Bedeutung
I failed to notice or remember that.
Kultureller Hintergrund
In Dutch office culture, admitting a mistake is valued, but doing so with 'het is me ontgaan' allows you to maintain a level of professional dignity. It is part of the 'poldermodel' where language is used to avoid unnecessary conflict. Flemish speakers use 'ontgaan' similarly, though they might also use 'ontglipt' more frequently in informal settings. The formality level remains high. In Dutch universities, 'ontgaan' is used to critique work politely. A professor might say a certain source 'is de student ontgaan' instead of saying 'the student was lazy and didn't read it.' In legal documents, 'ontgaan' is used to describe evidence or facts that were not considered. It is a neutral, non-accusatory term.
The 'Face-Saver'
Use this in emails when you've ignored someone for a week. It sounds much better than 'I was busy'.
Auxiliary Alert
Never use 'heb'. It's the #1 mistake. Always 'Het IS me ontgaan'.
Bedeutung
I failed to notice or remember that.
The 'Face-Saver'
Use this in emails when you've ignored someone for a week. It sounds much better than 'I was busy'.
Auxiliary Alert
Never use 'heb'. It's the #1 mistake. Always 'Het IS me ontgaan'.
The 'Rutte' Defense
Be aware that overusing this can make you sound like a politician dodging responsibility!
Teste dich selbst
Vul de juiste vorm van het hulpwerkwoord en het pronomen in.
Die belangrijke e-mail ___ ___ ontgaan.
We use 'is' because 'ontgaan' takes 'zijn', and 'me' is the indirect object.
Welke zin is het meest formeel en correct?
Je wilt zeggen dat je de vergadering bent vergeten in een zakelijke e-mail.
'Ontgaan' is the most professional way to admit an oversight.
Match de situatie met de beste reactie.
Situatie: Je bent de verjaardag van je baas vergeten.
This is polite and uses the correct register for a boss.
Maak de dialoog af.
A: 'Wist je dat de deadline verzet is naar morgen?' B: 'Nee, ___ ___ ___ ___.'
The subject 'dat' refers to the news about the deadline.
🎉 Ergebnis: /4
Visuelle Lernhilfen
Aufgabensammlung
4 AufgabenDie belangrijke e-mail ___ ___ ontgaan.
We use 'is' because 'ontgaan' takes 'zijn', and 'me' is the indirect object.
Je wilt zeggen dat je de vergadering bent vergeten in een zakelijke e-mail.
'Ontgaan' is the most professional way to admit an oversight.
Situatie: Je bent de verjaardag van je baas vergeten.
This is polite and uses the correct register for a boss.
A: 'Wist je dat de deadline verzet is naar morgen?' B: 'Nee, ___ ___ ___ ___.'
The subject 'dat' refers to the news about the deadline.
🎉 Ergebnis: /4
Häufig gestellte Fragen
10 FragenYes, but it means you escaped them physically. 'Ik ben de politie ontgaan' (I escaped the police). For missing a person's presence, use 'niet gezien'.
'Mij' is more emphatic and formal. In most emails, 'me' is perfectly fine. Use 'mij' if you want to emphasize that YOU specifically missed it.
'Vergeten' is for things you once knew but lost. 'Ontgaan' is for things you never noticed in the first place.
Yes: 'Het was me ontgaan.' (It had escaped me).
Yes, it is standard Dutch and used in both the Netherlands and Flanders.
No, this is grammatically incorrect. Always use 'is' or 'was'.
It might sound a bit formal for a quick text to a best friend, but it's great for a group chat with colleagues.
No, the subject can be anything: 'Die opmerking is me ontgaan' or 'De details zijn me ontgaan'.
Yes, but 'over het hoofd zien' is usually for visual errors (like a typo), while 'ontgaan' is for any kind of information.
You can say: 'Niets is me ontgaan.'
Verwandte Redewendungen
ontsnappen aan de aandacht
synonymTo escape the attention.
er niet bij stilstaan
similarTo not pause to consider something.
over het hoofd zien
similarTo overlook.
ontglippen
similarTo slip away.
opmerken
contrastTo notice.
