Preparing for a short test | Learn Dutch in English

Dutch lesson set in a contemporary Amsterdam everyday setting: In a language classroom, two adults prepare for a short test by choosing what to review and trying practice questions..

EN → NL / Level: A2

About This Lesson

Use Preparing for a short test to practice Dutch conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

A

We hebben binnenkort een korte toets, toch?

wuh HEH-bun bih-nuh-KORT un KOR-tuh TOOTS, TOKH? We have a short test coming up, right?
B

De toets gaat over de belangrijkste onderdelen van deze unit.

duh TOOTS khaht OH-vur duh buh-LAHNG-rike-stuh ON-dur-DAY-lun uhv DAY-zuh yoo-NEET. It covers the main sections from this unit.
A

Welk onderdeel moet ik eerst herhalen?

WELK ON-dur-DAYL moot ik AYRST huh-RAH-lun? Which section should I review first?
B

Begin met luisteren, want dat heeft meestal invloed op je score.

buh-KHIN met LUY-stuh-run, want daht hayft MAY-stul IN-vloot op yuh SKOR. Start with listening, since it usually affects your score.
A

Kunnen we samen een paar oefenvragen proberen?

KUH-nun wuh SAH-mun un pahr OO-fun-vrah-khun proh-BAY-run? Can we try some practice questions together?
B

We kunnen een paar korte vragen gebruiken en elk antwoord controleren.

wuh KUH-nun un pahr KOR-tuh VRAH-khun khuh-BROY-kun un ELK AHNT-woort kon-troh-LAY-run. We can use a few short questions and check each answer.
A

Ik zal mijn fouten na elke vraag bekijken.

ik zahl mine FOW-tun nah ELK-uh VRAHKH buh-KY-kun. I will review my mistakes after each one.
B

Dat zou je moeten helpen om je voor te bereiden.

daht ZOW yuh MOO-tun HEL-pun om yuh VOHR tuh buh-RY-dun. That should help you prepare.

Word by Word

We The Dutch form We means “we” here and includes the speakers in the group taking the test. It is the subject in “We hebben”; a reusable pattern is We + verb for a shared action.
hebben In “We hebben binnenkort een korte toets”, hebben means “have” and says that the speakers have a test coming soon. It is used with the subject We and the object een korte toets. A reusable pattern is iemand heeft iets for saying that someone has something.
binnenkort Binnenkort means “soon” or “in the near future” and places the test shortly ahead in time. In “hebben binnenkort”, it tells when the event will happen. A reusable pattern is binnenkort + event.
een Een means “a” and introduces the non-specific test in “een korte toets”. It comes before the describing word korte and the noun toets. A reusable pattern is een + description + noun.
korte Korte means “short” and describes the toets in “een korte toets”. It appears before the noun it describes. The same pattern, een + adjective + noun, can describe another non-specific thing.
toets Toets means “test” and refers here to the short assessment the speakers are preparing for. It is the noun in “een korte toets”. A reusable pattern is een toets for referring to a test.
toch Toch at the end of “een korte toets, toch?” means “right?” and asks the other speaker to confirm the statement. It is placed after the main sentence, often after a comma. This is useful when checking whether the listener agrees.
De De means “the” and introduces the specific test already mentioned. In “De toets”, it marks toets as the topic of the next sentence. A reusable pattern is de + noun when referring to a specific known thing.
gaat In “De toets gaat over de belangrijkste onderdelen”, gaat is part of the expression gaat over, meaning “is about”. The meaning “is about” comes from the whole expression, not from gaat alone. A reusable pattern is something gaat over a topic.
over In “De toets gaat over de belangrijkste onderdelen”, over is part of gaat over and links the test to its subject. Together, the expression means that the test concerns those sections. A reusable pattern is gaat over + topic.
belangrijkste Belangrijkste means “main” or “most important” and describes the onderdelen included in the test. It is related to belangrijk and selects the sections with the highest priority here. The dialogue gives the reusable pattern “de belangrijkste onderdelen”.
onderdelen Onderdelen means “sections” or “parts” and is the plural form of onderdeel. Here it names the parts of the unit covered by the test. It combines with belangrijkste in “belangrijkste onderdelen”.
van Van means “from” or “of” and links the onderdelen to deze unit in “onderdelen van deze unit”. It shows the unit that the sections belong to or come from. A reusable pattern is noun + van + source or whole.
deze Deze means “this” and points to the specific unit being discussed. In “deze unit”, it appears directly before the noun. A reusable pattern is deze + noun for identifying a particular nearby item.
unit Unit means “unit” and refers to a section of the language course. In “deze unit”, it identifies the course material from which the test sections come. It can be reused when talking about a course unit.
Welk Welk means “which” and asks the learner to choose one section from the available options. It appears before onderdeel in “Welk onderdeel”. A reusable question pattern is Welk + noun when asking someone to select something.
onderdeel Onderdeel means “section” or “part” and refers to one section to review. It is the singular form related to onderdelen and appears in “Welk onderdeel”. A reusable pattern is onderdeel van + unit or subject when identifying one part of a larger whole.
moet Moet means “must” or “should” and asks what action is required or recommended. In “moet ik eerst herhalen”, it comes before the action herhalen. A reusable pattern is subject + moet + infinitive.
eerst Eerst means “first” and indicates the order in which the sections should be reviewed. In “eerst herhalen”, it places this action before the others. A reusable pattern is eerst + action when giving a sequence.
herhalen Herhalen means “review” or “repeat” and refers here to studying a section again. It follows moet in “moet ik eerst herhalen”. A reusable study pattern is iets herhalen for reviewing or repeating something.
Begin Begin means “start” or “begin” and gives a direct instruction to start with listening. It is the first word in “Begin met luisteren”. A reusable pattern is Begin met + activity when telling someone where to start.
met In “Begin met luisteren”, met means “with” and identifies the activity that should be started. Together with Begin, it forms the pattern “Begin met ...”. This construction is useful for recommending the first activity.
luisteren Luisteren means “listening” here and names the first study activity. In “Begin met luisteren”, it follows met as the activity to begin with. A reusable pattern is begin met + activity.
want Want means “because” or “since” and introduces the reason for starting with listening. In “want dat heeft meestal invloed ...”, it connects the advice to its explanation. A reusable pattern is want + clause when giving a reason.
dat Dat means “that” here and refers back to listening as the subject of the next clause. In “dat heeft meestal invloed op je score”, it introduces what has an effect on the score. A reusable pattern is dat + verb when referring back to something just mentioned.
heeft Heeft means “has” in “dat heeft meestal invloed op je score”. With invloed op, it forms the expression for something having an effect on something else. A reusable pattern is X heeft invloed op Y.
meestal Meestal means “usually” and says that the effect on the score happens in most cases. In “heeft meestal invloed”, it modifies the statement about the effect. It can be used with a verb phrase to describe usual frequency.
invloed Invloed means “influence” or “effect” and names the effect that listening has on the score. In “invloed op je score”, it is part of the expression for affecting something. A reusable pattern is invloed op + result or person.
op In “invloed op je score”, op means “on” and links the effect to the thing affected. It is part of the pattern invloed op, rather than describing physical position here. A reusable pattern is invloed op + thing affected.
je Je means “your” in “je score” and identifies the score belonging to the learner. Here it comes before the noun score as a possessive form, not as the object “you”. A reusable pattern is je + noun for referring to something belonging to or connected with the listener.
score Score means “score” and refers to the result the learner receives on the test. In “je score”, it is the result affected by listening. This word is useful when discussing results in a test or assessment.
Kunnen Kunnen means “can” and asks whether the speakers are able or allowed to try practice questions together. It comes before the subject we in “Kunnen we samen een paar oefenvragen proberen?”. A reusable question pattern is Kunnen we + action?
samen Samen means “together” and shows that both speakers will do the practice activity jointly. In “samen een paar oefenvragen proberen”, it describes how the action is carried out. A reusable pattern is samen + action.
paar In “een paar oefenvragen”, paar means “a few” or “a couple” and indicates a small number of questions. It appears with een and a plural noun. A reusable pattern is een paar + plural noun.
oefenvragen Oefenvragen means “practice questions” and refers to questions used for preparation rather than the actual test. In “oefenvragen proberen”, it is what the speakers will try. A reusable pattern is een paar oefenvragen when selecting a small set of practice questions.
proberen Proberen means “try” and describes the action the speakers want to do with the practice questions. It follows kunnen in “Kunnen we ... proberen?”. A reusable pattern is iets proberen for trying an activity or thing.
vragen Vragen means “questions” and is the plural form related to vraag. In “korte vragen gebruiken”, it refers to several short questions used for practice. A reusable pattern is description + vragen when describing several questions.
gebruiken Gebruiken means “use” and describes using the short questions as practice material. It is coordinated with controleren in “gebruiken en elk antwoord controleren”. A reusable pattern is iets gebruiken for using an object or material.
en En means “and” and links the two actions of using questions and checking answers. In “gebruiken en elk antwoord controleren”, both actions belong to the same plan. It is useful for joining two related actions or statements.
elk Elk means “each” and indicates that the answers will be checked one by one. In “elk antwoord”, it comes before the singular noun antwoord. A reusable pattern is elk + singular noun when referring to every individual item.
antwoord Antwoord means “answer” and refers to the response given to a practice question. In “elk antwoord controleren”, each answer is checked for correctness. A reusable pattern is antwoord controleren when checking a response.
controleren Controleren means “check” and describes examining each answer after using the questions. It follows en in “gebruiken en elk antwoord controleren”. A reusable pattern is iets controleren for checking an answer, detail, or result.
Ik Ik means “I” and marks the speaker as the person who will review the mistakes. It is the subject in “Ik zal mijn fouten ... bekijken”. A reusable pattern is Ik + action when stating what the speaker will do.
zal Zal means “will” and signals the speaker’s planned action of reviewing the mistakes. In “Ik zal mijn fouten ... bekijken”, it is followed by the action bekijken. A reusable pattern is Ik zal + action for stating an intention or future plan.
mijn Mijn means “my” and identifies the mistakes as belonging to the speaker. In “mijn fouten”, it comes directly before the noun fouten. A reusable pattern is mijn + noun for expressing possession.
fouten Fouten means “mistakes” and is the plural form related to fout. Here it refers to errors the speaker made during practice. In “mijn fouten bekijken”, it is what the speaker plans to review.
na Na means “after” and places the review of the mistakes later than each question. In “na elke vraag”, it comes before the event that sets the time. A reusable pattern is na + event or time period.
elke Elke means “each” or “every” and indicates that the review happens after every individual question. In “elke vraag”, it comes before the singular noun vraag. A reusable pattern is elke + singular noun for repeated individual events.
vraag Vraag means “question” and refers to one question at a time in “elke vraag”. It is the singular form related to vragen. A reusable pattern is elke vraag when describing an action that happens after each question.
bekijken Bekijken means “review” or “look at” and describes examining the mistakes after each question. It follows zal in “mijn fouten na elke vraag bekijken”. A reusable pattern is iets bekijken for examining or reviewing something.
zou Zou contributes “would” or “should” in “Dat zou je moeten helpen om je voor te bereiden”. Here it presents the expected benefit of the practice in a slightly tentative way. It is useful when making a prediction or giving reassuring advice.
moeten Moeten contributes “should” or “ought to” in “moeten helpen”. Together with zou and helpen, it expresses the expectation that the practice will be beneficial. A reusable pattern is moeten + action when describing what is expected or needed.
helpen Helpen means “help” and describes the benefit the practice should provide to the learner. In “je moeten helpen”, je is the person who benefits from the help. A reusable pattern is iemand helpen for saying that an action benefits someone.
om Om means “to” or “in order to” and introduces the purpose in “om je voor te bereiden”. It connects the expected help with the goal of preparing. A reusable pattern is om ... te + verb for expressing purpose.
voor In “je voor te bereiden”, voor belongs to the verb meaning “prepare yourself”; it does not mean the separate preposition “for” here. It is separated from bereiden in this purpose construction. The complete phrase “om je voor te bereiden” describes the purpose of the help.
te Te means “to” and marks the infinitive verb part bereiden in “voor te bereiden”. Together with om, it forms the purpose construction “om je voor te bereiden”. A reusable pattern is om ... te + action.
bereiden Bereiden is the verb part meaning “prepare” in “je voor te bereiden”. With voor, the separated parts express preparing yourself for the test. It appears after te in the purpose phrase introduced by om.

Grammar Points

voorbereiden → voor te bereiden

voor te bereiden

VOHR tuh buh-RY-dun

to prepare

Bij een scheidbaar werkwoord komt te tussen het voorvoegsel en het werkwoord: voorbereiden wordt voor te bereiden.

Dutch Vocabulary

begin verb
buh-KHIN start, begin
belangrijkste adj
buh-LAHNG-rike-stuh most important, main
binnenkort adv
bih-nuh-KORT soon
herhalen verb
huh-RAH-lun to review, to repeat
invloed noun
IN-vloot influence, effect
luisteren verb
LUY-stuh-run listening, to listen
onderdeel noun
ON-dur-DAYL section, part onderdelen
samen adv
SAH-mun together
score noun
SKOR score
toets noun
TOOTS test
unit noun
yoo-NEET unit
welk det
WELK which

Quiz

Word Order

Arrange the words in the correct order.

Which section should I review first?

Show AnswerWelk onderdeel moet ik eerst herhalen?

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

soon

Show Answerbinnenkort

listening, to listen

Show Answerluisteren

start, begin

Show Answerbegin

section, part

Show Answeronderdelen