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Questions & Answers about Ik laat mijn grootouders weten wanneer ik in de stad aankom.
What does laten weten mean in this sentence?
laten weten is a periphrastic verb meaning “to let someone know” or “to inform someone.” It’s formed with laten + the infinitive weten. So Ik laat mijn grootouders weten literally means “I let my grandparents know.”
Why is there no aan before mijn grootouders?
In Dutch the pattern for iemand iets laten weten takes the person as a direct object, without aan. You say:
– direct object (person): mijn grootouders
– direct object (information): implied by weten
If you replace these with pronouns, you still omit aan: Ik laat het hen weten (het = “it,” hen = “them”).
Why is wanneer ik in de stad aankom at the end of the sentence?
wanneer ik in de stad aankom is a subordinate clause introduced by wanneer (“when”). In Dutch subordinate clauses the conjugated verb moves to the very end. Also, subordinate clauses normally follow the main clause. You could invert them, but then you’d have to swap the order in the main clause.
Why is it aankom and not kom aan at the end?
aankomen is a separable verb (prefix aan- + komen). In subordinate clauses separable verbs do not split—so you write aankom (prefix + verb) at the end, not kom … aan.
Could I use als instead of wanneer, like als ik in de stad aankom?
Yes. Both wanneer and als can introduce a time clause meaning “when.” wanneer is a bit more formal or emphasizes the exact moment; als is more conversational. Both keep the verb at the end of the subordinate clause.
Why is the present tense (laat… aankom) used for a future event instead of the future tense (zal laten… aankomen)?
Dutch commonly uses the present tense for future actions when there’s a clear time reference. Since wanneer ik in de stad aankom already indicates a future moment, the present tense is natural. You can use the future (ik zal mijn grootouders laten weten), but it’s not required.
Can I use a different verb to say “tell/inform” instead of laten weten?
Yes. More formal or written alternatives include:
- informeren (“to inform”) → Ik informeer mijn grootouders…
- melden (“to report/let know”) → Ik meld mijn grootouders…
- op de hoogte brengen (“to bring up to date”) → Ik breng mijn grootouders op de hoogte…
However, laten weten is the most common choice in everyday spoken Dutch.