Making a polite complaint at a service desk | Learn Dutch in English

Dutch lesson set in a contemporary Amsterdam everyday setting: At a service desk, a customer politely complains about an unexplained delay after a confirmed appointment and asks for a proper response..

EN → NL / Level: B1

About This Lesson

Use Making a polite complaint at a service desk to practice Dutch conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

A

Ik wil graag een klacht indienen over de service van gisteren.

ik vil khrahkh un khlahkht IN-dee-nun OH-vur duh SUR-viss fan KHISS-tuh-run I would like to make a complaint about the service yesterday.
B

Het spijt me dat te horen. Kunt u mij vertellen wat er is gebeurd?

hut spite muh daht tuh HOR-un. kuhnt oo may tuh-VELL-un vaht ur iss khuh-BURT? I am sorry to hear that. Could you tell me what happened?
A

Ik heb lang gewacht na mijn bevestigde afspraak.

ik hep lahng khuh-VAHKHT nah myn buh-VESS-tuhg-duh AF-sprahk I waited a long time after my confirmed appointment.
B

Die vertraging had op dat moment uitgelegd moeten worden.

dee vur-TRAH-khing hahd op daht moh-MENT oyt-khuh-LAYKHT MOO-tun VOR-dun That delay should have been explained at the time.
A

Ik begrijp dat vertragingen voorkomen, maar niemand heeft mij op de hoogte gehouden.

ik buh-KHRYPE daht vur-TRAH-khing-un fur-KOH-mun, mahr NEE-munt hayft may op duh HOHK-tuh khuh-HOW-dun I understand delays happen, but nobody gave me an update.
B

We hadden u tijdens het wachten op de hoogte moeten houden.

vuh HAH-dun oo TYE-duns ut VAKH-tun op duh HOHK-tuh MOO-tun HOW-dun We should have kept you informed while you waited.
A

Ik probeer niet lastig te doen, maar ik had betere service verwacht.

ik proh-BAIR neet LAHS-tukh tuh doon, mahr ik hahd BAY-tuh-ruh SUR-viss vur-VAHKHT I am not trying to be difficult, but I expected better service.
B

Ik zal de manager vragen om schriftelijk te reageren.

ik zhal duh MEN-uh-jer VRAH-khun om SKHRIF-tuh-luk tuh ray-AH-khay-run I will ask the manager to respond in writing.
A

Dat zou helpen. Ik wil gewoon dat de kwestie goed wordt afgehandeld.

daht zow HELP-un. ik vil khuh-VOHN daht duh KWESS-see khoot vort AF-khuh-HAHN-dult That would help. I just want the issue handled properly.
B

Wacht hier alstublieft terwijl ik met de manager praat.

vahkht heer ahl-stoo-BLEEFT tur-VILE ik met duh MEN-uh-jer prahht Please wait here while I speak with the manager.

Word by Word

Ik Ik means “I” and is the speaker who wants to make the complaint. It is used as the subject in patterns such as Ik wil graag … when describing your own request.
wil In Ik wil graag …, wil expresses what the speaker wants or intends. Wil is the form of willen used with Ik; reuse Ik wil + an infinitive when stating a request or intention.
graag Graag makes the desire in Ik wil graag … sound willing and polite. Reuse Ik wil graag + an infinitive when making a courteous request at a service desk.
een Een is the indefinite article before the singular noun klacht, meaning “a complaint.” Reuse een + a singular noun when introducing one non-specific item.
klacht Klacht means “complaint” in the service context. Een klacht indienen is a common pattern for formally submitting a complaint, for example at a service desk.
indienen Indienen means “submit” or “file” in een klacht indienen. Reuse a noun such as een klacht with indienen when formally presenting a complaint or request.
over Over shows what the complaint concerns in een klacht indienen over de service. Reuse klacht indienen over + the subject of the complaint when explaining its topic.
de De is the definite article used before service in de service. Reuse de + a known or specific noun when referring to a particular thing or service.
service Service means the service provided by the organization. In de service van gisteren, it identifies the service being criticized; the same word can be used when discussing service quality at a business.
van Van links service with gisteren in de service van gisteren, identifying which service is meant. Reuse noun + van + a time or source when specifying where something comes from or when it occurred.
gisteren Gisteren means “yesterday” and places the service in the previous day. Reuse it with a noun or verb to identify an event that happened the day before today.
Het spijt me Het spijt me is the whole expression for apologizing or saying “I am sorry.” In this fixed expression, Het introduces the statement, spijt expresses regret, and me identifies the person who feels it; reuse Het spijt me dat + a clause when responding sympathetically to a problem.
dat Dat has two uses in this dialogue: it introduces the content in dat te horen, and capitalized Dat refers back to the proposed response in Dat zou helpen. Reuse dat before a clause or infinitive phrase when connecting an idea to what was said or experienced.
te Te links the expression dat te horen to the infinitive horen, giving the meaning “to hear that.” Reuse te + an infinitive after expressions that refer to an action, such as the new example Fijn om te horen, which means “Nice to hear.”
horen Horen means “hear” in dat te horen. The expression is used when reacting to information; reuse te horen when referring to hearing something.
Kunt Kunt expresses a polite “can” or “could” in Kunt u mij vertellen … . Kunt is the form of kunnen used with u here; reuse Kunt u + an infinitive when asking someone formally to do something.
u U is the formal form of “you”; in Kunt u mij vertellen … it is the person being asked, and in op de hoogte houden it is the person kept informed. Reuse u when addressing a customer, employee, or other person formally.
mij Mij means “me” as the person who should receive the information in Kunt u mij vertellen … . Reuse Kunt u mij vertellen wat … when politely asking someone to explain something to you.
vertellen Vertellen means “tell” in Kunt u mij vertellen wat er is gebeurd? It is followed here by the question content wat er is gebeurd; reuse iemand vertellen wat … when asking or saying what someone should tell another person.
wat Wat means “what” and introduces the unknown information in wat er is gebeurd. Reuse vertellen wat + a clause when asking someone to explain an event or situation.
er Er is a clause placeholder in wat er is gebeurd; it helps form the expression for asking what happened and does not point to a specific place here. Reuse wat er … when asking about an event or situation.
is Is works with gebeurd in wat er is gebeurd to form the expression “what happened.” Is is the form of zijn used here; reuse it with gebeurd when referring to an event that has taken place.
gebeurd Gebeurd means “happened” in wat er is gebeurd. Reuse wat er is gebeurd when asking for an explanation of an incident or unexpected situation.
heb Heb is the auxiliary in Ik heb lang gewacht, stating that the speaker has waited. It is the form of hebben used with Ik; reuse Ik heb + a participle when describing a completed experience.
lang Lang means “for a long time” in lang gewacht, emphasizing the length of the wait. Reuse lang wachten or lang gewacht when describing an extended period of waiting.
gewacht Gewacht means “waited” in Ik heb lang gewacht. It is used with heb in this completed-event expression; reuse lang gewacht when reporting that a wait lasted a long time.
na Na means “after” and places the waiting after the confirmed appointment in na mijn bevestigde afspraak. Reuse na + an event or time when describing what happened later.
mijn Mijn means “my” and identifies the appointment as belonging to the speaker. Reuse mijn + a noun when referring to something connected with yourself.
bevestigde Bevestigde describes the afspraak as confirmed in mijn bevestigde afspraak. Reuse bevestigde + a noun when referring to an arrangement or item that has already been confirmed.
afspraak Afspraak means “appointment” in mijn bevestigde afspraak. Reuse it for a scheduled meeting or service visit, such as in the new example een afspraak maken, “to make an appointment.”
Die Die means “that” and points back to the specific delay already mentioned. Reuse die + a noun when referring to a particular item or event.
vertraging Vertraging means “delay” in Die vertraging. Reuse it when reporting that a service, appointment, or process took longer than expected.
had Had is part of had … moeten worden uitgelegd, which says that an explanation was required but did not happen as expected. It is the form of hebben used in this past modal construction; reuse had moeten + an infinitive when discussing what should have happened.
op Op means “at” in op dat moment, identifying the relevant point in time. Reuse the exact time expression op dat moment when saying that something should have happened then.
moment Moment means “moment” or “point in time” in op dat moment. Reuse op dat moment when referring to a specific time during an event or delay.
uitgelegd Uitgelegd means “explained” in had … uitgelegd moeten worden. It is the form used in the passive expression for an explanation that should have been given; reuse something wordt uitgelegd when saying that something is explained.
moeten Moeten expresses what should have been done in had … uitgelegd moeten worden. Reuse moeten + an infinitive to describe an obligation or expected action.
worden Worden is the passive auxiliary in uitgelegd moeten worden, giving the meaning “be explained.” Reuse worden with a participle when focusing on what is done rather than on who does it.
begrijp Begrijp means “understand” in Ik begrijp dat vertragingen voorkomen. It is the form of begrijpen used with Ik; reuse Ik begrijp dat + a clause when acknowledging or accepting an explanation.
vertragingen Vertragingen means “delays” and refers generally to delays that can occur. It is the plural form of vertraging; reuse vertragingen when discussing delays as a general possibility.
voorkomen Voorkomen means “happen” or “occur” in vertragingen voorkomen. In this context it describes delays as events that can occur; reuse a situation or event + voorkomen when stating that it can happen.
maar Maar means “but” and contrasts accepting that delays occur with criticizing the lack of an update. Reuse maar to connect an acknowledged point with a contrasting complaint or qualification.
niemand Niemand means “nobody” and makes the absence of an informing person the subject of the complaint. Reuse niemand + a verb when saying that no person performed an action.
heeft Heeft is the auxiliary in niemand heeft mij op de hoogte gehouden, describing the missing update. It is the form of hebben used with niemand here; reuse niemand heeft + a participle when reporting that nobody has done something.
op de hoogte Op de hoogte is the whole expression meaning “informed” or “kept aware.” In this fixed phrase, op provides the relation, de is the article, and hoogte contributes the idea of a level; together they form the expression, as in iemand op de hoogte houden.
gehouden Gehouden means “kept” in op de hoogte gehouden, where the whole phrase means “kept informed.” It is the form of houden used with heeft; reuse iemand op de hoogte houden when promising or describing regular updates.
We We means “we” and identifies the service staff as the people responsible for informing the customer. Reuse We + a verb when speaking for yourself and others in the organization.
hadden Hadden is the auxiliary in We hadden u … op de hoogte moeten houden, expressing what the staff should have done. It is the form of hebben used with We; reuse We hadden moeten + an infinitive when acknowledging a missed responsibility.
tijdens Tijdens means “during” and introduces the period of waiting in tijdens het wachten. Reuse tijdens + a noun or nominalized action when describing something that happens within a period.
het Het is the definite article before wachten in het wachten, where the action is treated as a period or activity. Reuse het + an infinitive when referring to an activity such as waiting; this is separate from the capitalized Het in Het spijt me.
wachten Wachten means “waiting” in tijdens het wachten. Here the infinitive is used as the name of the activity; reuse tijdens het wachten when describing what happens during a waiting period.
houden Houden means “keep” in op de hoogte houden, but the whole expression means “keep someone informed.” It follows moeten here; reuse iemand op de hoogte houden when describing the responsibility to provide updates.
probeer Probeert means “try” in Ik probeer niet lastig te doen, describing an effort not to behave in a troublesome way. Probeer is the form of proberen used with Ik; reuse proberen te + an infinitive when describing an attempt.
niet Niet negates the attempt in Ik probeer niet lastig te doen. Reuse niet with a verb or verb phrase when saying that an action is not being done.
lastig Lastig means “difficult” or “troublesome” in lastig te doen, describing behavior that could make a situation harder. The reusable expression lastig doen refers to behaving in a difficult or demanding way, especially when a person is complaining.
doen Doen means “do” or “act” in the expression lastig doen, which means to behave in a troublesome way. Reuse lastig doen when carefully saying that you do not want to make a situation difficult.
betere Betere means “better” in betere service and expresses an expectation of higher-quality service. It is the form of beter used before the noun service; reuse betere + a noun when comparing the expected quality with the current result.
verwacht Verwacht means “expected” in had betere service verwacht, referring to what the speaker had anticipated. It is the form of verwachten used after had here; reuse Ik had + an object + verwacht when explaining an unmet expectation.
zal Zal means “will” in Ik zal de manager vragen, presenting a future action or commitment. It is the form of zullen used with Ik; reuse Ik zal + an infinitive when promising to take action.
manager Manager means “manager,” the person who is being asked to respond. Reuse de manager when referring to a specific manager in a workplace or service organization.
vragen Vragen means “ask” in de manager vragen om schriftelijk te reageren. Reuse iemand vragen om + an infinitive when asking a person to carry out an action.
om Om introduces the requested action in vragen om schriftelijk te reageren. Reuse vragen om + an infinitive when stating what someone is being asked to do.
schriftelijk Schriftelijk means “in writing” and describes how the manager should respond. Reuse schriftelijk reageren when asking for a formal written response to a complaint or request.
reageren Reageren means “respond” in om schriftelijk te reageren. Reuse schriftelijk reageren when requesting a response in written form, especially in a formal service situation.
zou Zou means “would” in Dat zou helpen, presenting the proposed response as something that would be useful. Reuse Dat zou + an infinitive when politely describing the expected benefit of an action.
helpen Helpen means “help” in Dat zou helpen, meaning that the proposed written response would be useful. Reuse iets zou helpen when explaining that an action or solution would improve the situation.
gewoon Gewoon means “just” or “simply” in Ik wil gewoon dat …, narrowing the speaker’s request to a basic desired outcome. Reuse Ik wil gewoon dat + a clause when expressing a straightforward request without adding further demands.
kwestie Kwestie means “issue” or “matter” in de kwestie goed wordt afgehandeld. Reuse it for a specific problem that needs attention or resolution.
goed Goed means “properly” or “well” in goed wordt afgehandeld, describing the desired quality of the handling. Reuse goed afhandelen when saying that a problem should be dealt with correctly.
wordt Wordt is the passive auxiliary in de kwestie goed wordt afgehandeld, meaning that the issue is dealt with. It is the form of worden used here; reuse wordt + a participle when focusing on what happens to an issue or object.
afgehandeld Afgehandeld means “handled” or “dealt with” in de kwestie goed wordt afgehandeld. It is used with wordt in the passive; reuse een kwestie wordt afgehandeld when describing the resolution of a matter.
Wacht Wacht is a direct instruction to wait in Wacht hier alstublieft. It is the command form of wachten; reuse Wacht + a place or time expression when asking someone to remain temporarily.
hier Hier means “here” and identifies the place where the customer should wait. Reuse wacht hier when instructing someone to remain at the current location.
alstublieft Alstublieft makes Wacht hier a polite request rather than a bare command. Reuse an imperative + alstublieft when giving a courteous instruction to a customer or other person.
terwijl Terwijl means “while” and introduces the simultaneous action in terwijl ik met de manager praat. Reuse terwijl + a clause when explaining that one action happens during another.
met Met means “with” and links the speaker to the manager in met de manager praten. Reuse met iemand praten when saying that you are speaking with a particular person.
praat Praat means “speak” or “talk” in terwijl ik met de manager praat. It is the form of praten used with Ik; reuse met iemand praten when describing a conversation with someone.

Grammar Points

terwijl + bijzin

terwijl niemand reageerde

tur-VILE NEE-munt ray-ah-KHAYR-duh

while nobody responded

After terwijl, the subordinate-clause verb comes at the end: terwijl niemand reageerde.

wat er is gebeurd

wat er is gebeurd

vaht ur iss khuh-BURT

what happened

In this indirect question, the verb comes at the end: wat er is gebeurd.

Dutch Vocabulary

afspraak noun
AF-sprahk appointment
bevestigde adj
buh-VESS-tuhg-duh confirmed
een klacht indienen phrase
un khlahkht IN-dee-nun to make a complaint
gewacht verb
khuh-VAHKHT waited
gisteren adv
KHISS-tuh-run yesterday
graag adv
khrahkh gladly; would like to
Het spijt me dat te horen phrase
hut spite muh daht tuh HOR-un I am sorry to hear that
lang adv
lahng a long time
service noun
SUR-viss service
vertellen verb
tuh-VELL-un to tell
vertraging noun
vur-TRAH-khing delay
wat er is gebeurd phrase
vaht ur iss khuh-BURT what happened

Quiz

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

waited

Show Answergewacht

gladly; would like to

Show Answergraag

yesterday

Show Answergisteren

to tell

Show Answervertellen