verklaringen

Verklaringen is the plural of verklaring, a Dutch noun with several related meanings centered on making something clear. In general, een verklaring can be an explanation of why or how something happens, or a statement that clarifies a fact or position. It can also refer to a formal written or spoken declaration.

In practice, verklaringen appear in both everyday and formal contexts. A explanation or interpretation of a phenomenon, research result, or instruction is called een verklaring. In legal, administrative, and official settings, the term increasingly denotes a formal statement or affidavit, such as een getuigenverklaring (a witness statement), een schriftelijke verklaring (a written declaration), or een belastingverklaring (a tax return or declaration). The term is thus flexible enough to cover casual clarifications and binding documents alike.

Etymology and usage notes: verklaren means to declare or explain, with ver- as a prefix indicating a process or result. The noun verklaring embodies both meanings of explaining and declaring, and the plural verklaringen is used when referring to multiple explanations or statements. In daily language, a verklaring may be requested to clarify a situation; in official communications, it often takes the form of a signed, formal document.

See also: verklaring, getuigenverklaring, belastingverklaring.