Het bewijs ligt op tafel; lees het dossier zo zorgvuldig mogelijk.

Het bewijs ligt op tafel; lees het dossier zo zorgvuldig mogelijk.
The evidence is on the table; read the file as carefully as possible.
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Questions & Answers about Het bewijs ligt op tafel; lees het dossier zo zorgvuldig mogelijk.

Why is liggen used in Het bewijs ligt op tafel instead of staan or zitten?

In Dutch, the choice between liggen, staan and zitten describes an object’s orientation or typical position:

  • liggen: indicates something is lying horizontally (e.g. papers, a book).
  • staan: indicates something is standing upright (e.g. a bottle, a lamp).
  • zitten: generally for things “sitting” or fitting inside (e.g. a ring zit om een vinger).
    Since het bewijs (the evidence, i.e. documents or sheets) is imagined as flat papers, they liggen (lie) on the table.
What does op tafel mean and why isn’t it op de tafel?
  • op = on (indicating surface contact)
  • tafel = table
    So op tafel = on the table.
    Dropping the article de in fixed expressions (op school, op straat, op tafel) is common in Dutch. You could say op de tafel for emphasis or clarity, but it doesn’t change the basic meaning.
Why is there a semicolon between the two clauses instead of a period?

A Dutch semicolon (;) links two closely related independent clauses, much like in English. Here it connects:

  1. Het bewijs ligt op tafel
  2. Lees het dossier zo zorgvuldig mogelijk
    Using a semicolon emphasizes that the second action (reading carefully) directly follows the first (finding the evidence). You could replace it with a period, but the semicolon underlines the sequence and urgency.
How do you form the imperative lees for lezen?

For the informal singular imperative of verbs whose jij-form ends in -t (e.g. jij leest), you simply drop jij and keep the -t:
– (jij) leest → lees!
You never directly include jij or u.
(Formal singular would be leest u, though most written instructions omit the pronoun.)

What does zo zorgvuldig mogelijk mean and how does that construction work?

zo zorgvuldig mogelijk means as carefully as possible. It follows the common Dutch pattern zo … mogelijk = as … as possible, with the adjective or adverb (zorgvuldig) in the middle. In an imperative, it normally follows the object:
– Lees het dossier zo zorgvuldig mogelijk.

Why is dossier a het-word? I thought many French loans use de.
Article assignment for loanwords can seem arbitrary. However, many Dutch nouns ending in -ier (and similar endings like -ment, -sel) are neuter (het). Examples: het dossier, het document, het percentsel. Best strategy: learn the article together with the noun.
Can I front zo zorgvuldig mogelijk and say Zo zorgvuldig mogelijk lees het dossier?

You can front the adverbial for emphasis (Zo zorgvuldig mogelijk, lees het dossier!), but dropping the comma or changing the usual order (Zo zorgvuldig mogelijk lees…) sounds less idiomatic in everyday usage. The standard, natural order is:
– Lees het dossier zo zorgvuldig mogelijk.

How do you pronounce bewijs and dossier?

– bewijs: [bəˈʋɛis]
• b as in English “b”
• e as a schwa /ə/ in the first syllable
• w as /ʋ/ (between English “v” and “w”)
• ij as /ɛi/ (like the vowel in “face”)
– dossier: [dɔˈsiːr]
• o as /ɔ/ (like “o” in “for”)
• ss as /s/
• ie as /iː/ (like “ee” in “seen”)
• final r varies regionally (Dutch or slightly rolled)