Fixing a Missing Delivery Item | Learn Dutch in English

Sentence explanations

1. Onze bestelling is bezorgd, maar een deel van de bestelling ontbreekt.

   Our delivery arrived, but part of the order is missing.

   Onze

   our

   bestelling

   order

   bezorgd

   delivered

   maar

   but

   deel

   part

   ontbreekt

   is missing

   More detail

   Onze means “our” here. Dutch possessive determiners agree with the noun phrase: onze is used before common-gender singular nouns and before plural nouns, while ons is used before a singular neuter noun. Bestelling is a common-gender noun (de bestelling), so onze bestelling is the correct form. bestelling means “order” here. Its plural is bestellingen. Example: De bestellingen zijn klaar. — “The orders are ready.” bezorgd is the past participle of bezorgen, “to deliver.” In is bezorgd, it combines with is in a passive/result expression: the order has been delivered. The form bezorgd itself does not show the subject’s person or number; the finite auxiliary is is singular. maar connects two clauses in contrast and means “but.” It introduces information that contrasts with the preceding statement: the order was delivered, yet something from it is missing. deel means “part” or “portion.” In een deel van de bestelling, it identifies part of the order without specifying how large that part is. It is a neuter noun: het deel; its plural is delen. The prepositional phrase van de bestelling specifies what the part belongs to. ontbreekt is the present-tense singular form of ontbreken, “to be missing” or “to be absent.” The subject is een deel, which is grammatically singular, so the verb is singular: een deel ... ontbreekt. Example: Een pagina ontbreekt. — “A page is missing.” Together, Onze bestelling is bezorgd says “Our order has been delivered.” maar then marks the contrast, and een deel van de bestelling ontbreekt says that part of that order is missing. The complete meaning is: “Our delivery arrived, but part of the order is missing.”

2. Controleer de bestelgegevens voordat je contact opneemt met de klantenservice.

   Check the order details before contacting support.

   Controleer

   check

   bestelgegevens

   order details

   voordat

   before

   contact opneemt

   contacts

   klantenservice

   customer service

   More detail

   Controleer is the imperative of controleren, “to check.” It gives a direct instruction to “you,” but this imperative form does not by itself specify whether the addressee is singular or plural, or whether the relationship is formal. A reusable pattern is Controleer ... = “Check ...”. bestelgegevens means the details or information belonging to an order. It is a compound noun: bestel- relates it to ordering, while gegevens means “details” or “data.” Here, the compound names what is being checked. Example: Ik controleer de gegevens. — “I check the details.” voordat means “before” and introduces a time clause. In this clause, je is the subject. Dutch subordinate-clause word order places the finite verb later in the clause; here opneemt follows contact, while met de klantenservice comes after it. contact opneemt belongs to the separable verb construction contact opnemen, meaning “to contact” or “to get in touch.” In a main clause, the separable part is split: Je neemt contact op. — “You get in touch.” In this subordinate clause, the verb form is written together as opneemt, after je. The construction is commonly used with met: contact opnemen met iemand — “to contact someone.” klantenservice means “customer service” or “support.” It is a compound noun, and here it appears after met in met de klantenservice. Together, Controleer de bestelgegevens means “Check the order details.” The time clause voordat je contact opneemt met de klantenservice means “before you contact customer service.” The complete utterance is therefore: “Check the order details before contacting support.”

3. De tas komt niet overeen met wat we hebben besteld.

   The bag does not match what we requested.

   tas

   bag

   komt … overeen

   matches / corresponds

   niet

   not

   wat

   what

   besteld

   ordered / requested

   More detail

   tas means “bag” here. Dutch nouns are normally written with an article when used as a specific subject: de tas means “the bag.” The article de is not included in the selected quote, but it combines with tas in the sentence. komt ... overeen is the separable verb construction overeenkomen met, meaning “to match” or “to correspond to.” In this sentence, komt is the present-tense form of komen for the singular subject de tas, while overeen appears later in the clause. The fixed pattern is iets komt overeen met iets (“something matches something”). Example: De kleur komt overeen met de foto. — “The color matches the photo.” niet negates the verb phrase. Its position before overeen makes the result negative: the bag does not match the relevant thing. It does not mean that the bag itself does not exist. wat introduces the thing referred to by the following clause: “what” or “the thing that.” In wat we hebben besteld, it stands for the requested item or items without naming them. It is not a question here. Example: Ik begrijp wat je bedoelt. — “I understand what you mean.” besteld is the past participle of bestellen, “to order” or “to request.” With the auxiliary hebben, hebben besteld is the Dutch perfect construction, meaning “have ordered/requested.” The subject of hebben is we, so we hebben besteld means “we have ordered/requested.” The translation uses “requested,” which is compatible with this context; the Dutch verb can also commonly mean “ordered.” Together, De tas is the subject, komt ... niet overeen met says that it does not match, and wat we hebben besteld identifies what it is compared with. The complete meaning is: “The bag does not match what we requested.” In a practical exchange, this is a neutral way to describe a discrepancy between the received bag and the order.

4. Maak een foto van de tas, zodat je het probleem duidelijk kunt uitleggen.

   Take a photo of the bag so you can explain the problem clearly.

   Maak

   take; make

   foto

   photo

   tas

   bag

   zodat

   so that

   probleem

   problem

   duidelijk

   clearly

   kunt

   can

   uitleggen

   explain

   More detail

   Maak is the imperative form of maken (“to make”). In this sentence, the natural meaning is “take” because it is used with een foto: Dutch uses een foto maken for “to take a photo.” The imperative has no expressed subject here; it can address one person or more than one person, depending on context. Example: Maak een foto. — “Take a photo.” foto means “photo” and is a common noun. The combination een foto maken is useful: literally “make a photo,” but normally “take a photo.” tas means “bag.” Here it appears in de tas, with the definite article de. Example: De tas is zwaar. — “The bag is heavy.” zodat introduces the intended result of the preceding action: “so that.” It starts the subordinate clause zodat je ... kunt uitleggen. probleem means “problem.” It appears in het probleem, so this noun takes the article het. Example: Ik begrijp het probleem. — “I understand the problem.” duidelijk means “clearly” here. It describes how the explaining is done. The same form can also be used as an adjective meaning “clear”; its function depends on how it relates to the rest of the sentence. Example: Leg het duidelijk uit. — “Explain it clearly.” kunt is a present-tense form of kunnen, “can” or “be able to.” With je, it expresses ability or possibility. In this sentence, je is the subject. Je kunt is the second-person singular informal form; the corresponding informal plural subject is jullie, with jullie kunnen. With an infinitive, kunnen expresses ability or possibility: Je kunt het uitleggen. — “You can explain it.” uitleggen is the infinitive “to explain.” It is a separable verb in other constructions: Ik leg het uit. — “I explain it.” After a modal verb such as kunt, the infinitive remains together: je kunt het uitleggen — “you can explain it.” Together, Maak een foto van de tas means “Take a photo of the bag.” The preposition van connects the photo with what is photographed. zodat je het probleem duidelijk kunt uitleggen adds the purpose: “so that you can explain the problem clearly.” The complete utterance is: “Take a photo of the bag so you can explain the problem clearly.”

5. Zal ik hun vragen om de ontbrekende maaltijd te sturen?

   Should I ask them to send the missing meal?

   Zal ik

   Shall I?

   hun

   them

   vragen om

   ask for

   ontbrekende

   missing

   maaltijd

   meal

   te sturen

   to send

   More detail

   Zal ik puts zal before the subject ik, which makes a yes/no question. Zal is the first-person singular form of zullen; here it expresses a proposal or willingness: “Should I …?” A useful pattern is Zal ik + infinitive?, for example: Zal ik bellen? — “Shall I call?” hun means “them” here. In this sentence it is the indirect-object pronoun for the people being asked; the sentence does not specify who those people are. Do not confuse this use with possessive hun, meaning “their”: hun maaltijd means “their meal,” but that is not the role of hun here. vragen om literally means “ask for” in this fragment. With a person as the indirect object and an om ... te clause, the reusable pattern is iemand vragen om iets te doen — “to ask someone to do something.” Here, hun is the person asked, and te sturen states the requested action. ontbrekende means “missing.” It is the adjective related to ontbreken (“to be missing”); the form ontbrekende modifies maaltijd. The ending -e is used here because the adjective is attributive inside the definite noun phrase de ontbrekende maaltijd; the relevant conditions are the adjective’s attributive position and the definite de-phrase, not singularity by itself. For example, het ontbrekende onderdeel means “the missing part.” maaltijd means “meal.” It is a noun with the article de: de maaltijd. The phrase de ontbrekende maaltijd therefore means “the missing meal”; de marks a definite noun phrase, not a numerical count. te sturen means “to send.” Sturen is the infinitive “to send,” and te marks the infinitive in this om ... te construction. For example, Ik vraag haar om de foto te sturen. — “I ask her to send the photo.” Together, Zal ik asks whether the speaker should take an action. The action is hun vragen om ... te sturen: asking them to send something. That something is de ontbrekende maaltijd, so the complete meaning is “Should I ask them to send the missing meal?”

6. Vraag eerst om het ontbrekende item als iedereen kan wachten.

   Ask for the missing item first if everyone can wait.

   Vraag … om

   ask for

   eerst

   first

   ontbrekende

   missing

   item

   item

   als

   if

   iedereen

   everyone

   kan

   can

   wachten

   wait

   More detail

   Vraag om is a reusable Dutch pattern meaning “ask for” something. Vraag is the imperative of vragen (“to ask”); the imperative commonly has the verb form without an expressed subject. The preposition om introduces what is requested. Example: Vraag om hulp. — “Ask for help.” eerst means “first” and marks that this action should happen before another relevant action. Example: Lees eerst de instructies. — “Read the instructions first.” ontbrekende means “missing” here. It is the adjective form related to ontbreken (“to be missing”); the ending -e appears before the definite noun phrase het ontbrekende item. Compare een ontbrekend item — “a missing item.” item means “item” or “article.” It is a noun with the neuter article het: het item. In this sentence, it is the thing being requested. als introduces the condition “if” here. It connects the request with the condition that follows: als iedereen kan wachten — “if everyone can wait.” iedereen means “everyone.” Although it refers to all people collectively, it behaves grammatically as a singular subject. Therefore the verb is kan, not plural kunnen. kan is the third-person singular present form of kunnen, “can” or “to be able to.” Here it expresses ability or possibility. With a following infinitive, it forms a modal construction: kan wachten — “can wait.” wachten is the infinitive “to wait.” After the modal verb kan, Dutch uses the infinitive without te. Example: Iedereen kan komen. — “Everyone can come.” Together, Vraag eerst om het ontbrekende item means “Ask for the missing item first.” The conditional clause als iedereen kan wachten adds the condition “if everyone can wait,” so the complete utterance is: “Ask for the missing item first if everyone can wait.”

7. De app zegt dat de keuken het binnenkort opnieuw kan klaarmaken.

   The app says the kitchen can prepare it again soon.

   app

   app

   zegt

   says

   keuken

   kitchen

   het

   it

   binnenkort

   soon

   opnieuw

   again

   kan

   can

   klaarmaken

   prepare

   More detail

   app is the Dutch noun for “app.” Its plural is apps, so the singular form here refers to one app. With the definite article, de app means “the app.” zegt comes from zeggen, “to say.” It is the present-tense form used with a singular third-person subject: de app zegt = “the app says.” The same verb appears in useful patterns such as Ik zeg ... (“I say ...”) and Wat zegt hij? (“What does he say?”). keuken is the noun “kitchen.” The phrase de keuken uses the common-gender definite article de; the article is part of the noun phrase and does not itself express a numerical count. het is the Dutch neuter singular pronoun used here as the object of klaarmaken. In the fixed translation, it means “it,” the thing being prepared; the supplied sentence does not identify that thing more specifically. Dutch het can also function in other ways, including as the definite article for a neuter noun, but this occurrence is a pronoun because it stands for the object. binnenkort means “soon,” referring to a time in the near future. It is an adverb and does not change form for the subject or object. For example, De trein komt binnenkort. means “The train is coming soon.” opnieuw means “again,” indicating that the preparing happens another time. It is close in meaning to weer in many contexts, but opnieuw more explicitly presents the action as being done again. For example, Lees de zin opnieuw. means “Read the sentence again.” kan comes from kunnen, “can” or “be able to.” Here it is the present-tense form with the singular subject de keuken: de keuken kan ... means “the kitchen can ...” In a Dutch clause with a modal verb such as kan, the other verb commonly appears as an infinitive at the end: kan klaarmaken = “can prepare.” klaarmaken is the infinitive meaning “to prepare” or “to get ready,” depending on the object and context. It is a separable Dutch verb in finite uses: for example, Ik maak het klaar means “I prepare it” or “I get it ready.” After kan, however, the infinitive remains together as klaarmaken. Together, De app zegt dat ... means “The app says that ...”. Inside the dat clause, de keuken is the subject, het is the object, and kan klaarmaken expresses ability. The adverbs binnenkort and opnieuw add the time “soon” and the repeated action “again.” Thus the complete utterance means: “The app says the kitchen can prepare it again soon.”

8. Zorg ervoor dat het nog in goede staat kan aankomen.

   Make sure it can still arrive in good condition.

   Zorg ervoor dat

   make sure that

   het

   it

   nog

   still

   goede

   good

   staat

   condition

   kan

   can

   aankomen

   arrive

   More detail

   Zorg ervoor dat is a reusable way to say “make sure that …”. It is built from the imperative zorg of zorgen (“take care”) with ervoor dat, which introduces the result or situation to be ensured. The part after dat states what should be ensured. Example: Zorg ervoor dat de deur dicht is. — “Make sure that the door is closed.” het means “it” here and functions as the subject of the clause introduced by dat. In this sentence, the fixed translation identifies the thing referred to as “it”; the pronoun itself is a neuter singular form. Dutch pronouns must be chosen according to the grammatical and discourse reference of the thing, not simply according to the nearest noun. nog means “still”: the possibility of arriving in good condition continues to hold at the relevant time. It does not itself express a new time or a quantity. Example: Het werkt nog. — “It still works.” goede is the inflected form of the adjective goed, “good”. In in goede staat, it describes staat. The ending -e appears here because the adjective comes before the noun in this noun phrase; the form is not a form of staat. Compare een goede staat (“a good condition/state”) with the predicative phrase De staat is goed (“The condition/state is good”). staat is the noun staat, meaning “condition” in in goede staat. The fixed phrase in goede staat means “in good condition”. In other contexts, staat can have other meanings, such as “state” as a political entity, so its meaning here comes from the phrase and context. kan is the third-person singular present form of the modal verb kunnen, “can / be able to”. It expresses possibility or ability here: the item is able to arrive in that condition. With a modal verb, Dutch places the other verb in the infinitive: Het kan aankomen — “It can arrive.” In the dat clause, kan and the infinitive occur toward the end of the clause. aankomen is the infinitive of aankomen, “to arrive”. It is a separable verb in finite forms: Het komt aan means “It arrives”, but after kan the infinitive remains together as aankomen. Example: De trein kan laat aankomen. — “The train can arrive late.” Together, Zorg ervoor dat introduces the required situation: het is the thing whose arrival is being discussed, nog preserves the sense of “still”, in goede staat describes its condition on arrival, and kan aankomen expresses the possibility of arriving. The whole utterance therefore means: “Make sure it can still arrive in good condition.”

9. Ik zal beleefd om het ontbrekende item vragen.

   I will request the missing item politely.

   Ik zal

   I will

   beleefd

   politely

   om … vragen

   ask for

   ontbrekende

   missing

   item

   item

   More detail

   Ik zal contains ik (“I”) and zal, the first-person singular form of zullen (“will/shall”). With an infinitive, zal places the action in the future or presents it as the speaker’s intention or commitment. Example: Ik zal bellen. — “I will call.” beleefd means “politely” here. The same form can also be the adjective “polite”; its role depends on what it describes. In this sentence it describes the manner of asking, so it functions adverbially. Example: Zij antwoordt beleefd. — “She answers politely.” om ... vragen is the Dutch construction for asking for something: om introduces the requested thing, while vragen is the infinitive “to ask.” The two parts can surround the noun phrase, as here. Example: Ik vraag om hulp. — “I ask for help.” Vragen can also introduce a question, without this om construction. Example: Ik vraag wie er komt. — “I ask who is coming.” ontbrekende comes from ontbreken, “to be missing.” In het ontbrekende item, it describes an item that is missing. The -e form is used here because the adjective stands before the definite noun phrase het item; this ending belongs to ontbrekende, not to item. Example: het ontbrekende document — “the missing document.” item is a noun meaning “item” or “piece of something.” It is used here as the requested object. Dutch uses the neuter article het: het item; its plural is items. Example: Dit item ontbreekt. — “This item is missing.” Together, Ik zal marks the speaker’s future intention, beleefd says how the action will be carried out, and om het ontbrekende item vragen means “ask for the missing item.” The complete utterance is therefore: “I will request the missing item politely.”

10. Voeg de foto en de bestelgegevens toe, zodat de klantenservice kan helpen.

    Include the photo and order details so support can help.

    Voeg … toe

    include / add

    de foto

    the photo

    de bestelgegevens

    the order details

    zodat

    so that

    de klantenservice

    customer support

    kan

    can

    helpen

    help

    More detail

    Voeg ... toe is the separable-verb construction from toevoegen, meaning “add/include.” Here it is an imperative addressed to one or more people; the verb is split, with Voeg at the beginning and toe at the end. In a main-clause imperative, this split pattern is reusable: Voeg X toe = “Add/include X.” The earlier context also uses a first-person future construction (Ik zal ... vragen), but it does not change this imperative. de foto means “the photo.” Foto is a common-gender Dutch noun, so the definite article is de. Example: Voeg de foto toe. — “Add the photo.” de bestelgegevens means “the order details.” Bestelgegevens is a compound noun: bestel- relates to an order, and gegevens means details or data. The form is plural; its singular counterpart is gegeven, “piece of data/detail,” although Dutch commonly uses gegevens for a set of details. Example: Controleer de bestelgegevens. — “Check the order details.” zodat introduces the purpose or intended result of the preceding action: “so that.” It introduces a subordinate clause. In such a clause, the finite verb comes after the subject: zodat de klantenservice kan helpen. de klantenservice means “customer support.” It is a singular noun referring to a support service or department, and it takes de. The noun itself does not identify a particular individual helper. kan is the present-tense form of kunnen for the singular subject de klantenservice; here it expresses ability or possibility: “can.” The infinitive follows it at the end of the subordinate clause. Compare ik kan (“I can”) and zij kunnen (“they can”); the form changes with the subject. helpen is the infinitive “to help.” After the modal verb kan, Dutch uses the infinitive without te: kan helpen = “can help.” Example: De klantenservice kan helpen. — “Customer support can help.” Together, Voeg de foto en de bestelgegevens toe means “Include the photo and the order details.” The conjunction en joins the two things being added. The following clause, zodat de klantenservice kan helpen, gives the purpose: “so that customer support can help.” The complete utterance is therefore: “Include the photo and order details so support can help.”