Rescheduling an appointment | Learn Dutch in English

Sentence explanations

1. Ik moet mijn afspraak naar een andere dag verzetten.

   I need to move my appointment to another day.

   Ik moet

   I need to / I must

   mijn

   my

   afspraak

   appointment

   naar

   to

   andere

   another / different

   dag

   day

   verzetten

   move / reschedule

   More detail

   Ik moet combines ik (“I”) with moet, the present-tense form of moeten for this subject. It expresses necessity here: “I need to” or “I must.” With a modal verb such as moeten, the other verb stays in the infinitive and moves to the end of the clause. mijn means “my.” It is a possessive form used for something belonging to or associated with the speaker. Unlike the subject form ik, it does not identify the possessor by itself as a separate noun. afspraak means “appointment” in this sentence. It can also refer to an arrangement or agreement in other contexts, but the fixed translation establishes the appointment sense here. Its plural is afspraken. naar introduces the destination or target of a change; here, it means “to” a different day. For example, naar maandag means “to Monday.” andere means “another” or “different” here. The base form is ander; before the singular noun in the phrase een andere dag, it has the -e form. andere agrees with the noun phrase pattern, not with dag as a separate verb or possessive form. dag means “day.” Its plural is dagen. The phrase een andere dag means “another day,” with een functioning as an indefinite article; the sense of “another” comes from andere, not from een alone. verzetten means “to move” or, with an appointment, “to reschedule.” It is the infinitive of the verb. In this sentence it follows moet and appears at the end: moet ... verzetten. In a simple present statement without that modal, the first-person form is ik verzet (“I move” or “I reschedule”). Together, mijn afspraak naar een andere dag verzetten means “move my appointment to another day.” The complete sentence is therefore “I need to move my appointment to another day.”

2. Ik kan de agenda voor u nakijken.

   I can check the calendar for you.

   Ik kan

   I can

   de agenda

   the calendar

   voor u

   for you

   nakijken

   check

   More detail

   Ik kan means “I can” here. ik is the first-person singular pronoun “I”. kan is the present-tense form of kunnen (“can/be able to”) used with ik; the infinitive that follows is placed at the end of this Dutch clause. Example: Ik kan helpen. — “I can help.” de agenda means “the calendar” here. agenda is a noun, and de is the definite article used with this noun. The article is not a numerical count; it marks the calendar as a definite one in the situation. Example: De agenda is vol. — “The calendar is full.” voor u means “for you”. u is the formal second-person pronoun, and after the preposition voor it identifies the person who benefits from the checking. Example: Ik reserveer een tafel voor u. — “I reserve a table for you.” nakijken means “to check” or “to look over”. Its base form is the infinitive nakijken. It is a separable verb: in a finite main clause, the parts can separate, as in Ik kijk de agenda na. — “I check the calendar.” After the modal kan, however, the infinitive stays together at the end: Ik kan de agenda nakijken. — “I can check the calendar.” The sentence follows the reusable pattern subject + modal verb + object + beneficiary + infinitive: Ik kan + de agenda + voor u + nakijken. Together, these parts mean that the speaker is able or willing, in the sense expressed by kan, to check the calendar for the addressee: “I can check the calendar for you.”

3. Is er later deze week iets vrij?

   Is there anything later this week?

   Is er

   is there

   later deze week

   later this week

   iets

   anything

   vrij

   available

   More detail

   Is er is the Dutch existential question pattern meaning “is there?”. er introduces the existence or availability of something; it is not normally translated as a concrete location in this pattern. With a singular indefinite item, Dutch uses is er; with plural items, compare Zijn er nog plaatsen? — “Are there still places?” later deze week is a time expression: later means “later”, and deze week means “this week”. Together they place the possible availability later within the current week. Example: Ik bel je later deze week. — “I’ll call you later this week.” iets is an indefinite pronoun meaning “something” in an affirmative statement and commonly “anything” in a question such as this one. It refers to an unspecified thing or option, without identifying what it is. Example: Heb je iets nodig? — “Do you need anything?” vrij is an adjective meaning “available” here, especially when an appointment time or other slot is not occupied. Its other common meaning “free” must be understood from context; in this sentence the surrounding scheduling context supports “available”. Example: Deze tijd is nog vrij. — “This time is still available.” Together, Is er asks whether something exists or is available, iets identifies that thing only as unspecified, vrij describes it as available, and later deze week gives the time. The complete utterance therefore asks whether there is anything available later this week.

4. Er is later deze week 's middags een afspraak vrij.

   There is an afternoon opening later this week.

   Er is

   there is

   later deze week

   later this week

   's middags

   in the afternoon

   afspraak

   appointment

   vrij

   available

   More detail

   Er is is the Dutch existential pattern meaning “there is” or “there are.” Er introduces the existence of something; the verb agrees with the noun phrase presented in the sentence. Here, is is singular because een afspraak is singular. Compare Er zijn twee afspraken (“There are two appointments”), where zijn is plural. This pattern also appears in the preceding question Is er ...? (“Is there ...?”). later deze week means “later this week.” It is a reusable time expression: later places something at a later time, and deze week means “this week.” Example: Ik bel je later deze week. — “I’ll call you later this week.” 's middags is the fixed Dutch time expression “in the afternoon” or “during the afternoon.” The apostrophe is part of the written form; preserve it when using this expression. Compare 's ochtends (“in the morning”) and 's avonds (“in the evening”). afspraak means “appointment.” Its plural is afspraken: een afspraak (“an appointment”), twee afspraken (“two appointments”). Here, een is an indefinite article introducing the noun phrase; the sentence does not by itself need to assert a numerical count. vrij means “available” here. It is an adjective describing the appointment’s availability. The same form can have other meanings in other contexts, including “free,” but “available” is the intended meaning here. Example: Is dinsdag nog vrij? — “Is Tuesday still available?” Together, Er is + later deze week + 's middags + een afspraak + vrij gives “There is an appointment available in the afternoon later this week.” The fixed English translation naturally presents this as “There is an afternoon opening later this week.”

5. Dat komt mij goed uit.

   That works for me.

   Dat

   That

   komt mij goed uit

   works for me

   More detail

   Dat means “that” and points back here to the available appointment or afternoon opening mentioned in the context. As a demonstrative pronoun, it refers to a specific thing or situation already identifiable from context; its exact referent comes from the discourse, not from the form alone. komt mij goed uit is a reusable Dutch construction meaning that something is convenient or suitable for someone. The verb is the separable verb uitkomen, whose relevant form here is present-tense singular komt ... uit: komt agrees with the singular subject dat, while the particle uit appears at the end of this main clause. The word mij means “me” and marks the person for whom the arrangement is convenient. Goed means “well” in this construction, rather than describing the appointment itself. Pattern: iets komt iemand goed uit = “something works well for someone” / “something is convenient for someone.” For example: Vrijdag komt me goed uit. — “Friday works well for me.” The shorter pronoun form me is also common in less emphatic use; mij is the form used in the fixed sentence. Together, Dat identifies the proposed opening, and komt mij goed uit says that this option suits the speaker. The whole utterance therefore means: “That works for me.” This is a neutral, reusable way to accept or approve a proposed time or arrangement.

6. Ik kan die middag komen.

   I can come that afternoon.

   Ik kan

   I can

   die

   that

   middag

   afternoon

   komen

   come

   More detail

   Ik kan combines the subject ik (“I”) with the present-tense form kan of kunnen (“can, be able to”). kan is the form used with ik; the infinitive komen comes later in the clause. Here, kan expresses that the speaker is able or available to come. Example: Ik kan morgen komen. — “I can come tomorrow.” die means “that” here. It is the singular demonstrative used with a common-gender noun such as middag (de middag). Dutch also uses die for plural nouns, so its exact use depends on the noun’s number and grammatical gender. Example: Die dag is druk. — “That day is busy.” middag means “afternoon” in this sentence. Its base form is middag, and it is a singular common-gender noun: de middag. Example: De middag begint om één uur. — “The afternoon begins at one o’clock.” komen means “to come.” It is the infinitive after the modal verb kan; the finite verb kan carries the present-tense agreement, while komen remains in the infinitive. Example: Zij kan later komen. — “She can come later.” Together, die middag means “that afternoon.” In the main clause, Ik kan comes first and the infinitive komen appears at the end: Ik kan die middag komen. means “I can come that afternoon.”

7. Ik pas de afspraak aan.

   I will update the appointment.

   pas … aan

   update; adjust

   afspraak

   appointment

   More detail

   pas ... aan is the separated present-tense form of aanpassen, “to adjust” or “to update.” With ik, the verb appears as pas; the particle aan moves to the end of the clause. The Dutch present tense can refer to a future action when the context makes that timing clear, so here Ik pas ... aan is naturally “I will update ...,” as in the fixed translation. Example: Ik pas het plan aan. — “I will adjust the plan.” afspraak means “appointment” here. Its plural is afspraken. The phrase de afspraak refers to one specific appointment; de is the definite article, not part of the quoted word itself. Example: De afspraak staat om drie uur. — “The appointment is at three o’clock.” Together, Ik (“I”) + the separated verb pas ... aan (“will update”) + de afspraak (“the appointment”) gives: “I will update the appointment.”

8. Moet ik dezelfde documenten meenemen?

   Should I bring the same documents?

   Moet ik

   should I

   dezelfde

   the same

   documenten

   documents

   meenemen

   bring along

   More detail

   Moet ik combines moeten (“must/should”) with ik (“I”). Here moet is the present-tense form used with singular ik; in a yes/no question, the finite verb comes before the subject: Moet ik ...? This asks whether the speaker should do the action, without itself asserting that the action will happen. Example: Moet ik wachten? — “Should I wait?” dezelfde means “the same” and identifies the documents as identical to documents already established by the context. Before a plural noun, Dutch uses dezelfde; compare hetzelfde before a singular neuter noun, as in hetzelfde formulier — “the same form.” documenten means “documents.” It is the plural of document; the singular is document and the plural adds -en. The plural form here is also why the phrase refers to more than one document. meenemen means “to bring along” or “take along.” It is a separable verb: in a main clause without a modal, the parts can separate, as in Ik neem de documenten mee. — “I bring the documents along.” After the modal moet, the infinitive meenemen stays together at the end of the question. Together, Moet ik dezelfde documenten meenemen? means “Should I bring the same documents?” The question asks whether the speaker should bring along documents that are the same as the previously relevant ones.

9. Neem alstublieft uw kaart en het ingevulde formulier mee.

   Please bring your card and the completed form.

   Neem … mee

   bring along

   alstublieft

   please

   uw

   your

   kaart

   card

   ingevulde

   completed

   formulier

   form

   More detail

   Neem ... mee is a separable verb construction from meenemen, meaning “to bring/take along.” Neem is the imperative form used for a direct request or instruction; the particle mee appears at the end of this clause. The fixed sentence uses it as a polite instruction to bring the named items. In a normal statement, the parts can appear together in an infinitive: Ik wil het formulier meenemen. — “I want to bring the form along.” alstublieft adds “please” and makes the instruction polite. It is a fixed politeness expression and does not change the grammatical form of Neem. uw means “your” when addressing u, the formal second-person pronoun. It identifies the possessor, not a quantity. This possessive form is used here with both kaart and formulier; it does not change to agree with the number or gender of those nouns. kaart means “card.” It is a noun; its plural is kaarten: twee kaarten — “two cards.” The exact type of card is left to the context. ingevulde means “completed” here. It is the adjective form of the past participle ingevuld, from invullen, “to fill in.” The ending -e appears in het ingevulde formulier because the adjective is placed before a definite noun phrase. The form describes the form as already filled in; it does not mean that someone is filling it in now. formulier means “form.” It is a noun with the article het: het formulier. With en, the two objects are coordinated: uw kaart and het ingevulde formulier. Together, Neem alstublieft uw kaart en het ingevulde formulier mee. means “Please bring your card and the completed form.” The imperative Neem ... mee gives the instruction, alstublieft makes it polite, and the coordinated noun phrases specify the two things to bring. The wording is suitable for a polite administrative request.