Learn Dutch: We hebben vertraging wegens de chaos. - We have a delay due to the chaos.

We hebben vertraging wegens de chaos.

We have a delay due to the chaos.

Breakdown of We hebben vertraging wegens de chaos.

hebben

to have

we (unstressed form of wij)

Questions & Answers about We hebben vertraging wegens de chaos.

Can I use vanwege instead of wegens in this sentence?

Yes, you can! Both wegens and vanwege mean "due to" or "because of" and are largely interchangeable. Wegens sounds slightly more formal and is extremely common in official contexts, such as public transport announcements explaining a delay.

Could I use omdat to say "because of the chaos"?

No, because omdat (because) is a conjunction, meaning it must introduce a full clause with a subject and a verb—for example, omdat er chaos is (because there is chaos). Wegens is a preposition, so it hooks up directly to a noun phrase like de chaos.

Why isn't there an een (a) before vertraging like in the English translation?

In English, we say "a delay," but in Dutch, vertraging is often treated as an uncountable noun when it refers to travel disruptions or running behind schedule. Similar to how you would say "we have bad weather," the Dutch simply say we hebben vertraging without an article.

Is chaos pronounced the same way as in English?

No, it sounds quite different! Instead of starting with a "k" sound like in English, the Dutch ch in chaos makes the classic raspy, throat-clearing sound. The vowels are also pronounced with pure Dutch sounds: roughly "CHAA-os".