Describing cough symptoms before calling a clinic | Learn Dutch in English

Sentence explanations

1. Ik moet de kliniek bellen omdat mijn hoest niet beter wordt.

   I need to call the clinic because my cough is not getting better.

   Ik moet

   I need to / I must

   kliniek

   clinic

   bellen

   call

   omdat

   because

   hoest

   cough

   niet

   not

   beter

   better

   wordt

   gets / becomes

   More detail

   Ik moet expresses “I need to / I must.” moeten is the base form; moet is its present-tense form with ik, and it is followed here by the infinitive bellen. This construction expresses necessity, not simply a future plan. Example: Ik moet rusten. — “I need to rest.” kliniek means “clinic.” It is a common-gender noun, so the definite article is de: de kliniek. The noun is the place being called in this sentence. Example: De kliniek is open. — “The clinic is open.” bellen is the infinitive “to call.” After moet, Dutch uses this infinitive without te: Ik moet bellen — “I need to call.” The same verb can also mean “to phone” when the context is a person or organization. Example: Ik bel de huisarts. — “I call the doctor.” omdat introduces a reason and means “because.” It connects the need to call with the reason for it. In a Dutch clause introduced by omdat, the finite verb normally comes at the end; here, wordt is at the end of the subordinate clause. hoest means “cough.” Here it is a noun referring to the speaker’s cough, marked by the possessive mijn (“my”). The noun is not the same as the verb hoesten, “to cough.” Example: Mijn hoest klinkt droog. — “My cough sounds dry.” niet negates the following description or situation. Here it makes the meaning negative: the cough is not getting better. Its scope combines with beter wordt, rather than meaning that the speaker does not call. beter means “better.” It is the comparative form of goed (“good”): goed → beter → best (“good” → “better” → “best”). In this sentence, beter describes an improvement in the cough’s condition. Example: Vandaag voel ik me beter. — “Today I feel better.” wordt is the present-tense form of worden, “to become” or “to get,” with a third-person singular subject. The subject here is mijn hoest, which is singular. With ik, the form is word; with hij/zij/het or a singular noun, it is wordt. In beter wordt, worden describes a change of state: “gets better.” Example: Het weer wordt beter. — “The weather is getting better.” Together, Ik moet de kliniek bellen means “I need to call the clinic.” omdat mijn hoest niet beter wordt gives the reason: “because my cough is not getting better.” The complete utterance therefore means “I need to call the clinic because my cough is not getting better.”

2. Vertel wat er veranderd is en waar je je het meeste zorgen over maakt.

   Tell them what has changed and what worries you most.

   Vertel

   tell

   wat

   what

   veranderd

   changed

   waar … over

   what ... about

   het meeste

   the most

   zorgen

   concerns

   maakt

   makes

   More detail

   Vertel is the imperative of vertellen (“to tell”), formed here from the verb stem vertel. In this bare imperative, the form does not mark singular versus plural informal addressees. It does not itself mark formal u address; a formal pattern commonly uses vertelt u. Example: Vertel me de waarheid. — “Tell me the truth.” wat means “what.” In wat er veranderd is, it introduces the content of what is being reported. er belongs to this Dutch clause pattern and is not a separate word meaning “them.” veranderd is the past participle of veranderen (“to change”). With is, it forms the perfect construction meaning “has changed” here. Example: Ik weet niet wat er veranderd is. — “I do not know what has changed.” waar ... over is a split Dutch construction meaning “what ... about” in this sentence. waar and over work together to ask about the topic of the concern; waar is not the standalone question word “where” here. Example: Waar maak je je zorgen over? — “What are you worried about?” het meeste is the superlative expression “the most.” A useful comparison chain is veel (“much/many”), meer (“more”), het meest(e) (“the most”). Here it marks the greatest degree of worrying, not a separate object. zorgen is the plural noun zorgen (“concerns” or “worries”) in the fixed expression zich zorgen maken, meaning “to worry” or “to be concerned.” The second je in the sentence is the reflexive pronoun in that expression. The first je is the subject pronoun “you”; it is the subject of maakt. maakt is the present-tense form of maken (“to make”) used with the subject je in this clause. In zich zorgen maken, it is part of the expression rather than a literal instruction to make concerns. Example: Je maakt je zorgen over je gezondheid. — “You are worried about your health.” Together, Vertel wat er veranderd is means “Tell them what has changed.” The recipient “them” is specified by the fixed translation, while no separate Dutch word for that recipient appears in the target sentence. en joins this with waar je je het meeste zorgen over maakt, meaning “what worries you most.” The complete utterance is: “Tell them what has changed and what worries you most.”

3. Het is erger geworden en ik voel me koortsig en moe.

   It has gotten worse, and I feel feverish and tired.

   Het is

   it is

   erger

   worse

   geworden

   gotten

   ik voel me

   I feel

   koortsig

   feverish

   moe

   tired

   More detail

   Het is begins an impersonal clause meaning “it is.” Here het is the grammatical subject of the general situation described by the sentence; the sentence does not identify a separate concrete object for it. Dutch commonly uses het is in statements such as Het is moeilijk (“It is difficult”). erger means “worse” here. It is the comparative form of erg (“bad” or “severe” in this use): erg → erger → het ergst (“bad/severe” → “worse” → “the worst”). The comparative presents the condition as having become more severe, without specifying what earlier condition it is compared with. geworden is the past participle of worden (“to become,” “to get”). In this sentence it combines with is to form the Dutch perfect: is erger geworden, literally “has become worse.” Dutch uses zijn with this verb in this change-of-state construction. The participle itself does not show the person here; is marks the third-person singular subject het. ik voel me means “I feel.” voelen is the verb “to feel,” and me is the reflexive pronoun referring back to ik (“I”): ik voel me ... is a reusable pattern for describing the speaker’s physical or emotional state. For example, Ik voel me beter means “I feel better.” The form me is the unstressed form of the first-person reflexive pronoun; the more emphatic form is mij in appropriate contexts. koortsig is an adjective meaning “feverish.” It describes the speaker’s state after ik voel me. With a singular noun, the same adjective can appear in forms such as een koortsige patiënt (“a feverish patient”); here it is used after the reflexive verb without a noun, so it has the uninflected predicate form koortsig. moe is an adjective meaning “tired.” It is coordinated with koortsig, so the speaker reports two felt states: feverish and tired. In Ik ben moe, the adjective also appears as moe; this contrasts with the sentence’s pattern Ik voel me moe, which focuses on how the speaker feels. The full sentence combines the change-of-state clause Het is erger geworden (“It has gotten worse”) with the first-person state description ik voel me koortsig en moe (“I feel feverish and tired”). The conjunction en links the two clauses, while the second en links the two adjectives. Together, the utterance says: “It has gotten worse, and I feel feverish and tired.”

4. Vertel wanneer het begon en of iets heeft geholpen.

   Mention when it started and whether anything has helped.

   Vertel

   tell; mention

   wanneer

   when

   begon

   started

   of

   whether

   iets

   anything; something

   heeft

   has

   geholpen

   helped

   More detail

   Vertel is the imperative of vertellen, “to tell”. It addresses one person and can introduce information the listener should provide. Example: Vertel me je naam. — “Tell me your name.” wanneer means “when” when asking about a time. It introduces the subordinate clause wanneer het begon, “when it started”. Example: Weet je wanneer het begint? — “Do you know when it starts?” begon is the past-tense singular form of beginnen, “to begin” or “to start”. The subject here is het, so the clause says that it started; begon itself marks the past. Example: De pijn begon gisteren. — “The pain started yesterday.” of introduces an indirect yes-or-no question. In this sentence it means “whether”, not the alternative conjunction “or”. Example: Ik weet niet of hij komt. — “I do not know whether he is coming.” iets is an indefinite pronoun meaning “anything” in this question-like context. It refers to an unspecified thing or measure that may have helped, without identifying one. Example: Heeft iets geholpen? — “Did anything help?” heeft is the third-person singular present form of hebben, “to have”. Here it is an auxiliary, not the main meaning “possesses”: together with geholpen, it forms the perfect construction heeft geholpen, “has helped”. geholpen is the past participle of helpen, “to help”. With heeft, it describes help that has occurred and is relevant now. Example: De rust heeft geholpen. — “The rest has helped.” The utterance has two coordinated requests after the imperative Vertel: wanneer het begon asks for the time when it started, and of iets heeft geholpen asks whether anything has helped. Together, Vertel wanneer het begon en of iets heeft geholpen. means “Mention when it started and whether anything has helped.”

5. Ik moet ook weten wat ik moet doen als het vanavond erger wordt.

   I also need to know what to do if it gets worse tonight.

   Ik moet

   I need to

   ook

   also

   weten

   know

   wat

   what

   doen

   do

   als

   if

   vanavond

   tonight

   erger

   worse

   wordt

   gets

   More detail

   Ik moet means “I need to” here. moet is the present-tense form of moeten used with ik; it expresses necessity in this sentence. The infinitive after it normally stays unchanged: Ik moet weten = “I need to know.” ook adds “also” to the speaker’s need. It modifies the whole need expressed in the sentence, rather than naming an additional object by itself. weten is the infinitive “to know.” In Dutch, a modal verb such as moeten is followed by an infinitive: Ik moet weten = “I need to know.” Do not confuse weten with kennen: weten is used for knowing information or an answer, while kennen is commonly used for being acquainted with a person or familiar with a place. wat introduces the embedded question “what.” The pattern weten wat ... means “know what ...”; it does not form a direct question here. In the embedded clause, Dutch places the finite verb after the subject: wat ik moet doen = “what I need to do.” doen is the infinitive “to do.” Together with the later moet, it forms moet doen in wat ik moet doen: literally “must do,” meaning “need to do” in this context. Example: Ik weet wat ik moet doen. — “I know what I need to do.” als introduces the condition “if.” The pattern als ... presents a possible condition for the main clause. In als het vanavond erger wordt, the entire clause means “if it gets worse tonight.” vanavond means “tonight,” referring to this evening. It is a time adverb and does not need a separate preposition in this sentence. Example: Ik bel je vanavond. — “I’ll call you tonight.” erger means “worse.” It is the comparative form of erg (“bad” or “severe” in a relevant context). A useful chain is erg → erger → het ergst: “bad/severe” → “worse” → “the worst.” Here, erger compares the condition with how it is now or with an understood earlier state; the sentence does not specify the exact baseline. wordt means “gets” here. It is the third-person singular present form of worden (“to become”); worden combines with an adjective to express a change into a state, as in Het wordt koud. — “It gets cold.” In het ... wordt, het is the grammatical subject translated as “it”; the supplied sentence does not identify a more specific noun for what het refers to. The order in the conditional clause is het + ... + wordt, with the finite verb at the end. The sentence first gives the speaker’s need: Ik moet ook weten — “I also need to know.” The embedded question wat ik moet doen specifies the information needed: “what I need to do.” Finally, als het vanavond erger wordt gives the condition: “if it gets worse tonight.” Together: “I also need to know what to do if it gets worse tonight.”

6. Vraag waar je heen moet als je snel hulp nodig hebt.

   Ask where you should go if you need help quickly.

   Vraag

   ask

   waar

   where

   je

   you

   heen

   toward there

   moet

   should

   als

   if

   snel

   quickly

   hulp

   help

   nodig hebt

   need

   More detail

   Vraag is the imperative of vragen (“to ask”): it gives a direct instruction to one person. For example, Vraag het aan haar. means “Ask her.” waar means “where” and introduces the place being asked about. In waar je heen moet, it starts an embedded question: “where you have to go.” je is the informal singular “you” here. Dutch also uses je in other grammatical roles, so its exact role comes from the sentence; here it is the subject of the embedded clause and of nodig hebt. heen adds direction toward a destination. The reusable pattern waar ... heen asks where someone should or must go, as in Waar ga je heen? — “Where are you going?” moet is the singular present form of moeten, “must/have to.” With je, Dutch uses moet: je moet gaan means “you have to go.” In the embedded clause, moet comes at the end: waar je heen moet. als introduces a condition and means “if” in this sentence. It begins the condition als je snel hulp nodig hebt. snel means “quickly” here and describes how urgently the need for help occurs. It can also mean “fast” when describing movement or speed, but that is not the meaning in this sentence. hulp is the noun “help.” It is commonly used without an article when referring to help in general: Ik heb hulp nodig. — “I need help.” nodig hebt is the relevant part of the expression nodig hebben, “to need.” nodig means “needed” in this expression, while hebt is the second-person singular present form of hebben, “to have.” Dutch places the conjugated verb at the end of this subordinate als-clause: als je ... nodig hebt. The form hebt agrees with je; the infinitive is hebben. Together, waar je heen moet means “where you have to go,” and als je snel hulp nodig hebt means “if you need help quickly.” The imperative Vraag applies to the whole embedded question, producing: “Ask where you should go if you need help quickly.”

7. Ik schrijf de belangrijkste punten op voordat ik bel.

   I will write the main points down before I call.

   Ik

   I

   schrijf … op

   write down

   belangrijkste

   main; most important

   punten

   points

   voordat

   before

   bel

   call

   More detail

   Ik means “I” and is the first-person singular subject pronoun. It identifies the speaker as the person doing both actions in this sentence. Example: Ik lees. — “I read.” schrijf is the present-tense first-person singular form of schrijven, “to write.” Dutch can use the present tense for a planned or scheduled future action; here the fixed translation presents the writing as something the speaker will do. Example: Ik schrijf een bericht. — “I am writing a message.” op belongs with schrijf in the separable verb opschrijven, “to write down.” In a main clause, the verb part schrijf appears in the normal verb position and the particle op appears later: Ik schrijf het adres op. — “I write the address down.” The two parts are separate in the supplied sentence, so they remain separate phrase elements. belangrijkste is the superlative form of belangrijk, “important”: belangrijk → belangrijker (“more important”) → belangrijkste (“most important”). Here it describes punten, so belangrijkste punten means “the main points,” not merely “important points.” The form belangrijkste is the attributive superlative used in this noun phrase. punten is the plural of punt, “point.” The singular/plural contrast is een punt — “a point” and punten — “points.” In this sentence, the plural refers to multiple points that the speaker intends to write down. voordat means “before” and introduces the subordinate clause voordat ik bel, “before I call.” It links the timing of the two actions. Dutch places the conjugated verb at the end of this subordinate clause: voordat ik vertrek — “before I leave.” bel is the first-person singular present form of bellen, “to call.” The subject ik determines this form: ik bel; with jij, the form is jij belt. The sentence does not specify what person or service will be called; it only states the speaker’s calling action. Together, Ik schrijf ... op means “I write ... down,” and de belangrijkste punten is what is written down. The clause voordat ik bel places that writing first in time: “before I call.” Thus the complete utterance means: “I will write the main points down before I call.”

8. Dat zou het telefoongesprek voor jullie allebei duidelijker moeten maken.

   That should make the call clearer for both of you.

   Dat

   that

   zou

   should

   telefoongesprek

   phone call

   jullie allebei

   both of you

   duidelijker

   clearer

   moeten

   need to

   maken

   make

   More detail

   Dat means “that” here: a demonstrative pronoun referring to something understood from the situation, without the sentence itself identifying a more specific referent. It is not the Dutch definite article het; dat stands independently. zou is the singular form of zullen in this use. With an infinitive, it presents an expected or likely result: zou ... maken = “should make” or “would make.” This is different from the simple present maakt (“makes/is making”). het telefoongesprek means “the phone call.” Telefoongesprek is a compound noun: telefoon + gesprek. The definite article is het, so the full noun phrase is het telefoongesprek. A useful related noun is gesprek (“conversation”); telefoongesprek specifically refers to a conversation by telephone. voor jullie allebei means “for both of you.” Jullie is the second-person plural pronoun, and allebei specifies that the reference is to both members of that group. Voor introduces the people affected or benefiting here; it does not mean that they are the ones making the call. duidelijker is the comparative form of duidelijk (“clear”). The pattern is duidelijk → duidelijker → het duidelijkst (“clear” → “clearer” → “the clearest”). Here it describes the call as becoming easier to understand, not physically brighter or more visible. moeten is the infinitive of moeten, “must” or “need to.” In this sentence it follows zou and forms the construction zou ... moeten ..., which expresses an expectation: “should ...”. Because it is an infinitive after zou, it does not become moet. maken is the infinitive of maken, “to make.” In iets duidelijker maken, the pattern means “make something clearer.” For example: Deze uitleg maakt de regel duidelijker. — “This explanation makes the rule clearer.” Together, Dat zou ... moeten maken gives the expected-result frame “That should make ...”. The object is het telefoongesprek, and duidelijker describes the resulting change; voor jullie allebei identifies who should experience the call as clearer. The whole utterance therefore means: “That should make the call clearer for both of you.”