Breakdown of Lees de woordenlijst nogmaals hardop, alstublieft.
lezen
to read
hardop
aloud
alstublieft
please
de woordenlijst
the word list
Questions & Answers about Lees de woordenlijst nogmaals hardop, alstublieft.
Why is there no subject pronoun in Lees de woordenlijst nogmaals hardop, alstublieft?
Dutch uses the imperative for commands and requests, and the subject is typically omitted. The verb lees is the imperative form (the verb stem) of lezen. So it literally means “Read …” with an implied “you.”
How is the verb lezen conjugated, and why is the imperative lees?
- Present tense: ik lees, jij/je leest, hij/zij leest, wij/jullie/zij lezen.
- Imperative: singular uses the stem: lees.
- With formal u, the recommended form is: Leest u … (see the next question).
How can I make this request more politely formal?
Several options, from neutral to very polite:
- Neutral-politer imperative: Lees de woordenlijst nogmaals hardop, alstublieft.
- Formal imperative with u: Leest u de woordenlijst nogmaals hardop, alstublieft.
- Polite request with a modal: Wilt u de woordenlijst nogmaals hardop lezen, alstublieft?
- Extra polite/soft: Zou u de woordenlijst nogmaals hardop willen lezen, alstublieft?
What’s the difference between alstublieft and alsjeblieft?