Feeling tired at work | Learn Dutch in English

Sentence explanations

1. Ik heb vandaag veel werk.

   I have a lot of work today.

   Ik

   I

   heb

   have

   vandaag

   today

   veel

   a lot of; much

   werk

   work

   More detail

   Ik is the first-person singular subject pronoun: “I.” It identifies the speaker and does not change for grammatical gender. heb is the first-person singular present form of hebben, “to have.” The reusable pattern is ik heb = “I have.” With another subject, the form can change: jij hebt = “you have.” vandaag means “today.” It is a time adverb; in this sentence it specifies when the situation applies. veel means “a lot of” before the mass noun werk. Before a plural countable noun, it can mean “many,” as in veel boeken = “many books.” werk means “work.” Here it is a mass noun for work in general, so veel werk uses the singular form. In other contexts, werk can also be a countable noun meaning “work” or “a work”; its plural is werken in appropriate countable meanings. This sentence does not say that the work consists of a specific number of separate tasks. Together, Ik heb says that the speaker has something, veel werk identifies what the speaker has, and vandaag places the situation today. The complete meaning is: “I have a lot of work today.”

2. Je ziet er moe uit, dus neem even pauze.

   You look tired, so take a break.

   Je

   you

   ziet er moe uit

   look tired

   dus

   so

   neem

   take

   even

   for a moment

   pauze

   break

   More detail

   Je means “you” here. It is the informal second-person singular pronoun; in some contexts it can also refer to people in general, but the fixed translation supports a direct “you” here. ziet er moe uit is a reusable Dutch pattern meaning “look tired.” The verb is zien (“to see”); ziet is its present-tense form with je. In the separable expression er ... uitzien, the parts are split in this sentence: er appears before moe, while uit comes at the end. The adjective moe means “tired.” For example: Zij ziet er blij uit. — “She looks happy.” dus connects a reason with its consequence and means “so” or “therefore.” Here it links the observation that the person looks tired to the advice that follows. neem is the informal singular imperative of nemen, “to take.” The imperative gives a direct instruction and normally has no expressed subject. For example: Neem plaats. — “Take a seat.” even literally relates to a short moment, but in requests such as this it often makes the instruction sound lighter or less forceful. It need not assert an exact measured duration. pauze is the noun “break.” Dutch commonly uses pauze nemen for “take a break”; in this sentence, neem ... pauze expresses that instruction without an article. The plural is pauzes. Together, Je ziet er moe uit says “You look tired.” Dus introduces the consequence, and neem even pauze gives the informal advice “take a break,” with even making the request brief or gentle. The complete utterance therefore means: “You look tired, so take a break.”

3. Ik maak me zorgen, omdat de deadline eraan komt.

   I'm worried because the deadline is approaching.

   maak me zorgen

   am worried

   omdat

   because

   deadline

   deadline

   eraan komt

   is approaching

   More detail

   maak me zorgen means “am worried” here. It is the Dutch fixed expression zich zorgen maken (“to worry”), with maken as the base verb. In this sentence, maak is the present-tense first-person singular form used with the subject ik, and me is the matching reflexive pronoun. The plural form zorgen is part of the expression; it is not a separate object meaning that the speaker makes worries. Example: Ik maak me zorgen om hem. — “I am worried about him.” omdat introduces the reason for the main clause: “because.” It starts a subordinate clause, and Dutch normally places the finite verb at the end of that clause. This explains why komt appears at the end of the following clause. deadline is the noun “deadline,” referring here to the time limit that is getting nearer. Its form is unchanged in this sentence. Example: De deadline is morgen. — “The deadline is tomorrow.” eraan komt expresses that something is approaching or is due to arrive soon. It belongs to the separable expression eraan komen: er refers to an understood point or event, aan contributes the sense of moving toward it, and komen is the base verb “to come.” In this subordinate clause, the finite form komt is placed at the end. The form komt is present tense, third-person singular, matching de deadline. Example: De vakantie komt eraan. — “The holiday is approaching.” Together, Ik maak me zorgen says that the speaker is worried, and omdat de deadline eraan komt gives the reason: the deadline is approaching. The complete meaning is “I’m worried because the deadline is approaching.”

4. Als je even weggaat, kun je daarna beter werken.

   Stepping away can help you work better afterward.

   Als je

   if you

   even

   briefly

   weggaat

   leave / go away

   kun je

   you can

   daarna

   afterward

   beter

   better

   werken

   work

   More detail

   Als je introduces a condition: “if you …”. je is the informal singular or plural second-person pronoun; the form itself does not identify which one is intended here. Dutch uses als for conditions and also for “when” in suitable contexts, but this sentence presents stepping away as a condition for the later result. even is a short-duration adverb. Here it makes the action sound brief: “for a moment” or “briefly.” It does not itself specify an exact length of time. weggaat is the present-tense form of the separable verb weggaan, “to go away” or “to leave.” In a main clause, the parts separate: Je gaat even weg. In the subordinate clause introduced by als, the verb remains together at the end: als je even weggaat. The form gaat agrees with je; weg is the separable part of the verb, not a separate verb meaning “go.” kun je combines the modal verb kunnen (“can” or “be able to”) with je (“you”). kun is the present form used with je when je follows the verb, as in this main clause. After a conditional clause, Dutch commonly places the finite verb before the subject: Als ..., kun je .... daarna means “after that” or “afterward.” It refers to a later point following the brief act of going away; it does not by itself say exactly how much later. beter is the comparative form of goed: goed (“well/good”), beter (“better”), het best (“best”). Here it is an adverb modifying how you work, so it means “better,” not a description of a noun. A useful comparison is Je werkt goed (“You work well”) versus Je werkt beter (“You work better”). werken is the infinitive “to work.” It follows the finite modal kun in the main clause. With kunnen, the modal carries the tense and the following verb remains in the infinitive: Je kunt werken (“You can work”). Together, Als je even weggaat sets up the condition “if you briefly step away.” kun je daarna beter werken says that afterward you can work better. The complete meaning is: “Stepping away can help you work better afterward.” The sentence presents this as a possibility or practical effect, not as a guaranteed result.

5. Misschien moet ik mijn ogen een minuut laten rusten.

   Maybe I should rest my eyes for a minute.

   Misschien

   maybe

   moet ik

   I should

   mijn

   my

   ogen

   eyes

   minuut

   minute

   laten rusten

   let rest

   More detail

   Misschien means “maybe” and marks the statement as uncertain or tentative. It commonly appears at the beginning of a sentence, as here, but it can also occur later: Ik kom misschien morgen. — “I may come tomorrow.” moet ik contains the present-tense form moet of moeten (“must / have to”) followed by the subject ik (“I”). In this sentence, moet expresses a recommendation or advisability, so the fixed meaning is “should,” rather than a firm external command. Because Misschien comes first, the finite verb precedes the subject: Misschien moet ik .... With an ordinary subject-first statement, the order is Ik moet ... — “I must/should ...”. The lexical verb that follows a modal such as moet stays in the infinitive. mijn means “my” and marks possession. It is used before both singular and plural nouns: mijn oog — “my eye” and mijn ogen — “my eyes.” The form therefore does not itself show whether the possessed noun is singular or plural; the noun does that. ogen is the plural of oog, “eye.” The plural includes a vowel change from oo to o and the ending -en: oog → ogen. Compare één oog — “one eye” with twee ogen — “two eyes.” minuut means “minute.” Its regular plural is minuten. In een minuut, the noun is used with the indefinite article een to express a duration of a minute in this sentence; the article itself does not necessarily assert a numerical count. A duration can also be expressed with a plural amount, for example: Ik wacht tien minuten. — “I wait for ten minutes.” laten rusten is a reusable construction containing laten (“let/cause”) plus the infinitive rusten (“rest”). Here, the eyes are the thing allowed or caused to rest, so the construction means “let [the eyes] rest,” naturally translated as “rest the eyes.” The same pattern can be used with another object: Laat de machine rusten. — “Let the machine rest.” Together, mijn ogen is “my eyes,” een minuut gives the duration, and laten rusten describes allowing those eyes to rest. The whole sentence therefore means: “Maybe I should rest my eyes for a minute.”

6. Drink water en adem een minuut rustig.

   Drink water and breathe slowly for a minute.

   Drink

   drink

   water

   water

   adem

   breathe

   minuut

   minute

   rustig

   slowly; calmly

   More detail

   Drink is the imperative of drinken (“to drink”). It gives a direct instruction; the subject is understood from the situation rather than stated. The same imperative can be used for more than one addressee in informal speech. Example: Drink langzaam. — “Drink slowly.” water is the noun “water.” Dutch normally uses the same form whether the substance is treated as an uncountable amount or as water in a particular context. Example: Ik drink water. — “I drink water.” adem is the imperative of ademen (“to breathe”). It is another direct instruction, with an understood subject. Example: Adem diep in. — “Breathe in deeply.” Here in is part of the direction “in,” while adem itself means “breathe.” minuut is the noun “minute.” In een minuut, the phrase gives a duration: “for a minute.” The article een does not by itself need to be understood as asserting a numerical count; the complete time expression supplies the duration. Example: Wacht een minuut. — “Wait for a minute.” rustig means “calmly” or, in this sentence, “slowly” as a manner of breathing. The form is also the adjective “calm/quiet”; here it functions adverbially and describes adem rather than a noun. Example: Ze loopt rustig. — “She walks calmly.” The sentence has two coordinated instructions: Drink water and adem .... en (“and”) joins them. The second instruction is modified by rustig and timed by een minuut, so the complete meaning is: “Drink water and breathe slowly for a minute.”

7. Dan kan ik het laatste deel afmaken.

   Then I can finish the last section.

   Dan

   Then

   kan ik

   I can

   laatste

   last

   deel

   section; part

   afmaken

   finish

   More detail

   Dan means “then” here. It can connect the utterance to a time or condition already understood. Example: Dan begin ik. — “Then I’ll start.” kan ik combines kan, the first-person singular present form of kunnen (“can; be able to”), with ik (“I”). The modal is followed by an infinitive: Ik kan helpen. — “I can help.” In this sentence, kan expresses the speaker’s ability or possibility, not a completed action. laatste means “last” in het laatste deel: it identifies the final section in the relevant sequence. Its base form is laat; laatste is its superlative form. The same form can also mean “latest” in a time expression, so the noun or context determines the intended sense. deel is a noun meaning “part” or “section.” Here it refers to a section of something being completed. Its plural is delen: drie delen — “three sections/parts.” In het laatste deel, the definite article het accompanies this singular noun and the adjective has the form laatste. afmaken means “to finish” or “to complete.” It is a separable verb: in a finite main clause, the parts separate, as in Ik maak het deel af. — “I finish the section.” After a modal such as kan, the infinitive stays together at the end: Ik kan het deel afmaken. — “I can finish the section.” Together, Dan sets the meaning as “then,” kan ik says that the speaker is able to do something, het laatste deel identifies the final section, and afmaken names the completion action. The whole utterance therefore means: “Then I can finish the last section.”

8. Ik zal het concept nakijken terwijl jij rust.

   I will review the draft while you rest.

   Ik zal

   I will

   het

   the

   concept

   draft

   nakijken

   review

   terwijl

   while

   rust

   rest

   More detail

   Ik zal combines ik (“I”) with zal, the first-person singular present form of zullen. Here zal is used as an auxiliary to express a future action: “I will …”. A useful pattern is Ik zal + infinitive, as in Ik zal bellen. — “I will call.” het is the definite article used here with the neuter singular noun concept. Dutch definite articles are de and het; the article is selected with the noun, not from the English word “the” alone. concept means “draft” in this sentence, as established by the fixed translation. Its more general meaning can also be “concept” or “idea”, so the surrounding context determines which sense is intended. The noun is singular here; the article-noun combination is het concept. nakijken is the infinitive meaning “to review” or “to check”. It is a separable verb: in a finite main clause, the parts can separate, as in Ik kijk het na. — “I check/review it.” After the auxiliary zal, the infinitive remains together: Ik zal het nakijken. terwijl introduces a clause for an action happening at the same time: “while”. It connects the reviewing with the other action rather than expressing a sequence. rust is the present-tense form of rusten (“to rest”) with the subject jij (“you”). In this clause, jij rust means “you rest”. For example, Jij rust na het werk. — “You rest after work.” Together, Ik zal het concept nakijken means “I will review the draft”: the speaker presents the review as a future action. terwijl jij rust adds the simultaneous action “while you rest”. The complete utterance therefore means: “I will review the draft while you rest.”