Correcting appointment paperwork | Learn Dutch in English

Sentence explanations

1. Ik zag dat mijn achternaam verkeerd gespeld is op dit formulier.

   I noticed my family name is spelled incorrectly on this form.

   Ik

   I

   zag

   noticed

   dat

   that

   mijn

   my

   achternaam

   surname

   verkeerd

   incorrectly

   gespeld

   spelled

   is

   is

   op

   on

   dit

   this

   formulier

   form

   More detail

   Ik is the first-person singular pronoun: “I.” It is the form used for the speaker, whether the speaker is a man or a woman. Example: Ik werk vandaag. — “I am working today.” zag is the past-tense singular form of zien (“to see”). In this sentence, the context gives it the natural meaning “noticed.” The useful contrast is ik zie (“I see”) versus ik zag (“I saw/noticed”). Example: Ik zag een fout. — “I noticed an error.” dat introduces the content of what was noticed: “that.” In the clause after dat, Dutch places the finite verb at the end, which is why is comes after gespeld here. mijn means “my” and shows possession. It is used before both singular and plural nouns; the form does not change for the speaker’s gender. Example: mijn documenten — “my documents.” achternaam means “surname” or “family name.” It is a noun for the name shared as a family name, rather than a personal first name. Example: Wat is uw achternaam? — “What is your family name?” verkeerd means “incorrectly” in this sentence. It describes the result or manner of gespeld, not the family name itself. The same word can also be used adjectivally in contexts where it describes a noun, but here its adverbial use is the relevant one. Example: De naam is verkeerd geschreven. — “The name is written incorrectly.” gespeld is the past participle of spellen, “to spell.” The participle is used with is in the passive/resultative expression is gespeld: “is spelled.” Example: De naam is goed gespeld. — “The name is spelled correctly.” is is the present-tense singular form of zijn, “to be.” Together with gespeld, it forms the passive/resultative meaning “is spelled.” In a subordinate clause introduced by dat, this finite verb appears at the end: dat de naam goed gespeld is — “that the name is spelled correctly.” op means “on” here, referring to the surface or document where the spelling appears. The reusable pattern is op een formulier or op het formulier, “on a form” or “on the form.” dit means “this.” It is the demonstrative used with a singular neuter het-word. It agrees grammatically with formulier, not with the speaker or the document’s owner. The contrast is dit formulier (“this form”) versus deze afspraak (“this appointment”), because afspraak is a common-gender noun. formulier means “form.” In Dutch it is a neuter noun: het formulier. Example: Ik vul het formulier in. — “I fill in the form.” Taken together, Ik zag gives “I noticed,” and dat introduces what was noticed. Inside that subordinate clause, mijn achternaam is the subject, verkeerd gespeld is says that it is spelled incorrectly, and op dit formulier locates the problem on this form. The whole utterance therefore means: “I noticed that my family name is spelled incorrectly on this form.”

2. Ik kan de documenten vóór uw afspraak corrigeren.

   I can correct the paperwork before your appointment.

   Ik kan

   I can

   documenten

   documents

   vóór

   before

   afspraak

   appointment

   corrigeren

   correct

   More detail

   Ik kan means “I can” here: kan is the first-person singular present form of kunnen (“can, be able to”). A modal verb such as kunnen is normally followed by an infinitive, which appears at the end of this sentence. Example: Ik kan helpen. — “I can help.” documenten means “documents” here. It is the plural of document; the singular is document and the plural is documenten. The article de marks the noun phrase de documenten (“the documents”). Example: Ik lees de documenten. — “I read the documents.” vóór means “before” in a time sequence. The accent helps distinguish this use from voor, which has other common meanings such as “for” or “in front of.” Here, vóór uw afspraak places the correcting earlier than the appointment. Example: Bel me vóór vijf uur. — “Call me before five o’clock.” afspraak means “appointment” here. It is a singular de-word: de afspraak; its plural is afspraken. The possessive form uw means “your” in a polite or formal style, but the noun itself is afspraak. Example: Uw afspraak is morgen. — “Your appointment is tomorrow.” corrigeren means “to correct” and is the infinitive selected by kan. Its present-tense first-person form is ik corrigeer, but after kan Dutch keeps the infinitive: Ik kan corrigeren. — “I can correct.” Together, Ik kan ... corrigeren expresses the ability or possibility to correct something, while de documenten is what will be corrected and vóór uw afspraak gives the time limit: “I can correct the documents before your appointment.”

3. In het dossier staat ook nog mijn oude voorkeursmethode voor contact.

   The record also shows my old preferred contact method.

   dossier

   record; file

   staat

   is recorded; shows

   ook nog

   also; as well

   mijn

   my

   oude

   old

   voorkeursmethode

   preferred method

   contact

   contact

   More detail

   dossier is a Dutch noun meaning a record or file, often a collection of documents about a matter. It is a het-word: het dossier, and its plural is dossiers. Example: Het dossier is compleet. — “The file is complete.” staat is the present-tense form of staan for hij/zij/het and also for a singular noun. Literally, staan means “to stand”, but with information or text it can mean “be recorded”, “be listed”, or “appear”. Here, the record contains or shows the method. Example: De naam staat in het formulier. — “The name is on the form.” ook nog adds another item to what has already been mentioned: “also” or “in addition”. ook means “also”, while nog contributes the sense of an additional or still-present item. Together they naturally frame this as further information in the record. mijn is the possessive word “my”. It does not change for the gender of the singular noun or for plural nouns: mijn methode, mijn dossier, and mijn gegevens. It identifies the possessor, not the number of the thing possessed. Example: Mijn afspraak begint om tien uur. — “My appointment starts at ten o’clock.” oude is the form of the adjective oud, “old”, used before the noun here. Dutch attributive adjectives commonly take -e when the noun phrase is definite; the possessive mijn makes this phrase definite, so oud becomes oude: mijn oude methode. The opposite is nieuwe, “new”. Example: Ik gebruik mijn oude telefoon. — “I use my old phone.” voorkeursmethode is a compound noun meaning “preferred method”. It combines voorkeur (“preference”) with methode (“method”); the whole compound is one noun and is not a phrase meaning that the method is physically in front. Its definite article is de: de voorkeursmethode. Example: Dit is mijn voorkeursmethode. — “This is my preferred method.” contact is the noun “contact”. In this sentence, voor contact means “for contact” or “for contacting [someone]”; voor supplies that relationship, while contact names the purpose or area. Dutch also uses contact in expressions such as contact opnemen (“to get in touch”). Example: U kunt contact opnemen via e-mail. — “You can get in touch by email.” The opening In het dossier places the information in the file: “In the record”. staat then presents what is recorded there. ook nog adds another recorded item, namely mijn oude voorkeursmethode; voor contact specifies what kind of method it is. Together, the utterance means: “The record also shows my old preferred contact method.”

4. Ik kan beide gegevens nu aanpassen als u uw identiteitsbewijs laat zien.

   I can update both details now if you show your identification.

   Ik kan

   I can

   beide

   both

   gegevens

   details; information

   nu

   now

   aanpassen

   update; adjust

   als

   if

   u

   you (formal)

   uw

   your

   identiteitsbewijs

   identification; ID

   laat zien

   show

   More detail

   Ik kan combines ik (“I”) with kan, the first-person singular present form of kunnen (“can; be able to”). A modal verb such as kunnen is followed by an infinitive: Ik kan aanpassen means “I can update/adjust.” In Dutch, the modal carries the tense and the following verb remains an infinitive. beide means “both” and refers to two items taken together. It is different from allebei, which is also common for “both” but is often used more independently or with people. Here beide gegevens identifies the two details as one combined object. gegevens is the plural of gegeven and commonly means “data,” “details,” or “information” in an administrative context. The singular gegeven can mean one piece of data or one fact. Dutch often uses the plural gegevens for a set of personal or recorded details. nu means “now,” placing the possible update at the present time. For example, Ik doe het nu means “I am doing it now.” aanpassen means “to adjust” or “to update” something so that it fits a new situation. It is a separable verb: in a finite main clause, Ik pas de gegevens aan means “I adjust/update the details,” with aan separated from pas. After the modal kan, it stays as the full infinitive aanpassen. als introduces the condition “if” in this sentence. In a clause introduced by als, the finite verb typically comes after the subject: als u uw identiteitsbewijs laat zien (“if you show your identification”). u is the formal second-person pronoun “you.” It can be used for one person; this sentence does not by itself state how many people are addressed. Its possessive counterpart here is uw, as in uw identiteitsbewijs (“your identification”). uw means “your” in formal address and stands before the noun it determines. It is an invariable possessive form: it does not change to agree with the gender or number of the following noun. Compare informal singular jouw and plural/informal jullie in contexts where those forms are appropriate. identiteitsbewijs is a compound noun meaning an identity document or identification. It is built from identiteit (“identity”) and bewijs (“proof; document”), but the compound is learned as the usual word for an identity document. For example, Heeft u uw identiteitsbewijs bij zich? means “Do you have your identification with you?” laat zien is the separated form of the construction laten zien, meaning “to show.” With the formal subject u, the present form is laat: u laat zien. The words are separated here because Dutch places the finite part in the verb position while zien remains later in the clause. The construction is not the same as simply using zien (“see”): laten zien expresses showing something to someone. Together, Ik kan beide gegevens nu aanpassen means “I can update both details now.” The condition als u uw identiteitsbewijs laat zien adds “if you show your identification.” Thus the complete utterance is: “I can update both details now if you show your identification.”

5. Hier is het. Ik wil dat de gegevens kloppen voor toekomstige bezoeken.

   Here it is. I want the information to be accurate for future visits.

   Hier is het

   Here it is

   wil

   want

   gegevens

   information; details

   kloppen

   be accurate

   toekomstige

   future

   bezoeken

   visits

   More detail

   Hier is het means “Here it is.” Hier means “here,” and is is the present-tense form of zijn (“to be”) for a singular subject. Dutch places the verb before the subject in this presentation pattern: Hier is het. Het is a neuter singular pronoun meaning “it”; this sentence does not itself specify exactly what it refers to. wil is the first-person singular present form of willen (“to want”): ik wil = “I want.” The infinitive is willen, not wil. Dutch commonly uses willen followed by dat and a subordinate clause to express a desired situation: Ik wil dat ... = “I want ... to ...” or “I want it to be the case that ...”. gegevens means “information” or “details” here. It is the plural of gegeven, “piece of data” or “detail.” The previous sentence also uses gegevens for details, so the form is consistent with that meaning. Example: De gegevens zijn compleet. — “The information is complete.” kloppen means “to be correct” or “to be accurate” in this context. It is the infinitive of kloppen; the same verb can have other meanings in other contexts, such as “to knock,” but that is not its meaning here. Because gegevens is plural, the subordinate clause uses the plural verb form kloppen: de gegevens kloppen = “the information is accurate.” Example: De cijfers kloppen. — “The figures are correct.” toekomstige means “future.” It is the form of the adjective toekomstig used before a noun here. The -e form is used with the plural noun bezoeken: toekomstige bezoeken. Example: toekomstige afspraken — “future appointments.” bezoeken means “visits” here. It is the plural of the noun bezoek (“visit”). Do not confuse this noun with the verb bezoeken, which can mean “to visit”; the surrounding word toekomstige and the preposition voor show the noun phrase here. voor toekomstige bezoeken means “for future visits.” The whole utterance first presents something with Hier is het. It then states the speaker’s goal with Ik wil dat ...: the gegevens should kloppen, or be accurate, voor toekomstige bezoeken, meaning that this accuracy is wanted for visits that will take place in the future. Together: “Here it is. I want the information to be accurate for future visits.”

6. Dat helpt ons om herinneringen en uitslagen via de juiste contactmethode te sturen.

   That will help us send reminders and results by the correct contact method.

   Dat

   That

   helpt

   helps

   ons

   us

   herinneringen

   reminders

   uitslagen

   results

   juiste

   correct

   contactmethode

   contact method

   sturen

   send

   More detail

   Dat is a demonstrative pronoun meaning “that” here. It is the subject of the sentence, but the supplied text does not uniquely identify what it refers to. A useful contrast is dit (“this”) versus dat (“that”): Dat helpt mij. means “That helps me.” helpt is the present-tense form of helpen (“to help”) for a singular subject. The -t ending marks this form; helpen is the infinitive/base form. Dutch present tense can also describe a future consequence when the context makes that timing clear, which fits the fixed translation “will help.” ons is the first-person plural object pronoun, “us.” Compare ons as object with wij or we as subject: Zij helpt ons. means “She helps us.” herinneringen is the plural of herinnering, meaning “reminders” in this sentence. The plural ending is -en: één herinnering, twee herinneringen (“one reminder,” “two reminders”). uitslagen is the plural of uitslag, meaning “results” here. It also uses the common Dutch plural ending -en: een uitslag, meerdere uitslagen (“one result,” “several results”). juiste comes from the adjective juist, “correct” or “right.” Before the definite article de and its noun, the adjective takes the -e form: de juiste methode (“the correct method”). This ending belongs to the adjective, not to the noun. contactmethode is a compound noun meaning “contact method.” Its parts are contact (“contact”) and methode (“method”), but the complete compound is one noun. Dutch compounds are written together, and its plural is contactmethoden. sturen is the infinitive of “to send.” In om ... te sturen, te accompanies the infinitive. This construction links an action or purpose to the preceding expression: Dat helpt ons om te leren. means “That helps us learn.” Here, the two objects are coordinated by en: herinneringen en uitslagen (“reminders and results”). via means “via” or “by way of.” It introduces the route or channel: We sturen het via e-mail. means “We send it by email.” Putting the parts together, Dat helpt ons gives “That helps us,” om herinneringen en uitslagen te sturen gives “to send reminders and results,” and via de juiste contactmethode specifies the channel, “by the correct contact method.” The whole utterance therefore means: “That will help us send reminders and results by the correct contact method.”

7. Moet ik het gecorrigeerde formulier opnieuw ondertekenen?

   Do I need to sign the corrected form again?

   Moet ik

   Do I need to

   gecorrigeerde

   corrected

   formulier

   form

   opnieuw

   again

   ondertekenen

   sign

   More detail

   Moet ik combines moet, the present singular form of moeten (“must/need to”), with ik (“I”). In this question, the finite verb comes before the subject: Moet ik ...? means “Do I need to ...?” The infinitive follows later in the sentence. Compare Ik moet tekenen. — “I need to draw.” gecorrigeerde means “corrected” here. It is the adjective formed from the past participle gecorrigeerd of corrigeren (“to correct”). In het gecorrigeerde formulier, the adjective is attributive and comes before a definite noun phrase, so it takes the ending -e. The ending belongs to gecorrigeerde, not to formulier. With an indefinite neuter singular noun, compare een gecorrigeerd formulier — “a corrected form.” formulier is the noun “form.” Its definite singular form is het formulier; its plural is formulieren. opnieuw is an adverb meaning “again” or “anew.” Here it applies to the signing action, so the question asks whether the action must be repeated. For example, Kunt u het opnieuw invullen? means “Can you fill it in again?” ondertekenen is the infinitive “to sign,” especially a document or form. It appears after the modal verb in moet ... ondertekenen, meaning “need to sign.” The imperative Onderteken het formulier. means “Sign the form.” Together, Moet ik asks about necessity, het gecorrigeerde formulier identifies the corrected form, opnieuw adds repetition, and ondertekenen names the action. The whole utterance means: “Do I need to sign the corrected form again?”

8. Onderteken het formulier onderaan nadat ik de wijzigingen heb aangebracht.

   Please sign at the bottom after I make the changes.

   Onderteken

   sign

   formulier

   form

   onderaan

   at the bottom

   nadat

   after

   wijzigingen

   changes

   heb aangebracht

   have made

   More detail

   Onderteken is the imperative of ondertekenen, “to sign.” The imperative stem is used for a direct instruction; the subject is understood rather than written. For example: Onderteken dit document. — “Sign this document.” formulier means “form.” Its plural is formulieren; the fixed sentence uses the singular noun with het because formulier is a neuter noun: het formulier. onderaan is an adverb meaning “at the bottom.” Here it specifies the location on the form. It is a single word, not a separate article-plus-noun phrase. nadat means “after” and introduces a subordinate time clause. In Dutch, the finite verb normally goes to the end of this clause: nadat ik ... heb aangebracht. wijzigingen means “changes.” It is the plural of wijziging; the singular is wijziging, and the plural ending is -en. The word refers here to the changes being made to the form or document. heb aangebracht is the perfect form of aanbrengen, “to make/apply” a change. heb is the first-person singular present form of the auxiliary hebben, matching ik; aangebracht is the past participle of aanbrengen. The perfect presents the changes as completed before the signing action. The verb aanbrengen is separable in some finite forms (ik breng ... aan), but its past participle is the single form aangebracht. Together, nadat ik de wijzigingen heb aangebracht means “after I have made the changes.” The imperative Onderteken het formulier onderaan tells the addressee to sign the form at the bottom, and the time clause says that this should happen after the speaker has made the changes. Thus the complete utterance means: “Please sign at the bottom after I make the changes.”

9. Ik ben opgelucht dat we dit vóór de afspraak hebben ontdekt.

   I am relieved we caught this before the appointment.

   Ik ben

   I am

   opgelucht

   relieved

   dit

   this

   vóór

   before

   afspraak

   appointment

   ontdekt

   discovered; caught

   More detail

   Ik ben means “I am” here. Ik is the first-person singular subject, and ben is the present-tense form of zijn (“to be”) used with ik. This combination introduces the speaker’s current state. Example: Ik ben klaar. — “I am ready.” opgelucht describes that state: “relieved.” It is an adjective; the expression opgelucht raken means “to become relieved,” whereas opgelucht zijn describes being relieved. Dutch commonly uses zijn + an adjective for a present state: Zij is opgelucht. — “She is relieved.” dit means “this.” It is the demonstrative form used here for a neuter singular noun or referent. The fixed sentence does not identify exactly what dit refers to, so its grammatical form can be explained without assigning it a specific referent. Dutch also uses deze with singular common-gender nouns and with plural nouns, so the demonstrative form depends on the noun or referent’s grammatical category, not simply on physical distance. vóór means “before” in the time relation expressed here. The acute accent can be used in writing to emphasize the word or to distinguish this temporal use from unaccented voor, which has other uses such as “for.” vóór can introduce a time point or event: vóór de les — “before the lesson.” afspraak means “appointment.” Its plural is afspraken. In this sentence, de afspraak identifies the appointment as the time point before which the discovery happened. Example: De afspraak is morgen. — “The appointment is tomorrow.” ontdekt means “discovered” or, in the fixed translation, “caught.” It is the past participle of ontdekken (“to discover”): ontdekken → ontdekt. The participle does not identify the discoverer. In we hebben ontdekt, we is the subject and identifies who made the discovery; hebben is the present form of hebben (“to have”) that forms the perfect, while ontdekt remains at the end of this subordinate clause. Example: We hebben een fout ontdekt. — “We discovered a mistake.” Together, Ik ben opgelucht says “I am relieved.” The clause dat we dit vóór de afspraak hebben ontdekt begins with dat (“that”) and explains the reason for that feeling: “that we caught/discovered this before the appointment.” In the subordinate clause, the perfect construction hebben ontdekt presents the discovery as completed, and vóór de afspraak places it earlier than the appointment. The complete utterance therefore means: “I am relieved we caught this before the appointment.”

10. Zodra u tekent, is het bijgewerkte dossier klaar voor toekomstige bezoeken.

    Once you sign, the updated record will be ready for future visits.

    Zodra

    as soon as

    u

    you (formal)

    tekent

    sign

    is

    is

    bijgewerkte

    updated

    dossier

    record; file

    klaar

    ready

    voor

    for

    toekomstige

    future

    bezoeken

    visits

    More detail

    Zodra introduces a time clause meaning “as soon as.” It links one event to the point when another situation applies. Example: Zodra ik klaar ben, bel ik je. — “As soon as I am ready, I will call you.” u is the formal second-person pronoun “you.” In this sentence it is the person who signs. U can also be written with a capital letter as a politeness convention; the lowercase form here is still correct. tekent is the present-tense form of tekenen (“to sign”) used with u here. The same form also occurs with singular hij, zij, or het; the subject identifies the person. In this time clause, Dutch present tense refers to the signing that must occur before the main situation is in effect. Example: Zodra u tekent, begin ik. — “As soon as you sign, I will begin.” is is the present-tense form of zijn (“to be”) for a singular subject. Here, het bijgewerkte dossier is the thing that is ready. Dutch can use the present tense where English uses “will be” when the future time is clear from the context. bijgewerkte means “updated” here. It comes from the verb bijwerken (“to update”); bijgewerkt is its past participle. Before the definite noun phrase het dossier, the participle has the attributive -e form: het bijgewerkte dossier. This -e belongs to bijgewerkte, not to dossier. dossier is a neuter noun meaning “record” or “file” in this context. Its definite article is het: het dossier. Example: Het dossier is klaar. — “The record is ready.” klaar is an adjective meaning “ready.” The pattern iets is klaar says that something is ready or finished for the relevant purpose. Example: Het verslag is klaar. — “The report is ready.” voor is a preposition meaning “for” here. It introduces what the dossier is ready for: klaar voor ... — “ready for ...”. toekomstige means “future.” It is the adjective related to toekomst (“future”) and has the attributive -e form before the plural noun bezoeken. Example: toekomstige afspraken — “future appointments.” bezoeken is the plural of the noun bezoek (“visit”). In this sentence it follows voor, which expresses the purpose or occasions for which the dossier is ready. Do not confuse this noun with the verb bezoeken, “to visit”; the surrounding noun phrase and the plural meaning identify it as “visits.” Together, Zodra u tekent means “Once you sign.” het bijgewerkte dossier is “the updated record,” and is klaar voor toekomstige bezoeken means “is ready for future visits.” The complete utterance therefore means: “Once you sign, the updated record will be ready for future visits.”