Announcements, voicemails and instructions
Understand one-speaker messages at the station, the gemeente and the GP, and pick out what you have to do.
A2 and B19 minLesson 5 of 6
After this lesson you can
- Know the fixed structure of announcements and voicemails
- Pick out what changed, what to do and by when
- Follow steps in spoken instructions
One speaker, fixed patterns
Not every fragment is a conversation. Many are one person speaking: an announcement, a voicemail, a recorded phone menu or someone explaining steps. These texts are very predictable. Once you know their structure, you know when the important part is coming.
Station and train announcements
Typical structure:
- Attention: Attentie, reizigers… / Dames en heren…
- Which train: De intercity naar Utrecht Centraal van 14.12 uur…
- What changed: …vertrekt vandaag van spoor 7b in plaats van spoor 5. / …heeft ongeveer tien minuten vertraging. / …rijdt niet.
- What to do: Reizigers naar Amersfoort stappen over in Utrecht. / Neem de stoptrein.
- Reason (sometimes): …door een defecte trein / werkzaamheden / een seinstoring.
Key words: vertraging (delay), vervalt / rijdt niet (is cancelled), spoor (platform), overstappen (change trains), in plaats van (instead of), vanwege (because of), werkzaamheden (engineering works).
Exam questions often ask about step 3 or 4: what is different and what should travellers do. Note the platform and time, and listen for in plaats van. The old platform is a trap.
Voicemails
Typical structure:
- Who is calling: Goedemiddag, u spreekt met… / Hoi, met Sara. (met + name = this is…)
- Why: Ik bel over… / Ik bel omdat…
- The message: a change, a request, information.
- What you should do: Wilt u terugbellen? / Stuur even een appje. / U hoeft niets te doen.
- Contact: a phone number or time to call back.
Questions: Wie belt er? Waarom belt ze? Wat moet de luisteraar doen?
Gemeente and services
Messages from the gemeente, a phone menu or an information line:
U bent verbonden met de gemeente. Voor een afspraak voor een paspoort of identiteitskaart, toets 1. Voor vragen over afval, toets 2. Voor alle andere vragen, blijft u aan de lijn.
Listen for the topic and the number together. Key words: toets (press), blijf aan de lijn (stay on the line), het loket (the counter), op afspraak (by appointment), meenemen (bring).
Huisarts (GP)
At the doctor's, you hear assistants on the phone and practice messages:
U bent verbonden met huisartsenpraktijk De Brug. Bel voor een afspraak tussen 8.00 en 10.00 uur. Bij spoed, toets 1. Na 17.00 uur en in het weekend belt u de huisartsenpost. Bij levensgevaar belt u 112.
Key words: spoed (urgent), de huisartsenpost (out-of-hours GP service), het spreekuur (consultation hours), de herhaalrecepten (repeat prescriptions), terugbellen (call back), nuchter (without eating, before a blood test).
Instructions
Someone explains how to do something: a colleague, a teacher, a course leader. Listen for order words:
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| eerst | first |
| daarna / dan | then, after that |
| vervolgens | next |
| tot slot / als laatste | finally |
| voordat | before |
| zodra | as soon as |
Questions like Wat moet je doen nadat je je jas hebt opgehangen? test whether you followed the order. Make a quick mental list: 1, 2, 3.
The key question: what must the listener do?
Most one-speaker messages end with an instruction. Expect questions about it, and listen to the last 10 seconds with full attention. Watch for u hoeft niets te doen (you don't need to do anything). That is a frequent correct answer that people miss because they expect an action.
Useful Dutch
- de vertragingthe delay
- het spoorthe platform (track)
- overstappento change (trains, buses)
- de werkzaamhedenthe (engineering) works
- u spreekt met …this is … (on the phone)
- terugbellento call back
- toets 1press 1
- blijf aan de lijnstay on the line
- de huisartsenpostout-of-hours GP service
- spoedurgent
- eerst … daarna …first … then …
- u hoeft niets te doenyou don't need to do anything
Worked example
A station announcement
The options point to a place or action. Spoor 3 is mentioned first, but with 'niet… maar': the change. The new platform is 8, and the speaker even repeats it. Answer: B. The bus (C) is for travellers to Kampen, not Zwolle: true information, wrong group. Always check who an instruction is for.
Common mistakes
- Remembering the old platform or time instead of the new one after 'in plaats van' or 'niet… maar'.
- Choosing an instruction meant for a different group of listeners.
- Missing that the message says you don't need to do anything.
- Losing the order of steps in an instruction.
Check yourself
Answer all three to mark this lesson as done.
1. A train announcement says: 'De sprinter naar Gouda vervalt.' What does this mean?
2. It is Saturday evening and you need a doctor urgently, but it is not life-threatening. Who do you call?
3. A voicemail starts: 'Hallo, met Pieter.' What does 'met Pieter' mean here?