sentence uses the conditional reading: the speaker asks what to do if the problem occurs. Example: Als het regent, blijf ik thuis. — “If it rains, I stay at home.” het is a neuter singular pronoun functioning as the subject of werkt. In this fixed sentence, its exact referent is not named; the translation establishes the intended meaning as “it.” Dutch het can refer to a neuter singular noun or to a situation or thing understood from context. niet meer means “no longer” or “not anymore.” niet supplies the negation, while meer changes it to a situation that has stopped being true. Compare Het werkt niet. — “It does not work” — with Het werkt niet meer. — “It no longer works.” werkt is the present-tense form of werken (“to work” or “to function”) for a singular subject such as het. In this sentence it means “functions,” referring to the thing represented by het; it does not mean that the thing has a job. Example: Mijn telefoon werkt weer. — “My phone works again.” The sentence is assembled as Waar moet ik heen (“Where should I go”) plus als (“if”) and the condition het niet meer werkt (“it no longer works”). The complete meaning is: “Where should I go if it stops working?” The wording is a natural way to ask where to seek help or service when an item ceases to function.

8. Neem de bon en de doos mee naar de klantenservice.

   Bring the receipt and the box to customer service.

   Neem … mee

   bring ... along

   bon

   receipt

   doos

   box

   klantenservice

   customer service

   More detail

   Neem ... mee is the imperative construction from meenemen, meaning “bring/take along.” Neem is the imperative form of nemen; mee is the separable particle that adds the idea of bringing something along. In this sentence, the objects come between the verb part and the particle: Neem [object] mee. Example: Neem je jas mee. — “Bring your coat along.” bon means “receipt” here. Its common plural is bonnen: een bon, twee bonnen — “one receipt,” “two receipts.” The article de marks the noun as a common-gender Dutch noun; it does not itself state a numerical quantity. doos means “box.” Its plural is dozen: een doos, twee dozen — “one box,” “two boxes.” This is an example of a noun whose plural changes its vowel as well as adding the plural ending. klantenservice is the compound noun for “customer service.” naar introduces the destination: naar de klantenservice means “to customer service.” The compound is written as one word in Dutch. Together, de bon en de doos is the coordinated object, naar de klantenservice gives the destination, and Neem ... mee gives the instruction to bring those items along. The whole utterance therefore means: “Bring the receipt and the box to customer service.”

9. Daar kunnen ze het nakijken.

   They can check it.

   Daar

   there

   kunnen ze

   they can

   het

   it

   nakijken

   check

   More detail

   Daar means “there” here, referring to the place understood from the situation. Dutch daar can also introduce or point to something more abstract, but this sentence uses its place meaning. kunnen ze expresses “they can.” kunnen is the present-tense form of kunnen for ze (“they”); it is a modal verb. A modal verb is followed by another verb in the infinitive: Ze kunnen komen. — “They can come.” The pronoun ze identifies the actor as “they,” without specifying who those people are. het is the object pronoun “it.” In this sentence it refers to the thing to be checked, as identified by the fixed translation and context. Dutch het can also be an article, but here it stands independently as a pronoun. nakijken means “to check” in this context. Its base form is nakijken; it is a separable verb in ordinary finite clauses, but after the modal kunnen it remains as the infinitive at the end: Ze kijken het na — “They check it,” but Ze kunnen het nakijken — “They can check it.” Together, Daar + kunnen ze + het + nakijken gives: “There, they can check it.” The natural English translation is “They can check it,” with the location supplied by Daar.