Troubleshooting an unstable internet connection | Learn Dutch in English

Sentence explanations

1. De internetverbinding is sinds vanochtend instabiel.

   The internet connection has been unstable since this morning.

   internetverbinding

   internet connection

   is

   is

   sinds vanochtend

   since this morning

   instabiel

   unstable

   More detail

   internetverbinding means “internet connection” here. It is a compound noun made from internet and verbinding (“connection”); Dutch compounds are written as one word. The preceding De makes the noun phrase definite, corresponding here to “the internet connection.” is is the present-tense form of zijn (“to be”) used with this singular subject. It links the subject to a description of its current state. Dutch can use this present form with sinds even when English uses “has been.” sinds vanochtend gives the starting point in time: “since this morning.” A reusable pattern is sinds + a time point. Example: Ik werk sinds maandag thuis. — “I have been working from home since Monday.” instabiel means “unstable” here. After zijn, it is a predicate adjective and has no -e ending: De verbinding is instabiel. — “The connection is unstable.” Before a noun, the form can take an ending under Dutch attributive-adjective rules: een instabiele verbinding — “an unstable connection.” Together, De internetverbinding is sinds vanochtend instabiel. says that the internet connection is unstable now and that this state began this morning. Dutch expresses this with present is plus sinds; the fixed English translation renders the same continuing situation as “has been unstable since this morning.”

2. Mijn videogesprek begint zo.

   My video call starts soon.

   Mijn

   my

   videogesprek

   video call

   begint

   starts

   zo

   soon

   More detail

   Mijn means “my” and is a possessive determiner: it marks the speaker as the possessor of the following noun. Unlike a personal pronoun such as ik (“I”), it does not stand alone here. Dutch possessive determiners generally do not change for the gender or number of the noun they accompany: mijn gesprek and mijn gesprekken both use mijn. videogesprek is a compound noun meaning “video call.” Dutch compounds are written as one word, and the final part, gesprek (“conversation”), is the head of the compound. A useful related word is telefoongesprek, “phone call.” begint is the present-tense form of beginnen, “to begin/start,” for a singular third-person subject. The subject here is mijn videogesprek, so the sentence uses begint, not the first-person form begin. Example: De les begint om negen uur. — “The lesson starts at nine o’clock.” zo means “soon” in this sentence, indicating that the start is expected in the near future. Dutch zo can have other uses in other contexts, but here it refers to timing rather than manner. Example: Ik kom zo. — “I’ll come soon.” Together, Mijn videogesprek identifies the speaker’s video call, begint says that it starts, and zo places that start in the near future. The complete meaning is: “My video call starts soon.”

3. Kijk of een ander apparaat nu te veel bandbreedte gebruikt.

   See if another device is using too much bandwidth right now.

   Kijk

   see; look

   ander

   another; different

   apparaat

   device

   nu

   now

   te veel

   too much

   bandbreedte

   bandwidth

   gebruikt

   uses; is using

   More detail

   Kijk is the imperative of kijken (“to look”). Here Kijk of ... is a reusable way to say “See whether ...” or “Check if ...”; of introduces the thing being checked. Example: Kijk of de deur open is. — “See whether the door is open.” ander means “another” here: one different device from the one already being considered. It is an adjective. In een ander apparaat, apparaat is a singular neuter noun, so the adjective has the form ander without -e after the indefinite article een. Compare een andere tablet (“another tablet”), where the adjective has -e. apparaat means “device” and is a neuter noun: het apparaat. Its plural is apparaten (“devices”). nu means “now” and places the situation at the present time. Example: De computer werkt nu. — “The computer is working now.” te veel means “too much.” It expresses an excessive amount, not merely a large amount. It is written as two words. Example: Er is te veel verkeer. — “There is too much traffic.” bandbreedte means “bandwidth,” the amount of network capacity available for data transfer. It is a common-gender noun: de bandbreedte. In this sentence it is treated as an uncountable amount, which is why te veel is used rather than a counted plural. gebruikt is the present-tense form of gebruiken (“to use”). In this clause, the singular subject een ander apparaat gives the verb the third-person singular form gebruikt: “uses” or, in this context, “is using.” In a past-tense example, Het apparaat gebruikte veel bandbreedte. means “The device used a lot of bandwidth.” The meaningful structure is Kijk of + een ander apparaat + nu + te veel bandbreedte + gebruikt. Dutch places the finite verb at the end of this of-clause, so gebruikt comes last. Together, the sentence means: “See if another device is using too much bandwidth right now.”

4. De tablet downloadt updates, dus dat kan verklaren waarom alles traag aanvoelt.

   The tablet is downloading updates, so that might explain why everything feels slow.

   tablet

   tablet

   downloadt

   downloads

   updates

   updates

   dus

   so

   dat

   that

   kan

   can; might

   verklaren

   explain

   waarom

   why

   alles

   everything

   traag

   slow

   aanvoelt

   feels

   More detail

   tablet is a noun meaning “tablet.” In Dutch, nouns are normally written with a lowercase initial letter unless they begin a sentence. Example: De tablet is nieuw. — “The tablet is new.” downloadt means “downloads” here. Its base form is downloaden; downloadt is the present-tense form used with the singular third-person subject de tablet. The English translation uses “is downloading,” but this Dutch present form can describe an activity happening now. Example: De computer downloadt een bestand. — “The computer is downloading a file.” updates is the plural of update, meaning “updates.” The plural ending is -s here. Example: De updates zijn groot. — “The updates are large.” dus means “so” or “therefore.” It connects the downloading situation with the possible explanation that follows. Example: Het regent, dus we blijven binnen. — “It is raining, so we are staying inside.” dat means “that” in this sentence. It refers to the situation just described—the tablet downloading updates—and is the subject of kan verklaren. This is a pronoun in this use, not dat modifying a noun. kan is the present form of the modal verb kunnen used here with the singular subject dat. It expresses possibility, reflected by “might explain,” rather than certainty. A modal verb is followed by an infinitive: kan verklaren, “can/might explain.” Example: Dat kan helpen. — “That might help.” verklaren is the infinitive “to explain.” After kan, Dutch keeps this verb in the infinitive rather than changing it for the subject. Example: Deze fout kan het probleem verklaren. — “This error might explain the problem.” waarom means “why” and introduces the reason or cause being explained. It starts the embedded clause waarom alles traag aanvoelt, meaning “why everything feels slow.” Compare the related question word wanneer, “when”: Ik weet waarom hij wacht. — “I know why he is waiting.” alles means “everything.” It is the subject of the embedded clause and takes a singular finite verb, which is why the verb appears as aanvoelt, not a plural form. traag is the adjective “slow” here. It is used predicatively with aanvoelen to describe how everything feels, rather than directly modifying a noun. Its comparison forms are traag — “slow,” trager — “slower,” and het traagst — “the slowest.” Example: De verbinding is trager. — “The connection is slower.” aanvoelt means “feels” here, as in “seems slow to experience.” Its base form is the separable verb aanvoelen, “to feel” or “to feel like.” In the embedded clause, the prefix remains attached at the end: alles ... aanvoelt. The form aanvoelt is present tense with the singular subject alles. Example: De kamer voelt koud aan. — “The room feels cold.” Together, De tablet downloadt updates says that the tablet is downloading updates. dus dat kan verklaren links that situation to a possible explanation: “so that might explain.” The final clause, waarom alles traag aanvoelt, specifies what may be explained: why everything feels slow. The full utterance therefore means: “The tablet is downloading updates, so that might explain why everything feels slow.” The wording is a neutral explanatory statement about a possible cause, not a claim of certainty.

5. Pauzeer de update en start daarna de router opnieuw op als het signaal nog steeds wegvalt.

   Pause the update, then restart the router if the signal still drops.

   Pauzeer

   pause

   de update

   the update

   start … opnieuw … op

   restart

   daarna

   then / afterwards

   de router

   the router

   als

   if

   het signaal

   the signal

   nog steeds

   still

   wegvalt

   drops out

   More detail

   Pauzeer is the imperative of pauzeren (“to pause”). It gives a direct instruction; this imperative form can be used with an informal singular addressee and, in suitable contexts, with multiple addressees. Example: Pauzeer de video. — “Pause the video.” de update means “the update.” Update is a borrowed noun used for a software update, and de is its definite article. Example: De update duurt lang. — “The update is taking a long time.” start ... opnieuw op is the separated verb construction opstarten, here meaning “restart” or “start up again.” Opnieuw means “again,” while op is the separable particle. In the fixed sentence, start carries the imperative form and op completes the construction. Example: Start de computer opnieuw op. — “Restart the computer.” daarna means “then” or “afterwards”; it orders this action after the preceding pause instruction. Example: Sla het bestand op en sluit daarna het programma. — “Save the file and then close the program.” de router means “the router.” Router is a de-noun in Dutch. Example: De router staat hier. — “The router is here.” als introduces the condition for the next clause. Here it means “if”: the restart is advised on the condition that the signal continues to drop out. Example: Bel me als je hulp nodig hebt. — “Call me if you need help.” het signaal means “the signal.” Signaal is a neuter noun, so it takes the definite article het. Example: Het signaal is zwak. — “The signal is weak.” nog steeds means “still,” indicating that the situation continues. Example: Het probleem bestaat nog steeds. — “The problem still exists.” wegvalt is the third-person singular present form of the separable verb wegvallen, “to drop out” or “to disappear.” The subject is het signaal, so the verb has the singular form valt. In this subordinate clause, the particle and verb occur together as wegvalt; unlike a main clause, the separable parts are not split here. Example: De verbinding valt weg. — “The connection drops out.” Together, Pauzeer de update gives the first imperative: “Pause the update.” en start daarna de router opnieuw op adds the next instruction: “and then restart the router.” The clause als het signaal nog steeds wegvalt supplies the condition: “if the signal still drops.” The complete meaning is therefore: “Pause the update, then restart the router if the signal still drops.”

6. Ik heb ook de hotspot van mijn telefoon als back-up, hoewel die trager is.

   I also have my phone's hotspot as a backup, although it is slower.

   heb

   have

   ook

   also

   hotspot

   hotspot

   mijn

   my

   telefoon

   phone

   back-up

   backup

   hoewel

   although

   die

   it

   trager

   slower

   is

   is

   More detail

   heb is the first-person singular present form of hebben (“to have”): ik heb. Here it expresses having the hotspot available as a backup. Example: Ik heb een plan. — “I have a plan.” ook adds “also” to the statement. It is an adverb; its position can vary when a speaker gives a different part of the sentence emphasis. Here it adds this backup to something already under discussion. hotspot is a noun for a connection or device function that provides internet access. In Dutch it is commonly used as a loanword. Example: De hotspot werkt. — “The hotspot works.” mijn is the possessive determiner meaning “my.” It comes before the noun it specifies: mijn telefoon means “my phone.” Mijn does not change for the gender or number of the noun it modifies. When the noun is omitted, Dutch normally uses an independent possessive form such as de mijne or het mijne, rather than bare mijn. telefoon is the noun “phone.” In de hotspot van mijn telefoon, van mijn telefoon identifies the phone associated with the hotspot: literally, “of my phone,” or more naturally “my phone’s.” Van is a common Dutch way to express possession or association. back-up is the noun “backup.” The phrase als back-up means “as a backup” or “for use as a backup.” Als here marks a role or function, not a condition such as “if.” Example: Neem dit mee als back-up. — “Take this along as a backup.” hoewel introduces a subordinate clause meaning “although.” It connects the main statement with a contrasting fact. In a Dutch subordinate clause introduced by hoewel, the finite verb commonly comes at the end, as in hoewel die trager is. die is the demonstrative pronoun meaning “that” or, in this sentence, “it.” The fixed translation and the sentence identify its referent as the hotspot. Here it is singular and agrees with that singular de-word referent; die can also refer to plural nouns. In this sentence, hoewel die trager is is an although-clause, not a relative clause. trager is the comparative form of the adjective traag, “slow”: traag → trager (“slower”). The comparative says that the hotspot has a lower speed than a comparison point supplied by the context; it does not specify that point. Example: Deze verbinding is trager. — “This connection is slower.” is is the third-person singular present form of zijn, “to be.” It agrees with the singular subject die in this clause. In die trager is, trager is the predicate adjective, and the finite verb comes at the end because this is a subordinate clause. Together, Ik heb ook means “I also have.” de hotspot van mijn telefoon identifies what is available, and als back-up gives its role: it is available as a backup. hoewel die trager is adds the contrast that this hotspot is slower than an understood comparison point. The complete meaning is: “I also have my phone’s hotspot as a backup, although it is slower.”

7. Als de hotspot tijdens de vergadering instabiel wordt, schakel dan over op alleen audio.

   If the hotspot gets shaky during the meeting, switch to audio only.

   Als

   if

   de hotspot

   the hotspot

   tijdens de vergadering

   during the meeting

   instabiel

   unstable

   wordt

   becomes

   schakel … over

   switch over

   alleen

   only

   audio

   audio

   More detail

   Als introduces a condition: “if/when.” It sets up a situation whose result comes in the other clause. Example: Als ik tijd heb, bel ik je. — “If I have time, I’ll call you.” de hotspot means “the hotspot.” Hotspot is a borrowed noun, and de is the definite article used with this noun. The phrase refers here to the hotspot already available as a backup; the article does not itself express a quantity. tijdens de vergadering means “during the meeting.” Tijdens is a preposition for an event or period in which something happens. Vergadering is the noun “meeting”; its definite form is de vergadering. Example: Tijdens de les is het stil. — “It is quiet during the lesson.” instabiel is the adjective “unstable.” Here it describes the hotspot’s condition. Dutch adjectives after a form of worden can appear without an ending: wordt instabiel — “becomes unstable.” Its opposite is stabiel, “stable.” wordt is the present-tense third-person singular form of worden, “to become” or “to be.” In this sentence, worden marks a change into a condition: the hotspot changes from stable to unstable. The form is ik word, jij wordt, hij/zij/het wordt; the final -t belongs to the verb form, not to instabiel. In the subordinate clause introduced by als, the finite verb comes at the end: Als de hotspot ... instabiel wordt. schakel ... over is the separable verb overschakelen, used here as an imperative meaning “switch over.” In a main-clause imperative, the verb appears as schakel and its particle over is separated. Example: Schakel over op een andere verbinding. — “Switch to another connection.” The pattern overschakelen op + option means “switch to + option.” alleen means “only” or “just.” It limits the selected option: the change is to audio without another medium being included. Its position directly before audio makes that limitation clear. audio is the noun “audio.” In this sentence it names the communication mode being selected. With alleen, alleen audio means “audio only.” Together, the conditional clause says Als de hotspot tijdens de vergadering instabiel wordt — “If the hotspot becomes unstable during the meeting.” The main clause gives the instruction schakel dan over op alleen audio: dan is the resulting “then,” schakel over op means “switch to,” and alleen audio specifies the destination option. The complete utterance therefore means: “If the hotspot gets shaky during the meeting, switch to audio only.”

8. Moet ik het team waarschuwen voordat het gesprek begint?

   Should I warn the team before the call begins?

   Moet ik

   should I

   waarschuwen

   warn

   team

   team

   voordat

   before

   gesprek

   conversation; call

   begint

   begins

   More detail

   Moet ik combines the present-tense form moet of moeten with the subject pronoun ik. In a question, this pattern asks whether the speaker should or must do something; here, the fixed translation gives the intended meaning “Should I…?” The modal is followed by an infinitive: Moet ik wachten? means “Should I wait?” waarschuwen is the infinitive meaning “to warn”. After moet, it stays in the infinitive rather than taking a personal ending. The pattern moet ik + infinitive is reusable: Moet ik hem bellen? means “Should I call him?” team is a noun meaning “team”. In this sentence it appears as het team, the definite noun phrase “the team”; team is a Dutch het-word. Its plural is teams, as in de teams (“the teams”). voordat is a conjunction meaning “before”. It introduces an event that must happen earlier than another event. A clause after voordat is a subordinate clause, so its conjugated verb comes at the end: voordat het gesprek begint means “before the call begins”. gesprek is a noun meaning “conversation” or, in this communication context, “call”. It is also a het-word: het gesprek. The fixed translation supports the intended sense “call” here. Example: Het gesprek duurt tien minuten. — “The call lasts ten minutes.” begint is the present-tense third-person singular form of beginnen, “to begin”. It consists of the stem begin- plus the singular present-tense ending -t: beginnen → ik begin, het begint. Here het gesprek is the subject, so begint agrees with that singular subject. Example: De les begint om negen uur. — “The lesson begins at nine o’clock.” Together, Moet ik het team waarschuwen asks whether the speaker should warn the team, and voordat het gesprek begint sets the deadline: the warning should happen before the call begins. The complete meaning is “Should I warn the team before the call begins?”

9. Een kort bericht zou hen helpen begrijpen wat er aan de hand is.

   A short message would help them understand what is happening.

   kort

   short

   bericht

   message

   zou

   would

   hen

   them

   helpen

   help

   wat er aan de hand is

   what is happening

   More detail

   kort describes bericht here: “short.” It is the adjective in een kort bericht. With a singular indefinite neuter noun such as bericht, the adjective has no -e; compare een korte brief with a common-gender noun. Its comparison forms are kort, korter (“shorter”), and kortst(e) (“shortest”). bericht means “message.” Its plural is berichten. The noun can refer to a written or electronic message; the fixed sentence does not specify the medium. zou is the past form of zullen, used here for a conditional or hypothetical “would.” The pattern zou + infinitive expresses what would happen or what would be useful under an understood condition. It is not the simple past of “help.” hen is the object form of “they,” meaning “them” here. In standard Dutch, hen is used for a direct object and after a preposition; hun is commonly used for an indirect object without a preposition and also means “their” as a possessive. In this sentence, hen is the object associated with helpen. helpen is the infinitive “to help.” Dutch commonly uses helpen followed directly by another infinitive: helpen begrijpen means “help understand.” Thus zou hen helpen begrijpen has the pattern “would help them understand.” wat er aan de hand is is an embedded question-like clause meaning “what is happening.” wat means “what,” while er aan de hand zijn is the idiomatic pattern “to be happening” or “to be going on.” In this clause, is appears at the end, as is normal for a subordinate clause in Dutch. This wording asks about the situation, not about a particular object named by wat. Together, Een kort bericht is “a short message”; zou hen helpen begrijpen says that it “would help them understand”; and wat er aan de hand is identifies what they would understand: “what is happening.” The complete meaning is therefore: “A short message would help them understand what is happening.”

10. Ik kan zeggen dat ik misschien van netwerk wissel als het gesprek vastloopt.

    I can say I may switch networks if the call freezes.

    Ik kan

    I can

    zeggen

    say

    misschien

    maybe

    netwerk

    network

    wissel

    switch

    gesprek

    call

    vastloopt

    freezes

    More detail

    Ik kan expresses present ability or possibility with a first-person singular subject: “I can.” kan is the present form of kunnen used with ik; the following verb stays in the infinitive. For example: Ik kan komen. — “I can come.” zeggen is the infinitive “to say.” After kan, Dutch uses this infinitive, so Ik kan zeggen means “I can say.” The conjunction dat then introduces the content of what can be said. misschien means “maybe” or “possibly.” Here it makes the network change uncertain: the speaker can say that the change may happen. It does not itself mark a verb tense. netwerk is the noun “network.” In the reusable pattern van netwerk wisselen, it refers to changing network connection. Dutch commonly uses van ... wisselen for changing from one option or connection to another; the noun need not have an article in this expression. For example: Zij wisselt van baan. — “She changes jobs.” wissel is the first-person singular present form of wisselen, “to switch” or “to change.” In this sentence, ik is its subject, although the subject appears earlier in the subordinate clause: ik ... wissel. It is not the imperative “switch.” gesprek is a noun meaning “conversation” or, in this context, “call.” The full form het gesprek uses het because gesprek is a neuter noun. The fixed translation identifies the intended sense here as a call. vastloopt is the present-tense form of vastlopen, “to get stuck” or “to freeze.” Its subject is the singular het gesprek, so the form is third-person singular. Vastlopen is a separable verb: in a main clause one can say Het gesprek loopt vast. — “The call freezes.” In the als clause here, the verb remains together at the end: als het gesprek vastloopt — “if the call freezes.” The main frame Ik kan zeggen means “I can say.” The dat clause supplies its content: ik misschien van netwerk wissel, “I may switch networks.” The conditional clause introduced by als gives the condition: het gesprek vastloopt, “the call freezes.” Together, the utterance means: “I can say I may switch networks if the call freezes.”

11. Dan zullen mensen waarschijnlijk niet denken dat je opeens bent weggegaan.

    That should keep people from thinking you suddenly left.

    Dan

    then / so

    zullen

    will / should

    mensen

    people

    waarschijnlijk

    probably

    niet

    not

    denken

    think

    je

    you

    opeens

    suddenly

    bent weggegaan

    have left

    More detail

    Dan means “then” here and links this sentence to the preceding situation: under that condition, the result is expected. It can also introduce a consequence, often translated as “so” in English. zullen is the present-tense form of zullen, used here as a modal auxiliary. With the infinitive denken, it presents the thinking as a future or expected result: “will think.” In this context, the combination is naturally rendered as “should keep people from thinking,” because the expectation is that people will not form that impression. The auxiliary carries the finite form; denken remains the infinitive. mensen means “people.” It is the plural of mens (“person/human”). The plural noun is the subject of the main clause, so the expected action is attributed to people generally, without specifying a number. waarschijnlijk means “probably.” It marks the expectation as likely rather than certain. It modifies the prediction expressed by zullen ... denken. niet is the ordinary negator “not.” Here it negates the people’s expected thinking: they probably will not think the proposition introduced by dat. denken means “to think.” Its base form is also the infinitive used after a modal such as zullen. Example: Ik denk dat hij komt. — “I think that he is coming.” je is the informal singular “you” in this clause. It is the subject of the subordinate clause introduced by dat; the form itself does not identify a more specific referent than the addressed person. opeens means “suddenly” or “all of a sudden.” It describes the unexpectedness of the leaving, not the time at which the surrounding prediction is made. bent weggegaan is a perfect-tense verb phrase meaning “have left” in the proposition being considered. weggegaan is the past participle of weggaan (“to leave/go away”), and this verb forms the perfect with the auxiliary zijn, here bent, the second-person singular present form of zijn. The form bent agrees with je; weggegaan does not carry that person marking. The separable verb weggaan combines the idea of going with weg (“away”). The subordinate clause begins with dat, meaning “that,” and states the content of the thinking: dat je opeens bent weggegaan — “that you suddenly left.” In the main clause, mensen waarschijnlijk niet denken means that people are probably not expected to think this. Together, Dan zullen mensen waarschijnlijk niet denken dat je opeens bent weggegaan. means “Then people probably will not think that you suddenly left.” In the supplied translation, the same intended result is rendered naturally as “That should keep people from thinking you suddenly left.”