Kortom, iedereen is tevreden.

In short, everyone is satisfied.

Breakdown of Kortom, iedereen is tevreden.

• zijn: to be
• iedereen: everyone
• tevreden: satisfied
• kortom: in short

Questions & Answers about Kortom, iedereen is tevreden.

Why is there a comma after Kortom? Could I leave it out?

Kortom is a discourse marker, like English in short or to sum up. When it comes at the start of a sentence, Dutch normally separates it from the rest of the sentence with a comma:

• Kortom, iedereen is tevreden.

You may see the comma dropped in very informal writing (texts, comments), but the standard and most natural spelling in normal writing includes the comma.
So: keep the comma in almost all cases.

Does Kortom always have to be at the beginning of the sentence?

No. Kortom can appear in a few positions:

1. At the beginning (most common):

   • Kortom, iedereen is tevreden.
     (In short, everyone is satisfied.)

2. In the middle, after a statement, before the conclusion:

   • Iedereen heeft gekregen wat hij wilde; kortom, iedereen is tevreden.

3. At the end (less formal, more spoken style):

   • Iedereen is tevreden, kortom.

All three are grammatical. The sentence you gave is the most typical: Kortom, … at the start.

Why is it iedereen is instead of iedereen zijn?

In Dutch, iedereen (everyone) is grammatically singular, even though it refers to many people.
So it takes the singular form of the verb:

• Iedereen is tevreden. ✅
• Iedereen zijn tevreden. ❌ (incorrect)

Other similar words that are also grammatically singular:

• iemand is (someone is)
• niemand is (no one is)

What is the difference between iedereen, allemaal, and alle?

They all relate to “everyone / all,” but they work differently in sentences:

1. iedereen = everyone (as a single pronoun)

   • Iedereen is tevreden.
     (Everyone is satisfied.)

2. allemaal = all / all of them (often used with a pronoun or a group already mentioned)

   • Ze zijn allemaal tevreden.
     (They are all satisfied.)

3. alle = all (used in front of a noun)

   • Alle mensen zijn tevreden.
     (All people are satisfied.)

You cannot replace iedereen directly with allemaal or alle without changing the structure:

• Iedereen is tevreden. ✅
• Allemaal is tevreden. ❌
• Alle is tevreden. ❌

Why is it iedereen is tevreden and not is iedereen tevreden after Kortom?

Dutch often uses inversion (verb before subject) when the sentence starts with a time or place element:

• Morgen ga ik naar school.
  (literally: Tomorrow go I to school.)

However, Kortom is not a normal time/place adverb. It is a discourse marker (a word that comments on the whole sentence: “to sum up, in short, in conclusion”). Discourse markers usually do not trigger inversion when they stand on their own with a comma:

• Kortom, iedereen is tevreden. ✅
• Kortom, is iedereen tevreden. ❌ (sounds wrong in normal usage)

So you keep the normal order: subject (iedereen) before verb (is).

What exactly does tevreden mean? Is it closer to happy or satisfied?

Tevreden usually means satisfied or content rather than strongly happy.

• Iedereen is tevreden.
  → Everyone is content / satisfied (things are fine; no complaints).

If you want to say people are clearly happy or joyful, Dutch would more likely use:

• Iedereen is blij. (Everyone is happy / glad.)

So:

• tevreden = content, satisfied, okay with how things are
• blij = happy, glad, pleased (more emotional and positive)

Can tevreden be used by itself like here, or do you normally say tevreden met something?

Both are possible:

1. By itself (general state):

   • Iedereen is tevreden.
     (General statement: everyone is satisfied.)

2. With a complement (what they are satisfied with):

   • Iedereen is tevreden met het resultaat.
     (Everyone is satisfied with the result.)
   • Ze is niet tevreden over de service.
     (She is not satisfied with the service.)

Common patterns:

• tevreden met
  • noun
• tevreden over
  • noun / situation

In your sentence, the context is clear enough that tevreden can stand alone.

Is Kortom formal or informal? In what contexts would you use it?

Kortom is neutral in register and very common. You can use it:

• in spoken language:
  We hebben alles besproken. Kortom, iedereen is tevreden.
• in emails and reports:
  Kortom, de resultaten zijn positief.
• in presentations:
  Kortom, we kunnen verder met de volgende fase.

It is slightly more typical in written or prepared speech than in very casual conversation, but it definitely does not sound overly formal. It’s perfectly fine in everyday use.

How do you pronounce iedereen and tevreden?

Approximate pronunciation (IPA + rough English guide):

• iedereen → /ˌiːdəˈreːn/

  • ie = long ee as in see
  • de = like duh but very short
  • reen = like rain but with a long ay sound and Dutch n
  • Stress: ie-de-REEN

• tevreden → /təˈvreːdən/

  • te = very short te (like the first sound in together)
  • vree = like vray with a rolled or tapped r
  • den = duhn (schwa plus n)
  • Stress: te-VREE-den

So the whole sentence:

• Kortom, iedereen is tevreden.
  → /ˈkɔr.tɔm ˌiːdəˈreːn ɪs təˈvreːdən/