Breakdown of Ik doe aangifte van het gestolen voorwerp.
ik
I
doen
to do
het
it
van
from (possession, starting point) / made of
stelen
to steal
de aangifte
the report / the police report (formal declaration)
het voorwerp
the item / the object (physical thing)
Questions & Answers about Ik doe aangifte van het gestolen voorwerp.
Why doesn't gestolen get an extra -e at the end since it's used as an adjective here?
Because gestolen is the past participle of a strong verb, meaning it ends in -en. In Dutch, past participles that end in -en never get an extra -e when placed before a noun as an adjective. You simply use the base form: het gestolen voorwerp.
Why do we use van here instead of a word for "for"?
The phrase for reporting a crime or incident to the police is a fixed expression: aangifte doen van [something]. Even though English says "file a report for", you must always use the preposition van with this specific Dutch phrase.
Could I use a verb like rapporteren to say I am reporting the item?
No, rapporteren is generally used for business, academic, or status reports. When you are officially reporting a crime or a loss to the authorities, you must use the noun aangifte combined with the verb doen.
Is voorwerp the normal word for "item"?
Yes, voorwerp is the standard Dutch word for a physical object or item. If you break it down, it literally looks like something "thrown" (werpen) "before" (voor) you, but in everyday language, it simply means "object".
Learn Ik doe aangifte van het gestolen voorwerp and more in Dutch
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free