Emergency services
Hulpdiensten
- Know the names of emergency services of your new country.
- Calling and advising about situations.
- Simple past tense: strong verbs
Learn to report emergencies in Dutch using past tense strong verbs like 'belde' (called), 'bleef' (stayed), and 'hielp' (helped). This lesson covers key phrases for contacting emergency services during fires, accidents, and suspicious situations.
Listening & reading materials
Practice vocabulary in context with real materials.
Vocabulary (12) Share Copied!
Exercises Share Copied!
These exercises can be done together during conversation lessons or as homework.
Exercise 1: Translate and use in a sentence
Instruction: Pick a word, translated and use the word in a sentence or dialogue.
1
De brandweer bellen
Calling the fire brigade
2
De bescherming
The protection
3
De spoedeisende hulp
The accident and emergency department
4
Het noodnummer
The emergency number
5
De hulpdiensten
The emergency services
Exercise 2: Dialogue Cards
Instruction: Select a situation and practice the conversation with your teacher or fellow students.
Exercise 3: Multiple Choice
Instruction: Choose the correct solution
1. Gisteren _____ ik de brandweer omdat er een grote brand was.
(Yesterday _____ I called the fire department because there was a large fire.)2. De ambulance kwam snel toen ik het noodnummer _____ gebeld.
(The ambulance arrived quickly when I _____ called the emergency number.)3. Hij _____ een gewonde persoon uit de auto na het ongeluk.
(He _____ an injured person out of the car after the accident.)4. We _____ rustig en volgden de instructies van de hulpdiensten op.
(We _____ calm and followed the instructions of the emergency services.)Exercise 4: An emergency during the weekend
Instruction:
Verb Tables
Blijven - Stay
OVT
- ik bleef
- jij bleef
- hij/zij/het bleef
- wij bleven
- jullie bleven
- zij bleven
Bellen - Call
OVT
- ik belde
- jij belde
- hij/zij/het belde
- wij belden
- jullie belden
- zij belden
Zien - See
OVT
- ik zag
- jij zag
- hij/zij/het zag
- wij zagen
- jullie zagen
- zij zagen
Gaan - Go
OVT
- ik ging
- jij ging
- hij/zij/het ging
- wij gingen
- jullie gingen
- zij gingen
Helpen - Help
OVT
- ik hielp
- jij hielp
- hij/zij/het hielp
- wij hielpen
- jullie hielpen
- zij hielpen
Komen - Come
OVT
- ik kwam
- jij kwam
- hij/zij/het kwam
- wij kwamen
- jullie kwamen
- zij kwamen
Blussen - Extinguish
OVT
- ik bluste
- jij bluste
- hij/zij/het bluste
- wij blusten
- jullie blusten
- zij blusten
Exercise 5: Onvoltooid verleden tijd: sterke werkwoorden
Instruction: Fill in the correct word.
Grammar: Simple past tense: strong verbs
Show translation Show answersbleven, boden, hielp, reden, liet, lag, keek, sloot
Grammar Share Copied!
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Verb conjugation tables for this lesson Share Copied!
Helpen to help Share Copied!
Onvoltooid verleden tijd (OVT)
| Dutch | English |
|---|---|
| (ik) hielp | I helped |
| (jij) hielp/hielpte | You helped |
| (hij/zij/het) hielp | he/she/it helped |
| (wij) hielpen | we helped |
| (jullie) hielpen | you helped |
| (zij) hielpen | they helped |
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Onvoltooid verleden tijd (OVT)
| Dutch | English |
|---|---|
| (ik) ging | I went |
| (jij) ging/ginge | you went/would go |
| (hij/zij/het) ging | he went/he she it went |
| (wij) gingen | we went |
| (jullie) gingen | you went |
| (zij) gingen | they went |
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Onvoltooid verleden tijd (OVT)
| Dutch | English |
|---|---|
| (ik) belde | I called |
| (jij) belde/beldetest | you called/you were calling |
| (hij/zij/het) belde | he/she/it called |
| (wij) belden | we called |
| (jullie) belden | you called |
| (zij) belden | they called |
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Lesson Overview: Emergency Services and Past Tense Verbs in Dutch
This lesson focuses on essential vocabulary and expressions related to emergency situations in Dutch, specifically how to report an emergency by calling 112, the Dutch emergency number. It also teaches you the simple past tense (onvoltooid verleden tijd) of strong verbs, which is key for narrating past events, particularly in urgent or crisis contexts.
Key Topics Covered
- Reporting Emergencies: How to communicate clearly and calmly with emergency services such as fire brigade, ambulance, and police.
- Past Tense of Strong Verbs: Understanding and practicing common strong verb conjugations in past tense (OVT) used when describing incidents.
- Practical Dialogues: Simulated phone calls reporting a fire, a car accident, or a suspicious situation to practice real-life communication.
- Verb Conjugation Exercises: Multiple-choice questions to help reinforce the correct past tense forms of verbs like belde (called), hielp (helped), and bleef (stayed).
- Mini Story Exercise: A short narrative about an emergency over the weekend, including verbs in past tense with contextual clues.
Important Vocabulary and Expressions
- Noodnummer 112 — the emergency phone number in the Netherlands.
- Brandweer — fire brigade.
- Ambulance — ambulance.
- Politie — police.
- Er is brand — there is a fire.
- Ivan zag — I saw (past tense of zien).
- Ik belde — I called (past tense of bellen).
- Ik hielp — I helped (past tense of helpen).
- Ik bleef — I stayed/remained (past tense of blijven).
Past Tense of Strong Verbs (OVT)
Strong verbs in Dutch change their stem vowel in the simple past tense. This lesson teaches common strong verbs useful for emergency conversations, such as:
- blijven (to stay): ik bleef
- bellen (to call): ik belde
- zien (to see): ik zag
- gaan (to go): ik ging
- helpen (to help): ik hielp
- komen (to come): ik kwam
- blussen (to extinguish): ik bluste
Differences and Useful Notes for English Speakers
Unlike English, Dutch strong verbs often change their vowel in the past tense instead of just adding "-ed." For example, "to see" is zien, but in past tense, it becomes zag (I saw). Also, the Dutch emergency number is 112 (not 911 as in the US), so knowing how to say "I want to call the fire brigade" (Ik wil de brandweer bellen) is vital.
Useful phrases you might recognize:
- Hallo, ik wil de brandweer bellen. — Hello, I want to call the fire brigade.
- Is iedereen veilig buiten? — Is everyone safe outside?
- Blijf rustig en verlaat het huis als dat kan. — Stay calm and leave the house if possible.
- De politie is onderweg. — The police are on the way.
These phrases emphasize polite, clear communication with emergency services, which is essential for effective help.
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