Pausing a gym membership during recovery | Learn Dutch in English

Sentence explanations

1. Ik moet mijn abonnement tijdelijk pauzeren terwijl ik herstel.

   I need to pause my membership while I recover.

   Ik moet

   I need to / I must

   mijn

   my

   abonnement

   membership / subscription

   tijdelijk

   temporarily

   pauzeren

   to pause

   terwijl

   while

   herstel

   recover

   More detail

   Ik moet means “I need to” or “I must” here. moeten is the base form, and moet is its present-tense form with ik, as in ik moet. After moeten, the other verb stays in the infinitive: Ik moet pauzeren means “I need to pause.” mijn means “my” and marks possession. It does not change for the person who possesses something. In this sentence it accompanies abonnement, but the form of the possessive is mijn. abonnement means “membership” or “subscription” here. Its useful article is het: het abonnement. The related plural is abonnementen, “subscriptions” or “memberships.” tijdelijk means “temporarily” in this sentence. It describes the limited duration of the pausing. The same form can also be used as an adjective, for example een tijdelijke pauze, “a temporary pause”; in the fixed sentence it functions adverbially. pauzeren means “to pause.” It is an infinitive, which is required after moet. A reusable pattern is Ik moet + infinitive: Ik moet wachten means “I need to wait.” terwijl introduces an action that happens during the same period as another action. It means “while” here and starts the subordinate clause terwijl ik herstel. herstel is the present-tense form of herstellen, “to recover,” with ik. In terwijl ik herstel, the subject is still ik, so the clause means “while I recover.” Dutch places the conjugated verb at the end of this subordinate clause: terwijl ik herstel. Compare the main-clause order Ik herstel (“I recover”) with terwijl ik herstel (“while I recover”). Together, Ik moet mijn abonnement tijdelijk pauzeren says “I need to pause my membership temporarily.” Adding terwijl ik herstel specifies that this happens while the speaker recovers. The complete utterance therefore means: “I need to pause my membership while I recover.”

2. Je kunt met een kort formulier vragen om je abonnement tijdelijk op te schorten.

   You can request a temporary freeze with a short form.

   Je kunt

   you can

   met

   with

   kort

   short

   formulier

   form

   vragen om

   request

   abonnement

   subscription

   tijdelijk

   temporarily

   op te schorten

   to suspend

   More detail

   Je kunt combines je (“you”) with kunt, the form of kunnen used here for ability or permission: “can.” The infinitive after it is vragen, so Dutch uses the pattern Je kunt + infinitive. Example: Je kunt bellen. — “You can call.” met means “with” here and introduces the means used to make the request. Thus met een kort formulier means “with a short form,” not that the form is the thing being requested. Example: Je kunt met een app betalen. — “You can pay with an app.” kort describes formulier and means “short” in this sentence. Its base form is kort; before a common-gender noun or a plural noun, the usual attributive form is korte, as in een korte brief (“a short letter”). Here formulier is a singular neuter noun, so the indefinite singular phrase is een kort formulier. formulier is a neuter noun meaning “form” or “form document.” Its definite article is het: het formulier (“the form”), and its plural is formulieren (“forms”). vragen om means “to request” or “to ask for.” The verb is vragen; in the fixed sentence it is an infinitive after kunt. Dutch commonly uses vragen om + noun for requesting something, and vragen om + te-infinitive when requesting that an action be carried out. Example: Ik vraag om hulp. — “I ask for help.” abonnement means “subscription” or “membership.” It is a neuter noun: het abonnement; its plural is abonnementen. In je abonnement, je is the possessive word “your,” so the phrase means “your subscription.” tijdelijk means “temporarily” here. It is an adverb modifying the suspension: the subscription is to be suspended for a limited period, rather than ended permanently. The related adjective is also tijdelijk, as in een tijdelijke maatregel (“a temporary measure”). op te schorten is the te-infinitive of the separable verb opschorten, meaning “to suspend” or “to put on hold.” With te, the separable part appears before te: op te schorten. Example: De dienst wordt tijdelijk opgeschort. — “The service is temporarily suspended.” Together, vragen om je abonnement tijdelijk op te schorten means “request to suspend your subscription temporarily.” The full sentence assembles as Je kunt (“you can”) + met een kort formulier (“with a short form”) + vragen om ... (“request ...”) + je abonnement tijdelijk op te schorten (“to suspend your subscription temporarily”). Therefore, the utterance means that a short form can be used to request a temporary freeze of the subscription.

3. Ik kan bewijsstukken aanleveren, maar ik houd de details liever privé.

   I can provide documentation, but I would rather keep the details private.

   Ik kan

   I can

   bewijsstukken

   supporting documents

   aanleveren

   provide

   houd

   keep

   details

   details

   liever

   rather

   privé

   private

   More detail

   Ik kan means “I can” here. kan is the first-person singular present form of kunnen, used with an infinitive to express ability or possibility. The infinitive comes later in this sentence: Ik kan aanleveren = “I can provide.” For another subject, the form changes: Hij kan aanleveren = “He can provide.” bewijsstukken means “supporting documents.” It is the plural of bewijsstuk; the compound combines the idea of proof with that of a document or piece. The singular is useful when referring to one item: Ik stuur een bewijsstuk. = “I am sending one supporting document.” aanleveren means “to provide” or “to submit.” It is an infinitive, selected here after kan. In practical or administrative contexts, it often refers to supplying requested material. Example: U kunt de documenten digitaal aanleveren. = “You can provide the documents digitally.” houd means “keep” in this sentence. It is the first-person singular present form of houden; the other common present forms include jij houdt and hij houdt, while the infinitive is houden. Here, houden takes an object and describes maintaining a state: Ik houd mijn gegevens actueel. = “I keep my information up to date.” details means “details.” It is the plural of detail. The sentence does not specify a different kind of detail through this noun alone; its intended meaning is narrowed by the surrounding words, which say that these details will be kept private. liever means “rather” or “preferably.” It is the comparative form associated with graag (“gladly” or “with pleasure”) and expresses a preference: Ik werk liever alleen. = “I would rather work alone.” The stronger preference form is het liefst, meaning “preferably of all” or “most of all.” privé means “private.” In details privé houden, it functions as the state in which the details are kept: “keep the details private.” The form privé does not change for plural nouns in this use. A related example is Zij houdt haar adres privé. = “She keeps her address private.” Together, bewijsstukken aanleveren says “provide supporting documents,” while details privé houden says “keep the details private.” Maar connects the two parts as a contrast: the speaker can provide the documents, but prefers not to make the details public or share them. The complete utterance therefore means: “I can provide documentation, but I would rather keep the details private.”

4. Op het formulier is alleen een basisbevestiging nodig, niet de details van de diagnose.

   The form only needs basic confirmation, not diagnosis details.

   Op het formulier

   on the form

   is … nodig

   is needed

   alleen

   only

   basisbevestiging

   basic confirmation

   niet

   not

   details

   details

   diagnose

   diagnosis

   More detail

   Op het formulier means “on the form.” Dutch op is used here for the location or medium where something is written or required, and het formulier is a noun phrase with the neuter article het. Example: Op het formulier staat mijn naam. — “My name is on the form.” is ... nodig is the reusable pattern “is needed” or “is necessary.” The form is is the singular present form of zijn (“to be”); nodig is the adjective meaning “needed/necessary.” Dutch commonly places nodig after the thing that is needed: Een handtekening is nodig. — “A signature is needed.” The separated quote reflects the words as they occur in the sentence; alleen een basisbevestiging fills the position between them. alleen means “only” and limits what is needed. It does not mean that the form itself is the only form; here it restricts the requirement to the following item, een basisbevestiging. basisbevestiging is a compound noun meaning “basic confirmation.” Its parts are basis (“basic foundation” or “basis”) and bevestiging (“confirmation”), but the compound functions as one noun here. The indefinite article een introduces this required item without by itself stating a numerical count. Example: Een korte bevestiging is voldoende. — “A brief confirmation is sufficient.” niet means “not.” Here it introduces the contrast with what is excluded from the requirement. The pattern niet X, maar Y often means “not X, but Y”; in this sentence, the maar part is omitted because the contrast is already clear from the preceding statement. details means “details.” It is the plural of detail; the plural form is marked by the ending -s. Example: De details zijn belangrijk. — “The details are important.” diagnose means “diagnosis.” In de details van de diagnose, it identifies which details are meant: the details belonging to or concerning the diagnosis. diagnose is a singular noun with the article de; the plural is diagnoses. Together, Op het formulier sets the context, is ... nodig states the requirement, and alleen restricts that requirement to een basisbevestiging. The final contrast, niet de details van de diagnose, says that the diagnosis details are not required. The whole utterance therefore means: “The form only needs basic confirmation, not diagnosis details.”

5. Daardoor is het voor mij gemakkelijker om het in te vullen.

   That makes it easier for me to fill out.

   Daardoor

   as a result; that makes it so

   voor mij

   for me

   gemakkelijker

   easier

   het in te vullen

   to fill it out

   More detail

   Daardoor means “as a result” or “because of that.” It is a Dutch demonstrative adverb: daar (“there/that”) plus door (“through/by”), used to point back to a cause or circumstance rather than to name the cause again. Here, the earlier fact that only basic confirmation is needed makes the filling-in task easier. voor mij means “for me.” voor is the preposition “for,” and mij is the stressed object form of the first-person pronoun; the unstressed form me is also common in less emphatic speech. The phrase identifies whose experience or assessment is being described. gemakkelijker is the comparative form of gemakkelijk, “easy” or “easy to do.” The comparison is with an understood alternative or earlier situation: something is easier for the speaker than it otherwise would be. Dutch also has the superlative het gemakkelijkst, “the easiest.” In this sentence, gemakkelijker is a predicate describing how the task is for the speaker. het in te vullen means “to fill it out.” The verb invullen means “to fill in/out”; it is a separable verb. In an infinitive construction with te, its parts appear as in te vullen, with te before the base verb vullen. Het is the object pronoun “it”; in the supplied context, it refers to the relevant form or item that needs to be filled in. Compare the reusable pattern iets invullen (“fill something in”) and om iets in te vullen (“to fill something in”). Together, Daardoor points to the preceding cause, is ... gemakkelijker says that the task has become easier, voor mij specifies that this is true for the speaker, and het in te vullen names the task. The whole utterance therefore means: “That makes it easier for me to fill it out.”

6. Zodra het verzoek is beoordeeld, kan de tijdelijke opschorting van het abonnement ingaan.

   Once the request is reviewed, the membership freeze can begin.

   Zodra

   as soon as

   het verzoek

   the request

   is beoordeeld

   has been reviewed

   kan

   can

   tijdelijke

   temporary

   opschorting

   suspension

   abonnement

   membership

   ingaan

   begin

   More detail

   Zodra introduces a time condition meaning “as soon as” or “once.” Example: Zodra hij klaar is, vertrekken we. — “As soon as he is ready, we leave.” het verzoek means “the request.” Verzoek is a neuter noun, so its definite article is het; this article does not express a quantity. Its plural is verzoeken. is beoordeeld means “has been reviewed.” The base verb is beoordelen, “to review or assess.” Dutch forms this passive perfect with zijn plus a past participle: is beoordeeld presents the request as having undergone the review. Is is singular because its subject, het verzoek, is singular. Beoordeeld does not change for the noun’s gender. kan is the present-tense form of the modal verb kunnen for a third-person singular subject. Here it expresses possibility: the suspension can begin. After a modal verb, the other verb normally appears as an infinitive at the end of the clause, as in kan beginnen — “can begin.” tijdelijke means “temporary.” Its base form is tijdelijk. The -e ending is used here because this adjective comes before the definite common-gender noun de opschorting. The adjective describes opschorting, not abonnement. opschorting means “suspension” or “freeze”: a stopping for a period without necessarily ending something permanently. It is related to the verb opschorten, “to suspend.” abonnement means “subscription” or “membership.” Here, the fixed translation selects the membership sense. It is a neuter noun, as shown by het abonnement. In the source, the definite article is present in the prepositional phrase van het abonnement, meaning “of the membership.” ingaan means “to begin” or, for an arrangement or period, “to take effect.” It is the infinitive placed after kan. In this sentence, the relevant meaning is that the suspension takes effect; in other contexts, ingaan can also mean “to enter.” Together, Zodra het verzoek is beoordeeld means “Once the request has been reviewed.” The passive clause makes the request the thing reviewed without stating who reviewed it. kan de tijdelijke opschorting van het abonnement ingaan means “the temporary suspension of the membership can begin.” The whole sentence means: “Once the request is reviewed, the membership freeze can begin.”

7. Wordt mijn toegang daarna automatisch hervat?

   Will my access restart automatically afterward?

   Wordt

   will be / is being

   mijn

   my

   toegang

   access

   daarna

   afterward

   automatisch

   automatically

   hervat

   resumed / restarted

   More detail

   Wordt is the present-tense form of worden used here as the auxiliary in a passive construction. In a yes/no question, it comes before the subject: Wordt ...? means “Is ...?” or, with a future-oriented context, “Will ... be ...?” The passive pattern is wordt + past participle: the subject receives the action rather than performing it. Example: Wordt de betaling verwerkt? — “Is the payment being processed?” mijn is the first-person singular possessive determiner, meaning that the access belongs to or is associated with the speaker. It is used before the noun: mijn toegang — “my access.” toegang is a noun meaning “access.” In this sentence it refers to the speaker’s access connected with the subscription context. Example: Mijn toegang is tijdelijk geblokkeerd. — “My access is temporarily blocked.” daarna is an adverb meaning “afterward” or “after that.” It places the resumption after the earlier event in the context, namely the temporary suspension beginning. Example: Daarna kun je opnieuw inloggen. — “Afterward, you can log in again.” automatisch is an adverb meaning “automatically.” It describes the manner of the resumption: no separate manual action is presented as necessary in this question. The related adjective is automatisch as well; its form does not change here because it is used as an adverb. Example: Het abonnement wordt automatisch verlengd. — “The subscription is renewed automatically.” hervat is the past participle of hervatten, “to resume” or “to restart.” With wordt, it completes the passive construction wordt hervat, “is/will be resumed.” The participle describes the access as receiving the action; it is not the form of toegang. Example: De dienst wordt morgen hervat. — “The service will resume tomorrow.” Together, Wordt ... hervat? forms a passive yes/no question about whether something will be resumed. mijn toegang is the subject, daarna places the event afterward, and automatisch specifies how it happens. The whole utterance therefore means: “Will my access restart automatically afterward?”

8. Dat gebeurt, tenzij je vóór die tijd om verlenging vraagt.

   It will, unless you request an extension before then.

   Dat

   it / that

   gebeurt

   happens / will happen

   tenzij

   unless

   vóór die tijd

   before then

   verlenging

   extension

   vraagt

   asks / requests

   More detail

   Dat is a demonstrative pronoun meaning “it” or “that” here. In this conversation, it refers to the access restarting. Dutch demonstrative forms can reflect distinctions such as number, noun type, and distance; this pronoun’s referent is identified here by the conversation and translation, not by proximity alone. gebeurt is a present-tense form of gebeuren (“to happen”). The form is third-person singular here, with Dat as its subject. Dutch present tense can describe a future event when the context makes the future time clear, so Dat gebeurt means “It will happen” here. Example: Het gebeurt morgen. — “It will happen tomorrow.” tenzij introduces an exception and means “unless.” It connects the condition under which the main result will not apply. A reusable pattern is X gebeurt, tenzij ... — “X happens, unless ...”. vóór die tijd means “before then” or literally “before that time.” vóór marks an earlier time, and die tijd points to the relevant time already established in the situation. Example: Bel me vóór die tijd. — “Call me before then.” verlenging is the noun “extension,” here an extension of the relevant period. Learn it as the ordinary noun for an extension. Example: Ik vraag een verlenging aan. — “I request an extension.” vraagt is a present-tense form of vragen (“to ask” or “to request”). In je vraagt, the subject je comes before the verb, so the verb has the -t form. With inversion, the corresponding question is Vraag je om verlenging? — “Are you asking for an extension?” Thus vraagt can be used with je in the regular subject-before-verb order and also with a third-person singular subject. Together, Dat gebeurt gives the main result, and tenzij introduces the exception. je ... vraagt identifies the action that creates the exception, while vóór die tijd specifies its deadline: “It will happen, unless you request an extension before then.”