Meld de lekkage bij de meterkast.

Because this is the imperative form: a command or instruction.

In Dutch, commands usually leave out the subject:

• Meld de lekkage bij de meterkast. = Report the leak at/near the meter cupboard.

The hidden subject is understood as you:

• je in informal situations
• u in formal situations

So this is like English Report the leak..., not You report the leak....

Meld is the imperative of the verb melden.

Basic forms:

• melden = to report
• ik meld = I report
• jij meldt = you report
• meld! = report!

In commands, Dutch often uses the verb stem:

• melden → meld

De is the definite article, so de lekkage means the leak.

That usually suggests a specific leak the speaker and listener already know about, or a leak that has just been noticed.

Compare:

• Meld de lekkage... = report the leak
• Meld een lekkage... = report a leak

In practical instructions, Dutch often uses de when talking about the situation at hand.

Because lekkage is a noun that takes de.

There is not always a simple rule you can predict from meaning alone, so this often has to be learned with the noun:

• de lekkage
• not het lekkage

A useful habit is to learn nouns together with their article.

Here bij means something like at, by, or near.

So bij de meterkast means the leak is located:

• at the meter cupboard
• by the meter cupboard
• near the meter cupboard

It does not necessarily mean inside it. If Dutch wanted to stress inside, it would more likely use:

• in de meterkast

So bij gives a more general location.

Yes. Meterkast is a compound noun, and Dutch usually writes compounds as one word.

It is made from:

• meter
• kast

Together:

• meterkast = meter cupboard / utility meter cabinet

It takes de because the main part of the compound is kast, and kast is a de-word:

• de kast
• therefore de meterkast

Yes, but the meaning changes slightly.

• bij de meterkast = at/by/near the meter cupboard
• in de meterkast = in the meter cupboard

So if the leak is physically inside the cupboard, in may be better. If the leak is somewhere around that area, bij is more natural.

Yes, a little.

In an imperative sentence, the verb normally comes first:

• Meld de lekkage bij de meterkast.

That is the standard command structure:

1. verb
2. object
3. other information such as place

So here:

• Meld = verb
• de lekkage = direct object
• bij de meterkast = location phrase

Usually you do not need to, because commands normally leave the subject out.

But in some situations you can add it for emphasis or clarity:

• Meld u de lekkage bij de meterkast? would not be a command; that starts to sound like a question or unusual phrasing.
• A more natural polite command would be:
  • Meld de lekkage bij de meterkast, alstublieft.

In normal Dutch, the plain imperative without a subject is the natural choice.

Not quite.

• melden = to report, notify, officially mention
• zeggen = to say
• vertellen = to tell

So melden is used when you are informing someone, often in a practical, formal, or official way.

That makes it a good choice in instructions, notices, or workplace/safety contexts.

Yes, sometimes, but the nuance can differ.

• het lek = the leak
• de lekkage = the leakage / the leak

In everyday Dutch, both can appear, depending on context. Lekkage often sounds a bit more formal or technical, especially in notices or maintenance-related language.

So Meld de lekkage... sounds very natural in an instruction or reporting context.

It sounds mostly neutral and a bit instructional.

It could appear:

• on a sign
• in a maintenance request system
• in workplace instructions
• in a housing or building context

It is not especially friendly or chatty, but it is not rude either. If you want to make it softer or more polite, you could add:

• alstublieft

For example:

• Meld de lekkage bij de meterkast, alstublieft.