Setting a Language Practice Goal | Learn Dutch in English

Dutch lesson set in a contemporary Amsterdam everyday setting: In a language learning setting, two adults set a small speaking practice goal and choose a way to track progress..

EN → NL / Level: A2

About This Lesson

Use Setting a Language Practice Goal to practice Dutch conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

A

Ik wil een doel stellen voor het oefenen van mijn taal.

ik vil un dool STEL-lun for ut OO-fuh-nun van mine tahl. I want to set a goal for my language practice.
B

Welke vaardigheid voelt nu het moeilijkst?

VEL-kuh VAHR-duh-HITE foolt noo ut MOY-luhkst? Which skill feels hardest right now?
A

Vlot spreken in korte gesprekken.

vlaht SPRAY-kun in KOR-tuh khuh-SPREK-uh(n). Speaking smoothly in short conversations.
B

Kies dan elke dag één kleine spreektaak.

KEES dan EL-kuh dakh ayn KLY-nuh SPRAYK-tahk. Then choose one small speaking task each day.
A

Hoe kan ik mijn vooruitgang bijhouden?

hoo kan ik mine vohr-OYT-khahng by-HOW-dun? How can I track my progress?
B

Neem één antwoord op en luister er later nog eens naar.

NAYM ayn AHNT-vohrt op en LOYST-uh er LAH-tur nokh ayns nahr. Record one answer and listen to it again later.
A

Die routine klinkt makkelijk om te volgen.

dee roo-TEE-nuh klinkt MAH-kuh-lik om tuh VOL-khun. That routine sounds easy to follow.
B

Houd de taak kort en herhaal hem vaak.

HOWT duh tahk kohrt en her-HAHL um vakh. Keep the task short and repeat it often.

Word by Word

Ik Ik means “I” here: the speaker is talking about their own goal. It is used as the subject before a verb, as in Ik wil. A learner uses Ik when stating what they want, think, or do.
wil Wil means “want” here, in Ik wil een doel stellen voor het oefenen van mijn taal. It is the form used with Ik from willen and is followed here by an infinitive phrase. Use Ik wil + an action when expressing a personal intention.
een Een means “a” here and introduces one non-specific goal in een doel. It comes before the noun it describes. Use een + singular noun when mentioning something for the first time or without specifying which one.
doel Doel means “goal” here, the result the speaker wants to set for language practice. In een doel stellen, it is the object of stellen. Use doel in contexts about an aim, such as a goal for study or practice.
stellen Stellen means “set” here in een doel stellen: to establish a goal. It is an infinitive after wil. Use the reusable pattern een doel stellen when describing the act of setting a goal.
voor Voor means “for” here and connects the goal with the activity it concerns: een doel stellen voor het oefenen van mijn taal. It can introduce the purpose or area related to something. Use voor + a noun phrase when saying what something is for.
het Het is “the” here in het oefenen van mijn taal. Together with oefenen, it presents the activity of practicing as a thing being discussed. Use het before this kind of activity expression when referring to the practice itself.
oefenen Oefenen means “practicing” here in het oefenen van mijn taal. With het, this infinitive names the activity of practicing rather than an action with a stated subject. Use oefenen for a skill or language activity, as in oefenen van een taal.
van Van means “of” here and links the practice to the language: het oefenen van mijn taal. It introduces what is being practiced or associated with the activity. Use van + noun to specify the relevant subject or thing.
mijn Mijn means “my” here and shows that the language belongs to or is associated with the speaker: mijn taal. It comes directly before the noun. Use mijn + noun when identifying something connected with yourself.
taal Taal means “language” here, referring to the language the speaker is practicing. In mijn taal, it follows the possessive word mijn. Use taal when talking about learning, practicing, or using a language.
Welke Welke means “which” here and asks the listener to select a skill from possible skills: Welke vaardigheid. It comes before the noun being selected. Use Welke + noun when asking which particular person or thing is meant.
vaardigheid Vaardigheid means “skill” here, specifically the ability that feels most difficult. It is the subject of voelt in Welke vaardigheid voelt nu het moeilijkst? Use vaardigheid when discussing an ability that can be practiced or improved.
voelt Voelt means “feels” here in Welke vaardigheid voelt nu het moeilijkst? It describes how the skill seems to the learner at this moment. This is the form used with the singular subject vaardigheid; use iets voelt + a description to give a personal impression.
nu Nu means “now” here and limits the question to the learner’s present experience. It appears with the description of the skill in voelt nu het moeilijkst. Use nu when referring to the current moment or situation.
moeilijkst Moeilijkst means “hardest” here, identifying the skill that feels most difficult among the skills being considered. It completes the expression voelt nu het moeilijkst. Use moeilijkst when selecting the greatest degree of difficulty in a comparison.
Vlot Vlot means “smoothly” or “fluently” here and describes the desired way of speaking: Vlot spreken. It modifies the activity spreken. Use vlot + a speaking-related verb when describing speech that flows easily.
spreken Spreken means “speaking” here in Vlot spreken in korte gesprekken. It names the speaking activity that the learner wants to improve. Use spreken when referring to the activity of speaking a language or taking part in conversation.
in In means “in” here and places the speaking activity within short conversations: spreken in korte gesprekken. It introduces the setting or situation of the activity. Use in + a noun phrase for the context in which an action happens.
korte Korte means “short” here and describes gesprekken in korte gesprekken. The form appears before the plural noun gesprekken. Use korte + a noun when describing conversations or other activities as brief.
gesprekken Gesprekken means “conversations” here, the situations in which the learner wants to speak smoothly. It is the plural form of gesprek. Use gesprekken when talking about exchanges between people.
Kies Kies means “choose” here in the instruction Kies dan elke dag één kleine spreektaak. It is a direct instruction to select something. Use Kies + an object when telling someone to select one option or activity.
dan Dan means “then” here and connects the suggested task with the earlier discussion about the difficult skill. It appears at the beginning of the instruction Kies dan. Use dan to introduce the next step that follows from what was just said.
elke Elke means “each” here in elke dag, referring to every individual day. It comes before the singular noun dag. Use elke + singular time noun to describe a repeated schedule.
dag Dag means “day” here in elke dag, specifying the frequency of the speaking task. Together, elke dag means every day. Use dag in expressions that describe when a regular activity happens.
kleine Kleine means “small” here and describes spreektaak in één kleine spreektaak. It presents the task as limited in size or scope. Use kleine + noun when describing a manageable activity or amount.
spreektaak Spreektaak means “speaking task” here, an activity that requires the learner to speak. It is the object selected in één kleine spreektaak. Use spreektaak for a specific speaking exercise or assignment.
Hoe Hoe means “how” here and asks about the method for tracking progress: Hoe kan ik mijn vooruitgang bijhouden? It begins a question about the way something can be done. Use Hoe + a verb when asking how to carry out an action.
kan Kan means “can” here and asks whether or how the speaker is able to track progress. It is used with the subject Ik and the infinitive bijhouden. Use Hoe kan ik + infinitive? when asking how you can do something.
vooruitgang Vooruitgang means “progress” here, referring to improvement in the learner’s speaking ability. It is the object of bijhouden in mijn vooruitgang bijhouden. Use vooruitgang when discussing development that can be observed over time.
bijhouden Bijhouden means “track” here in mijn vooruitgang bijhouden: to keep a record of progress. It is an infinitive after kan. Use the pattern iets bijhouden when regularly monitoring or recording something.
Neem Neem means “record” here in Neem één antwoord op. Together with op, it gives the instruction to make a recording of one answer. It is a direct instruction; use Neem ... op when telling someone to record something.
antwoord Antwoord means “answer” here, the spoken response that should be recorded. It is the object inside Neem één antwoord op. Use antwoord for a response to a question or prompt.
op Op contributes the recording meaning in Neem één antwoord op; it belongs with nemen in this expression. The full instruction means to record one answer, not simply to take something up. Use Neem + object + op when giving a recording instruction.
en En means “and” here and joins two instructions: Neem één antwoord op en luister er later nog eens naar. It connects the recording action with the later listening action. Use en to link actions that belong together.
luister Luister means “listen” here in luister er later nog eens naar. It is a direct instruction to pay attention to the recorded answer. Use Luister + a reference to the sound or content when asking someone to listen.
er Er refers back to the recorded answer in luister er later nog eens naar. Together with naar, it forms the construction luister er ... naar, meaning listen to it. Use er ... naar when referring back to something already mentioned as the object of listening.
later Later means “later” here and places the listening action after the recording. It appears in luister er later nog eens naar. Use later when an action will happen at a subsequent time.
nog Nog contributes the meaning of repetition in nog eens: the learner should listen another time. It works together with eens rather than carrying the full meaning alone here. Use nog eens when suggesting that an action be done again.
eens Eens completes nog eens in later nog eens, meaning “again” or “once more” in this context. It signals a repeated listening action. Use nog eens to ask or suggest that something happen another time.
naar Naar completes the listening construction in luister er later nog eens naar and introduces what is being listened to. The full phrase refers back to the recorded answer. Use luisteren naar + something when describing listening to a person, sound, or message.
Die Die means “that” here and points back to the routine just described: Die routine. It comes before the noun routine. Use die + noun when referring to a specific thing already mentioned.
routine Routine means “routine” here, the repeated practice method of recording and listening. It is the subject of klinkt in Die routine klinkt makkelijk om te volgen. Use routine for a regular sequence of actions.
klinkt Klinkt means “sounds” here and gives an impression of the routine: it seems easy to follow. It is the form used with the singular subject Die routine. Use iets klinkt + description when expressing how something appears from an impression.
makkelijk Makkelijk means “easy” here in makkelijk om te volgen. It describes the routine as not difficult to carry out. Use makkelijk om te + infinitive to say that an action seems easy to do.
om Om introduces the infinitive construction in makkelijk om te volgen. Together with te volgen, it connects the evaluation makkelijk to the action of following the routine. Use makkelijk om + te + infinitive when describing an action as easy.
te Te marks the infinitive in om te volgen. It is part of the construction makkelijk om te volgen, which describes the routine as easy to follow. Use te before the infinitive in this kind of om te construction.
volgen Volgen means “follow” here in makkelijk om te volgen, referring to carrying out the routine as instructed. It is the infinitive after te. Use volgen when describing following a routine, plan, or instruction.
de De means “the” here in de taak and identifies the specific task already chosen. It comes before taak. Use de before a definite noun when the listener knows which thing is meant.
taak Taak means “task” here, referring to the small speaking task chosen for each day. It is the object of Houd de taak kort. Use taak for a piece of work or an activity that someone is expected to complete.
kort Kort means “short” here in Houd de taak kort, describing the desired length of the task. It completes the instruction to keep the task brief. Use Houd + object + adjective when telling someone to maintain something in a certain state.
herhaal Herhaal means “repeat” here in herhaal hem vaak. It is a direct instruction to do the task again. Use Herhaal + object when telling someone to repeat an activity, sentence, or answer.
hem Hem means “it” here and refers back to de taak in herhaal hem vaak. It is the object of herhaal. Use hem when referring back to a previously mentioned masculine-form noun without repeating the noun.
vaak Vaak means “often” here and says that the task should be repeated frequently: herhaal hem vaak. It modifies the repetition instruction. Use vaak when describing an action that happens many times.

Grammar Points

Gebiedende wijs: Kies, luister, houd, herhaal

Kies een spreektaak en herhaal.

KEES un SPRAYK-tahk en her-HAHL.

Choose a speaking task and repeat.

Dutch commands usually use the verb stem without a subject, such as Kies or Herhaal.

Scheiding bij het werkwoord opnemen: Neem ... op

Neem het antwoord op en luister later.

NAYM ut AHNT-vohrt op en LOYST-uh LAH-tur.

Record the answer and listen later.

Opnemen is a separable verb: in a main clause, op moves to the end.

Dutch Vocabulary

doel noun
DOOL goal

een doel stellen

gesprek noun
khuh-SPREK conversation gesprekken

korte gesprekken

kiezen verb
KEE-zun to choose Kies

Kies dan

moeilijk adj
MOOY-luhk difficult moeilijkst

het moeilijkst

oefenen verb
OO-fuh-nun to practise

het oefenen van mijn taal

spreektaak noun
SPRAYK-tahk speaking task

één kleine spreektaak

spreken verb
SPRAY-kun to speak

Vlot spreken

stellen verb
STEL-lun to set

een doel stellen

taal noun
TAHL language

mijn taal

vaardigheid noun
VAHR-duh-HITE skill

Welke vaardigheid

vlot adv
vlaht smoothly Vlot

Vlot spreken

welke det
VEL-kuh which Welke

Welke vaardigheid

Quiz

Word Order

Arrange the words in the correct order.

Which skill feels hardest right now?

Show AnswerWelke vaardigheid voelt nu het moeilijkst?

Speaking smoothly in short conversations.

Show AnswerVlot spreken in korte gesprekken.

How can I track my progress?

Show AnswerHoe kan ik mijn vooruitgang bijhouden?

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

smoothly

Show AnswerVlot

skill

Show Answervaardigheid

to set

Show Answerstellen

difficult

Show Answermoeilijkst