Rescheduling an appointment while confirming continuity of care | Learn Dutch in English

Sentence explanations

1. Ik moet mijn afspraak verzetten omdat mijn vergadering is uitgelopen.

   I need to reschedule my appointment because my meeting ran long.

   Ik moet

   I need to / I have to

   afspraak

   appointment

   verzetten

   reschedule

   omdat

   because

   vergadering

   meeting

   is uitgelopen

   ran long

   More detail

   Ik moet means “I need to” or “I have to” here. moet is the first-person singular present form of moeten (“must, have to”); the subject ik makes this the correct form. After a modal verb such as moeten, the other verb normally remains an infinitive and comes later in the clause. Example: Ik moet werken. — “I have to work.” afspraak means “appointment” here. It is a noun, usually used with the article de: de afspraak. The possessive mijn means “my” and does not mark an English-style gender distinction. Example: Mijn afspraak is morgen. — “My appointment is tomorrow.” verzetten means “to reschedule” in this sentence. It is an infinitive after moet, so it does not carry a present-tense ending here. Dutch also uses verzetten in other contexts for moving or changing something to a different time; the appointment context selects “reschedule.” Example: We moeten de afspraak verzetten. — “We have to reschedule the appointment.” omdat introduces the reason for the preceding clause and means “because.” It starts a subordinate clause; in that clause, the finite verb is placed at the end. This word is different from want, which also gives a reason but normally keeps main-clause word order. Example: Ik blijf thuis omdat ik ziek ben. — “I am staying home because I am ill.” vergadering means “meeting.” It is a noun used with de: de vergadering. In mijn vergadering, mijn identifies the meeting as belonging to or being associated with the speaker, without specifying any additional participant. Example: De vergadering begint om negen uur. — “The meeting starts at nine o’clock.” is uitgelopen expresses that the meeting ran long or went over its planned time. uitgelopen is the past participle of uitlopen; with the auxiliary is, it forms the perfect construction. In this use, uitlopen is intransitive: the meeting itself continued beyond the expected end time. Example: De les is uitgelopen. — “The lesson ran long.” Together, Ik moet mijn afspraak verzetten says “I need to reschedule my appointment.” The subordinate clause omdat mijn vergadering is uitgelopen gives the reason: “because my meeting ran long.” The complete utterance is therefore: “I need to reschedule my appointment because my meeting ran long.”

2. We kunnen naar een ander tijdstip zoeken, afhankelijk van welke behandelaar beschikbaar is.

   We can look for another slot, depending on which practitioner is free.

   We kunnen

   we can

   ander

   another

   tijdstip

   time slot

   zoeken

   look for

   afhankelijk van

   depending on

   welke

   which

   behandelaar

   practitioner

   beschikbaar

   available

   More detail

   We kunnen begins the sentence with we as the subject and kunnen as the present-tense form of kunnen, meaning “can” for a plural subject. The modal is followed by the infinitive zoeken, so the reusable pattern is We kunnen + infinitive (“We can …”). Example: We kunnen morgen bellen. — “We can call tomorrow.” ander means “another” here: it marks a different option from the one already under discussion. It is the form used before the singular neuter noun tijdstip in the phrase een ander tijdstip; in this environment it does not take -e. Compare een andere afspraak — “another appointment,” where afspraak is a common-gender de-word. ander is an adjective/determiner, not the noun’s base form. tijdstip is a neuter noun (het tijdstip) meaning a particular point or scheduled time; in this context, “time slot” is the natural meaning. Its plural is tijdstippen. Example: Welk tijdstip past u? — “Which time suits you?” zoeken is the infinitive of zoeken, “to look for” or “to search.” After kunnen, Dutch places this infinitive later in the clause: We kunnen een ander tijdstip zoeken — “We can look for another time slot.” The verb is about searching for or trying to find something, not simply looking at it. afhankelijk van is a fixed pattern meaning “depending on.” It introduces the condition that determines the choice. The preposition van is part of this pattern, so the reusable structure is afhankelijk van + noun phrase or afhankelijk van welke .... welke means “which” and asks the listener to identify one choice from a relevant set. Here it is used before behandelaar, a singular common-gender de-word. With a singular neuter het-word, the corresponding form is welk, as in welk tijdstip — “which time slot.” behandelaar is a noun for a practitioner or provider of treatment. It is a de-word: de behandelaar; its plural is behandelaars. The form is gender-neutral in this sentence: it identifies the treatment provider without specifying that person’s gender. beschikbaar is an adjective meaning “available” or “free” in the sense of having an open time or being able to provide the appointment. In welke behandelaar beschikbaar is, it is used predicatively after is, the singular form of zijn (“to be”); the adjective itself does not take a noun-agreement ending here. Example: De arts is beschikbaar. — “The doctor is available.” Together, We kunnen ... zoeken says that the speakers are able to look for something. een ander tijdstip specifies that the thing sought is a different time slot. afhankelijk van welke behandelaar beschikbaar is adds the condition: the suitable slot depends on which practitioner is available. The complete meaning is therefore: “We can look for another slot, depending on which practitioner is free.”

3. Ik heb liever iets op korte termijn, als dat mogelijk is.

   I would prefer something soon, if possible.

   Ik heb liever

   would prefer

   iets

   something

   korte

   short

   termijn

   term or period

   als dat mogelijk is

   if possible

   More detail

   Ik heb liever expresses preference: “I would prefer” or “I would rather have.” The useful pattern is ik heb liever + noun phrase; liever is the comparative form related to graag (“gladly/preferably”), and here it marks a preference rather than literal possession. The subject is ik (“I”), and heb is the first-person singular present form of hebben (“to have”). iets means “something.” It is an indefinite pronoun, so it does not identify exactly what is preferred. The pattern iets + further description is reusable when the speaker wants an unspecified thing with a particular property or timing. korte means “short” in op korte termijn. Its base form is kort; the -e form is the attributive form used before termijn in this noun phrase. A useful contrast is lang (“long”), as in op lange termijn (“in the long term”). termijn means “term” or “period.” In the fixed expression op korte termijn, the phrase means “soon” or “in the short term,” especially when discussing an appointment, arrangement, or availability. The preposition op is part of this expression; it is not simply a word-for-word equivalent of English “on” in every context. als dat mogelijk is means “if that is possible.” als introduces a condition, dat is the demonstrative pronoun “that,” and is is the third-person singular present form of zijn (“to be”). Here, dat refers to the preferred short-term arrangement, without specifying a separate concrete object. The reusable pattern is als + clause, for example: Als dat mogelijk is, kom ik morgen. — “If that is possible, I will come tomorrow.” Together, Ik heb liever states the speaker’s preference, iets op korte termijn specifies an unspecified arrangement soon or in the short term, and als dat mogelijk is makes the preference conditional. The complete meaning is: “I would prefer something soon, if possible.”

4. De eerst beschikbare plek is bij een andere behandelaar uit hetzelfde team.

   The earliest opening is with another clinician on the same team.

   eerst

   earliest

   beschikbare

   available

   plek

   opening

   bij

   with

   andere

   another

   behandelaar

   clinician

   hetzelfde

   same

   team

   team

   More detail

   eerst means “first” in an ordering; here it contributes the meaning “earliest” because it identifies the first opening that satisfies the description. It is not the inflected ordinal adjective eerste in this phrase. Example: Wie is eerst? — “Who is first?” beschikbare comes from beschikbaar, “available.” The -e form appears before the noun plek here: een beschikbare plek — “an available place.” The adjective describes an opening that can be used or scheduled. plek is a noun meaning “place” or, in this context, an available “opening” or appointment slot. Example: Er is nog een plek vrij. — “There is still an opening available.” bij is a preposition. With a person who provides care or a service, bij can identify the professional with whom an appointment is arranged: bij een arts — “with a doctor.” andere comes from ander, “other” or “another.” In een andere behandelaar, it identifies a clinician different from the one already relevant in the conversation. The -e form is used here before the noun. Example: Ik wil een andere afspraak. — “I want another appointment.” behandelaar is a noun for a clinician or other professional who treats or provides care. Its plural is behandelaars. Example: De behandelaar bespreekt het plan. — “The clinician discusses the plan.” hetzelfde combines het with the inflected form of zelfde, “same.” Before the neuter noun team, the phrase hetzelfde team means “the same team,” indicating shared team membership. This is a fixed agreement pattern: hetzelfde is used with a singular neuter noun, while dezelfde is used with a common-gender singular noun or with a plural noun. Example: We werken in hetzelfde team. — “We work on the same team.” team is a noun meaning “team.” In this sentence it is the team that the other clinician belongs to; the phrase does not say that the clinician is the same person. Together, de eerst beschikbare plek means “the earliest available opening.” is bij een andere behandelaar places that opening with another clinician, and uit hetzelfde team specifies that this clinician comes from the same team. The complete meaning is: “The earliest opening is with another clinician on the same team.”

5. Dat is goed, zolang die mijn notities van het vorige bezoek kan inzien.

   That works if they can see my notes from the last visit.

   Dat is goed

   That works / That’s fine

   zolang

   as long as

   die

   they

   notities

   notes

   vorige

   previous / last

   bezoek

   visit

   kan

   can

   inzien

   view / access

   More detail

   Dat is goed is a common way to say that a proposed arrangement is acceptable: “That works” or “That’s fine.” Dat means “that” here and points to the arrangement just under discussion; it does not identify a particular object by itself. goed is the adjective “good.” zolang introduces a condition meaning “as long as” or “provided that.” The clause after it states the condition under which the arrangement is acceptable. Example: Je kunt hier blijven zolang je stil bent. — “You can stay here as long as you are quiet.” die is a standalone demonstrative pronoun. In this sentence, the surrounding context and translation support the reading “that person” or “they,” referring to the clinician. The singular verb kan shows that the subject is singular here; Dutch die itself does not mark the person’s gender. As a demonstrative, die can also refer to a singular common-gender noun or to plural nouns in other sentences, so its exact referent comes from context. notities means “notes.” Its singular base form is notitie; notities is the plural form. Example: Ik maak notities. — “I take notes.” vorige means “previous” or “last” in the relevant sequence. It describes bezoek, not notities. Dutch adjectives commonly take -e before a definite noun phrase such as het vorige bezoek; this form does not by itself indicate the gender of the visit. bezoek means “visit.” It is a neuter noun, shown by the article het in het vorige bezoek. The phrase van het vorige bezoek means “from the previous visit,” with van linking the notes to that visit. kan is the singular present form of the modal verb kunnen, “can / be able to.” The useful present-tense contrast is ik kan, hij/zij/het kan, but wij/jullie/zij kunnen. Here kan agrees with singular die and expresses ability or permitted possibility in the fixed meaning. inzien means “to view” or “to consult” something, here the notes. It is a separable verb: in a simple main clause, Die ziet de notities in; after the modal kan, the infinitive stays intact at the end: Die kan de notities inzien. Together, die ... kan inzien means “they can view them,” where the object is supplied by mijn notities. The full structure is Dat is goed, zolang + condition: “That works as long as they can view my notes from the previous visit.”

6. Die heeft toegang tot uw dossier, maar kan nog steeds een paar vragen stellen.

   They can access the record, though they may still ask a few questions.

   Die

   they

   heeft

   has

   toegang

   access

   uw

   your

   dossier

   record

   maar

   but

   kan

   may

   nog steeds

   still

   een paar

   a few

   vragen

   questions

   stellen

   ask

   More detail

   Die means “they” here and refers to the person represented by that English pronoun. In Dutch, die can be used as a third-person pronoun for a person; the form itself does not identify the person’s gender or exact identity. The singular verb forms heeft and kan show that the subject is grammatically singular in this sentence. heeft is the present-tense form of hebben for a singular third-person subject. Here it expresses having access. The base form is hebben; for a plural subject, the present form is hebben. toegang is the noun “access.” The reusable pattern toegang tot + noun means “access to + noun.” Thus toegang tot uw dossier means “access to your record.” uw is the possessive form meaning “your,” used with formal singular or plural you. It refers to the addressee and does not state how many records there are. dossier is a noun meaning “record” or “file.” A useful pattern is toegang tot een dossier, “access to a record/file.” maar means “but.” It links the access statement to the contrasting possibility that follows; it does not itself express ability or questioning. kan is the present form of kunnen for a singular subject. In this sentence, the fixed translation uses the possibility meaning “may”: the person may still ask questions. In other contexts, kunnen can express ability, as in Ik kan zwemmen (“I can swim”). A Dutch modal verb is followed by an infinitive, here stellen. nog steeds is the adverbial construction “still.” It indicates that the possibility remains at this point. een paar means “a few” here, indicating a small number. That quantity comes from een paar as a unit, not from the indefinite article een alone. vragen is the plural of vraag, “question.” vraag is singular, while vragen refers to multiple questions. stellen is the infinitive of stellen, which means “to put” in some contexts and “to ask” in the construction vragen stellen. Dutch uses vragen stellen for “ask questions.” After kan, the infinitive stays stellen. Together, Die heeft toegang tot uw dossier says “They have access to your record.” maar kan nog steeds een paar vragen stellen adds the contrast that they may still ask a few questions. The complete meaning is: “They can access the record, though they may still ask a few questions.”

7. Dat is prima, zolang die de nodige achtergrondinformatie heeft.

   That is fine, as long as they have the background.

   Dat

   That

   is

   is

   prima

   fine

   zolang

   as long as

   die

   they

   nodige

   necessary

   achtergrondinformatie

   background information

   heeft

   has

   More detail

   Dat means “that” here as a demonstrative pronoun: it points to a situation or matter already understood, rather than naming a new noun. Dutch distinguishes dat for a singular neuter noun or a whole situation from die in other demonstrative uses. Example: Dat is duidelijk. — “That is clear.” is is the present-tense third-person singular form of zijn, “to be.” The form agrees with the subject Dat. A useful present-tense contrast is ik ben — “I am,” jij bent — “you are,” and hij/zij/het is — “he/she/it is.” prima is an adjective meaning “fine” or “okay.” After zijn, it is used predicatively, so it describes the subject without an attributive ending. Example: De afspraak is prima. — “The appointment is fine.” zolang introduces a condition and means “as long as.” It connects the first situation with the condition that follows. Example: Je kunt blijven zolang je rustig bent. — “You can stay as long as you are calm.” die means “they” in this sentence and refers to the person already established in the supplied context. Although English uses singular they, Dutch uses the singular verb heeft with this pronoun here. Die can have other grammatical uses in Dutch, but here it is a personal pronoun, not a demonstrative modifying a following noun. nodige means “necessary” in the noun phrase de nodige achtergrondinformatie. Its base form is nodig, “necessary.” The -e form appears because the adjective is placed before this definite noun phrase: nodige informatie. In predicative position, the adjective normally has no -e: De informatie is nodig. — “The information is necessary.” achtergrondinformatie is a compound noun meaning “background information.” It combines the idea of background with information and is written as one word in Dutch. It is commonly treated as a mass or uncounted type of information; a specific amount can instead be expressed with a separate measure, such as veel achtergrondinformatie — “a lot of background information.” heeft is the present-tense third-person singular form of hebben, “to have.” Its subject is die, so the clause says that this person has the information. Compare ik heb — “I have” with hij/zij/die heeft — “he/she/they has/have.” Together, Dat is prima says “That is fine.” zolang die de nodige achtergrondinformatie heeft adds the condition “as long as they have the necessary background information.” The complete utterance therefore means: “That is fine, as long as they have the background.”

8. Ik kan een notitie toevoegen met het verzoek om uw dossier vóór de afspraak door te nemen.

   I can add a note asking them to review your record before the appointment.

   Ik kan

   I can

   notitie

   note

   toevoegen

   add

   verzoek

   request

   dossier

   record; file

   afspraak

   appointment

   door te nemen

   to review; to go through

   More detail

   Ik kan expresses the speaker’s ability or possibility: “I can.” In Dutch, kan is the present form of kunnen for ik; the following verb stays in the infinitive. For example, Ik kan helpen. means “I can help.” notitie is a note or written record. The sentence uses een notitie, “a note”; notitie is a countable noun, and its common article is de: de notitie. toevoegen means “to add.” It is a separable verb: the infinitive is toevoegen, while a present-tense main clause can have voeg ... toe, as in Ik voeg een naam toe. — “I add a name.” Here it remains an infinitive after modal kan. verzoek is a request. In met het verzoek om ..., the note is accompanied by a request for the action that follows. The construction om ... te introduces an infinitive clause; it does not mean that the request itself is being added as a separate person or object. dossier means a file or record, here the addressee’s record. uw is the formal singular or plural possessive “your”; the fixed translation identifies the record as “your record.” For example, uw dossier is compleet means “your record is complete.” afspraak means an appointment. The phrase vóór de afspraak means “before the appointment”: vóór marks the earlier time, and de is the definite article used with this noun. For example, Bel me vóór de afspraak. means “Call me before the appointment.” door te nemen is the om ... te infinitive phrase for reviewing or going through something carefully. It comes from the separable verb doornemen; in this construction, door is separated from nemen by te. For example, Ik probeer het verslag door te nemen. means “I try to review the report.” Together, Ik kan een notitie toevoegen means “I can add a note.” met het verzoek om uw dossier vóór de afspraak door te nemen specifies that the note contains a request for them to review your record before the appointment, yielding the complete meaning: “I can add a note asking them to review your record before the appointment.”