Emergency

1. Help!

   Usage

   Calling for help in an emergency situation

   Grammar Note

   Same word as English. Used as a shout or urgent call in emergencies

2. Bel een ambulance!

   Call an ambulance!

   Usage

   Urgent request to call an ambulance in a medical emergency

   Grammar Note

   "Bel" is the imperative of "bellen" (to call). "Bel 112!" works in EU-wide emergencies

3. Bel de politie!

   Call the police!

   Usage

   Requesting someone to call the police in a dangerous situation

   Grammar Note

   Emergency police number in the Netherlands is 112. "Politie" is borrowed from French/Latin

4. Ik ben gewond

   I am injured

   Usage

   Communicating that you are injured and need medical attention

   Grammar Note

   "Gewond" is the past participle of "wonden" (to wound). "Ik heb pijn" means I am in pain

5. Ik ben mijn paspoort kwijt

   I have lost my passport

   Usage

   Reporting a lost passport to police or the embassy

   Grammar Note

   "Kwijt" is an adjective meaning lost. The structure "Ik ben ... kwijt" means I have lost...

6. Waar is het ziekenhuis?

   Where is the hospital?

   Usage

   Asking for directions to the nearest hospital

   Grammar Note

   "Ziekenhuis" = ziek (sick) + huis (house). "Spoedafdeling" is the emergency department

7. Ik heb een dokter nodig

   I need a doctor

   Usage

   Urgent phrase when medical assistance is needed

   Grammar Note

   "Ik heb ... nodig" is a fixed expression for "I need ...". Works for any noun

8. Brand! Bel de brandweer!

   Fire! Call the fire brigade!

   Usage

   Shouting to alert others and summon the fire brigade

   Grammar Note

   "Brandweer" = brand (fire) + weren (to defend). Fire truck is "brandweerauto"

9. Ik ben bestolen

   I have had something stolen

   Usage

   Reporting to police that your belongings were stolen (theft, no violence)

   Grammar Note

   "Bestolen" is the passive past participle of "bestelen". "Mijn tas is gestolen" = my bag was stolen

10. Ik ben allergisch voor penicilline

    I am allergic to penicillin

    Usage

    Communicating a medication allergy to medical staff in an emergency

    Grammar Note

    "Allergisch voor" works for both food and medication allergies. Replace with any allergen

11. Hou op!

    Stop it!

    Usage

    Show this without speaking to shut down persistent touts, followers, or unwanted contact; it is meant to be blunt

    Grammar Note

    The imperative of the separable verb "ophouden", with "op" moving to the end; stronger still is "Hou op, nu!"

12. Raak me niet aan!

    Do not touch me!

    Usage

    Show this when someone touches you or your bags; it is deliberately forceful

    Grammar Note

    "Aanraken" (to touch) is a separable verb, so the imperative splits into "Raak ... aan"; "me" = me. The sign form "Niet aanraken!" is aimed at objects

13. Ik ben verdwaald

    I am lost

    Usage

    Show this to a passer-by or shop staff when you cannot find your way; pair it with a map or your hotel name

    Grammar Note

    "Verdwaald" is the past participle of "verdwalen", used adjectivally; for a lost child, "Mijn kind is verdwaald"

14. de dief

    Thief

    Usage

    The person who stole; the act of stealing is "de diefstal"

    Grammar Note

    Masculine, so the article is "de"; the plural is "dieven" and a female thief can be called "dievegge"

15. de beroving

    Robbery

    Usage

    Say this when property was taken from you by force or threat; a hold-up of a bank or shop is also "de overval"

    Grammar Note

    Feminine noun from the verb "beroven" (to rob) plus "-ing"; article "de", plural "berovingen"

16. de tasjesroof

    Snatching

    Usage

    Use when a bag was grabbed and carried off; street robbery in general is "de straatroof"

    Grammar Note

    A compound of "tasje" (small handbag), the linking "s", and "roof" (robbery); the offender is "de tasjesdief"

17. de zakkenroller

    Pickpocket

    Usage

    Someone who lifts wallets or phones in a crowd; the act itself is "de zakkenrollerij"

    Grammar Note

    Built from "zakken" (pockets), the stem of "rollen", and "-er"; plural "zakkenrollers"

18. de ontvoering

    Kidnapping

    Usage

    Report that a person has been carried off; child abduction is "de kinderontvoering"

    Grammar Note

    Feminine noun from "ontvoeren" (to carry off) plus "-ing"; Dutch also borrows the English "kidnapping"

19. de moord

    Murder

    Usage

    The word for a killing; a killing without premeditation is called "doodslag" instead

    Grammar Note

    A de word. In Dutch criminal law, the offence requires premeditation, voorbedachten rade.

20. de rellen

    Riot

    Usage

    Tells someone a crowd has turned violent; Dutch normally names it in the plural

    Grammar Note

    The singular is "de rel", but in the singular the word is also widely used for a public row or scandal, so the plural "rellen" is what names a riot

21. de bom

    Bomb

    Usage

    Show this to report a suspicious package or an explosive device

    Grammar Note

    Article "de", plural "bommen"; an unexploded bomb is "de blindganger"

22. Brand! Ren weg!

    Fire! Run!

    Usage

    Shout to warn people there is a fire and to get them to run

    Grammar Note

    "Brand!" is the same alarm cry as in ("Brand! Bel de brandweer!"). "Wegrennen" is a separable verb: in the imperative the prefix "weg" moves behind the verb, giving "Ren weg!" — with "ren" in the same slot that "bel" occupies in "Bel de brandweer"

23. Dief! Pak hem!

    Thief! Catch him!

    Usage

    Shout to alert bystanders and get them to catch a thief who is running away

    Grammar Note

    Dief! calls out de dief, thief, without its article. pakken means capture; imperative pak takes object hem. Not separable, so the order matches Bel de politie!

24. Waar is het politiebureau?

    Where is the police station?

    Usage

    Use to find the nearest police station, for example to report a crime

    Grammar Note

    The frame of Waar is het ziekenhuis? Politiebureau combines politie + bureau, the building police work out of; the force itself is de politie.

25. Ik wil graag aangifte doen van diefstal

    I want to report a theft

    Usage

    Use at a police station to file the theft report an insurance claim needs

    Grammar Note

    Ik wil graag + infinitive, as in Ik wil graag geld wisselen. aangifte means reporting a notable fact to an official body, including an offence to police. diefstal is theft without violence; taking by force is de beroving.

26. Is hier iemand die Japans spreekt?

    Is there anyone who speaks Japanese?

    Usage

    Use at a police station or hospital to look for someone who speaks Japanese

    Grammar Note

    Uses spreken from Spreekt u Engels? in a relative clause with hier, here, and Japans, Japanese. The main V2 question starts with Is; relative-clause spreekt goes last.

27. Deze persoon is bewusteloos

    This person is unconscious

    Usage

    Tell paramedics or bystanders that a collapsed person is not conscious

    Grammar Note

    The demonstrative "deze" = this (for someone near you); "persoon" = person. "Bewusteloos" means having lost awareness of one's surroundings — out cold, in a coma

28. Er verdrinkt iemand! Help!

    Someone is drowning! Help!

    Usage

    Shout to report that someone is drowning and to call for help

    Grammar Note

    "Verdrinken" means to drown. The expletive "er" heads the clause in V2 order, so the verb "verdrinkt" stands second and the subject "iemand" follows it. "Help!" = help

29. Ik ben geslagen

    I was beaten

    Usage

    Report to the police or a doctor that you were assaulted

    Grammar Note

    The Ik ben + participle passive, as in Ik ben bestolen. slaan means dealing a blow, a quick strike with arm or held object. Its participle is irregular geslagen.

30. Ik ben neergestoken

    I was stabbed

    Usage

    Tell paramedics or police you were stabbed with a blade — a top-priority injury

    Grammar Note

    The Ik ben + participle passive, as in Ik ben bestolen. neersteken means wounding someone with a knife badly enough to go down. A separable verb; the participle retains neer and inserts ge-: neergestoken.

31. Er is ingebroken in mijn kamer

    My room was broken into

    Usage

    Report to police or hotel staff that your room was entered while you were out

    Grammar Note

    "Inbreken" means to force one's way in. Being separable, its past participle keeps the prefix in front: "ingebroken". The clause is an impersonal passive headed by "er" with no stated agent

32. Deze persoon is de dader

    This person is the culprit

    Usage

    Point out the offender to the police; you can show it without saying anything

    Grammar Note

    A "Deze persoon is …" frame ("deze" = this, for someone near you). "Dader" is the person who did something (bad) — the counterpart of "slachtoffer" (victim)

33. Ik ben opgelicht

    I was deceived

    Usage

    Report a scam or a rip-off to the police

    Grammar Note

    The Ik ben + participle passive, as in Ik ben bestolen. oplichten means taking money by deception. Its separable-verb participle keeps op in front: opgelicht.

34. Mijn portemonnee is gestolen

    My wallet was stolen

    Usage

    Report to the police that your wallet was stolen

    Grammar Note

    Mijn + noun + is + participle, as in Mijn bagage is nog niet aangekomen. gestolen is the participle of stelen and shares its root with bestolen. The thing stolen is gestolen; the person robbed is bestolen, Ik ben bestolen.

35. Ik ben iets vergeten

    I forgot something

    Usage

    Say you left something behind in a shop or a vehicle

    Grammar Note

    An "Ik ben …" frame. "Iets" = something. The perfect of "vergeten" can be formed with "zijn" (ik ben ... vergeten) or with "hebben" (ik heb ... vergeten)

36. Ik ben aangereden door een auto

    I was hit by a car

    Usage

    Tell paramedics or police that a car hit you

    Grammar Note

    The Ik ben + participle passive, as in Ik ben bestolen. door marks the agent. aanrijden means running into something and causing a collision; its separable participle is aangereden. A car is de auto.

37. Vlucht via de nooduitgang, alstublieft

    Please escape through the emergency exit

    Usage

    Tell someone to get out through the emergency exit in a fire or similar

    Grammar Note

    nooduitgang is the emergency-exit sign. vluchten means trying to escape impending danger; imperative stem vlucht. Final , alstublieft adds politeness as in Bel een ambulance, alstublieft.

38. Schiet op, alstublieft

    Please hurry

    Usage

    Ask someone to hurry with a rescue or a procedure

    Grammar Note

    opschieten means hurry. The separable imperative sends op back: Schiet op, like weg in Ren weg! Final , alstublieft works as in Bel een ambulance, alstublieft.

39. Kom nu meteen, alstublieft

    Please come right away

    Usage

    Ask a doctor or the police to come to where you are at once

    Grammar Note

    The imperative of komen is stem kom. nu meteen means right now. Append , alstublieft, as in Bel een ambulance, alstublieft.

40. Het is een noodgeval

    It's an emergency

    Usage

    Say this when you are being made to wait and the situation cannot wait

    Grammar Note

    The Het is … frame, as in Het is de eerste keer dat ik hier ben. noodgeval is a situation of possible serious danger or harm needing quick intervention.

41. Breng mij naar het ziekenhuis, alstublieft

    Please take me to a hospital

    Usage

    Ask a taxi driver or a passer-by to take you to a hospital

    Grammar Note

    brengen means delivering something or someone somewhere; imperative breng. het ziekenhuis is hospital, as in Waar is het ziekenhuis?; naar indicates direction, Ik moet naar een dokter; mij is me, Help mij alstublieft.

42. Wees voorzichtig!

    Watch out!

    Usage

    Said or shown to make someone notice an immediate danger

    Grammar Note

    A "Wees + adjective" imperative. "Voorzichtig" = careful. "Wees" is the imperative of "zijn"

43. Er is een verkeersongeluk gebeurd

    There has been a traffic accident

    Usage

    Tell the police, the ambulance service or bystanders that a traffic accident has happened

    Grammar Note

    An "Er is een … gebeurd" frame (something has happened). "Verkeersongeluk" is a compound of "verkeer" (traffic) + "ongeluk" (accident): a traffic accident

Browse all TravelPhrases languages