Reporting a broken air conditioner | Learn Dutch in English

Dutch lesson set in a contemporary Amsterdam everyday setting: At a hotel reception desk, a guest reports that the room air conditioner is not working and asks about a repair..

EN → NL / Level: A2

About This Lesson

Use Reporting a broken air conditioner to practice Dutch conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

A

De airconditioning in mijn kamer werkt niet.

duh AIR-kon-dee-SEE-oh-ning in mine KAH-mur vayrkt neet. The air conditioner in my room is not working.
B

Het spijt me.

hut SPITE muh. I am sorry about that.
B

Hebt u de afstandsbediening geprobeerd?

hept oo duh AHF-stahnts-buh-DEE-ning guh-proo-VAYRT? Have you tried the remote?
A

Ik heb het geprobeerd.

ik hept ut guh-proo-VAYRT. I tried it.
A

De temperatuur verandert niet.

duh tem-puh-rah-TOOR vuh-RAHND-urt neet. The temperature does not change.
B

Ik stuur iemand om het te controleren.

ik styur EE-mahnt om ut tuh kon-troh-LAY-run. I will send someone to check it.
A

Hoe lang kan de reparatie duren?

hoo lahng kahn duh ray-puh-RAH-tsee DOOR-un? How long might the repair take?
B

Dat weet ik niet zeker.

daht vayt ik neet ZAY-kur. I am not sure.
B

Er kan binnenkort iemand komen.

ur kahn bih-nun-KORT EE-mahnt KOH-mun. Someone can come shortly.
A

Ik wacht in de kamer.

ik vahkht in duh KAH-mur. I will wait in the room.
B

Laat het ons weten als het probleem blijft.

laht ut ons VAY-tun ahls ut proh-BLAYM blyft. Please let us know if the problem continues.

Word by Word

De In “De airconditioning in mijn kamer werkt niet”, De means “the” and introduces the airconditioning being discussed. A useful reuse pattern is De + noun when referring to a particular thing, for example when reporting a problem at a service desk.
airconditioning In “De airconditioning in mijn kamer werkt niet”, airconditioning means “air conditioning” and names the system that is not functioning. You can use it when reporting a problem with the temperature or cooling in a room.
in In “in mijn kamer”, in shows the location where something is. A useful reuse pattern is in + place, such as when saying where an object or problem is; a hotel guest can use it to identify the room involved.
mijn In “mijn kamer”, mijn means “my” and connects the room with the speaker. A useful reuse pattern is mijn + noun when identifying something that belongs to or is associated with you, such as your room at a hotel.
kamer In “mijn kamer”, kamer means “room”. The phrase identifies the hotel room where the airconditioning is located, so it is useful when telling staff which part of a building is involved.
werkt In “werkt niet”, werkt means “works” or “functions”. Together with niet, it reports that the airconditioning is not functioning; a useful reuse pattern is a subject followed by werkt niet when reporting a broken device.
niet In “werkt niet”, niet makes the statement negative, so the airconditioning does not work. The same form is useful after a verb when saying that an action or condition does not happen.
Het spijt me “Het spijt me” is the complete expression for apologizing and means “I am sorry”. Het refers to the thing causing regret, spijt expresses regret, and me identifies the person affected by it; use the whole expression when responding politely to a complaint.
Hebt In “Hebt u de afstandsbediening geprobeerd?”, Hebt means “have” and helps ask whether something has been tried. The full question is a useful formal pattern for asking a guest whether they have tried a particular object or action.
u In “Hebt u de afstandsbediening geprobeerd?”, u means formal “you”. It is used when speaking politely to a guest or customer, especially in a service interaction.
afstandsbediening In “de afstandsbediening”, afstandsbediening means “remote control”, the object the guest may have tried. It is useful when discussing how to operate a television, air conditioner, or another device.
geprobeerd In “Hebt u de afstandsbediening geprobeerd?” and “Ik heb het geprobeerd”, geprobeerd means “tried”. It appears with hebt or heb when saying that someone has tried an object or action; “Ik heb het geprobeerd” is a useful response when confirming that you already tried it.
Ik In “Ik heb het geprobeerd”, Ik means “I” and identifies the speaker as the person who tried the remote. A useful reuse pattern is Ik heb … geprobeerd when reporting your own attempt to solve a problem.
heb In “Ik heb het geprobeerd”, heb means “have” and works with geprobeerd to say that the speaker tried something. The pattern “Ik heb het geprobeerd” is useful when confirming an action to a service worker.
het In “Ik heb het geprobeerd”, het means “it” and refers to the remote control already mentioned. This form is useful when the object is known from the conversation and does not need to be repeated.
temperatuur In “De temperatuur verandert niet”, temperatuur means “temperature”. It names the condition the guest is monitoring, so it is useful when explaining that a heating or cooling setting is not having an effect.
verandert In “verandert niet”, verandert means “changes”. Together with niet, it reports that the temperature stays the same; a useful reuse pattern is a subject followed by verandert niet when describing an unchanged setting or condition.
stuur In “Ik stuur iemand om het te controleren”, stuur means “send” and announces that someone will be sent to inspect the problem. The full pattern is useful when a staff member arranges for another person to help.
iemand In “Ik stuur iemand”, iemand means “someone” and refers to an unspecified person who will help. The dialogue also uses it in “binnenkort iemand komen”, so it is useful when the person’s identity is not important or not yet known.
om In “om het te controleren”, om introduces the purpose of sending someone: the person is sent in order to check the problem. A useful pattern is om … te + verb when explaining why an action is done.
te In “te controleren”, te marks the verb in the purpose construction introduced by om. Together, “om het te controleren” explains that someone is being sent for the purpose of checking it.
controleren In “om het te controleren”, controleren means “check” or “inspect”. It describes what the person sent by reception will do, so it is useful when arranging an inspection of a device or problem.
Hoe In “Hoe lang kan de reparatie duren?”, Hoe means “how” and combines with lang to ask about duration. This question pattern is useful when asking a service worker for an estimate.
lang In “Hoe lang”, lang means “long”, but here the expression asks how much time something will take. The pattern “Hoe lang kan de reparatie duren?” is useful for asking about the expected duration of a repair.
kan In “Hoe lang kan de reparatie duren?”, kan expresses what duration is possible and gives the question the meaning “how long might it take?”. It is useful in questions about what can happen or how long an event may last.
reparatie In “de reparatie”, reparatie means “repair” and names the work needed to fix the airconditioning. It is useful in service conversations when discussing the expected duration or progress of fixing something.
duren In “Hoe lang kan de reparatie duren?”, duren means “take” or “last” in terms of time. The pattern Hoe lang kan … duren? is useful when asking how much time a repair or other event may require.
Dat In “Dat weet ik niet zeker”, Dat means “that” and refers to the answer or estimate being discussed. The full sentence is useful when responding to a question whose answer is uncertain.
weet In “weet ik niet zeker”, weet means “know”. With niet zeker, the speaker says that they do not know the answer with certainty; “Dat weet ik niet zeker” is useful when giving an uncertain estimate.
zeker In “niet zeker”, zeker means “sure” or “certain”. The combination niet zeker shows that the speaker cannot confirm the repair time; it is useful when carefully expressing uncertainty.
Er In “Er kan binnenkort iemand komen”, Er introduces the statement that someone can come. This form is useful at the start of a sentence when saying that a person or thing is available or may arrive.
binnenkort In “Er kan binnenkort iemand komen”, binnenkort means “soon” or “shortly”. It tells the guest that the person may arrive after a short time, so it is useful when giving an approximate near-future time.
komen In “iemand komen”, komen means “come” and describes the person arriving to help. It is useful with a time expression when telling someone that a technician or other person will arrive soon.
wacht In “Ik wacht in de kamer”, wacht means “wait”. The sentence tells reception where the guest will remain while waiting for assistance, and the pattern Ik wacht in … is useful for stating where you will wait.
Laat In “Laat het ons weten”, Laat starts a request meaning “let”. Together with the rest of the expression, it asks the guest to inform the staff if the problem continues; this phrase is useful when asking someone to provide an update.
ons In “Laat het ons weten”, ons means “us” and identifies the people who should receive the information. In this hotel conversation, it refers to the reception staff, so the phrase is useful when asking someone to notify a group.
weten In “Laat het ons weten”, weten means “know”, but in this expression it contributes the meaning “let us know” or “inform us”. The phrase is useful when asking someone to report a later change or update.
als In “als het probleem blijft”, als means “if” and introduces the condition for contacting reception again. This form is useful before a condition that determines what should happen next.
probleem In “het probleem”, probleem means “problem” and refers to the airconditioning fault. The phrase is useful when reporting that a technical issue remains or needs further attention.
blijft In “als het probleem blijft”, blijft means “continues” or “remains”. It says that the problem has not gone away, so the phrase is useful when asking someone to report that an issue is still present.

Grammar Points

het spijt me

Het spijt me.

hut SPITE muh.

I'm sorry about that.

This fixed expression literally uses “het” and “me”; Dutch does not say “I am sorry” in the same structure as English.

blijven + infinitief

De airconditioning blijft werken.

duh AIR-kon-dee-SEE-oh-ning blyft VAIR-kun.

The air conditioning keeps working.

After blijven, use the infinitive to express that an action continues.

Dutch Vocabulary

afstandsbediening noun
AHF-stahnts-buh-DEE-ning remote control

Hebt u de afstandsbediening geprobeerd?

airconditioning noun
AIR-kon-dee-SEE-oh-ning air conditioning

De airconditioning in mijn kamer werkt niet.

controleren verb
kon-troh-LAY-run to check

Ik stuur iemand om het te controleren.

het spijt me phrase
hut SPITE muh I am sorry about that

Het spijt me.

iemand pron
EE-mahnt someone

Ik stuur iemand om het te controleren.

kamer noun
KAH-mur room

De airconditioning in mijn kamer werkt niet.

proberen verb
proh-BAY-run to try geprobeerd

Hebt u de afstandsbediening geprobeerd?

reparatie noun
ray-puh-RAH-tsee repair

Hoe lang kan de reparatie duren?

sturen verb
STYUR-un to send stuur

Ik stuur iemand om het te controleren.

temperatuur noun
tem-puh-rah-TOOR temperature

De temperatuur verandert niet.

veranderen verb
vuh-RAHN-duh-run to change verandert

De temperatuur verandert niet.

werken verb
VAIR-kun to work werkt

De airconditioning in mijn kamer werkt niet.

Quiz

Word Order

Arrange the words in the correct order.

I am sorry about that.

Show AnswerHet spijt me.

Have you tried the remote?

Show AnswerHebt u de afstandsbediening geprobeerd?

I tried it.

Show AnswerIk heb het geprobeerd.

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

to send

Show Answerstuur

to try

Show Answergeprobeerd

room

Show Answerkamer

to change

Show Answerverandert