……
Breakdown of De dokter controleert mijn pols.
mijn
my
controleren
to check
de dokter
the doctor
de pols
the wrist
Questions & Answers about De dokter controleert mijn pols.
Why is it De and not Het?
- Dutch has two grammatical genders for nouns: common gender (de-words) and neuter (het-words).
- Dokter is a common-gender noun, so it takes de: de dokter.
- Note: At the start of a sentence it’s capitalized (De), elsewhere it’s de.
- Plurals always use de: de dokters.
Why does the verb appear as controleert here?
- The infinitive is controleren.
- Present tense:
- ik controleer
- jij/je controleert; hij/zij/het controleert
- wij/jullie/zij controleren
- The subject de dokter is third-person singular, so you add -t: controleert.
- With inversion after jij/je, the -t drops: Controleer jij …?; with u it stays: Controleert u …?
Why is there a double ee in controleert?
- Dutch uses ee to mark a long vowel sound. The base form has a long ee: controleer-.
- Hence: ik controleer, hij/zij controleert, wij controleren.
How do I turn this into a yes/no question?
- Invert subject and verb:
- Controleert de dokter mijn pols?
How do I negate this sentence?
- Place niet after the direct object:
- De dokter controleert mijn pols niet.
- For contrastive negation: De dokter controleert niet mijn pols maar mijn enkel.
Does pols mean wrist or pulse?
- Pols primarily means wrist.
- For the heartbeat pulse, say polsslag or hartslag.
- In practice, people may say iemand z’n pols voelen to mean “feel someone’s pulse,” because you feel it at the wrist.
What gender and plural does pols have? Is there a diminutive?
- Gender: common → de pols.
- Plural: polsen.
- Diminutive: polsje (small wrist), though it’s not very common.
Why is there no article before mijn pols?
- Possessive determiners (like mijn, jouw, zijn, haar, ons/onze, uw, hun) replace the article.
- So you say mijn pols, not de mijn pols.
- Colloquial: m’n for mijn in speech/writing.
Is controleren a false friend with English control?
- Yes. Controleren means to check/inspect/verify.
- English “to control” (to command/steer/manage) is usually beheersen or besturen, depending on context.
What are natural alternatives to controleren in this context?
- onderzoeken (to examine) — more clinical/formal: De dokter onderzoekt mijn pols.
- nakijken — to check/examine: De dokter kijkt mijn pols na.
- Colloquial: checken — De dokter checkt mijn pols.
- bekijken — to look at (less thorough): De dokter bekijkt mijn pols.
What’s the difference between dokter and arts?
- Dokter is the everyday word and a form of address: Dag, dokter.
- Arts is more formal/occupational (used in job titles): huisarts (GP), spoedarts (ER doctor).
- Plurals: dokters; artsen.
How would I say this in the past?
- Simple past: De dokter controleerde mijn pols.
- Present perfect: De dokter heeft mijn pols gecontroleerd.
- Spelling note: past participle ends with -d (gecontroleerd) because the stem ends in a sound not in the ‘t kofschip/x rule.
How do I express the English -ing form (“is checking”)?
- Dutch often uses the simple present: De dokter controleert mijn pols.
- If you want to stress the ongoing action: De dokter is mijn pols aan het controleren. (or: bezig met het controleren van mijn pols)
What happens to the verb position in a subordinate clause?
- Finite verbs go to the end:
- … omdat de dokter mijn pols controleert.
- … dat de dokter mijn pols controleert.
How would I address someone formally vs informally about “your wrist”?
- Informal: je/jouw pols — De dokter controleert je/jouw pols.
- Formal: uw pols — De dokter controleert uw pols.
Any quick pronunciation tips?
- De: duh (schwa).
- dokter: DOK-ter (short o as in “dock,” light second syllable).
- controleert: kon-tro-LEERT (long ee in the last syllable).
- mijn: like English “mine” (monophthongish in careful speech).
- pols: pols (short o, final s).
More from this lesson
AI Language TutorTry it ↗
“What's the best way to learn Dutch grammar?”
Dutch grammar becomes intuitive with practice. Focus on understanding the core patterns first — how sentences are structured, how verbs change form, and how words relate to each other. Our course breaks these concepts into small lessons so you can build understanding step by step.
Sign up free — start using our AI language tutor
Start learning DutchMaster Dutch — from De dokter controleert mijn pols to fluency
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods.
- ✓ Infinitely deep — unlimited vocabulary and grammar
- ✓ Fast-paced — build complex sentences from the start
- ✓ Unforgettable — efficient spaced repetition system
- ✓ AI tutor to answer your grammar questions