Breakdown of Meld de lekkage bij de meterkast.
bij
at
melden
to report
de meterkast
the meter cupboard
de lekkage
the leak
Questions & Answers about Meld de lekkage bij de meterkast.
Why does the sentence start with Meld instead of a subject like je or u?
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....
What form is Meld?
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
Why is it de lekkage and not een lekkage?
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.