Describing a Possible Heating Problem | Learn Dutch in English

Sentence explanations

1. De verwarming gaat aan, maar de kamer wordt nooit behaaglijk.

   The heating switches on, but the room never becomes comfortable.

   De verwarming

   the heating

   gaat aan

   switches on

   de kamer

   the room

   wordt

   becomes

   nooit

   never

   behaaglijk

   comfortable

   More detail

   De verwarming means “the heating” here. Verwarming is a noun referring to a heating system or heating, and de is the definite article used with this noun. Example: De verwarming is uit. — “The heating is off.” gaat aan is the present-tense form of the separable verb aangaan, used here for a device or system switching on. The form gaat is the third-person singular form of gaan; aan is the particle. In a main clause, the particle appears separately: De lamp gaat aan. — “The lamp switches on.” de kamer means “the room.” Kamer is a de-noun. The phrase identifies the room as the place whose condition is described in the second part of the sentence. wordt is the third-person singular present form of worden, “to become.” Here worden expresses a change of state, not a passive action: the room does not become comfortable. Compare De kamer is behaaglijk. — “The room is comfortable,” describing a state, with De kamer wordt behaaglijk. — “The room becomes comfortable,” describing a change into that state. nooit means “never.” It places the change negatively across all relevant occasions or times: the room never reaches the stated condition. Example: De deur gaat nooit vanzelf open. — “The door never opens by itself.” behaaglijk is an adjective meaning pleasantly comfortable or cozy. In this sentence it follows wordt and describes the condition the room fails to reach. The adjective itself does not change here for the singular noun kamer. Example: Deze stoel is behaaglijk. — “This chair is comfortable.” Together, De verwarming gaat aan says that the heating switches on. maar introduces a contrast, and de kamer wordt nooit behaaglijk says that the room never becomes pleasantly comfortable. The whole utterance therefore means: “The heating switches on, but the room never becomes comfortable.”

2. De thermostaat werkt misschien wel, terwijl de radiatorkraan vast blijft zitten.

   The thermostat may be working, while the radiator valve remains stuck.

   thermostaat

   thermostat

   werkt

   works; is working

   misschien wel

   may well; perhaps

   terwijl

   while

   radiatorkraan

   radiator valve

   vast blijft zitten

   remains stuck

   More detail

   thermostaat means “thermostat.” It is a Dutch noun. In this sentence it is the subject of werkt. Example: De thermostaat is nieuw. — “The thermostat is new.” werkt is the present-tense third-person singular form of werken, “to work.” Here it describes the thermostat as functioning, not a person’s employment. The same form is used with a singular subject: De motor werkt. — “The engine works.” With a plural subject, Dutch uses werken: De motoren werken. — “The engines work.” misschien wel expresses a tentative but affirmative possibility: “may well” or “perhaps.” Misschien means “perhaps”; wel adds the suggestion that the proposition may indeed be true. Example: Het probleem is misschien wel klein. — “The problem may well be small.” terwijl introduces a clause presented alongside the first clause, here translated as “while.” It commonly connects situations that hold at the same time. Example: Zij leest terwijl hij kookt. — “She reads while he cooks.” Here it introduces the situation concerning the radiator valve. radiatorkraan means “radiator valve.” It is a Dutch compound noun referring to the valve that controls a radiator. As a singular noun, it is the subject of the following clause. Example: De radiatorkraan lekt. — “The radiator valve is leaking.” vast blijft zitten means “remains stuck.” Blijft is the present-tense third-person singular form of blijven, “to remain” or “to keep,” and zitten is the infinitive of “to sit” or, in this expression, “to be positioned or stuck.” Together with vast, vast blijven zitten describes something continuing to be firmly stuck. The finite form is blijft because the subject de radiatorkraan is singular; zitten remains an infinitive after blijven. Example: De deur blijft vastzitten. — “The door remains stuck.” The first clause is De thermostaat werkt misschien wel: “The thermostat may well be working.” De marks the noun phrase as definite, and misschien wel makes the claim tentative while suggesting that the thermostat is functioning. Terwijl then adds the simultaneous second situation: de radiatorkraan vast blijft zitten, “the radiator valve remains stuck.” Together, the utterance says that the thermostat may be functioning while the radiator valve continues to be stuck.

3. Daar vroeg ik me ook over af, omdat de leiding bij de muur warm aanvoelt.

   I wondered about that, because the pipe feels warm near the wall.

   Daar … vroeg ik me … over af

   wondered about that

   ook

   also

   omdat

   because

   de leiding

   the pipe

   bij

   near

   de muur

   the wall

   warm

   warm

   aanvoelt

   feels to the touch

   More detail

   Daar vroeg ik me over af is a Dutch construction meaning “I wondered about that.” Here daar ... over is a split pronominal-adverb pattern: daar points to the matter, and over belongs with it to express “about.” The af belongs to the separable verb afvragen; with ik, the past-tense form is vroeg ... af. Thus ik vroeg me ... af means “I wondered,” while ik vraag me ... af means “I wonder.” Me is the reflexive form referring back to ik. A compact reusable pattern is Ik vraag me af ... — “I wonder ...”. Ook means “also” or “too.” It adds this wondering to the speaker’s other relevant thoughts or observations; it does not itself identify what the speaker wondered about. Omdat introduces the reason for the main statement: “because ...”. It is a subordinating conjunction, so the finite verb appears at the end of its clause in this sentence. De leiding means “the pipe” here. Leiding is a noun whose basic form is leiding, and de is its singular definite article. In this context, the noun refers to the pipe identified by the fixed translation. The same noun can have other context-dependent meanings, but this utterance uses the pipe sense. Bij means “near” here. It expresses location relative to a reference point, as in bij de muur (“near the wall”). This is different from in, which normally means “in” or “inside.” De muur means “the wall.” Muur is a singular noun with the definite article de. Example: De stoel staat bij de muur. — “The chair is near the wall.” Warm is the adjective “warm.” It describes the temperature of the pipe as perceived by touch here. Its base form is warm; the comparative is warmer (“warmer”), and a predicative superlative is het warmst (“the warmest”). Example: Deze buis is warmer. — “This pipe is warmer.” Aanvoelt means “feels to the touch” in this sentence. Its base form is the separable verb aanvoelen. In a main clause, De leiding voelt warm aan has the separated form; after omdat, the finite verb is at the end and appears as the joined form aanvoelt. It is third-person singular present because de leiding is the subject. Voelen by itself means “feel,” whereas aanvoelen commonly describes how something feels when touched or perceived. Together, omdat de leiding bij de muur warm aanvoelt means “because the pipe feels warm near the wall”: the pipe is the thing that feels warm, and bij de muur gives its location. The whole utterance therefore means “I wondered about that too, because the pipe feels warm near the wall.”

4. Dan ligt het probleem waarschijnlijk bij de circulatie en niet bij de stroom.

   Then the problem is probably circulation rather than power.

   Dan

   then

   ligt … bij

   lies with / is due to

   probleem

   problem

   waarschijnlijk

   probably

   circulatie

   circulation

   niet

   not

   stroom

   power / electricity

   More detail

   Dan means “then” here: it links this conclusion to the preceding discussion. It can also refer to a time or condition in other sentences, but here it marks the conclusion being drawn. ligt ... bij uses ligt, the third-person singular present form of liggen (“to lie”), with het probleem as its subject. In this pattern, liggen bij means that a cause, responsibility, or location is with a person or thing; here it means that the issue is located with, or attributable to, something. The form chain is liggen → ligt for a singular third-person subject. For example: De oorzaak ligt bij de installatie. — “The cause lies with the installation.” probleem is a neuter noun: het probleem means “the problem.” Its plural is problemen: De problemen zijn duidelijk. — “The problems are clear.” The article het belongs to the noun phrase and does not mean “one.” waarschijnlijk is an adverb meaning “probably” here. It weakens the statement: the speaker presents the proposed cause as likely, not certain. The related adjective is also waarschijnlijk, as in een waarschijnlijke oorzaak — “a likely cause.” circulatie is a noun meaning “circulation.” In this sentence it names the possible area where the problem lies. The noun can be used in other contexts too, such as de circulatie van lucht — “the circulation of air.” niet marks the negative side of the contrast with bij de circulatie. The reusable pattern bij Y en niet bij X means “with Y and not with X”; Dutch can also express the same contrast as niet bij X, maar bij Y (“not with X, but with Y”). Here niet does not negate the earlier statement that there is probably a problem. stroom is a noun meaning “power” or “electricity” in this context. It can also mean “current” or “flow” in other contexts, so the intended sense comes from the fixed translation and the surrounding technical discussion. For example: Er is geen stroom. — “There is no power.” Together, het probleem ligt waarschijnlijk bij de circulatie says that the problem is probably attributable to the circulation system or process. en niet bij de stroom contrasts that proposed source with the power/electricity. With Dan at the beginning, the complete utterance means: “Then the problem is probably with the circulation rather than with the power.”

5. Zou een monteur dit kunnen controleren zonder elke kamer binnen te gaan?

   Could a technician check it without entering every room?

   Zou

   could

   monteur

   technician

   dit

   it

   kunnen

   be able to

   controleren

   check

   zonder

   without

   elke

   every

   kamer

   room

   binnen te gaan

   enter

   More detail

   Zou is the past-tense form of zullen, but here it helps form a tentative possibility question: “Could …?” In a reusable pattern, Zou + subject + kunnen + infinitive? asks whether something would be possible. Example: Zou je morgen kunnen komen? — “Could you come tomorrow?” Monteur means a technician or repair worker. It is a noun, usually used with the article de: de monteur. The plural is monteurs. In this sentence it is the possible person who performs the check; the sentence does not specify which technician. Dit is a demonstrative pronoun meaning “this” or, as in the fixed translation, “it.” It is the singular neuter form used with a het-word or a neuter referent. Its exact referent is not identified in the supplied sentence. Compare dit with deze, the usual singular form for a de-word: dit probleem, but deze kamer. Kunnen means “to be able to” or “can.” It is the infinitive after the modal zou; the finite/modal form is zou, while kunnen names the ability or possibility. Compare kan for present-tense “can” with kunnen as the infinitive: Hij kan controleren — “He can check.” Controleren means “to check” or “inspect.” It is an infinitive, so it stays in this form after kunnen. A useful contrast is repareren, “to repair”: checking something and repairing it are different actions. Example: De monteur kan de installatie controleren. — “The technician can check the installation.” Zonder means “without.” It introduces the condition or action that is absent. With an action, Dutch commonly uses zonder te + infinitive, as in zonder te wachten — “without waiting.” Elke means “every” or “each” and distributes the statement over individual members of a group. It normally combines with a singular count noun: elke kamer, not elke kamers. It differs from alle, “all,” which normally takes a plural noun: alle kamers. Kamer means “room.” It is a de-word: de kamer; its plural is kamers. In elke kamer, the singular form reflects the distributive pattern “every room.” Binnen te gaan is the infinitive construction “to go inside” or “to enter.” Gaan is the base verb “to go,” and binnen specifies movement inward. In the zonder te construction, te comes before the infinitive: zonder binnen te gaan — “without entering.” This phrase describes the action that the technician would not need to perform. Together, Zou een monteur kunnen controleren asks whether a technician could perform a check, while dit identifies the thing being checked as “it.” Zonder elke kamer binnen te gaan adds that this could happen without entering every room. The complete meaning is: “Could a technician check it without entering every room?”

6. De monteur heeft misschien toegang nodig om de temperaturen in het appartement met elkaar te vergelijken.

   They may need access to compare temperatures across the apartment.

   monteur

   technician

   heeft … nodig

   needs

   misschien

   perhaps

   toegang

   access

   temperaturen

   temperatures

   appartement

   apartment

   met elkaar

   with each other

   vergelijken

   compare

   More detail

   monteur means “technician” here. It is a common-gender Dutch noun; the article de marks it as a de-word. In this conversation, it refers to the technician mentioned in the surrounding context. Example: De monteur komt morgen. — “The technician is coming tomorrow.” heeft ... nodig is the reusable Dutch pattern for “needs”: hebben ... nodig, literally “to have ... necessary.” heeft is the present-tense third-person singular form of hebben, used with de monteur; nodig completes the need construction. The adverb misschien comes between these two parts here. Example: Zij heeft hulp nodig. — “She needs help.” misschien means “perhaps” or “maybe.” It marks the need as uncertain rather than asserting it as definite. Example: Misschien komt hij later. — “Maybe he will come later.” toegang means “access,” especially permission or the ability to enter or use a place. In toegang nodig hebben, it is the thing that is needed. Example: Ik heb toegang tot de ruimte nodig. — “I need access to the room.” temperaturen means “temperatures.” It is the plural of temperatuur; the ending -en is part of this plural form. Here it is the object being compared. Example: De temperaturen verschillen. — “The temperatures differ.” appartement means “apartment.” The phrase in het appartement places the temperatures within the apartment. Appartement is a het-word, so the definite article is het. Example: We wonen in een appartement. — “We live in an apartment.” met elkaar means “with each other” or, in this comparison, “with one another.” It indicates that the temperatures are compared against one another, not against an unstated external standard. Example: De twee waarden verschillen met elkaar. — “The two values differ from each other.” vergelijken means “to compare.” This is the infinitive. The pattern om ... te vergelijken expresses purpose: “in order to compare.” Example: Ik gebruik beide metingen om ze te vergelijken. — “I use both measurements to compare them.” Together, De monteur heeft misschien toegang nodig says “The technician may need access.” om de temperaturen in het appartement met elkaar te vergelijken gives the purpose of that access: “to compare the temperatures in the apartment with one another.” The complete utterance therefore means: “They may need access to compare temperatures across the apartment.”

7. Ik kan dat regelen als de monteur het redelijk van tevoren laat weten.

   I can arrange that if they give reasonable notice.

   Ik kan

   I can

   dat

   that

   regelen

   arrange

   als

   if

   monteur

   technician

   redelijk

   reasonable

   van tevoren

   beforehand

   laat weten

   let know

   More detail

   Ik kan means “I can.” kan is the first-person singular present form of kunnen (“to be able to / can”). A modal verb is followed by an infinitive: Ik kan helpen means “I can help.” dat is the demonstrative pronoun “that,” used here for the thing being arranged. Its exact referent is supplied by the situation rather than by the pronoun itself. regelen is the infinitive “to arrange” or “to organize.” After kan, it stays in the infinitive: Ik kan dat regelen means “I can arrange that.” als introduces a condition and means “if.” In a subordinate clause introduced by als, the conjugated verb comes at the end: als zij tijd heeft means “if she has time.” monteur means “technician.” It is singular here and appears with the definite article de in the source: de monteur means “the technician.” The English translation uses singular “they” for this person without specifying gender. redelijk means “reasonable” here. In redelijk van tevoren, it describes the amount of advance notice: “reasonably far in advance” or “with reasonable notice.” van tevoren is a fixed adverbial expression meaning “beforehand” or “in advance.” It indicates that something happens before the relevant event: Laat het van tevoren weten means “Let us know in advance.” laat weten is part of laten weten, a construction meaning “let someone know” or “give notice.” laat is the third-person singular present form of laten, while weten remains an infinitive. Here, with de monteur as subject and het as object, de monteur ... laat weten means that the technician gives notice; the sentence does not specify a recipient. Together, als de monteur het redelijk van tevoren laat weten means “if the technician gives reasonable notice.” The complete utterance is therefore: “I can arrange that if they give reasonable notice.” The main clause states ability, and the als-clause states the condition for it.

8. We moeten om een duidelijk tijdvak vragen voordat we het bevestigen.

   We should request a clear time window before we confirm.

   We moeten

   we must / need to

   vragen

   ask; request

   duidelijk

   clear

   tijdvak

   time period; time window

   voordat

   before

   bevestigen

   confirm

   More detail

   We moeten combines the subject we with moeten, the present-tense modal verb meaning “must,” “need to,” or, as translated here, “should.” Moeten is the form used with we; it is not the lexical action being requested. A reusable pattern is we moeten + infinitive: “we need to do something.” vragen means “ask” or “request.” In the construction om iets vragen, om introduces what is being requested: om een tijdvak vragen means “ask for a time window.” Here vragen is an infinitive after the modal verb moeten. This differs from iemand vragen, “ask someone,” where the person asked is expressed directly rather than with om. duidelijk describes the requested time window as clear or specific. In een duidelijk tijdvak, it has no -e ending because it is before an indefinite singular neuter noun. This ending is a property of the adjective duidelijk, not of the noun. Example: een duidelijk plan — “a clear plan.” tijdvak means a bounded period or time window. It is a noun referring to a span of time, not to one particular clock time. Example: We kiezen een tijdvak. — “We choose a time window.” voordat means “before” and introduces a clause describing the earlier condition or action. In voordat we het bevestigen, the clause begins with we, and the verb is placed at the end, as is normal in this type of Dutch subordinate clause. Example: Bel me voordat je vertrekt. — “Call me before you leave.” bevestigen means “confirm.” In this sentence, its spelling is also the form used for the present tense with we: we bevestigen. Thus the final form is finite in the subordinate clause, even though it looks identical to the infinitive bevestigen used after a modal such as moeten. The pronoun het is a singular neuter object pronoun; the fixed translation expresses the confirmation without repeating its object. Together, We moeten ... vragen states that the speakers need to request something. om een duidelijk tijdvak specifies that the request is for a clear time window, and voordat we het bevestigen places the confirmation afterward. The complete meaning is: “We should request a clear time window before we confirm.”