Apologizing for changing plans | Learn Dutch in English

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Use Apologizing for changing plans to practice Dutch conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

Het spijt me, ik moet ons plan veranderen.

hət SPAYT muh, ik MOOT ons plahn vər-AHN-də-rən. I'm sorry, I need to change our plan.

Fijn dat je het me vertelde voordat ik vertrok.

FINE daht yuh ət muh vər-TEL-də VOOHR-daht ik vər-TROHK. I'm glad you told me before I left.

Er kwam iets onverwachts tussen.

ər KWAHM eets on-vər-WAHKHTS TUS-sən. Something unexpected came up.

Dat is prima. We kunnen een andere dag kiezen.

daht is PREE-mah. wuh KUN-nən uh AHN-də-rə dahkh KEE-zən. That's all right. We can choose another day.

Zou later deze week voor jou uitkomen?

ZOW LAH-tər DAY-zə wake voor YOW OWT-koh-mən? Would later this week work for you?

Later deze week is goed voor mij.

LAH-tər DAY-zə wake is KHOOT voor MAY. Later this week is fine for me.

Ik kan je het nieuwe plan sturen.

ik KAHN yuh ət NEE-oo-wuh plahn STYUR-ən. I can send you the new plan.

Dat helpt me om mijn planning aan te passen.

daht HELPT muh om MAYN PLAH-nink ahn tuh PAH-sən. That helps me adjust my schedule.

Word by Word

Het In Het spijt me, Het is part of the fixed Dutch expression for apologizing. Learn it together with spijt me rather than interpreting it separately as “the” or “it” here.

spijt In Het spijt me, spijt expresses regret and forms part of the apology “I’m sorry.” The whole expression Het spijt me is useful when apologizing for a problem or change.

me In Het spijt me, me refers to the person who feels regret. This exact form completes the fixed apology expression and is used with Het spijt.

ik ik means “I” and identifies the speaker as the person who needs to change the plan. It is used before the verb in Ik moet ons plan veranderen.

moet moet expresses that the speaker needs to do something. Here it is followed by the infinitive veranderen, as in ik moet ... veranderen.

ons ons means “our” and shows that the plan belongs to the speaker and the other person. It comes before the noun in ons plan.

plan plan means “plan,” referring here to the arrangement they made. A reusable pattern is ons plan veranderen, “change our plan.”

veranderen veranderen means “to change” and describes what the speaker needs to do to the plan. It stays in this infinitive form after moet.

Fijn In Fijn dat je het me vertelde, Fijn expresses that the speaker is pleased or glad about the information. The pattern Fijn dat ... introduces something positive that happened.

dat dat introduces the clause explaining what is pleasing: dat je het me vertelde. It connects Fijn with the following statement.

je je means “you” and identifies the person who told the speaker. It appears before vertelde in je het me vertelde.

vertelde vertelde means “told” in this dialogue and describes the earlier act of giving information. It is used with the person told and the information in je het me vertelde.

voordat voordat means “before” and introduces the event that had not happened yet when the information was given. It connects vertelde with the clause voordat ik vertrok.

vertrok vertrok means “left” or “departed” and refers to the speaker leaving. It appears after ik in the clause voordat ik vertrok.

Er In Er kwam iets onverwachts tussen, Er introduces the fact that something came up. This form is common at the start of a sentence describing something that appears or happens.

kwam kwam means “came” and contributes the idea that something came up or intervened. Here it is used in the pattern Er kwam iets ... tussen.

iets iets means “something” and refers to an unspecified event or problem. It can be used before a description, as in iets onverwachts.

onverwachts onverwachts describes iets as unexpected. Together, iets onverwachts means “something unexpected,” such as an unforeseen problem that affects a plan.

tussen In Er kwam iets onverwachts tussen, tussen contributes the idea that something came in the way or interfered. The expression er kwam iets tussen is useful when an unexpected event disrupts an arrangement.

is is links Dat with the description prima in Dat is prima. It states that the situation is acceptable.

prima prima means “fine” or “all right” in Dat is prima. This is a practical response when accepting a change or saying that a problem is not serious.

We We means “we” and refers to the two people acting together. It is the subject of We kunnen een andere dag kiezen.

kunnen kunnen expresses that the speakers are able or willing to choose another day. It is followed by the infinitive kiezen.

een een introduces dag as one available day, giving the meaning “another day.” It comes before a singular noun in een andere dag.

andere andere means “another” or “different” and specifies that the day will not be the originally planned one. It appears before dag in een andere dag.

dag dag means “day” and refers to the alternative day they may select. A reusable pattern is een andere dag kiezen.

kiezen kiezen means “to choose” and describes selecting the alternative day. It remains in the infinitive form after kunnen.

Zou Zou makes the question polite and tentative: Zou later deze week voor jou uitkomen? It asks whether a suggested time would suit the other person.

later later means “later” and places the possible meeting time after the current or earlier time. In later deze week, it comes before the time phrase.

deze deze means “this” and points to the current week. It appears directly before week in later deze week.

week week means “week” and identifies the time period being discussed. The phrase later deze week means “later this week.”

voor voor means “for” in voor jou and identifies the person whose availability is being considered. It is used here with a person rather than with the meaning “before.”

jou jou means “you” after voor and identifies the person who may find the proposed time suitable. The phrase voor jou is reusable when asking whether something suits someone.

uitkomen In voor jou uitkomen, uitkomen means “to work out” or “to suit” in relation to a time. The pattern [a time] voor jou uitkomen asks whether that time is convenient for you.

goed goed means “good” or “fine” in Later deze week is goed voor mij, where it confirms that the proposed time is acceptable. The pattern [a time] is goed voor mij expresses that the time suits the speaker.

mij mij means “me” after voor and identifies the person for whom the time is acceptable. It appears in the phrase goed voor mij.

kan kan expresses that the speaker is able or willing to send something. It is followed by the infinitive sturen in Ik kan je het nieuwe plan sturen.

nieuwe nieuwe means “new” and describes the plan that replaces or updates the earlier one. It appears before plan in het nieuwe plan.

sturen sturen means “to send” and describes the action the speaker can perform. The reusable pattern is iemand iets sturen, as in je het nieuwe plan sturen.

helpt helpt means “helps” and says that receiving the plan makes the next action easier. Here Dat is the subject in Dat helpt me om mijn planning aan te passen.

om om introduces the purpose or action connected with helpt in om mijn planning aan te passen. The pattern helpt me om ... expresses that something helps me do a particular action.

mijn mijn means “my” and shows that the planning belongs to the speaker. It comes before planning in mijn planning.

planning planning means “schedule” or “planning” and is the thing that will be adjusted. In mijn planning aan te passen, it is the object of the adjustment.

aan In aan te passen, aan is part of the verb aanpassen and contributes the meaning “adjust” or “adapt.” Keep it with passen when using this expression.

te te marks the infinitive construction in aan te passen after om. It links the purpose with the action of adjusting the schedule.

passen In aan te passen, passen is part of aanpassen, meaning “to adjust” or “to adapt.” The reusable pattern om ... aan te passen describes changing something so it fits a new situation.

Grammar Points

iets onverwachts

iets onverwachts

eets on-vər-WAHKHTS

something unexpected

After iets, an adjective often takes the ending -s: onverwacht becomes onverwachts.

aan te passen

mijn planning aan te passen

MAYN PLAH-nink ahn tuh PAH-sən

to adjust my schedule

The separable verb aanpassen uses te between aan and passen in the infinitive: aan te passen.

Dutch Vocabulary

fijn adj

FAYN nice; good

Fijn dat je het me vertelde.

het spijt me phrase

hət SPAYT muh I'm sorry

Het spijt me, ik moet ons plan veranderen.

iets pron

eets something

Er kwam iets onverwachts tussen.

komen verb

KOH-mən to come kwam

Er kwam iets onverwachts tussen.

ons det

ohns our

ons plan

onverwacht adj

on-vər-WAHKHT unexpected onverwachts

iets onverwachts

plan noun

plahn plan

ons plan

tussen adv

TUS-sən in between; in the way

Er kwam iets onverwachts tussen.

veranderen verb

vər-AHN-də-rən to change

Ik moet ons plan veranderen.

vertellen verb

vər-TEL-ən to tell vertelde

je het me vertelde

vertrekken verb

vər-TREK-ən to leave; to depart vertrok

voordat ik vertrok

voordat conj

VOOHR-daht before

voordat ik vertrok

Quiz

Word Order

Arrange the words in the correct order.

Something unexpected came up.

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Er kwam iets onverwachts tussen.

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

to leave; to depart

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vertrok

before

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voordat

plan

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plan

to change

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veranderen