Telefonische

Telefonische is a Dutch adjective meaning related to the telephone or conducted by telephone. It is used attributively before nouns to indicate that a process, service, or communication takes place via the telephone. The base form ofteń wordt to the predicative position as telefonisch, for example in constructions like De klantenservice is telefonisch bereikbaar, meaning the customer service is reachable by phone.

Etymology and cognates: The word derives from telefoon (telephone) with the Dutch suffix -isch, forming a parallel with similar terms in other Germanic languages. In German the equivalent form is telefonische, and in English the cognate is telephonic. The Dutch adjective can be combined with a wide range of nouns to describe telephone-based activities and facilities.

Usage and examples: Common collocations include telefonische verbinding (telephone connection), telefonische bereikbaarheid (telephone accessibility), and telefonische dienstverlening or telefonische klantenservice (telephone service or customer service). The term is frequent in business, public administration, and professional communication, where it helps distinguish between methods of contact or service delivery. In everyday language, speakers often prefer telefonerend of telefonisch in predicative use, or simply spreken aan de telefoon for more informal expression.

Context and register: Telefonische is mainly used in formal, semi-formal, or technical contexts such as customer support, healthcare hotlines, and administrative communication. For casual speech, speakers typically default to direct phrasing like “bel ik u op” or “ik bel u aan de lijn” rather than relying on the attributive telefonische construction.

See also: telefoon, telefonie, telecommunicatie, telefoondienst.