De docent zegt dat mislukte toetsen niet het einde van de wereld zijn.

The teacher says that failed tests are not the end of the world.

Breakdown of De docent zegt dat mislukte toetsen niet het einde van de wereld zijn.

• zijn: to be
• niet: not
• dat: that
• van: of
• zeggen: to say
• de docent: the teacher
• het einde: the end
• de toets: the test
• mislukt: failed
• de wereld: the world

Questions & Answers about De docent zegt dat mislukte toetsen niet het einde van de wereld zijn.

Why is “dat” used after “De docent zegt”? In English we often say “The teacher says failed tests are not…”, without “that”.

In Dutch, “dat” is a subordinating conjunction that introduces a subordinate clause (a “that‑clause”).

• Main clause:
  De docent zegt … = The teacher says …
• Subordinate clause introduced by “dat”:
  dat mislukte toetsen niet het einde van de wereld zijn = that failed tests are not the end of the world

So the full structure is:

• [Main clause] De docent zegt
• [Subordinate clause] dat mislukte toetsen niet het einde van de wereld zijn.

This corresponds closely to English “The teacher says that failed tests are not the end of the world.”

In spoken Dutch, “dat” is usually kept here, even though in English you may drop “that”. Dropping “dat” (“De docent zegt mislukte toetsen…”) is possible in some contexts but sounds more informal and sometimes unnatural or confusing, especially in longer sentences like this one.

Why is the verb “zijn” at the very end of the clause “…dat mislukte toetsen niet het einde van de wereld zijn”?

Dutch has different word order in main clauses and subordinate clauses:

• Main clause (normal statement):
  Mislukte toetsen zijn niet het einde van de wereld.
  Subject + verb + rest

• Subordinate clause (introduced by “dat”):
  …dat mislukte toetsen niet het einde van de wereld zijn.
  Here, because of “dat”, the finite verb (zijn) goes to the end of the clause.

So:

• Without dat (main clause): Zijn comes in second position.
• With dat (subordinate clause): Zijn goes to the end.

This is a key rule: In most subordinate clauses in Dutch, the conjugated verb comes at the end.

Why is it “zijn” (are) and not “is” (is) at the end?

The verb must agree with the subject of the clause.

• Subject: mislukte toetsen
  
  • toetsen is plural (singular: toets).
  • So the whole subject is plural: failed tests.

Therefore, you need the plural form of the verb zijn:

• mislukte toetsen zijn = failed tests are

If the subject were singular, it would be:

• Een mislukte toets is niet het einde van de wereld.
  A failed test is not the end of the world.

What exactly does “toetsen” mean here? I know “toets” can also mean “key” (on a keyboard).

You’re right: toets has multiple meanings, depending on context.

1. In education (here):

   • de toets = a test, quiz, or smaller exam
   • de toetsen = tests/quizzes (plural)

2. In technology/music:

   • de toets = a key (on a keyboard, piano, phone, etc.)
   • de toetsen = keys

In this sentence, because the context is “de docent” (the teacher) and mislukte toetsen, it clearly refers to tests or quizzes.

Related words:

• het examen = exam (usually larger, more important)
• het proefwerk = test (often used in schools, similar to toets)

Why does “mislukte” have an ‑e at the end? Why not just “mislukt toetsen”?

“Mislukt(e)” here is a past participle used as an adjective: failed.

In Dutch, adjectives before a noun (attributive adjectives) usually take an ‑e ending, except in one special case (indefinite, singular, neuter nouns).

The basic rules:

1. Almost always add ‑e:

   • de toets → de mislukte toets
   • de toetsen → mislukte toetsen
   • het einde → het beroemde einde (the famous end)

2. No ‑e only when:

   • The noun is het‑word
   • Singular
   • Indefinite (no de/het, no die/deze etc.)

   Example:

   • een mislukt experiment (experiment = het experiment)
   • but: het mislukte experiment, mijn mislukte experiment

In our sentence:

• toetsen is plural and a de‑word (de toets).
• So the adjective form must be mislukte: mislukte toetsen.

Is “mislukte toetsen” the same as saying “failed exams”? Could I say “gefaalde toetsen” instead?

“Mislukte toetsen” and “gefaalde toetsen” are similar but not completely identical in feel.

• mislukte toetsen

  • From mislukken = to fail, to go wrong.
  • Very natural in this context.
  • Focus is more on the attempt or event having failed.

• gefaalde toetsen

  • From falen = to fail.
  • Grammatically possible, but sounds less natural here.
  • In practice, people more often talk about:
    • gezakte examens (exams you failed)
    • onvoldoendes (failing grades/marks)
    • een toets niet halen (to not pass a test)

Typical natural options:

• Mislukte toetsen zijn niet het einde van de wereld.
• Onvoldoendes zijn niet het einde van de wereld.
• Een mislukte toets is niet het einde van de wereld.

What is the difference between “docent” and “leraar”? Are they both just “teacher”?

Both can be translated as “teacher”, but they have different typical uses and connotations.

• de docent

  • Common for secondary school and especially higher education (colleges, universities).
  • Slightly more formal or academic.
  • You can have: een wiskundedocent (math teacher), universitair docent (university lecturer).

• de leraar / de lerares

  • More general word for teacher, often associated with primary and secondary school.
  • lerares is specifically female; leraar is masculine or generic.

• For small children, they often say:

  • de juf (female teacher in primary school)
  • de meester (male teacher in primary school)

In this sentence, de docent suggests a teacher at least at secondary-school level, often higher.

Why is it “niet het einde van de wereld” and not “geen einde van de wereld”?

This touches on “niet” vs. “geen” and on a fixed expression.

1. “niet” vs. “geen” (basic rule)

   • Use geen to negate an indefinite noun:
     • Ik heb geen tijd. = I don’t have (any) time.
     • Dat is geen probleem. = That is not a problem.
   • Use niet to negate:
     • definite nouns (with de/het, mijn, etc.):
       Dat is niet het probleem. = That is not the problem.
     • verbs, adjectives, adverbs, whole clauses.

2. In “niet het einde van de wereld”, the noun phrase is definite:

   • het einde van de wereld = the end of the world (very specific)
   • So you use niet: niet het einde van de wereld.

3. On top of that, “niet het einde van de wereld zijn” is a fixed idiom, just like in English:

   • Het is niet het einde van de wereld. = It’s not the end of the world.

Saying “geen einde van de wereld” would sound wrong here: it breaks the idiom and does not fit the definiteness.

Is “het einde van de wereld” always literal, or is it also idiomatic like in English?

It works both literally and idiomatically, just like in English.

• Literal:

  • Het einde van de wereld is nog niet in zicht.
    The end of the world is not yet in sight.

• Idiomatic (as in this sentence):

  • Een mislukte toets is niet het einde van de wereld.
    A failed test is not the end of the world.
    Meaning: It’s bad, but not a total disaster; life goes on.

So in your sentence, it’s clearly idiomatic, with the same metaphorical meaning as in English.

Why is it “het einde” but “de wereld”? How do I know which article to use?

In Dutch, each noun has a grammatical gender that determines whether you use de or het:

• het einde
  
  • einde is a het‑word (neuter).
• de wereld
  
  • wereld is a de‑word (common gender).

There’s no simple rule that lets you always predict de vs het; it’s largely lexical and must be memorized with each noun.

In the phrase “het einde van de wereld” you simply combine:

• het einde
  • van
    • de wereld
      = the end of the world.

How do I pronounce “mislukte” and “toetsen”?

Approximate pronunciation (IPA and rough English-style description):

1. mislukte

   • IPA: /mɪsˈlʏktə/
   • Syllables: mis–LUK–te
   • Tips:
     • mis‑ like “miss”
     • ‑luk‑:
       
       • ʏ is like the German ü in müssen or somewhere between English “put” and “bit”.
       • The k is a clear, hard k.
     • ‑te: weak “tuh”, with a schwa /ə/.

2. toetsen

   • IPA: /ˈtutsə(n)/
   • Syllables: TOET‑sen
   • Tips:
     • toe is pronounced like English “toot” (long oo sound).
     • ts is really a t
       • s, like in “cats”.
     • Final ‑en often sounds like ‑uh /ə/ in normal speech: TOOT‑suh.

So roughly:

• mislukte ≈ miss-LUK-tuh
• toetsen ≈ TOOT-suh

Could I drop “dat” and say “De docent zegt mislukte toetsen zijn niet het einde van de wereld”?

In careful, standard Dutch, you normally keep “dat” in this kind of sentence:

• De docent zegt dat mislukte toetsen niet het einde van de wereld zijn.

Without “dat”, Dutch speakers may accept it in very informal speech, but:

• It can sound sloppy or colloquial.
• The word order becomes more confusing, especially in longer sentences.
• In writing, it is usually considered incorrect or at least undesirable.

So for correct, natural Dutch—especially in written form or formal speech—keep “dat” in this sentence.