Requesting a detailed invoice | Learn Dutch in English

Sentence explanations

1. Kan ik een gespecificeerde factuur krijgen in plaats van een eenvoudig bonnetje?

   Could I have a detailed invoice instead of a simple receipt?

   Kan ik

   Could I…? (asking politely)

   gespecificeerde

   detailed; specified

   factuur

   invoice

   krijgen

   get; receive

   in plaats van

   instead of

   eenvoudig

   simple

   bonnetje

   receipt

   More detail

   Kan ik begins a yes/no question. Kan is the present-tense form of kunnen with ik; in this question, the combination politely asks whether the speaker may receive something, so the natural English meaning is “Could I…?” In a Dutch question, the finite verb comes before the subject: Kan ik ...? Compare the reusable pattern Kan ik ... krijgen? — “Could I get ...?” gespecificeerde describes the invoice as containing specified or detailed information. It is the attributive form of gespecificeerd, the past participle of specificeren; the added -e is used here before factuur in this noun phrase. A useful contrast is een gespecificeerde factuur — “a detailed invoice” — versus een eenvoudige factuur — “a simple invoice.” factuur means “invoice,” specifically a document requesting or recording payment. Its plural is facturen: Ik heb twee facturen ontvangen. — “I received two invoices.” krijgen is the infinitive “to get” or “to receive.” It follows the modal verb kan here: Kan ik een factuur krijgen? — “Could I get an invoice?” The modal carries the finite form, while krijgen remains the infinitive. in plaats van is the reusable construction “instead of.” It introduces the alternative being replaced: in plaats van koffie — “instead of coffee.” Here it contrasts the requested factuur with the bonnetje. eenvoudig means “simple” or “plain” here. It is the uninflected attributive form before the singular neuter noun phrase een bonnetje: een eenvoudig bonnetje. With a definite noun phrase, the adjective normally takes -e: het eenvoudige bonnetje — “the simple receipt.” bonnetje means “receipt” here. It is a small or informal receipt form related to bon; its plural is bonnetjes. For example, Bewaar het bonnetje. — “Keep the receipt.” Together, Kan ik ... krijgen? forms a polite request for something. een gespecificeerde factuur is the requested item, and in plaats van een eenvoudig bonnetje states that it should replace a simple receipt. The complete meaning is: “Could I have a detailed invoice instead of a simple receipt?”

2. Ik kan er een maken. Zal ik elke dienst apart vermelden?

   I can prepare one. Should I list each service separately?

   Ik kan

   I can

   maken

   make; prepare

   Zal ik

   Should I

   elke

   each; every

   dienst

   service

   apart

   separately

   vermelden

   list; mention

   More detail

   Ik kan means “I can.” kan is the present-tense form of kunnen for ik; kunnen expresses ability or possibility. In this sentence, it introduces the infinitive maken. For example: Ik kan helpen. — “I can help.” maken means “make” and here, with the object words er een, means “prepare one.” It is the infinitive after kan; the finite verb carries the tense and person marking, while maken stays in the infinitive. Maken can mean “make” more generally, but the intended result here is a prepared document or item. Ik kan er een maken. — “I can prepare one.” Zal ik means “Should I …?” zal is the ik form of zullen. At the start of this question, the verb comes before the subject: Zal ik ...? This pattern asks whether the speaker should perform the action. It is different from Ik zal ..., which is a statement such as “I will …”. elke means “each” or “every.” It is used before a singular countable noun when the members are considered one by one. Here it modifies dienst, so elke dienst means “each service.” For example: Elke klant krijgt een bericht. — “Each customer receives a message.” dienst means “service” here. Its plural is diensten. In this context, it refers to an individual service that can be listed separately, rather than to the whole set of services. apart means “separately.” It describes the manner of listing: the services are treated as separate items. For example: We bewaren de documenten apart. — “We keep the documents separately.” vermelden means “list” or “mention.” It is an infinitive after zal in the question Zal ik ... vermelden? The form stays infinitive because zal carries the finite verb function. Vermelden is useful for stating that information in a document or list; Ik vermeld de datum. means “I list/mention the date.” Together, er een maken means “prepare one,” with er een referring to the singular item understood from the exchange, namely the requested detailed invoice. Zal ik elke dienst apart vermelden? asks whether the speaker should list each service separately. The full utterance is therefore: “I can prepare one. Should I list each service separately?”

3. Het is voor mijn administratie op het werk, dus elke dienst moet duidelijk vermeld staan.

   It is for work records, so each service needs to be clear.

   Het is

   it is

   administratie

   records

   werk

   work

   elke

   each

   dienst

   service

   moet

   must

   duidelijk

   clearly

   vermeld staan

   be listed

   More detail

   Het is is the Dutch present-tense form of zijn (“to be”): is is used with the third-person singular subject. Here, het is the neutral “it” supplied by the fixed sentence; the sentence does not identify a more specific referent. A useful pattern is Het is voor ... = “It is for ...”. administratie means administrative records or administration here. The phrase mijn administratie means “my records”; mijn marks possession and does not change form for the noun’s gender or number. voor mijn administratie gives the purpose: the item is intended for those records. werk means “work” in this context. In op het werk, the preposition phrase means “at work” or “for work-related use”; it narrows the type of administration without changing the basic meaning of administratie. elke means “each” or “every” and is used here with the singular noun dienst: elke dienst = “each service.” It selects the members of a group one by one; it does not itself state a numeric count. Compare the reusable pattern elke + singular noun, as in elke dag (“every day”). dienst means “service” here. The plural is diensten, so elke dienst is singular even though it can refer distributively to all services in the relevant set. The exact services are not named in this sentence. moet is the present singular form of moeten (“must” or “need to”). Its subject here is elke dienst, so the singular form agrees with that subject. A useful contrast is De dienst moet ... (“The service must ...”) versus De diensten moeten ... (“The services must ...”). duidelijk means “clearly” in this sentence. The same form can also function as the adjective “clear”; its position and relation to vermeld staan give it an adverbial role here, describing how the service is listed. For example, Schrijf het duidelijk op. means “Write it down clearly.” vermeld staan is a two-part construction meaning “be listed” or “be recorded.” vermeld is the past participle of vermelden (“to list” or “to record”), while staan is the infinitive of staan (“to stand”). Together, they describe an item as being in a listed or recorded state; this is not a literal instruction that it must physically stand somewhere. The modal moet precedes this construction: moet vermeld staan = “must be listed/recorded.” Putting the parts together, Het is voor mijn administratie op het werk identifies the purpose as work records. dus means “so” or “therefore,” linking that purpose to the requirement. elke dienst moet duidelijk vermeld staan says that each service needs to be clearly listed or recorded. The whole utterance therefore means: “It is for work records, so each service needs to be clear,” with the target wording making explicit that each service must be clearly recorded.

4. Ik kan de kamer, het ontbijt en de wasserij op aparte regels vermelden.

   I can list the room, breakfast, and laundry on separate lines.

   Ik kan

   I can

   de kamer

   the room

   het ontbijt

   breakfast

   de wasserij

   the laundry

   aparte

   separate

   regels

   lines

   vermelden

   to list

   More detail

   Ik kan combines ik (“I”) with kan, the present form of kunnen (“can, be able to”) for this subject. With a modal verb such as kan, the other verb appears as an infinitive later in the clause, without te: Ik kan ... vermelden = “I can ... list.” de kamer means “the room.” kamer is a common-gender noun and therefore uses the definite article de. The article is definite, not a statement about how many rooms there are. Example: Ik zie de kamer. — “I see the room.” het ontbijt means “breakfast.” ontbijt is a neuter noun, so its definite article is het, not de. Here it names the breakfast as an item to be listed. Example: Het ontbijt staat op de lijst. — “Breakfast is on the list.” de wasserij means “the laundry,” referring here to the laundry item or service being listed. It is a de-noun. The related word wasservice in the following context specifically means “laundry service,” but the observed form here is wasserij; do not replace the source wording with that related form. aparte means “separate.” It is the inflected form of the adjective apart. Before the plural noun regels, Dutch uses the form aparte: aparte regels. The adjective describes the lines, not the room, breakfast, or laundry. Example: We gebruiken aparte dozen. — “We use separate boxes.” regels means “lines” in this context, specifically lines on which the items can be written or listed. It is the plural of regel (“line” or “rule,” depending on context). The plural form is regels; the definite singular would be de regel, while the plural definite form is de regels. Example: Schrijf elke naam op aparte regels. — “Write each name on separate lines.” vermelden is the infinitive meaning “to list” or “to state.” Its base form is already visible here because it follows the modal kan. A useful contrast is noemen, “to name”: vermelden emphasizes including or stating information in a record, list, or document, while noemen more generally means naming something. Example: U kunt de prijs vermelden. — “You can list the price.” Together, de kamer, het ontbijt en de wasserij forms a coordinated list of three items. op aparte regels says that they should be placed on separate lines, and vermelden supplies the action governed by kan. The complete sentence therefore means: “I can list the room, breakfast, and laundry on separate lines.”

5. Wilt u de wasservice apart van de kamerprijs vermelden?

   Please keep the laundry service separate from the room charge.

   Wilt u

   would you / please

   wasservice

   laundry service

   apart van

   separate from

   kamerprijs

   room charge

   vermelden

   list / mention

   More detail

   Wilt u is a polite question pattern addressed to one person. Wilt is the present-tense form of willen used with formal u; compare ik wil (“I want”) and wij willen (“we want”). In a question, the finite verb comes before the subject: Wilt u ...? means “Would you ...?” or, naturally here, “Please ...?” wasservice is a compound noun meaning laundry service. Dutch commonly writes this type of compound as one word. The whole noun, rather than either part separately, names the service being listed. apart van expresses separation from a reference point: “separate from” or “separately from.” Here it establishes that the laundry service is to be treated separately in relation to the room charge. kamerprijs is a compound noun: kamer means “room” and prijs means “price.” In this sentence, the compound refers to the charge for the room. The first element specifies what kind of price it is. vermelden is the infinitive “to list,” “to mention,” or “to state.” Dutch often places an infinitive at the end of a main-clause question when it follows a finite verb such as wilt: Wilt u ... vermelden? (“Would you ... list?”). Do not confuse it with a form meaning “pay”; the action here is giving information in a list or statement. Together, Wilt u de wasservice apart van de kamerprijs vermelden? asks the addressee to list or state the laundry service separately from the room charge: “Please keep the laundry service separate from the room charge.”

6. Ik maak die versie terwijl u wacht.

   I will prepare that version while you wait.

   Ik

   I

   maak

   prepare

   die

   that

   versie

   version

   terwijl u

   while you

   wacht

   wait

   More detail

   Ik is the Dutch first-person singular subject pronoun: “I.” It identifies the speaker as the actor of maak. A useful contrast is u, the polite “you” form used later in the sentence. maak is the present-tense form of maken, “to make” or, in this context, “to prepare.” With ik, the verb has the form ik maak; the infinitive is maken. Dutch often uses the present tense for a planned or expected action when the context makes the future time clear. Thus maak is not a separate future form here: the translation “will prepare” reflects the intended timing. Example: Ik maak het morgen. — “I will prepare it tomorrow.” die is a demonstrative meaning “that” here. It modifies versie, which is a singular noun with the definite article de: die versie. Dutch contrasts die (“that/those,” used with de-words and plural nouns) with dat (“that,” used with singular het-words). The choice here is supported by versie being a de-word; it is not a numeric statement. versie means “version.” It is a noun referring here to the version being prepared. Dutch nouns are capitalized only at the beginning of a sentence, so the lowercase spelling in this position is normal. Example: Deze versie is duidelijker. — “This version is clearer.” terwijl u forms the beginning of a subordinate time clause: “while you.” terwijl introduces an action occurring during the time of another action, and u is the polite second-person pronoun. U can refer to one person or more than one person in polite address; the fixed sentence does not require choosing between those possibilities. In a subordinate clause, the verb comes after its subject here: terwijl u wacht. wacht is the present-tense form of wachten, “to wait.” With u, the form is u wacht; it is also the form used with hij and zij in the present tense, so the form itself does not mark a unique referent. Example: U wacht hier. — “You wait here.” Together, Ik maak die versie means “I will prepare that version,” with Dutch present maak understood as a planned future action in this context. terwijl u wacht adds the simultaneous time relationship “while you wait.” The complete utterance therefore means: “I will prepare that version while you wait.”

7. Dan kan mijn kantoor het document gemakkelijker verwerken.

   That will make it easier for my office to process.

   Dan

   then; that way

   kan

   can

   kantoor

   office

   document

   document

   gemakkelijker

   more easily

   verwerken

   process

   More detail

   Dan links this sentence to the situation just mentioned. Here it means “then” or “that way”: under that condition, the office will be able to process the document more easily. Example: Dan beginnen we. — “Then we’ll start.” kan is the singular present-tense form of kunnen, “can / be able to.” In this sentence it expresses ability or possibility, not a command. With a plural subject, the present form is kunnen: Mijn collega’s kunnen helpen. — “My colleagues can help.” mijn kantoor means “my office.” mijn is the possessive form “my”; it does not itself state how many offices there are. kantoor is a noun meaning “office.” The possessive identifies the office as belonging to or associated with the speaker. het document means “the document.” document is a neuter noun, shown here with the definite article het. The article marks this as an identified document in the intended situation; it is not the indefinite article een. gemakkelijker is the comparative form of gemakkelijk, “easy” or “easily” depending on its role. Here it modifies the processing action, so it means “more easily.” The comparison implies an easier manner than some reference situation, without specifying exactly what that situation is. The positive form is gemakkelijk; the superlative adverb is het gemakkelijkst. When the superlative is an adjective before a noun, it takes the appropriate ending, for example de gemakkelijkste taak — “the easiest task.” Example: Zo gaat het gemakkelijker. — “It goes more easily this way.” verwerken is an infinitive meaning “to process.” After a modal verb such as kunnen, Dutch uses the infinitive: kan ... verwerken. Example: Zij kan de aanvraag verwerken. — “She can process the application.” Together, the structure is Dan kan [subject] [object] gemakkelijker verwerken: “Then / that way, [subject] can process [object] more easily.” Dutch places the finite verb kan in the main clause’s second position and the infinitive verwerken at the end. Thus the whole utterance means: “That will make it easier for my office to process the document,” or more literally, “Then my office can process the document more easily.”

8. Ik voeg bovenaan ook een korte beschrijving toe.

   I will add a short description at the top as well.

   Ik

   I

   voeg … toe

   add

   bovenaan

   at the top

   ook

   also; as well

   korte

   short

   beschrijving

   description

   More detail

   Ik is the first-person singular pronoun: the speaker refers to themself. voeg ... toe is the separable verb toevoegen, “to add.” In the present form, ik voeg ... toe means “I add” or, as in the fixed translation, “I will add” when the action is intended or scheduled. The verb’s particle toe moves to the end of the clause, so other words can occur between voeg and toe. bovenaan is an adverb meaning “at the top” or “at the top of a document.” It describes where the added material will be placed. ook means “also” or “as well.” It adds this action or item to something already relevant. korte is the attributive form of the adjective kort, “short.” Before the singular noun beschrijving, which takes the definite-word class, the adjective has the -e form: een korte beschrijving. In a predicate, the adjective is uninflected: De beschrijving is kort. — “The description is short.” beschrijving is the noun “description.” Its plural is beschrijvingen. Together, Ik voeg ... toe supplies the action and the speaker, een korte beschrijving is what is added, bovenaan specifies its position, and ook means this is done as well. The complete meaning is: “I will add a short description at the top as well.”

9. Dat zou vragen moeten voorkomen wanneer ik het document indien.

   That should prevent questions when I submit the document.

   Dat

   that

   zou … moeten

   should

   vragen

   questions

   voorkomen

   prevent

   wanneer

   when

   document

   document

   indien

   submit

   More detail

   Dat means “that” here and functions as the subject. The fixed translation supports a reference to the intended measure or action, but it does not identify a particular noun as the referent. Dutch dat is the neuter singular demonstrative form; die is used for common-gender singular and plural nouns when a demonstrative form is needed. zou moeten is the reusable Dutch pattern for “should” or “ought to” when followed by another infinitive. zou is the singular form of zullen used here for this modal meaning, while moeten is the infinitive “to have to / must.” The lexical infinitive comes later: zou ... moeten voorkomen. This combination expresses an expected or intended effect, not necessarily past time. vragen means “questions” in this sentence. Its singular is vraag, and its plural is vragen. It is the direct object of the following verb: the utterance says that the intended measure should prevent questions. voorkomen means “to prevent” here and takes an object, vragen. Dutch also has voorkomen with the meaning “to occur” or “to happen”; the object and the fixed translation establish the preventive meaning in this sentence. In the pattern iets voorkomen, iets is what is prevented. wanneer introduces the time clause “when ...”. In a Dutch subordinate clause introduced by wanneer, the finite verb is placed at the end: wanneer ik het document indien = “when I submit the document.” A related conjunction is als, also commonly translated as “when” or “if,” but wanneer is the form used here. document is the noun “document.” Its plural is documenten. With the definite article, as in the sentence, het document means “the document”; the article is not itself a statement about quantity. indien is the first-person singular present form of the separable verb indienen, “to submit.” The parts are in + dien; in this subordinate clause they appear together at the end as indien: ik dien het document in is the main-clause order, while wanneer ik het document indien is the subordinate-clause order. This indien is therefore a verb form, not the separate conjunction indien meaning “if.” Together, Dat zou ... voorkomen gives “That should prevent ...”. The object is vragen, producing “prevent questions.” The final time clause, wanneer ik het document indien, specifies when the prevention is expected to apply: “when I submit the document.” The complete meaning is: “That should prevent questions when I submit the document.”

10. Controleer de gegevens voordat ik het afdruk.

    Please check the details before I print it.

    Controleer

    check

    gegevens

    details; data

    voordat ik

    before I

    het

    it

    afdruk

    print

    More detail

    Controleer is the imperative of controleren (“to check”). It gives a direct request or instruction; the same form can also be used in a polite or formal request to one person. Example: Controleer het adres. — “Check the address.” gegevens means “details” or “data” here. Its base form is the plural noun gegeven; gegevens is the plural form. In this sentence it appears with the definite article in de gegevens (“the details/data”). Example: De gegevens zijn correct. — “The details are correct.” voordat ik introduces a subordinate time clause meaning “before I …”. voordat is the conjunction “before”, and ik is the first-person singular subject pronoun “I”. The action of that clause appears later as afdruk. het is an object pronoun meaning “it” in this sentence, matching the fixed translation. Dutch also uses het as a definite article (“the”), but its object position here gives it the pronoun use. The specific thing referred to is not identified further in this sentence. afdruk is the first-person singular present form of the separable verb afdrukken, “to print”. In a main clause, the parts separate: Ik druk het af. — “I print it.” In a subordinate clause introduced by voordat, the verb stays together at the end: voordat ik het afdruk — “before I print it.” Together, Controleer de gegevens means “Check the details”, and voordat ik het afdruk means “before I print it”. The complete utterance is therefore: “Please check the details before I print it.” The imperative makes this a direct request, while voordat places the checking before the speaker’s printing action.