Kennismaking met de patiëntMeeting the patient

Unit 17Level A1+Block 3 · De patiëntSound of this unit: zinsaccent en melodie

What this unit teaches

u, not je — and never back

The polite form itself is familiar to you — usted, o senhor, dumneavoastră. What is new is that Dutch keeps the -t ending with u: u heeft, u neemt, u bent. And once you start on u with a patient, you stay on u for the whole conversation; sliding into je halfway is heard as carelessness, not warmth.

Hoe heet u?          not  Hoe heet je?
Heeft u pijn?        not  Heb je pijn?
Uw adres.            not  Jouw adres.
Neemt u plaats.

Mag ik … · Wilt u … · Gaat u …

Three ready-made openings that cover almost every request in a consultation. Mag ik asks permission for yourself, Wilt u asks the patient, and the bare imperative with u — Gaat u zitten — is polite, while an imperative without u is not. Learn the three shells and slot verbs into them.

Mag ik uw naam?
Wilt u uw jas uittrekken?
Gaat u zitten.
✗ Trek uw jas uit.

Three words that soften everything

maar and even carry no meaning you can translate — they carry tone. A Dutch sentence without them is grammatically perfect and sounds curt; with them the same sentence sounds like a person. Add them everywhere until it feels automatic.

Vertelt u maar.
Ik kijk even.
Neemt u de tijd.

From the text

Ik loop naar de wachtkamer.
I walk to the waiting room.

Vocabulary in this unit (45 words)

Dutch	Meaning
meneer	sir, Mr
mevrouw	madam, Mrs
de dokter	doctor
de wachtkamer	waiting room
het spreekuur	consulting hours
de huisarts	GP, family doctor
plaatsnemen	to take a seat
aangenaam	pleased to meet you
de geboortedatum	date of birth
de zorgverzekering	health insurance
de bank	couch, examination couch
het gordijn	curtain
dichtdoen	to close
opendoen	to open
vertellen	to tell
storen	to disturb
de tijd	time
deze	this (de-word)
dit	this (het-word)
zo	in a moment; like this
maar	just (softener)
even	just, a moment
graag	gladly, please
alstublieft	please; here you are
tot ziens	goodbye
goedemiddag	good afternoon
het onderzoek	examination
de uitslag	result
het formulier	form
waarmee	with what
de vraag	question
het antwoord	answer
de afspraak	appointment
de balie	reception desk
langskomen	to come by
zich uitkleden	to undress
zich aankleden	to get dressed
de hand geven	to shake hands
herhalen	to repeat
begrijpen	to understand
de mevrouw	the lady
de meneer	the gentleman
rustig	calm, unhurried
prettig	pleasant
verder	further

The first unit is free — no account needed.

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