Learning Dutch (5): Dutch Letters

As you know, we moved to our first house in Almere, in December 2007. As you also may remember we brought everything from Portugal and the flat needed to be cleaned and painted.
Besides this huge work and the fact we were experiencing the coldest winter we remembered (until then, of course! ;-), we received many and long letters that we couldn't understand...
I felt like an illiterate person...

Very embarassed, I knocked on my Dutch neighbours door (or should I say on the heaven's door ;-).
"In spite of my seven years at University, the 1500 books I have at home in four different languages and my travels in Europe...here am I, knocking at Esther's door, asking her to read and explain this letter to me." I thought.

Esther and Bas were amazing and during the following months they helped me a lot! They knew almost everything about my private life by reading the letters: taxes, insurances, etc... Their friendly and supportive attitude helped me to deal with this awkward situation: exposing my privacy to people I had just met.

I remember to say to my husband: "I used to read letters to illiterate old people in Portugal who never went to school because they had a poor childhood.". My mother always told me to be gentle with people in need.
"I never thought to be in the same situation:knocking at someone's door asking for this kind of help." Again, I remembered my mother who always told me that life can be very twisty and we must be helpful, humble and polite with people. "We never know where we will be tomorrow." So true...

Let me share with you what I've learned then...

Usually a brief [letter/carta] begins with a Geachte heer/mevrouw [ Dear Sir/Dear Lady or Caro Senhor/ Cara Senhora ] and indicates the onderwerp [subject/assunto], generally something belangrijk [important/importante] or nodig [necessary/necessário] like:

an informatie [information/informação];

a toelichting [clarification/esclarecimento];

an aanmaning [notification/notificação];

a verrekening [payment/ liquidação];

an inschatting [evaluation/ avaliação];

Generally they ask you to...

doorgeven [to transmit/transmitir];

wijzigen [to change/alterar];

invullen [to fill/preencher];

machtigen [to autorize/autorizar];

betalen [to pay/pagar];

onderteken [to sign/assinar]

...something.

Finally, they will say they are bereikbaar [available/disponíveis] for more information, they will thank your medewerking [colaboration/colaboração] with a Bedankt and end the letter with a Met vriendelijke groet [Best Regards/Saudações cordiais].

Sometimes you will terugvinden [to find/encontrar] an envelop [envelop/envelope] that doesn't need postzegels [stamps/selos] to sturen [to send/enviar] to their kantoor [office/escritório]. After that, it's possible to ontvangen [to receive/receber] another letter with a "Graag ontvangen wij... " [We have gladly received.../Recebemos com agrado...].

Now, the song that always was in my mind each time I was knocking Esther and Bas door...;-))