doelen

Doelen is a Dutch noun that functions as the plural of doel. It denotes goals, aims, or purposes—the intended results of actions, plans, or policies—and is used across personal, educational, business, and public contexts.

In planning, evaluation, and everyday speech doelen refer to the desired outcomes of activities. It is common to list doelen in project documents or curricula to clarify what is to be achieved. The singular forms doel and doelstelling are related: doel refers to a general aim, while doelstelling denotes a specific, measurable objective. Phrasings such as doelen stellen (to set goals) and doel bereiken (to achieve a goal) are widely used.

In sports and other contexts, Nederlandse spellings distinguish tussen different senses. The term doelpunt is used for a goal scored in a game, whereas doelen (plural) addresses the broader idea of aims and targets in planning or policy. This distinction helps avoid ambiguity in formal writing, where doelstellingen are preferred for clearly defined aims and measurable criteria.

Examples: Het project heeft drie doelen: kosten verlagen, klanttevredenheid verhogen, en duurzaamheid verbeteren. We stellen een nieuw doel voor dit jaar. In een verslag onderscheidt men vaak tussen de algemene doel (het doel) en de doelstellingen (de specifieke, meetbare doelen).

Overall, doelen is a flexible term in Dutch for describing multiple aims or targets, while doelstellingen provide a more precise formulation of those aims.