Responding after spilling coffee on a laptop | Learn Dutch in English

Sentence explanations

1. Ik heb koffie vlak bij mijn laptop gemorst en er is wat vloeistof onder het toetsenbord terechtgekomen.

   I spilled coffee near my laptop, and some liquid went under the keyboard.

   Ik heb

   I have

   koffie

   coffee

   vlak bij

   right near

   mijn

   my

   laptop

   laptop

   gemorst

   spilled

   en

   and

   er is

   there is

   wat

   some

   vloeistof

   liquid

   onder

   under

   het toetsenbord

   the keyboard

   terechtgekomen

   ended up

   More detail

   Ik heb begins a Dutch perfect-tense construction. Here heb is the present form of hebben for ik, and the completed action is expressed with gemorst later in the clause: Ik heb ... gemorst = “I have spilled ...” / “I spilled ...”. In Dutch, the subject pronoun ik uses heb; other subjects can require a different form of hebben. koffie means “coffee.” It is a mass noun here, referring to coffee as a substance rather than asserting a particular number of cups. Dutch often uses a noun without an article when referring to an unmeasured substance in this way. vlak bij is a spatial phrase meaning “right near” or “very close to.” The pattern vlak bij + place can be reused for locations: De stoel staat vlak bij de tafel. — “The chair is right near the table.” mijn is the possessive form meaning “my.” It identifies the laptop as belonging to or being associated with the speaker. Unlike an English possessive such as “my,” Dutch possessives can interact with the noun phrase’s article and number, but mijn itself is the form used here before this noun. laptop is a noun meaning “laptop.” In this sentence it is the place near which the coffee was spilled. The noun can also be used with a definite article when a specific laptop is meant: de laptop — “the laptop.” gemorst is the past participle of morsen, “to spill.” With hebben, it forms the perfect construction heb gemorst. The form gemorst itself does not show who spilled the coffee; the subject ik supplies that information. Example: Zij heeft water gemorst. — “She spilled water.” en connects the two coordinated clauses and means “and.” It presents the second event as additional information, without by itself expressing cause or sequence. er is is an existential pattern meaning “there is.” er is a grammatical introductory element used to present something as existing or occurring; it is not translated as a specific physical object here. is is the singular present form of zijn, “to be,” agreeing with the singular noun phrase wat vloeistof that follows. Example: Er is een probleem. — “There is a problem.” wat means “some” here, introducing an unspecified amount. It does not assert a precise quantity. In this use it accompanies the mass noun vloeistof; it can also occur with other uncountable substances, as in wat water — “some water.” vloeistof means “liquid” or “fluid.” It is the substance said to have ended up under the keyboard. The noun is singular in form, but the phrase wat vloeistof refers to an unspecified amount rather than counting individual units. onder is the preposition “under” or “beneath.” The pattern onder + noun phrase describes a lower position relative to something: De tas ligt onder de stoel. — “The bag is under the chair.” het toetsenbord means “the keyboard.” toetsenbord is the noun for “keyboard,” and het is its definite article. The article is part of the noun phrase and identifies the keyboard as a specific one in the situation; it does not itself indicate a numeric quantity. terechtgekomen is the past participle of terechtkomen, meaning “to end up” or “to come to be located.” Here it appears with is: is ... terechtgekomen, a perfect construction using zijn, not hebben. The verb describes the liquid reaching a resulting location, namely under the keyboard. Example: De sleutel is onder de bank terechtgekomen. — “The key ended up under the sofa.” Together, Ik heb koffie ... gemorst says that the speaker spilled coffee, with vlak bij mijn laptop specifying the location. The second clause, er is wat vloeistof onder het toetsenbord terechtgekomen, says that some liquid ended up under the keyboard. Thus the complete utterance means: “I spilled coffee near my laptop, and some liquid went under the keyboard.”

2. Haal meteen de stekker eruit en zet hem uit als hij nog aanstaat.

   Unplug it immediately and turn it off if it is still running.

   Haal … eruit

   unplug; take out

   meteen

   immediately

   de stekker

   the plug

   zet … uit

   turn off

   hem

   it

   als

   if

   hij

   it

   nog

   still

   aanstaat

   is on

   More detail

   Haal ... eruit is the separable Dutch verb eruit halen, literally “take out,” used here as an imperative meaning “unplug.” In a separable verb, haal appears at the front and eruit at the end of the command. The object is placed between them: Haal de stekker eruit. (“Unplug the plug.”) The form haal is the imperative of halen; the subject is understood as “you.” meteen means “immediately” and specifies that the action should happen without delay. de stekker means “the plug.” Stekker is a common-gender Dutch noun, so its definite article is de. Here it is the plug connected to the device. zet ... uit is the separable verb uitzetten, “turn off.” The imperative is zet; uit is separated from the verb in this main-clause command. hem is the object pronoun “it” here, referring to the device. The pattern is Zet hem uit. (“Turn it off.”) als introduces a condition and means “if” here. hij is the subject pronoun “it” in this context. Dutch hij is used for a singular common-gender referent; its form reflects grammatical gender, while the intended referent is the device discussed in the situation. nog means “still,” indicating that the condition continues to hold at that moment. aanstaat is the third-person singular present form of the separable verb aanstaan, “to be on.” In the subordinate clause introduced by als, the verb parts appear together at the end: als hij nog aanstaat (“if it is still on”). The form staat carries the third-person singular present inflection, while aan is the separable particle. For the opposite state, Dutch commonly uses uit zijn (“to be off”) or uitgeschakeld zijn (“to be switched off”); uitstaan does not mean “to be off” in this sense. Together, Haal meteen de stekker eruit gives the immediate unplugging instruction, and zet hem uit als hij nog aanstaat adds the condition that the device should also be turned off if it is still on. The whole utterance means: “Unplug it immediately and turn it off if it is still running.”

3. Zal ik proberen het met een föhn te drogen?

   Should I try to dry it with a hair dryer?

   Zal ik

   should I

   proberen

   try

   het

   it

   föhn

   hair dryer

   drogen

   dry

   More detail

   Zal ik is a reusable way to ask whether the speaker should do something: zal is the present-tense form of zullen for ik. In this question, it expresses a proposed action or offer, not a firm prediction. Dutch questions commonly put the finite verb before the subject: Zal ik ...? = “Should I ...?” proberen means “to try.” It is an infinitive after zal: zal ik proberen = “should I try.” The verb proberen can also be followed by te plus another infinitive: proberen te helpen = “to try to help.” het is the Dutch personal pronoun meaning “it” here. Its form is het; it does not change for the speaker’s action or for the verb proberen. The fixed translation identifies its intended role as the thing to be dried, while the sentence itself does not give that thing a more specific name. föhn means “hair dryer.” The word is used here after een in the phrase met een föhn, “with a hair dryer.” The article een marks an indefinite noun phrase; it does not by itself state a numerical count. drogen means “to dry.” It is an infinitive after te: te drogen = “to dry.” In het ... drogen, het is the object being dried, while drogen names the proposed action. For example, Ik probeer de jas te drogen. — “I am trying to dry the coat.” The chunks combine as Zal ik + proberen + het + met een föhn + te drogen. Literally in structure, this asks whether the speaker should try to dry it using a hair dryer. The complete meaning is: “Should I try to dry it with a hair dryer?”

4. Warmte kan meer schade veroorzaken. Laat het door een technicus nakijken.

   Heat can cause more damage. Let a technician check it.

   Warmte

   heat

   kan

   can

   meer

   more

   schade

   damage

   veroorzaken

   cause

   Laat

   have/let

   technicus

   technician

   nakijken

   check or inspect

   More detail

   Warmte means “heat” here and is a noun. Dutch can use it without an article when referring to heat generally or as a substance. Example: Warmte stijgt. — “Heat rises.” kan is a present-tense form of kunnen. It is used with ik and with singular third-person subjects; with plural subjects, the form is kunnen. With jij/je, both kan and kunt occur in appropriate contexts. Here, kan expresses possibility: heat has the potential to cause the result. A modal verb is followed by an infinitive: Het kan regenen. — “It may rain.” meer means “more” and is the comparative form related to veel (“much/many”). With schade, it indicates a greater amount without stating an exact quantity. Example: Dit veroorzaakt meer schade. — “This causes more damage.” schade means “damage.” It commonly refers to damage as an amount rather than to countable individual items, so meer schade means “more damage.” Example: De kabel heeft schade. — “The cable has damage.” veroorzaken is the infinitive “to cause.” After kan, it stays in the infinitive and appears at the end of the first sentence. The reusable pattern is subject + kan + infinitive: Rook kan problemen veroorzaken. — “Smoke can cause problems.” Laat is the imperative form of laten, “to let” or “to have something done.” The imperative form does not by itself identify whether the addressee is singular, plural, or formally addressed. Here it introduces an instruction to have an action carried out, rather than telling the addressee to carry it out personally. Example: Laat de auto repareren. — “Have the car repaired.” technicus means “technician.” In the sentence, een technicus is the person who carries out the checking. The preposition door marks that performing agent in this passive-like causative pattern. Example: Een technicus onderzoekt het apparaat. — “A technician examines the device.” nakijken means “to check” or “to inspect.” It is an infinitive here. Dutch also has the separable finite form kijken ... na: Hij kijkt het na. — “He checks it.” After laten, the infinitive remains together in Laat het door een technicus nakijken. Together, Warmte kan meer schade veroorzaken says that heat can cause a greater amount of damage. Laat het door een technicus nakijken instructs the addressee to have the item referred to by het checked by a technician. The complete meaning is: “Heat can cause more damage. Let a technician check it.”

5. Ik maak me zorgen, omdat mijn projectbestanden erop staan.

   I am worried because my project files are on it.

   maak me zorgen

   am worried

   omdat

   because

   mijn

   my

   projectbestanden

   project files

   erop staan

   are on it

   More detail

   maak me zorgen expresses being worried. The observed maak is the first-person singular present form of maken; in this fixed expression, me is the reflexive object referring back to ik, and zorgen is part of the idiom rather than a literal instruction to make worries. The pattern is zich zorgen maken = “to worry”: Ik maak me zorgen. means “I am worried.” With another subject, the form changes as required: Zij maakt zich zorgen. means “She is worried.” omdat introduces the reason for the main clause and means “because.” In the clause it introduces, Dutch normally places the finite verb at the end. Here the subordinate clause therefore ends with staan, after mijn projectbestanden erop. mijn is the possessive form meaning “my.” It marks the possessor, not a numerical quantity. In this sentence it comes before the plural noun projectbestanden; mijn itself does not change for that plural. Example: Mijn bestanden zijn veilig. — “My files are safe.” projectbestanden means “project files.” It is a compound noun: bestand is “file,” and bestanden is its plural form. The plural subject is important because the finite verb later in the clause is staan, not the singular form staat. Example: De projectbestanden staan hier. — “The project files are here.” erop staan means “are on it” in this sentence. erop combines er with op to refer to a thing already understood in the context; the fixed translation supports “it” without identifying that object more specifically. staan is the present plural form of staan, used here for the location of the plural projectbestanden. Dutch can use staan for items being situated or stored somewhere, not only for people physically standing. Compare Het bestand staat erop. — “The file is on it,” where singular het bestand takes staat. Together, Ik maak me zorgen gives “I am worried,” and omdat mijn projectbestanden erop staan gives the reason, “because my project files are on it.” The complete utterance is: “I am worried because my project files are on it.”

6. Controleer je cloudback-up vanaf een ander apparaat voordat je de laptop weer aanraakt.

   Check your cloud backup from another device before you touch the laptop again.

   Controleer je cloudback-up

   Check your cloud backup

   vanaf een ander apparaat

   from another device

   voordat je de laptop weer aanraakt.

   before you touch the laptop again

   More detail

   The sentence means: “Check your cloud backup from another device before you touch the laptop again.” “Controleer” is an imperative form meaning “check,” and “voordat” introduces the action that must happen first. “je” means “you/your” depending on its role, and “aanraakt” is the present-tense form of aanraken (“touch”) with je as the subject.

7. De meeste bestanden waren al gesynchroniseerd.

   Most of the files were already synced.

   De meeste

   most

   bestanden

   files

   waren

   were

   al

   already

   gesynchroniseerd

   synced

   More detail

   De meeste means “most” in the sense of the majority of a group. meeste is the superlative form related to veel: veel = much/many, meer = more, meest = most. With a noun, Dutch commonly uses de meeste or het meeste according to the noun phrase; here bestanden is plural, so de meeste is the form used. bestanden means “files.” Its singular is bestand, and its plural is bestanden. The phrase de meeste bestanden therefore means “most of the files,” referring to a majority rather than stating an exact number. waren means “were” here. It is the past-tense plural form of zijn (“to be”): ik was = “I was,” while wij/jullie/zij waren = “we/you/they were.” The plural form agrees with bestanden. al means “already.” It places the synchronization before the relevant point in time. For example: De bestanden waren al klaar. — “The files were already ready.” gesynchroniseerd means “synced” or “synchronized” here. It is the past participle of synchroniseren (“to synchronize”). With waren, it forms a passive or result-focused past construction: waren gesynchroniseerd = “were synced” / “had been synchronized.” The word itself does not express the past tense independently; waren carries the past-tense form in this sentence. Together, De meeste bestanden identifies a majority of the files, waren gesynchroniseerd says that they had the synchronized status, and al marks that this was true by the relevant time. The whole utterance means: “Most of the files were already synced.”

8. Laat de laptop uitstaan en probeer hem niet te snel aan te zetten.

   Keep the laptop off, and do not try to start it too soon.

   Laat

   leave; let

   laptop

   laptop

   uitstaan

   be switched off

   probeer

   try

   hem

   it

   niet te snel

   not too soon

   aan te zetten

   to switch on; to start

   More detail

   Laat is the imperative of laten, used here to tell someone to allow or maintain a state. In the pattern laat + object + infinitive, the infinitive describes the state or action to be maintained: Laat de deur open. — “Leave the door open.” laptop is a noun for a portable computer. In this sentence it appears in the definite noun phrase de laptop; de is the article, so the article has not been omitted. Dutch uses de laptop when referring to this specific laptop. uitstaan means “to be switched off” in this sentence. It describes the laptop’s state, rather than an action of switching it off. The separable verb has the prefix uit- and the base staan (“stand”): De laptop staat uit. — “The laptop is off.” In the laat + object + infinitive pattern, the full infinitive uitstaan remains together. probeer is the singular imperative of proberen, “to try.” The same form can also be the first-person singular present form (“I try”), so the command reading comes from its use as an instruction here. Probeer het opnieuw. — “Try it again.” hem is the singular masculine/common-gender object pronoun “him/it.” Here, the fixed translation identifies it as referring to the laptop. As an object pronoun, it appears after probeer: Ik zie hem. — “I see it/him.” niet te snel means “not too soon/quickly” in this instruction. niet supplies the negation, while te snel marks an excessive degree: “too quickly.” The quoted words modify the following attempt, not the laptop itself. Rijd niet te snel. — “Do not drive too fast.” aan te zetten is the te-infinitive of the separable verb aanzetten, “to switch on” or, for a device, “to start.” With a separable verb, te is placed between the prefix and the verb stem: aanzetten → aan te zetten. This infinitive follows proberen: Ik probeer de computer aan te zetten. — “I try to switch on the computer.” Together, Laat de laptop uitstaan tells someone to keep the laptop switched off. en links that instruction to probeer hem niet te snel aan te zetten, which tells the same person not to try to switch it on too soon. The complete meaning is: “Keep the laptop off, and do not try to start it too soon.”

9. Ik breng hem naar een technicus en vraag wat de volgende stap is.

   I will take it to a technician and ask about the next step.

   Ik

   I

   breng

   bring / take

   hem

   it

   naar

   to

   technicus

   technician

   vraag

   ask

   volgende

   next

   stap

   step

   wat … is

   what ... is

   More detail

   Ik is the first-person singular subject: “I.” Dutch uses ik for the speaker as the subject. Example: Ik kom morgen. — “I’m coming tomorrow.” breng is the present-tense form of brengen (“to bring” or “to take”), used here with ik. Dutch present tense can describe a planned near-future action, so the fixed translation uses “will take.” Useful forms are brengen (base form), bracht (past), and gebracht (past participle). Example: Ik breng de laptop naar de winkel. — “I’m taking the laptop to the shop.” hem is an object pronoun meaning “him” or, as here, “it” for a masculine common-gender noun such as de laptop. It is the thing being taken, not the subject. Example: Ik zie hem. — “I see him/it,” with the exact referent supplied by context. naar marks movement toward a destination and usually corresponds to “to.” In naar een technicus, it introduces the technician as the destination or person to whom the laptop is taken. technicus means “technician.” Its plural is technici. The indefinite article een makes the phrase “a technician”; it does not by itself assert a numerical count beyond presenting the technician as an unspecified member of that group. vraag is the first-person singular present form of vragen, “to ask.” The same form can also be an imperative in another context, but here ik makes it a first-person verb: “I ask.” Example: Ik vraag het aan de technicus. — “I ask the technician about it.” volgende means “next” or “following.” Here it describes stap, so de volgende stap is “the next step.” The -e form is used before this noun phrase with the definite article de; it is the adjective form observed here, not the noun’s ending. stap means “step.” Its plural is stappen. In this sentence it refers to the next action in the process. Example: Wat is de volgende stap? — “What is the next step?” wat ... is forms an embedded question meaning “what ... is.” Dutch places the finite verb is at the end of this embedded clause: wat de volgende stap is. This differs from the direct question Wat is de volgende stap?, where is comes immediately after wat. Together, Ik breng hem naar een technicus means “I will take it to a technician.” Then en vraag adds “and ask,” while wat de volgende stap is specifies what is being asked: “what the next step is.” The complete utterance therefore means: “I will take it to a technician and ask about the next step.”

10. Een technicus kan het nakijken zonder de schade erger te maken.

    A technician can check it without making the damage worse.

    technicus

    technician

    kan

    can

    het

    it

    nakijken

    check

    zonder

    without

    schade

    damage

    erger

    worse

    te maken

    to make

    More detail

    technicus means “technician” here. The noun is singular; een before it is an indefinite article, presenting a technician without asserting a numerical quantity. The plural is technici. Example: De technicus komt morgen. — “The technician is coming tomorrow.” kan is the present-tense form of the modal verb kunnen for a singular subject such as een technicus. It expresses ability or possibility here: the technician is able to perform the checking. After a modal verb, the other verb normally appears as an infinitive without te, which is why the sentence has kan ... nakijken, not kan ... te nakijken. het is an object pronoun meaning “it” in the supplied translation. Its specific referent is not named in this sentence, but it is the thing being checked. It is distinct from the article het, which appears before some Dutch nouns. nakijken is the infinitive meaning “to check” or “to examine.” In this sentence it is the action enabled by kan. Dutch also uses nakijken for checking work or answers; the intended meaning here is checking the unspecified object. Example: Kun je dit nakijken? — “Can you check this?” zonder introduces an action that does not happen: “without.” The following de schade erger te maken specifies what is avoided. A useful pattern is zonder te + infinitive, as in Hij vertrekt zonder iets te zeggen. — “He leaves without saying anything.” schade means “damage.” It is a mass-like noun in this context and is preceded by the definite article de: de schade. The sentence refers to the damage as an identifiable situation, without specifying its type or extent. Example: De schade is groot. — “The damage is extensive.” erger means “worse.” It is the comparative form of erg (“bad” or “severe” in a relevant context), and it describes an increase in the seriousness of de schade: making the damage worse. The positive form is erg; the superlative is ergst in appropriate constructions. Example: De situatie wordt erger. — “The situation is getting worse.” te maken consists of te plus the infinitive maken, “to make.” Here maken means causing a resulting state: de schade erger maken means “make the damage worse.” Unlike the earlier modal construction, the zonder pattern requires te before this infinitive: zonder ... te maken. Together, een technicus kan het nakijken means “a technician can check it.” The phrase zonder de schade erger te maken adds the avoided consequence: the checking can happen without making the damage worse. The complete meaning is therefore: “A technician can check it without making the damage worse.”