About This Lesson
Use Speaking quietly in a library to practice Dutch conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.
Dialogue
A
Kun je hier wat zachter praten?
kuhn yuh heer vaht ZAHKH-tur PRAH-tun? Could you speak a little more quietly here?
B
Ik wist niet dat ik zo hard praatte.
ik wihst neet daht ik zoh hahrt PRAH-tuh. I didn't realize I was speaking so loudly.
A
Mensen studeren aan de tafel hiernaast.
MEN-sun stew-DAY-run ahn duh TAH-ful heer-NAHST. People are studying at the next table.
B
Ik zal zachter praten.
ik zahl ZAHKH-tur PRAH-tun. I will lower my voice.
A
Dan kan iedereen zich beter concentreren.
dahn kuhn AY-duh-rayn zikh BAY-tur kon-sen-TRAY-run. It will make it easier for everyone to focus.
B
Ik kan dichterbij zitten, dan hoeven we niet hard te praten.
ik kahn DIKH-tur-bye ZIH-tun, dahn HOO-vun vuh neet hahrt tuh PRAH-tun. I can sit closer so we do not have to talk loudly.
A
Dan kunnen we verder werken zonder iemand te storen.
dahn KUN-nun vuh VER-dur WER-kun ZON-dur EE-mahnt tuh STOR-un. Then we can keep working without bothering anyone.
B
Vanaf nu zal ik zacht praten.
vahn-AHF noo zahl ik zahkht PRAH-tun. I will keep it down from now on.Word by Word
Kun
In Kun je hier wat zachter praten?, Kun means can or could and starts a polite request. It is the form of kunnen used with je here. A reusable request pattern is Kun je followed by an action, useful when asking someone to do something politely.
je
In Kun je hier wat zachter praten?, je means you and is the person being asked to speak more quietly. It works with Kun to form this polite question. This form is useful when addressing one person directly.
hier
In Kun je hier wat zachter praten?, hier means here, referring to this place or setting. It tells where the requested action should happen. A common reuse is placing hier with a verb when pointing to the current location.
wat
In wat zachter, wat means a little or somewhat and makes the request less abrupt. It softens the degree of the comparison rather than naming a separate object. This is useful in polite requests for a small change in behavior.
zachter
In wat zachter praten, zachter means more softly or more quietly; it is the comparative form related to zacht. The form is used because the speaker asks for a change from the current speaking volume. The expression zachter praten is useful when asking someone to lower their voice.
praten
In Kun je hier wat zachter praten?, praten means to speak or talk. It appears as the action after Kun. This infinitive can be reused after a modal form when describing what someone can or should do.
Ik
Ik means I and is the subject in Ik wist niet dat ik zo hard praatte and Ik zal zachter praten. It identifies the speaker as the person who did not realize the problem and will change the behavior. Ik is useful at the start of statements about the speaker's own actions or intentions.
wist
In Ik wist niet dat ik zo hard praatte, wist means knew or realized. It is a past form of weten and is negated by niet here. The expression Ik wist niet dat introduces something the speaker had not known or realized.
niet
In Ik wist niet dat ik zo hard praatte, niet negates wist, giving the meaning did not know or did not realize. It appears directly after the verb in this statement. It is useful for making a statement negative, especially in the pattern Ik wist niet dat.
dat
In Ik wist niet dat ik zo hard praatte, dat introduces the information the speaker did not know. It connects wist niet with the following clause. This construction is useful when explaining what someone did not know or realize.
zo
In zo hard praatte, zo means so and marks the degree of how loudly the person was speaking. It intensifies hard in this context. A reusable pattern is zo followed by a description of degree.
hard
In zo hard praatte, hard means loudly rather than physically hard. It describes the way the person was speaking. The expression hard praten is useful when referring to speaking at a high volume.
praatte
In dat ik zo hard praatte, praatte means was speaking or spoke. It is a past form of praten and appears in the clause introduced by dat. This form is useful when describing what someone was saying or doing at an earlier time.
Mensen
Mensen means people and is the subject of Mensen studeren aan de tafel hiernaast. It refers to the people studying nearby. A useful reuse is beginning a statement with Mensen when describing what people are doing.
studeren
In Mensen studeren aan de tafel hiernaast, studeren means study. With Mensen, it describes what the nearby people are doing. This form is useful for talking about study activities in a place such as a library.
aan
In aan de tafel hiernaast, aan marks the location of the people in relation to the table, meaning at the table. It connects the activity with the specific place. The phrase aan de tafel is useful when saying where someone is sitting or working.
de
In de tafel hiernaast, de means the and identifies a specific table. It comes directly before tafel. The phrase de tafel is useful when referring to a particular table already identifiable in the situation.
tafel
In de tafel hiernaast, tafel means table. It names the furniture where the nearby people are studying. The phrase aan de tafel is useful for describing work or study taking place at a table.
hiernaast
In de tafel hiernaast, hiernaast identifies the table next to the current one or nearby. It specifies which table is meant. A useful pattern is placing hiernaast after a noun when pointing out a nearby item.
zal
In Ik zal zachter praten and Vanaf nu zal ik zacht praten, zal means will and expresses the speaker's intention to change. It is the form of zullen used with Ik. The pattern Ik zal followed by an action is useful for making a promise or stating an intention.
Dan
In Dan kan iedereen zich beter concentreren, Dan means then or in that case and introduces the consequence of speaking more quietly. It also links a proposed change with its result in the dialogue. Dan is useful at the beginning of a clause describing what will happen next.
kan
In Dan kan iedereen zich beter concentreren and Ik kan dichterbij zitten, kan means can or is able to. It expresses possibility or ability and is a form of kunnen. The pattern kan followed by an action is useful when describing what someone is able or permitted to do.
iedereen
In Dan kan iedereen zich beter concentreren, iedereen means everyone. It is the person who will be able to focus better. This word is useful when a statement applies to all the people in a group.
zich
In zich beter concentreren, zich is the reflexive element used with concentreren, referring back to the people who are focusing. Together, zich concentreren means to concentrate or focus. This expression is useful when talking about directing one's attention to study or work.
beter
In zich beter concentreren, beter means better or more effectively. It describes the improved quality of everyone's concentration after the noise is reduced. The expression beter concentreren is useful when describing improved focus.
concentreren
In zich beter concentreren, concentreren means to concentrate or focus. It appears with zich in this expression and after kan in the sentence. This form is useful when talking about focusing during study or work.
dichterbij
In Ik kan dichterbij zitten, dichterbij means closer or nearer. It explains where the speaker can sit so that less loud speech is needed. The expression dichterbij zitten is useful when choosing a seat nearer to another person.
zitten
In Ik kan dichterbij zitten, zitten means to sit. It is the action that follows kan. The expression dichterbij zitten is useful when describing moving to or choosing a nearer seat.
hoeven
In dan hoeven we niet hard te praten, hoeven means need to or have to, but the negative construction means do not need to speak loudly. Its meaning here depends on the combination with niet and te praten. The pattern niet hoeven te followed by an action is useful for saying that an action is unnecessary.
we
In dan hoeven we niet hard te praten and Dan kunnen we verder werken, we means we. It refers to the two speakers together. This form is useful when describing a shared action or situation involving the speaker and another person.
te
In niet hard te praten and zonder iemand te storen, te marks the following verb as part of an infinitive construction. It helps connect the action with hoeven or zonder. The exact patterns te praten and te storen are useful when describing an action that is necessary or avoided.
kunnen
In Dan kunnen we verder werken, kunnen means can or are able to. It is the plural form used with we and introduces verder werken. The pattern we kunnen followed by an action is useful when describing what two or more people are able to do.
verder
In verder werken, verder means continuing or further. It shows that the speakers can continue their work after reducing the noise. The expression verder werken is useful when resuming an activity.
werken
In Dan kunnen we verder werken, werken means to work. It appears as the action after kunnen and is understood as continuing work. This form is useful for talking about work or study that people continue doing.
zonder
In zonder iemand te storen, zonder means without and introduces something that is avoided. Here it explains that the speakers can continue working without disturbing anyone. The pattern zonder followed by an action is useful when describing an activity done without causing another result.
iemand
In zonder iemand te storen, iemand means anyone or someone and refers to an unspecified person who might be disturbed. It is the person affected by storen. The expression iemand te storen is useful when referring to disturbing a person without naming who it is.
storen
In zonder iemand te storen, storen means to bother or disturb. It appears after te and takes iemand as the person being disturbed. The expression zonder iemand te storen is useful when describing considerate behavior around other people.
Vanaf
In Vanaf nu zal ik zacht praten, Vanaf means from or starting from and marks the point when a new behavior begins. It combines with nu to mean from now on. The pattern Vanaf followed by a time expression is useful for stating when a change takes effect.
nu
In Vanaf nu, nu means now. Together with Vanaf, it sets the starting point for the speaker's new behavior. Vanaf nu is useful when making a promise or describing a change that begins immediately.
zacht
In Vanaf nu zal ik zacht praten, zacht describes speaking softly or quietly. It expresses the desired quiet manner directly, while zachter in wat zachter praten asks for a comparative change. The expression zacht praten is useful when saying that someone will speak quietly.
Grammar Points
zacht → zachter
zachter
ZAHKH-turmore softly; more quietly
The adverb forms its comparative by adding -er: zacht becomes zachter.
Dutch Vocabulary
aan
prep
AHN
at; on
hard
adv
HAHRT
loudly; hard
hier
adv
HEER
here
mensen
noun
MEN-sun
people
niet
adv
NEET
not
praten
verb
PRAH-tun
to speak; to talk
studeren
verb
stew-DAY-run
to study
tafel
noun
TAH-ful
table
wat
adv
vaht
a little; somewhat
weten
verb
VAY-tun
to know; to realize
wist
zacht
adv
ZAHKHT
softly; quietly
zachter
zo
adv
ZOH
so; that
Quiz
Word Order
Arrange the words in the correct order.
Could you speak a little more quietly here?
Show Answer
Kun je hier wat zachter praten?People are studying at the next table.
Show Answer
Mensen studeren aan de tafel hiernaast.I will lower my voice.
Show Answer
Ik zal zachter praten.Spelling
Tap the letters to spell the word.
not
Show Answer
nietto know; to realize
Show Answer
wistsoftly; quietly
Show Answer
zachterpeople