Apologizing for a damaged borrowed tool | Learn Dutch in English

Sentence explanations

1. Ik moet mijn excuses aanbieden voor wat er met het gereedschap dat ik heb geleend is gebeurd.

   I need to apologize for what happened to the tool I borrowed.

   Ik moet

   I need to

   mijn excuses aanbieden

   apologize

   wat er … is gebeurd

   what happened

   het gereedschap

   the tool

   geleend

   borrowed

   More detail

   Ik moet expresses necessity or strong need: ik is “I,” and moet is the present-tense form of moeten used with ik. The pattern ik moet + infinitive is reusable for “I need to/must …”; the infinitive comes afterward, as in Ik moet werken (“I need to work”). mijn excuses aanbieden is the Dutch expression for “to apologize,” literally using aanbieden (“offer”) with mijn excuses (“my apologies”). Aanbieden is the infinitive here because it follows moet. The same pattern can be reused with another action after moet, but excuses aanbieden is the established expression for apologizing. wat er ... is gebeurd introduces “what happened.” wat means “what,” while er is a grammatical element commonly used in this kind of “what happened” clause; it does not need a separate English word. gebeurd is the past participle of gebeuren (“happen”), and is gebeurd is the perfect form meaning “has happened” or, in this context, “happened.” A reusable question is Wat is er gebeurd? (“What happened?”), as in the bounded context. het gereedschap means “the tool.” gereedschap is a neuter Dutch noun, so its definite article is het; the article choice is grammatical, not a statement about quantity. In another sentence, een stuk gereedschap can mean “a tool” or “a piece of equipment,” while gereedschap can also refer to tools collectively. geleend is the past participle of lenen (“borrow”). In dat ik heb geleend, dat introduces a relative clause, ik is its subject, and heb geleend forms the perfect: “I have borrowed.” The borrowed item is understood from the relative clause and is the tool mentioned in the sentence. The participle is geleend, not a form derived from a different verb. Together, het gereedschap dat ik heb geleend means “the tool that I borrowed.” The relative clause identifies which tool is meant. voor wat er met het gereedschap dat ik heb geleend is gebeurd means “for what happened to the tool I borrowed”: met marks the item involved in what happened. The complete utterance combines this with Ik moet mijn excuses aanbieden to mean “I need to apologize for what happened to the tool I borrowed.”

2. Wat is ermee gebeurd?

   What happened to it?

   Wat

   what

   ermee

   with it / to it

   gebeurd

   happened

   More detail

   Wat means “what” here: it asks for information about an unspecified thing or event. It is the question-word form used when asking about a thing, not a person. Example: Wat zie je? — “What do you see?” ermee is a pronominal adverb: er + mee (“with it”). With gebeuren met, Dutch uses this combination for “happen to it.” The er part refers to an already identifiable thing without repeating its noun. Example: Wat doe je ermee? — “What are you doing with it?” gebeurd is the past participle of gebeuren, “to happen.” The form gebeuren is the infinitive; gebeurd is used here with the auxiliary is in the perfect construction is gebeurd. Unlike a verb describing an intentional action by a person, gebeuren describes an event taking place. Example: Er is iets gebeurd. — “Something happened.” The word order is a Dutch question pattern: Wat comes first, followed by the finite auxiliary is; ermee identifies the affected thing, and gebeurd completes the perfect verb phrase. Together, Wat is ermee gebeurd? means “What happened to it?” The fixed translation leaves the specific referent as “it”; the surrounding context concerns an object and what happened to it.

3. Het handvat is gebarsten terwijl ik het gebruikte.

   The handle cracked while I was using it.

   Het

   the

   handvat

   handle

   is

   is

   gebarsten

   cracked

   terwijl

   while

   ik

   I

   het

   it

   gebruikte

   was using

   More detail

   Het is the definite article “the.” Here it is the neuter singular form used with handvat, a neuter noun. Dutch uses de with common-gender nouns and with plural nouns, and het with neuter singular nouns. Example: het raam — “the window.” handvat means “handle,” the part used to hold or open something. Its plural is handvatten. Example: Het handvat is los. — “The handle is loose.” is gebarsten expresses that the handle cracked. gebarsten is the past participle of barsten (“to crack”), and is is the present-tense form of zijn (“to be”) used as the auxiliary. Together they form the Dutch perfect construction, which can correspond to English “has cracked” or, as in the fixed translation, “cracked.” Do not treat is alone as meaning “cracked”; that meaning comes from the combination is gebarsten. terwijl introduces a subordinate clause meaning “while,” linking events that overlap in time. In this clause, the finite verb comes at the end: terwijl ik het gebruikte. ik is the first-person singular subject pronoun, “I.” It identifies the person carrying out the action in the subordinate clause. Example: Ik kijk. — “I am looking.” The second het is a pronoun, not the article. Here, the fixed translation identifies it as “it,” referring to the handle. As a neuter singular object pronoun, het can refer back to a neuter singular thing. Example: Ik pak het. — “I take it.” gebruikte means “was using” here. It is the simple past form of gebruiken (“to use”); with ik, it marks a past action. In terwijl ik het gebruikte, the ongoing use provides the time during which the cracking occurred. Example: Ik gebruikte het mes. — “I was using the knife.” Together, Het handvat means “the handle,” and is gebarsten states that it cracked. The clause terwijl ik het gebruikte adds that this happened while the speaker was using it. The complete meaning is: “The handle cracked while I was using it.”

4. Laat me kijken hoe erg de schade is.

   Let me see how bad the damage is.

   Laat me

   let me

   kijken

   look; see

   hoe erg

   how bad

   schade

   damage

   is

   is

   More detail

   Laat me is a reusable way to ask or allow yourself to do something: literally, “let me …”. Laat is the imperative of laten (“to let; to have/allow”), and me is the object pronoun referring to the speaker. The following infinitive completes the pattern: Laat me + infinitive. Example: Laat me helpen. — “Let me help.” kijken is the infinitive of kijken, “to look” or “to see.” After Laat me, it stays in the infinitive: Laat me kijken means “Let me see.” The choice between kijken and zien depends on the intended action: kijken focuses on looking, while zien focuses more on seeing or noticing. Here kijken introduces an examination of the damage. hoe erg asks about degree: “how bad” or “how severe.” erg can mean “bad,” “severe,” or “very,” depending on its use; here it describes the degree of a problem. The pattern hoe + adjective asks how strongly a quality applies. Example: Hoe groot is het? — “How big is it?” schade is the noun “damage.” In the full phrase de schade, de marks this as a definite noun phrase, “the damage.” The noun is not marked for number in this form: schade can refer to damage as an uncountable amount, while plural schades is possible when referring to separate kinds or cases of damage. is is the present-tense third-person singular form of zijn, “to be.” The subject here is de schade, so the singular form is used. The form chain is zijn (infinitive) → is (present, third-person singular). Example: De schade is groot. — “The damage is serious.” The final part, hoe erg de schade is, is a dependent clause meaning “how bad the damage is.” In this clause, hoe erg asks for the degree, de schade is what is being evaluated, and is completes the meaning of “be.” Dutch places the finite verb at the end of this dependent clause, unlike the main-clause order in De schade is groot. Together, Laat me kijken (“Let me see”) and hoe erg de schade is (“how bad the damage is”) produce: “Let me see how bad the damage is.”

5. Ik kan het vervangen of helpen om het te repareren.

   I can replace it or help repair it.

   Ik kan

   I can

   het

   it

   vervangen

   replace

   of

   or

   helpen

   help

   om … te

   to

   repareren

   repair

   More detail

   Ik kan combines ik (“I”) with kan, the present-tense form of kunnen (“can; be able to”) for a first-person singular subject. Dutch normally places the other verb in the infinitive after this modal: Ik kan komen = “I can come.” Here, kan expresses ability or possibility, while the specific action follows. het is the Dutch singular neuter object pronoun meaning “it” in this sentence. Its grammatical form is separate from the exact thing it refers to; the fixed translation identifies that thing only as “it,” without specifying it further. The same form can also function as a neuter article in other contexts, but here it is an object pronoun because it receives the actions. vervangen is the infinitive “to replace.” Dutch uses this same infinitive after kan; it does not take a person ending here. Example: Ik kan de lamp vervangen. — “I can replace the lamp.” In the fixed sentence, het vervangen means replacing the already mentioned or understood item. of means “or” and joins the two possible actions. It presents an alternative rather than adding both actions as required. helpen is the infinitive “to help.” After kan, it remains in the infinitive: Ik kan helpen = “I can help.” The following material specifies what the help involves. om ... te is a construction used with an infinitive to introduce a purpose or specified action. The two parts belong together even though another word can occur between them: om het te repareren = “to repair it.” In this sentence, om follows helpen, and te directly precedes the infinitive repareren. repareren is the infinitive “to repair.” The pattern iets repareren means “to repair something,” with the object before the infinitive here: het te repareren. Example: Zij probeert de fiets te repareren. — “She is trying to repair the bicycle.” Taken together, Ik kan het vervangen means “I can replace it,” and of helpen om het te repareren adds the alternative “or help repair it.” The modal kan governs both infinitives, vervangen and helpen; within the second alternative, helpen om ... te repareren specifies the repair help. The complete utterance therefore means: “I can replace it or help repair it.”

6. We moeten kijken of de reparatie goed blijft.

   We should check whether a repair will hold.

   We moeten

   we should

   kijken

   check; look

   of

   whether; if

   reparatie

   repair

   goed

   well; good

   blijft

   holds; stays

   More detail

   We moeten means “we should” here. moeten is the base form of the modal verb meaning “must/need to”; with subject we, the present-tense form is moeten. A useful pattern is we moeten + infinitive: We moeten wachten. — “We should wait.” The infinitive after this modal is kijken, not a second finite verb. kijken means “to look” or, in this construction, “to check.” Its base form is kijken; after moeten, it remains an infinitive. We moeten kijken. means “We should check.” of introduces the clause being checked: “whether” here. The reusable pattern is kijken of + clause, as in Ik kijk of de deur dicht is. — “I’ll check whether the door is closed.” In this sentence, of does not mean “or”; that coordinating meaning appears in alternatives such as vervangen of helpen in the preceding context. reparatie is the noun “repair.” The form in the sentence is de reparatie, with the definite article de. The noun can refer to the repair itself or the repair work, depending on context. Example: De reparatie duurt lang. — “The repair is taking a long time.” goed means “well” in this clause, describing the condition or performance of the repair. Its basic adjective meaning is “good.” Dutch adjectives can also be compared with beter (“better”) and best (“best”), but goed here is not a comparison; it simply says that the repair continues satisfactorily. blijft is the present-tense form of blijven, “to stay” or “to remain.” With singular subject de reparatie, the form is blijft; with we, for example, it is blijven. In goed blijven, the meaning is “to continue to be good” or “to hold up.” Example: De oplossing blijft goed werken. — “The solution continues to work well.” Together, kijken of introduces what is being checked: of de reparatie goed blijft, “whether the repair will hold.” The full utterance therefore means “We should check whether a repair will hold.”

7. Het spijt me dat ik extra werk heb veroorzaakt.

   I am sorry for causing extra work.

   Het spijt me

   I am sorry

   extra

   extra

   werk

   work

   veroorzaakt

   caused

   More detail

   Het spijt me is a fixed Dutch way to say “I am sorry.” In this construction, me identifies the person who feels sorry; the expression is not a general pattern for translating every use of “sorry.” Example: Het spijt me. — “I’m sorry.” extra means “additional” or “more than expected.” It modifies werk here, so extra werk means “additional work.” As an adjective, extra normally keeps this form in this use. Example: We hebben extra tijd nodig. — “We need extra time.” werk is the noun “work.” It is commonly used as an uncountable noun for work in general or a quantity of tasks, as in extra werk. Example: Dit werk duurt lang. — “This work takes a long time.” veroorzaakt comes from the verb veroorzaken, “to cause.” It is the past participle used with the auxiliary heb in heb veroorzaakt to express a completed cause: “have caused.” The clause subject is ik, so the speaker says that they caused the work. Example: Dat heeft vertraging veroorzaakt. — “That has caused a delay.” The clause dat ik extra werk heb veroorzaakt means “that I have caused additional work.” In this subordinate clause, the finite auxiliary heb comes before the past participle veroorzaakt, and the two verb forms occur together at the end. Combined with Het spijt me, the complete utterance means “I am sorry for causing extra work.” The sentence expresses the speaker’s regret about additional work they caused; it does not specify how much work or exactly whom it affected.

8. Zeg het me de volgende keer meteen.

   Tell me right away next time.

   Zeg

   tell

   het

   it

   me

   me

   volgende

   next

   keer

   time

   meteen

   right away

   More detail

   Zeg is the imperative of zeggen (“to say” or “to tell”). The form addresses the listener directly; the subject is understood rather than stated. For a reusable command, compare Zeg het! (“Tell it!”) with the non-imperative form Je zegt het (“You say/tell it”). het is the Dutch neuter singular pronoun “it.” Here it refers to whatever information or matter is to be told; the sentence does not identify that referent more specifically. Dutch het can also be the neuter singular definite article, but in this sentence it is a pronoun because it functions as the object of Zeg. me is the unstressed object form meaning “me.” In this construction, Zeg het me means “Tell it to me.” The stressed form is mij, used when the contrast or emphasis is important: Zeg het mij can mean “Tell it to me” with emphasis on the recipient. volgende means “next” or “following” here. It is the -e form of the adjective volgend, and it agrees with the noun phrase de volgende keer. This is not a verb form in the sentence. A useful contrast is de vorige keer (“the previous time”) versus de volgende keer (“the next time”). keer is a noun meaning “time” in the sense of an occasion or occurrence. In de volgende keer, the complete noun phrase means “next time.” Dutch also uses keer for a number of occurrences, as in drie keer (“three times”); that numerical meaning is different from its use here. meteen is an adverb meaning “right away” or “immediately.” It modifies the telling action, so it says that the telling should happen without delay. A related example is Kom meteen! — “Come right away!” Together, Zeg het me gives the command “Tell me,” de volgende keer adds the time reference “next time,” and meteen specifies “right away.” The whole utterance therefore means: “Tell me right away next time.”

9. We kunnen het oplossen.

   We can sort it out.

   We kunnen

   we can

   het

   it

   oplossen

   sort out; solve

   More detail

   We kunnen combines the subject pronoun we with the present-tense modal verb kunnen (“can; be able to”). With we, kunnen is the present plural form; the same form is also used with jullie and zij, while singular forms include ik kan (“I can”) and hij/zij kan (“he/she can”). After a modal verb, the other verb normally remains in the infinitive at the end of the clause. Example: We kunnen morgen vertrekken. — “We can leave tomorrow.” Het is the Dutch neuter singular personal pronoun used here as the object pronoun “it.” Its specific referent is supplied by the situation, not by the form itself. Dutch het can also be the definite article “the” before a neuter singular noun, but in this utterance it stands independently as an object pronoun. Oplossen is the infinitive meaning “to solve” or “to sort out.” It is a separable verb: without a modal, its parts separate in a main clause, as in We lossen het op. — “We solve it / sort it out.” With kunnen, the infinitive remains together at the end: We kunnen het oplossen. Together, we kunnen expresses the speakers’ ability or possibility, het refers to the thing being dealt with, and oplossen names the action. The complete utterance therefore means “We can sort it out.” This is a reusable way to say that the speakers can resolve a problem or matter.