Describing symptoms objectively at a clinic reception | Learn Dutch in English

Sentence explanations

1. Het ongemak is mild, maar het duurt al langer dan normaal.

   The discomfort is mild, but it has lasted longer than usual.

   ongemak

   discomfort

   mild

   mild

   maar

   but

   duurt

   lasts

   al

   already; for some time

   langer

   longer

   normaal

   usual; normal

   More detail

   ongemak is a neuter Dutch noun meaning discomfort or unease. Its plural is ongemakken. In Het ongemak, het is the singular definite article belonging to this noun. mild describes the discomfort as not severe. It is used predicatively after is and does not change form here: De pijn is mild. — The pain is mild. The sentence states a quality of the discomfort, not its duration. maar connects two contrasting statements: Het is klein, maar belangrijk. — It is small, but important. Here the contrast is between the mild quality and the longer-than-usual duration. duurt is the third-person singular present form of duren, “to last” or “to take a certain amount of time.” The pattern iets duurt ... describes the duration of something. Het duurt lang. — It lasts a long time. The second het points back to the discomfort mentioned at the start. al commonly marks that a situation began earlier and is still continuing at the reference time. With a present-tense verb such as duurt, it often corresponds to “already” or “for some time”: Het duurt al een week. — It has been lasting for a week already. It does not by itself state exactly when the situation began. langer is the comparative form of lang: lang — long; langer — longer; het langst — the longest. The pattern langer dan ... compares duration with a standard. De reis duurt langer dan gepland. — The trip lasts longer than planned. normaal can be an adjective or an adverb. In langer dan normaal, it supplies the comparison standard and means “usual” or “normally,” so the duration exceeds what is usual. The full comparative chunk is langer dan normaal, not merely langer. Together, Het ongemak is mild says that the discomfort is mild. maar contrasts this with het duurt al langer dan normaal: the discomfort has continued for some time, and its duration is greater than usual. The complete meaning is: “The discomfort is mild, but it has lasted longer than usual.”

2. Verandert het door beweging, rust of maaltijden?

   Does it change with activity, rest, or meals?

   Verandert

   changes

   het

   it

   door

   with; by

   beweging

   activity; movement

   rust

   rest

   maaltijden

   meals

   More detail

   Verandert is the present-tense form of veranderen (“to change”). Here it is used with the singular third-person subject het. Dutch yes/no questions put the finite verb before the subject: Verandert het ...? Compare Het verandert (“It changes”) in a statement. Veranderen is the base form and is also used with plural subjects. The ending in verandert is not unique to third person: the same form can occur with a singular second-person subject, but het establishes the third-person reading here. het is the Dutch third-person singular neuter pronoun meaning “it” here. In the supplied context and translation, it refers to the discomfort mentioned previously. This is different from het as the neuter definite article, as in het ongemak (“the discomfort”); here it stands on its own as the subject. door introduces a factor connected with a change. In door beweging, rust of maaltijden, it is naturally understood as “with” or “in response to” those factors. The pattern veranderen door + noun is reusable for asking whether something changes because of, or under the influence of, a stated factor. beweging is a singular noun meaning “movement” or “activity.” Its meaning here is the general factor “activity,” not a particular movement. The related plural is bewegingen (“movements” or “activities”), although the singular can refer to activity in general. rust is a noun meaning “rest.” It is uncounted in this use: the question asks about the influence of rest as a condition, not about a stated number of rest periods. For example, Het verbetert door rust means “It improves with rest.” maaltijden is the plural of maaltijd, meaning “meal.” Here it refers to meals as a general or recurring factor. The singular maaltijd can refer to one meal when the surrounding determiner or context supplies that reading; maaltijden is plural but does not identify an exact number. Together, Verandert het door beweging, rust of maaltijden? forms a yes/no question: “Does it change with activity, rest, or meals?” The three nouns are coordinated alternatives after door, and the question asks whether the discomfort changes in relation to one or more of these factors. The word order places verandert before the subject het, as is normal for a Dutch yes/no question.

3. Ik merk het duidelijker wanneer ik lang zit.

   I notice it more when I sit for a long time.

   Ik merk

   I notice

   het

   it

   duidelijker

   more clearly

   wanneer

   when

   lang

   long

   zit

   sit

   More detail

   Ik merk contains ik (“I”) and the present-tense form merk of merken (“to notice”). With ik, the verb form is merk; for example, Ik merk het verschil. means “I notice the difference.” het is a neuter singular third-person pronoun here, meaning “it.” The sentence does not identify exactly what “it” refers to; it is the thing being noticed. Dutch het can also function as a neuter singular definite article, but here it stands on its own as a pronoun. duidelijker is the comparative of duidelijk (“clear” or “clearly” in this use). It means “more clearly,” so the noticing is clearer or easier under the stated condition. A useful chain is duidelijk → duidelijker → het duidelijkst (“clearly” → “more clearly” → “most clearly”). wanneer introduces a time condition and means “when.” It connects the noticing with the situation that follows it. For example, Ik lees wanneer het rustig is. means “I read when it is quiet.” lang describes duration here: “for a long time.” It modifies the time spent sitting, not the manner of sitting. For example, Ik wacht lang. means “I wait for a long time.” zit is the present-tense first-person singular form of zitten (“to sit”) after ik; it means “sit” here. The same written form can also be used with hij, zij, or het in the present tense, but the subject in this sentence is ik. The infinitive is zitten, as in Ik wil zitten. (“I want to sit.”) Together, Ik merk het duidelijker means “I notice it more clearly,” and wanneer ik lang zit adds the condition “when I sit for a long time.” The complete utterance therefore means: “I notice it more when I sit for a long time.”

4. Dat patroon is het vermelden waard, en de behandelaar kan het goed beoordelen.

   That pattern is worth mentioning, and the clinician can assess it properly.

   Dat

   that

   patroon

   pattern

   het vermelden waard

   worth mentioning

   behandelaar

   clinician

   kan

   can

   goed

   properly

   beoordelen

   assess

   More detail

   Dat means “that” here and refers to the specific patroon identified in the sentence. Dutch demonstratives agree with the noun they accompany: dat is used with a singular het-word, while die is used with a singular de-word or with plural nouns. The form itself does not indicate whether the pattern is near or far in a physical sense. patroon is the noun “pattern.” Its plural is patronen. In this sentence it is the subject of is: Dat patroon is ... = “That pattern is ...”. het vermelden waard is a reusable Dutch construction meaning “worth mentioning.” vermelden is the infinitive “to mention,” and waard means “worth.” The initial het turns the action into a general thing being evaluated: literally, “the mentioning worth,” but naturally “worth mentioning.” For example: Dat detail is het onthouden waard. — “That detail is worth remembering.” behandelaar means “clinician” or “treating professional” in this context. It is a de-word: de behandelaar; its plural is behandelaars. The word identifies the professional who can assess the pattern, without specifying a more particular profession. kan is the present-tense form of the modal verb kunnen, “can” or “to be able to,” for hij, zij, or het, and also for the formal singular u. A modal verb is followed by an infinitive: kan beoordelen = “can assess.” In a question, the same form can appear before the subject: Kan de behandelaar het beoordelen? — “Can the clinician assess it?” goed means “well” here and modifies the assessment expressed by beoordelen. The adjective goed can also mean “good” when it describes a noun; as an adverb, it describes how an action is carried out. Its comparative is beter (“better”), not *goeder*. beoordelen is the infinitive “to assess” or “to evaluate.” It follows kan, as Dutch normally places the infinitive after the modal in this kind of clause. In het beoordelen, the object pronoun het refers back to dat patroon, matching the fixed translation “assess it.” Together, Dat patroon is het vermelden waard says that the identified pattern deserves to be mentioned. After en, de behandelaar kan het goed beoordelen says that the clinician is able to assess that pattern properly. The complete meaning is: “That pattern is worth mentioning, and the clinician can assess it properly.”

5. Ik probeer het te beschrijven zonder het erger of minder ernstig te laten klinken dan het is.

   I am trying to describe it without making it sound worse or less serious than it is.

   Ik

   I

   probeer

   try

   te beschrijven

   to describe

   zonder

   without

   erger

   worse

   minder ernstig

   less serious

   te laten klinken

   to make sound

   dan het is

   than it is

   More detail

   Ik is the first-person singular pronoun, “I.” It identifies the speaker as the person doing the trying and describing. The form does not change for grammatical gender. probeer is the present-tense first-person singular form of proberen, “to try.” Dutch commonly uses proberen te followed by an infinitive: Ik probeer te begrijpen. — “I am trying to understand.” Here, probeer expresses the speaker’s current effort; it does not itself mean that the description has already been completed. te beschrijven means “to describe.” beschrijven is the base verb, and te marks its infinitive in the pattern proberen te + verb. Example: Zij probeert het probleem te verklaren. — “She is trying to explain the problem.” zonder introduces the idea of absence: “without.” With a following infinitive, Dutch uses the reusable pattern zonder ... te + verb: Hij vertrekt zonder iets te zeggen. — “He leaves without saying anything.” In this sentence, the understood subject of that action is the same speaker as in Ik probeer. erger means “worse” here. It is the comparative form related to erg (“bad” or “severe” in relevant uses): erg → erger → ergst (“bad/severe” → “worse” → “worst”). In het erger laten klinken, it describes the result as sounding worse, not the speaker’s personal emotional reaction. minder ernstig means “less serious.” minder expresses a smaller degree, while ernstig means “serious.” The adjective ernstig itself is not the word carrying the comparative form; minder does that work. Example: Dit probleem is minder ernstig. — “This problem is less serious.” te laten klinken means “to make sound.” laten is the base verb “to let” or “to make,” and klinken means “to sound.” Together, iets laten klinken means to cause something to come across in a particular way. In te laten, te marks the infinitive after zonder; klinken is another infinitive governed by laten. Example: Laat het natuurlijk klinken. — “Make it sound natural.” dan het is means “than it is.” dan introduces the comparison, while is is the third-person singular present form of zijn (“to be”). het is the neuter singular pronoun “it”; here it refers to the thing being described, without the supplied sentence naming that thing more specifically. The comparison pattern is ...er/minder ... dan het is: the apparent or described degree is compared with the actual degree. The sentence first gives the speaker and the effort: Ik probeer te beschrijven — “I am trying to describe.” zonder ... te laten klinken adds what the speaker is avoiding: making the subject sound erger (“worse”) or minder ernstig (“less serious”) than its actual state, dan het is. Thus the complete meaning is: “I am trying to describe it without making it sound worse or less serious than it is.”

6. Concentreer u op hoe vaak het gebeurt en welke invloed het op u heeft.

   Focus on how often it happens and how it affects you.

   Concentreer u op

   focus on

   hoe vaak

   how often

   gebeurt

   happens

   welke

   which / what

   invloed

   effect / influence

   heeft

   has

   More detail

   Concentreer u op expresses the instruction “focus on.” It uses the verb concentreren op; u addresses the person formally. Example: Concentreer u op de taak. — “Focus on the task.” hoe vaak asks about frequency: “how often.” It introduces the embedded question about the frequency of an event. Example: Hoe vaak gebeurt dat? — “How often does that happen?” gebeurt is the present-tense singular form of gebeuren, “to happen.” Its subject in the embedded clause is het, meaning “it”; gebeurt therefore has the third-person singular form. In a subordinate question such as hoe vaak het gebeurt, the finite verb comes after the subject. welke means “which” or, in this context, “what ...” in a question asking about an effect. It is used before this noun; Dutch contrasts welke with welk in relevant singular contexts, while welke is also used with plural nouns. Example: Welke invloed heeft dat? — “What effect does that have?” invloed is the noun “effect” or “influence.” The fixed phrase invloed hebben op means “to have an effect on” someone or something. Invloed is a de-word: de invloed. Example: Slaap heeft invloed op je stemming. — “Sleep affects your mood.” heeft is the third-person singular present form of hebben, “to have.” In welke invloed het op u heeft, het is the subject and heeft means “has”; op u identifies the person affected. The verb appears at the end because this is an embedded clause. Compare main-clause order: Het heeft invloed op u. — “It affects you.” Together, Concentreer u op gives the instruction “focus on.” The first embedded question, hoe vaak het gebeurt, specifies that the focus should include frequency: “how often it happens.” The coordinated second question, welke invloed het op u heeft, asks what effect it has on you. Thus the complete utterance means: “Focus on how often it happens and how it affects you.”

7. Ik kan uitleggen dat ik me daardoor moeilijker op mijn werk kan concentreren.

   I can explain that it makes it harder to concentrate at work.

   Ik kan

   I can

   uitleggen

   explain

   dat

   that

   me

   me

   daardoor

   as a result

   moeilijker

   harder

   mijn werk

   my work

   concentreren

   concentrate

   More detail

   Ik kan combines the subject pronoun ik (“I”) with kan, the present-tense form of kunnen (“can/be able to”) for the first- or third-person singular. A modal verb such as kan is followed here by an infinitive: Ik kan uitleggen = “I can explain.” uitleggen means “to explain.” It is the infinitive used after kan; in other forms, this separable verb commonly appears as leg ... uit, for example: Ik leg het uit. — “I explain it.” dat introduces the content of what can be explained: “that …”. In this sentence it is a conjunction introducing a subordinate clause, not the demonstrative “that” referring to an object. me is the first-person singular reflexive pronoun. It belongs with concentreren in the construction zich concentreren op (“to concentrate on”): with ik, zich becomes me. Example: Ik concentreer me op de tekst. — “I concentrate on the text.” daardoor is an adverb meaning “as a result” or “because of that.” It links the difficulty described here to an earlier-mentioned cause without naming that cause again. moeilijker is the comparative form of moeilijk (“difficult”): moeilijk → moeilijker (“more difficult/harder”) → het moeilijkst (“the most difficult”). Here it modifies the act of concentrating, so the meaning is “harder to concentrate,” rather than describing a person or object as difficult. mijn werk means “my work.” mijn is the first-person singular possessive form, and werk is the noun “work.” The preposition op is part of the expression op mijn werk, which in this context means “at work” or “in my work.” mijn is not a numeric statement; it identifies the work as belonging or relating to the speaker. concentreren is the infinitive “to concentrate.” With kan, it remains in the infinitive and comes at the end of the subordinate clause. The reusable pattern is zich concentreren op + something: Zij concentreert zich op haar taak. — “She concentrates on her task.” Together, Ik kan uitleggen gives “I can explain,” and dat ik me daardoor moeilijker op mijn werk kan concentreren gives “that, as a result, I can concentrate at work less easily.” The full utterance therefore means: “I can explain that it makes it harder to concentrate at work.”

8. Neem dat detail mee, omdat de invloed op uw dagelijks leven vaak richting geeft aan het vervolg.

   Include that detail, since daily impact often guides follow-up.

   Neem … mee

   include / take along

   dat

   that

   detail

   detail

   omdat

   because / since

   invloed

   impact / influence

   dagelijks

   daily

   leven

   life

   vaak

   often

   richting geeft

   guides / gives direction

   vervolg

   follow-up

   More detail

   Neem ... mee comes from the separable verb meenemen, “to take along” or, with an abstract object such as detail, “to include.” Neem is its imperative form here, while mee appears later because the verb separates. Example: Neem je boek mee. — “Take your book along.” dat is a demonstrative determiner meaning “that.” Here it is the neuter singular form used with detail (het detail), and the translation identifies the referenced item as the detail. Example: Dat plan werkt. — “That plan works.” detail is a noun meaning “detail”; its standard article is het: het detail, plural details. In this utterance, it is the object of Neem ... mee. omdat introduces the reason for the instruction and means “because” or “since.” It starts a subordinate clause, where the finite verb is generally placed toward the end. Example: Ik blijf, omdat het regent. — “I am staying because it is raining.” invloed is the noun “influence” or “effect.” A useful pattern is invloed hebben op ..., “to influence ...” or literally “to have influence on ...”. In this sentence, invloed op uw dagelijks leven identifies the area affected by that influence. dagelijks is the adjective “daily.” It modifies leven here. In uw dagelijks leven, it has the uninflected form before this neuter singular noun; compare de dagelijkse routine, where the adjective has -e before a common-gender noun. This adjective can also be used adverbially, as in Ik wandel dagelijks. — “I walk daily.” leven is the noun “life” in this phrase, specifically in dagelijks leven, “daily life.” It is distinct from the verb leven, “to live”; the surrounding determiner and adjective show the noun use here. Example: Het leven verandert. — “Life changes.” vaak is a frequency adverb meaning “often.” It tells how regularly the influence gives direction; it does not itself mark certainty or obligation. Example: Zij leest vaak. — “She often reads.” richting geeft expresses “gives direction” or “guides.” geeft is the present-tense singular form of geven, “to give”; the subject here is de invloed, so the singular form is used. The useful pattern is richting geven aan ..., “to give direction to ...”. Example: Het plan geeft richting aan het werk. — “The plan guides the work.” In the omdat clause, geeft occurs in the subordinate-clause verb position, while aan het vervolg follows it as the completing prepositional phrase. vervolg is the noun “continuation,” “follow-up,” or “next steps.” Here the fixed translation supports “follow-up.” The phrase richting geven aan het vervolg means “to guide the follow-up.” Taken together, the utterance is an instruction: include that detail, because the influence on your daily life often guides the follow-up. The separable imperative Neem ... mee surrounds its object, and the omdat clause supplies the reason for the instruction.