Discussing a repair with the landlord | Learn Dutch in English

Sentence explanations

1. De kraan in de badkamer lekt weer, ook al heb ik hem gisteren aangedraaid.

   The bathroom tap is leaking again, even after I tightened it yesterday.

   kraan

   tap

   in

   in

   badkamer

   bathroom

   lekt

   is leaking

   weer

   again

   ook al

   even after

   heb ik

   I have

   hem

   it

   gisteren

   yesterday

   aangedraaid

   tightened

   More detail

   kraan means “tap” here. It is a noun used with the definite article de: de kraan = “the tap.” Dutch nouns with de are common-gender nouns; the article itself does not indicate whether there is one tap or more than one. in introduces the location, and de badkamer means “the bathroom.” Together, in de badkamer means “in the bathroom.” Example: De handdoek ligt in de badkamer. — “The towel is in the bathroom.” lekt comes from lekken, “to leak.” It is the present-tense form for a singular third-person subject: de kraan lekt = “the tap is leaking.” The form describes an ongoing leak; it is not the same as a simple noun meaning “leak.” weer means “again.” It indicates that the leaking is happening another time, without by itself specifying how many earlier times it happened. ook al introduces a concessive clause: it presents something that would normally make the main statement unexpected. In this sentence, the natural meaning is “even after,” while a more general translation can be “even though.” heb ik contains the first-person singular present form heb of hebben, “to have,” followed by ik, “I.” In the clause introduced by ook al, the finite verb comes before the subject: ook al heb ik ... = “even after I have ...” or, for this completed past event, “even after I ... yesterday.” hem is the singular object form of the personal pronoun used here for the tap, meaning “it.” In Dutch, hem is used for a masculine or common-gender singular referent; it is not exclusively a masculine form. Here the fixed translation identifies the referent as the tap. The pronoun is the object of the tightening action, not its subject. gisteren means “yesterday,” placing the tightening in the day before the speaking time. Example: Ik heb haar gisteren gebeld. — “I called her yesterday.” aangedraaid is the past participle of the separable verb aandraaien, “to tighten” or “to turn tighter.” With heb it forms the Dutch perfect: ik heb hem aangedraaid = “I tightened it.” The form is aangedraaid, not a form of draaien alone; the prefix aan- is part of the verb here. Putting the parts together, De kraan in de badkamer lekt weer means “The tap in the bathroom is leaking again.” ook al heb ik hem gisteren aangedraaid adds the contrast that the speaker tightened that tap yesterday, yet it is leaking again. The complete meaning is: “The bathroom tap is leaking again, even after I tightened it yesterday.”

2. Omdat dit steeds weer gebeurt, kunnen we waarschijnlijk beter contact opnemen met de verhuurder.

   Since it keeps happening, we should probably contact the landlord.

   Omdat

   because

   dit

   this

   steeds weer

   again and again

   gebeurt

   happens

   kunnen we

   we can

   waarschijnlijk

   probably

   beter

   better

   contact opnemen

   contact someone

   verhuurder

   landlord

   More detail

   Omdat introduces a reason clause: “because” or “since.” In this clause, the finite verb comes at the end, so gebeurt follows the subject dit. Example: Omdat het regent, blijf ik thuis. — “Because it is raining, I stay home.” Dit means “this” and here points to the situation being discussed. As a demonstrative, dit is used with a singular neuter het-word or with a situation treated as “this”; deze is the common contrast for a singular de-word and for plurals. Example: Dit gebeurt vaak. — “This happens often.” Steeds weer means that something recurs repeatedly: “again and again” or “over and over.” In this sentence it describes a continuing recurrence, not one isolated event. Example: Hij maakt steeds weer dezelfde fout. — “He keeps making the same mistake.” Gebeurt is the present-tense third-person singular form of gebeuren, “to happen.” Its singular form agrees with dit: dit gebeurt; with a plural subject, use gebeuren, as in Die dingen gebeuren vaak — “Those things often happen.” Kunnen we combines present-tense plural kunnen (“can” or “be able to”) with the subject we (“we”). Because kunnen is a modal verb, the other verb appears as an infinitive later in the clause. With beter, this combination can express a recommendation: We kunnen beter wachten. — “We’d better wait.” Waarschijnlijk is the adverb “probably.” It marks the recommendation as likely rather than completely certain. Example: Waarschijnlijk komt hij morgen. — “He will probably come tomorrow.” Beter is the comparative form of goed: goed — “good,” beter — “better,” best — “best.” Here it is not necessarily comparing two explicitly named options; in kunnen ... beter it means that the proposed action is the preferable course. Example: Je kunt beter bellen. — “You’d better call.” Contact opnemen is a fixed verb expression meaning “to get in touch” or “to contact.” It is normally followed by met plus the person or organization contacted. In a finite clause, the separable verb element appears as op: We nemen contact op met de verhuurder. — “We contact the landlord.” After the modal kunnen, the infinitive contact opnemen remains together at the end of the clause. Verhuurder means “landlord”: the person or organization renting out a property. A useful contrast is huurder, “tenant,” the person renting it. Example: De verhuurder stuurt een bericht. — “The landlord sends a message.” Together, Omdat dit steeds weer gebeurt gives the reason: “Since this keeps happening.” The main clause starts with kunnen we; because the reason clause comes first, the finite verb comes before the subject. Waarschijnlijk beter makes the suggestion cautious but favorable, and contact opnemen met de verhuurder specifies the recommended action and its recipient. The complete meaning is: “Since it keeps happening, we should probably contact the landlord.”

3. Ik kan een foto sturen en uitleggen dat een tijdelijke reparatie niet heeft gewerkt.

   I can send a photo and explain that a temporary repair did not work.

   Ik kan

   I can

   foto

   photo

   sturen

   send

   uitleggen

   explain

   tijdelijke

   temporary

   reparatie

   repair

   niet

   not

   gewerkt

   worked

   More detail

   Ik kan combines the subject pronoun ik (“I”) with kan, the present form of kunnen for “I can.” Here it expresses ability or possibility. A useful pattern is Ik kan + infinitive: “I can …” foto means “photo.” In een foto, een is an indefinite article, so the phrase presents a photo as an unspecified item; it does not by itself assert a numerical count. Example: Ik zie een foto. — “I see a photo.” sturen is the infinitive “to send.” It follows the modal verb kan, and Dutch uses the infinitive without te after this kind of modal. Example: Ik kan een bericht sturen. — “I can send a message.” uitleggen is the infinitive “to explain.” It is coordinated with sturen by en, so the same kan applies to both actions: “can send and explain.” Uitleggen is a separable verb; in a finite independent clause it can appear as ik leg ... uit, while the infinitive remains uitleggen. Example: Ik leg het probleem uit. — “I explain the problem.” tijdelijke is the adjective “temporary,” describing reparatie. Its base form is tijdelijk; the -e form is used here before the singular common-gender de-noun reparatie. Example: een tijdelijke oplossing — “a temporary solution.” reparatie means “repair.” It is the noun being described by tijdelijke, giving “temporary repair.” Example: De reparatie is klaar. — “The repair is finished.” niet means “not.” It negates the following proposition rather than changing the meaning of just reparatie: the repair did not work. gewerkt is the past participle of werken, “to work.” In this sentence, werken means “function” or “be effective,” not simply “perform labor.” The perfect construction is heeft gewerkt: the auxiliary heeft plus the participle gewerkt; niet makes it negative. Although the Dutch auxiliary is present-tense, this construction is naturally translated with English past time here. Example: De oplossing heeft niet gewerkt. — “The solution did not work.” Together, Ik kan introduces two coordinated actions, een foto sturen and uitleggen. The explanation contains a dat-clause whose subject is een tijdelijke reparatie; niet heeft gewerkt says that this repair was ineffective. The complete meaning is: “I can send a photo and explain that a temporary repair did not work.”

4. Vermeld dat er water wordt verspild en dat het aanrecht nat wordt.

   Mention that water is being wasted and the counter is getting wet.

   Vermeld

   mention

   dat

   that

   water

   water

   wordt verspild

   is being wasted

   aanrecht

   counter

   nat

   wet

   wordt

   becomes; forms a passive

   More detail

   Vermeld is the imperative of vermelden, “to mention” or “to state.” It addresses the listener directly: Vermeld ... = “Mention ...”. dat introduces the content being mentioned. Dutch uses this conjunction to connect a statement after verbs such as vermelden, zeggen, and uitleggen. The first dat begins the first reported clause, and the second dat begins the parallel second clause. water means “water.” In this sense it is normally an uncountable noun, so Dutch commonly uses it without an article for water generally or an unspecified amount. Example: Ik drink water. — “I drink water.” wordt verspild means “is being wasted.” Verspild is the past participle of verspillen, “to waste,” and wordt is the present-tense passive auxiliary. Water is presented as what undergoes the wasting, without naming who wastes it. Compare active Iemand verspilt water — “Someone wastes water” — with passive Water wordt verspild — “Water is being wasted.” aanrecht means “counter” in the kitchen-counter sense. It is a neuter noun, normally used with het: het aanrecht. Example: Het aanrecht is schoon. — “The counter is clean.” nat means “wet.” Here it is a predicate adjective describing the condition of het aanrecht; it is not an inflected past participle. Example: De vloer wordt nat. — “The floor is getting wet.” The second wordt, in nat wordt, is the present form of worden, “to become” or “to get.” With the singular subject het aanrecht, this form marks a change into the condition expressed by nat, unlike the passive use in wordt verspild. In this subordinate clause, the finite verb appears at the end, after nat. The first clause is dat er water wordt verspild. Here er is an existential or presentational word that helps introduce water as what is being wasted; it is not itself the passive marker. The passive is formed by wordt verspild. The second clause is dat het aanrecht nat wordt: het refers to the counter identified in the fixed translation, and nat wordt says that it is becoming wet. The conjunction en coordinates the two clauses, while the repeated dat introduces each one. The whole utterance means: “Mention that water is being wasted and that the counter is getting wet.”

5. Zullen we zeggen dat we het probleem niet zelf hebben veroorzaakt?

   Should we say that we did not cause the problem ourselves?

   Zullen we

   shall we

   zeggen

   say

   dat

   that

   probleem

   problem

   niet

   not

   zelf

   ourselves

   hebben veroorzaakt

   have caused

   More detail

   Zullen we is a reusable way to make a suggestion or proposal. Zullen is the present-tense form of zullen with we; in this question it corresponds to “shall we,” rather than simply describing a future event. Example: Zullen we beginnen? — “Shall we begin?” zeggen is the infinitive “to say.” After zullen, Dutch uses the infinitive: Zullen we wachten? — “Shall we wait?” The subject we belongs to both the proposal and the following clause here. dat introduces the content of what is being proposed: “that …”. It is a conjunction in this use, not the demonstrative “that” referring to an object. A common pattern is zeggen dat + clause, as in Ik zeg dat hij komt. — “I say that he is coming.” probleem means “problem.” The usual definite noun phrase is het probleem; probleem is a neuter noun, so it takes the definite article het. Example: Het probleem is duidelijk. — “The problem is clear.” niet negates the event in the subordinate clause: the people described by we did not cause the problem. It is different from geen, which is normally used to negate an indefinite noun phrase, as in We hebben geen probleem. — “We have no problem.” zelf emphasizes the subject we: “ourselves” or “personally.” It does not introduce a new participant; it highlights that the same people represented by we caused—or, under the negation, did not cause—the problem. Example: We hebben het zelf gedaan. — “We did it ourselves.” hebben veroorzaakt is the Dutch perfect construction for “have caused” or, in this context, “caused.” Hebben is the present-tense auxiliary used with we, and veroorzaakt is the past participle of veroorzaken, “to cause.” Dutch places the auxiliary before the past participle in this subordinate clause: dat we het probleem hebben veroorzaakt — “that we have caused the problem.” With niet, the event is negated: dat we het probleem niet hebben veroorzaakt — “that we did not cause the problem.” Together, Zullen we zeggen asks whether the speakers should state something. dat introduces the statement, and we het probleem niet zelf hebben veroorzaakt says that the speakers did not cause the problem themselves. The complete meaning is: “Should we say that we did not cause the problem ourselves?”

6. Zet dat duidelijk in het bericht, maar houd de toon rustig.

   Include that clearly, but keep the tone calm.

   Zet

   include / put

   dat

   that

   duidelijk

   clearly

   bericht

   message

   maar

   but

   houd

   keep

   toon

   tone

   rustig

   calm

   More detail

   Zet is the imperative of zetten (“to put”); in this sentence it means putting information into a written message, hence “include.” The imperative addresses one person and uses the bare verb form: Zet dat in het bericht. — “Put that in the message.” dat means “that.” Here it refers to the content being discussed, rather than identifying a specific noun. Dutch dat can also be a demonstrative for a singular neuter noun, as in dat bericht (“that message”), but that is not the role it has in this sentence. duidelijk means “clearly.” It is an adjective whose form is also commonly used adverbially, so it can describe how an action is carried out: Leg het duidelijk uit. — “Explain it clearly.” The position here makes it describe the way the content should be put into the message. bericht means “message.” Its base form is bericht; the singular definite form is het bericht, and the plural is berichten: Ik lees het bericht. — “I am reading the message.” maar means “but” and connects two instructions with a contrast: include the content clearly, but maintain a calm tone. houd is the imperative of houden (“to keep” or “to hold”). In houd de toon rustig, it means “keep [something] [in a state].” The present-tense form for jij is houdt, but the imperative is houd: Houd de deur open. — “Keep the door open.” toon means “tone” in this context, specifically the manner or emotional quality conveyed by the message. It is a common-gender noun: de toon; its plural is tonen. rustig means “calm” here. It describes the state in which the tone should remain. After houden in this pattern, the adjective appears as an uninflected complement: Houd je stem rustig. — “Keep your voice calm.” Together, Zet dat duidelijk in het bericht says to include the discussed content clearly in the message. maar houd de toon rustig adds the contrasting instruction to keep the message’s tone calm. The whole utterance is therefore: “Include that clearly, but keep the tone calm.”

7. Het bericht moet beleefd maar concreet zijn, zodat er geen verwarring ontstaat.

   The message should be polite but specific, so there is no confusion.

   bericht

   message

   moet

   should; must

   beleefd

   polite

   maar

   but

   concreet

   specific; concrete

   zijn

   be

   zodat

   so that

   verwarring

   confusion

   ontstaat

   arises; occurs

   More detail

   bericht means “message” here. Its plural is berichten; the singular definite form is het bericht, as in the preceding context. Example: Ik schrijf een bericht. — “I am writing a message.” moet is the present-tense form of moeten for ik, jij/je, u, and hij/zij/het in this use. It expresses necessity or, as in the fixed translation, a recommendation: “should.” With a modal verb such as moeten, the other verb normally goes to the end of the clause in its infinitive form. Example: Het bericht moet kort zijn. — “The message should be short.” beleefd means “polite.” It is a descriptive adjective used after zijn here, so it describes the message rather than inflecting as a noun modifier. Example: De toon is beleefd. — “The tone is polite.” maar connects two contrasting descriptions and means “but.” The pattern A maar B presents B as a contrast to A without changing either description’s grammatical role. concreet means “specific” in this context: it should contain clear, particular information. As a predicate adjective after zijn, it remains in this form. Example: Wees concreet. — “Be specific.” zijn is the infinitive of ben/is/zijn, the verb “to be.” Here it follows the modal moet and links het bericht to the two adjectives beleefd and concreet: moet ... zijn means “should be ...”. zodat introduces the intended result or purpose of the preceding clause: “so that.” It begins a subordinate clause, and Dutch places the finite verb toward the end of that clause. The pattern ..., zodat ... is reusable for connecting an action or quality with its intended result. verwarring is a noun meaning “confusion.” The fixed phrase geen verwarring means “no confusion”; geen negates the noun phrase. Example: Er is geen verwarring. — “There is no confusion.” ontstaat is the present-tense third-person singular form of ontstaan, “to arise” or “to come about.” Its subject is verwarring, which is singular, so the form is ontstaat. Example: Er ontstaat een probleem. — “A problem arises.” Together, Het bericht moet beleefd maar concreet zijn says that the message should have both qualities, with maar contrasting “polite” and “specific” as two requirements. zodat er geen verwarring ontstaat adds the intended result: “so that no confusion arises.” The complete meaning is therefore: “The message should be polite but specific, so there is no confusion.”

8. Vraag wanneer een loodgieter langs kan komen, want doordeweekse ochtenden zijn voor ons lastig.

   Ask when a plumber could visit, because weekday mornings are difficult for us.

   Vraag

   ask

   wanneer

   when

   loodgieter

   plumber

   kan

   can; could

   langs … komen

   come by; visit

   want

   because

   doordeweekse

   weekday

   ochtenden

   mornings

   zijn

   are; be

   voor ons

   for us

   lastig

   difficult

   More detail

   Vraag is the imperative of vragen (“to ask”). It addresses an understood person and gives an instruction: “Ask …”. The present-tense singular form is vraag; the infinitive is vragen. Example: Vraag het aan Maria. — “Ask Maria about it.” wanneer introduces the information being asked for: “when”. It introduces the indirect question here. Example: Weet je wanneer hij komt? — “Do you know when he is coming?” loodgieter means “plumber”. In the utterance, een loodgieter means “a plumber”: an unspecified plumber who might visit. Its plural is loodgieters. Example: De loodgieter komt morgen. — “The plumber is coming tomorrow.” kan is the present-tense form of the modal verb kunnen for hij, zij, or het; here its subject is een loodgieter. It expresses possibility or availability. The fixed English translation uses “could” as a natural rendering of that possibility, not because kan is a Dutch past-tense form. Example: Hij kan morgen komen. — “He can come tomorrow.” langs komen is the separated form of the verb langskomen, meaning “to come by”. In this subordinate clause, kan is the finite modal verb and langs ... komen belongs to the verb construction, giving the visible order langs kan komen. In a main clause, the same combination is De loodgieter kan morgen langskomen. — “The plumber can come by tomorrow.” want connects the request to its reason and means “because” here. After want, Dutch keeps ordinary main-clause word order, unlike after omdat. Example: Bel hem, want hij wacht. — “Call him, because he is waiting.” doordeweekse is the inflected attributive form of the adjective doordeweeks, meaning “weekday” or “during the week”. It appears before the plural noun ochtenden; the ending belongs to the adjective and is not the noun’s plural. Example: doordeweekse afspraken — “weekday appointments.” ochtenden is the plural of ochtend, “morning”. The contrast is een ochtend / ochtenden. Here it refers generally to weekday mornings rather than one specific morning. Example: De ochtenden zijn rustig. — “The mornings are quiet.” zijn is the plural present-tense form of zijn, “to be”. Its subject is the plural noun phrase doordeweekse ochtenden, so the sentence uses zijn, not singular is. Example: De afspraken zijn lastig. — “The appointments are difficult.” voor ons means “for us”. ons is the first-person plural pronoun after the preposition voor, referring to the speaker together with at least one other person. The phrase identifies whose situation is affected; it is not the grammatical subject. Example: Dit tijdstip is voor ons goed. — “This time is good for us.” lastig describes something as difficult, inconvenient, or hard to manage. In zijn ... lastig, it is a predicate adjective after zijn and does not take a plural ending here. A useful contrast is makkelijk (“easy”): De ochtenden zijn makkelijk. — “The mornings are easy.” Together, Vraag wanneer een loodgieter langs kan komen means “Ask when a plumber could come by”: the imperative Vraag is followed by an indirect question, with wanneer introducing the time and kan ... komen expressing possible availability. want doordeweekse ochtenden zijn voor ons lastig gives the reason: weekday mornings are difficult for the speaker’s group. The complete utterance is therefore: “Ask when a plumber could visit, because weekday mornings are difficult for us.”

9. We kunnen een flexibele periode voorstellen waarin iemand thuis kan zijn.

   We can suggest a flexible time window when someone can be home.

   We kunnen

   we can

   een

   a

   flexibele

   flexible

   periode

   period; time window

   voorstellen

   suggest; propose

   waarin

   in which

   iemand

   someone

   thuis

   at home

   kan

   can

   zijn

   be

   More detail

   We kunnen means “we can.” kunnen is the base form of the modal verb; with we in the present tense, the form is kunnen. A modal is followed by an infinitive, which appears later here: voorstellen. een is the indefinite article before flexibele periode. It introduces a non-specific period; by itself, it does not assert a numeric count. Dutch also uses een before singular indefinite nouns in many other contexts. flexibele describes periode as adaptable or not fixed. The adjective’s base form is flexibel; the observed -e form is used attributively before this noun. Example: een flexibel schema — “a flexible schedule.” Here flexibele has the -e because periode is a common-gender (de) noun, even though the noun phrase itself is indefinite. periode is the noun “period” or, in this context, a “time window.” Its plural is periodes or perioden; the singular form here names one proposed span of time without specifying its length. voorstellen means “to suggest” or “to propose.” In this use it is a separable Dutch verb: in a finite main clause, one can say We stellen een periode voor — “We suggest a period.” After the modal kunnen, the infinitive stays together at the end of the clause, as in the source. Do not confuse this verb with zich voorstellen, which can mean “to imagine” or “to introduce oneself” depending on context. waarin means “in which” and introduces a relative clause linked here to the proposed period. It combines the relative element waar with in; the preposition expresses the time span in which something is possible. Example: een dag waarin ik thuis ben — “a day when I am at home.” iemand means “someone” or “somebody.” It is an indefinite pronoun, so the person is not identified in the sentence. It normally takes singular verb agreement: iemand kan — “someone can.” thuis means “at home.” It is an adverb of place, used without an article in this expression. Example: Zij werkt thuis — “She works at home.” kan is the singular present form of kunnen, here agreeing with iemand: iemand kan. Thus kunnen accompanies we, while kan accompanies the singular subject inside the relative clause. The modal again takes an infinitive, zijn, at the end of its clause. zijn is the infinitive “to be.” Together with thuis, thuis zijn means “to be at home.” Example: Ik wil thuis zijn — “I want to be at home.” The sentence assembles as We kunnen + een flexibele periode voorstellen: “We can suggest a flexible time window.” The relative clause waarin iemand thuis kan zijn specifies what makes the window useful: it is a span during which someone can be at home. The complete meaning is therefore: “We can suggest a flexible time window when someone can be home.”

10. Dat zou het voor de verhuurder makkelijker moeten maken om de reparatie te regelen.

    That should make it easier for the landlord to arrange the repair.

    Dat

    that

    zou … moeten

    should

    makkelijker

    easier

    maken

    make

    verhuurder

    landlord

    reparatie

    repair

    regelen

    arrange

    More detail

    Dat means “that” here and functions as the subject. The supplied context supports a backward reference to the preceding proposal as a whole, but does not specify a narrower referent. Dutch dat is also the neuter singular demonstrative; the form itself does not identify a more specific referent. zou ... moeten is a split modal construction. zou is the singular form of zullen used here in a conditional or expected-result construction, while moeten is the infinitive of moeten, “must / have to.” Together, and with the fixed translation, they express “should.” The two parts can be separated because other sentence elements occur between them. makkelijker is the comparative form of makkelijk, “easy” or “easy to do”: makkelijk → makkelijker → het makkelijkst. It describes an increased degree of ease here; Dutch does not need to state the comparison standard explicitly. Example: Deze uitleg maakt het makkelijker. — “This explanation makes it easier.” maken is the infinitive of maken, “to make.” In this sentence it is the lexical verb governed by moeten. The pattern iets voor iemand makkelijker maken om iets te doen means “make it easier for someone to do something.” In het ... makkelijker maken om ..., het is an anticipatory object, and the om-infinitive specifies the action that becomes easier. verhuurder is the noun for “landlord,” the person who rents out a property. The noun is singular in this sentence. Example: De verhuurder komt morgen. — “The landlord is coming tomorrow.” reparatie is a noun meaning “repair,” referring here to the repair that needs to be arranged. Example: De reparatie duurt twee dagen. — “The repair takes two days.” regelen is the infinitive meaning “to arrange” or “to take care of.” In om ... te regelen, the om te pattern introduces an infinitive complement: om de reparatie te regelen means “to arrange the repair.” Here te belongs to this infinitive construction, not to moeten. Putting the parts together: Dat is expected to maken het makkelijker voor de verhuurder om de reparatie te regelen. The whole utterance therefore means: “That should make it easier for the landlord to arrange the repair.”