Learn Hardcore Dutch: Mijn telefoon geeft een melding als de batterij bijna leeg is. - My phone gives a notification when the battery is almost empty.

Literally, geeft een melding means “gives a notification.” In everyday Dutch you say a device “gives” an alert rather than “sends” one. So mijn telefoon geeft een melding = “my phone gives (i.e. shows or issues) a notification.”

Why is the verb geven used here and not sturen (“to send”)?

In Dutch the idiom is that a device “gives” a notification, as if it’s handing you a little message. Sturen (to send) is more about sending something to another person or system. With alerts you almost always use geven (or sometimes tonen = “show”).

Why is als used instead of wanneer or toen?

– als is used for general conditions in the present or future (“when/if this happens…”).
– wanneer is a bit more formal or specific (“at what time?” or “when exactly?”).
– toen refers only to one past event (“when” in the past).
Here you need a condition that can happen repeatedly or in the future, so als is the right choice.

Why does the verb is go to the end in als de batterij bijna leeg is?

In Dutch, subordinate clauses introduced by a conjunction like als follow Subject-Object-Verb (SOV) order. The finite verb (here is) must move to the end. So you get:
Subject: de batterij
Adverbial modifiers: bijna leeg
Verb: is

Why is the adjective leeg not inflected (no “-e”) here, whereas in “een lege batterij” you add “-e”?

Dutch adjectives are inflected (-e) only when they appear directly before a noun (attributive position) and after an article that requires inflection. When they appear after a verb (predicative position), they stay in their base form.
– Attributive: een lege batterij (“a [de-word] empty battery”)
– Predicative: de batterij is leeg (“the battery is empty”)

Why is it een melding but de batterij? Why different articles?

een melding uses the indefinite article because you’re talking about any notification, not a specific one you’ve already mentioned.
de batterij uses the definite article because it’s the specific, known battery of your phone.

What does bijna do here, and why does it come before leeg?

bijna means “almost.” It’s an adverb modifying the adjective leeg. In Dutch, adverbs of degree (almost, very, too) generally precede the adjective they modify:
– leeg = empty
– bijna leeg = almost empty

Can you use other words instead of leeg or melding in this context?

Yes, there are common synonyms:
– leeg zijn can be replaced by op zijn (the battery is “finished”/run out):
“Mijn telefoon geeft een melding als de batterij bijna op is.”
– geeft een melding can be swapped with:
• toont een melding (shows a notification)
• maakt een melding (literally “makes” a notification)
• waarschuwt (warns)
All of these are correct; geeft een melding is just the most neutral everyday phrase.