Improving Sleep Habits | Learn Dutch in English

About This Lesson

Use Improving Sleep Habits to practice Dutch conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

Ik slaap de laatste tijd niet goed.

ik sleep duh LAAT-stuh tayt neet khoot. I have not been sleeping well recently.

Misschien moet je je avondroutine veranderen.

muh-SKHEEN moot yuh AH-vont-roo-TEE-nuh ver-AHN-der-uh(n). Maybe your evening routine needs changing.

Ik gebruik mijn telefoon vlak voor het slapengaan.

ik khuh-BRUIK mayn tay-luh-FOHN vlak vohr ut SLAH-puhng-khahn. I use my phone right before bed.

Minder schermtijd kan je helpen ontspannen.

MIN-der SKHERM-tayt kahn yuh HEL-pun ont-SPAH-nun. Less screen time may help you relax.

Zal ik in plaats daarvan een boek lezen?

zahl ik in PLAH-ts duh-VAHN un book LAY-zun? Should I read a book instead?

Kies iets rustigs en eenvoudigs.

kees eets RUHS-tikhs en EYN-fow-dikhs. Choose something calm and easy.

Zodat je hoofd rustiger kan worden.

zoh-DAHT yuh hoht RUHS-ti-khur kahn VOR-dun. So your mind can slow down.

Ik zal dat een paar nachten proberen.

ik zahl daht un pahr NAKH-tun proh-BAY-run. I will try that for a few nights.

Een vaste routine kan je slaap verbeteren.

un VAH-stuh roo-TEE-nuh kahn yuh sleep ver-BAY-tuh-run. A steady routine can improve sleep.

Word by Word

Ik Ik means I and is the subject of the sentence about sleeping. It commonly comes before the verb in a simple statement, as in Ik slaap de laatste tijd niet goed. You use it when talking about yourself.

slaap Slaap means sleep or am sleeping here and describes the speaker's current sleep. Its citation form is slapen; slaap is the form used with Ik. A useful pattern is Ik slaap ..., for example when describing your sleep.

de De is the definite article before tijd in de laatste tijd, referring to a specific recent period. A reusable pattern is de + noun. You use it when referring to a particular thing or period.

laatste Laatste means last or most recent and identifies the recent period in de laatste tijd. Before a time expression, it points to the period nearest to the present. You use it when talking about what happened most recently.

tijd Tijd means time and, in de laatste tijd, refers to the recent period. It is part of a common time expression for describing recent habits or events. You use it when discussing how things have been recently.

niet Niet means not and negates the statement about sleeping well. It appears with slaap goed to say that the sleeping is not good. You use niet when denying or correcting an action, condition, or description.

goed Goed means well here and describes the quality of sleeping. With a verb, goed can explain how an action is done, as in slaap ... goed. You use it when saying that an activity is done successfully or satisfactorily.

Misschien Misschien means maybe and presents the suggestion as uncertain rather than definite. At the beginning of the sentence, it softens the advice about changing the routine. You use it when offering a possibility or tentative suggestion.

moet Moet means needs to or must and expresses the necessity of changing the routine. Its citation form is moeten; moet is the form used with je in this sentence. A useful pattern is moet + infinitive when saying what someone needs to do.

je Je means you in moet je je avondroutine veranderen and your before avondroutine. The same exact form functions as a personal pronoun and as a possessive determiner in these lines. You use je + noun to identify something belonging to the person you are addressing.

avondroutine Avondroutine means evening routine and names the set of activities before bed that may need changing. It is the object associated with veranderen in the advice. You use it when discussing regular evening habits.

veranderen Veranderen means change and names the action that the routine needs to undergo. It appears as an infinitive after moet. A useful pattern is a modal verb + veranderen when saying that something needs to change.

gebruik Gebruik means use in the statement about using a phone before bed. Its citation form is gebruiken; gebruik is the form used with Ik. A reusable pattern is iets gebruiken when saying that you use something.

mijn Mijn means my and shows that the telefoon belongs to or is associated with the speaker. It comes directly before the noun mijn telefoon. You use mijn + noun when identifying something connected with yourself.

telefoon Telefoon means phone and is the object being used before bedtime. In mijn telefoon, mijn specifies whose phone it is. You use it when talking about making calls, sending messages, or using a phone.

vlak Vlak means right or immediately in vlak voor het slapengaan, emphasizing that the phone is used very close to bedtime. It is part of the time expression vlak voor. You use vlak voor + event or time when something happens immediately beforehand.

voor Voor means before and places the phone use earlier than bedtime. In voor het slapengaan, it introduces the event that has not yet happened. You use voor to describe an action or event occurring earlier than another one.

het Het is the definite article introducing slapengaan in het slapengaan. Together with the following word, it forms the expression for bedtime or going to bed. You use het before a noun or noun-like expression when referring to a specific thing.

slapengaan Slapengaan means going to bed or bedtime in het slapengaan. In vlak voor het slapengaan, it names the point in the evening immediately before going to bed. You use it when describing activities or events around bedtime.

Minder Minder means less and indicates a reduced amount of screen time. It comes before schermtijd in Minder schermtijd. You use minder + noun when recommending or describing a smaller amount of something.

schermtijd Schermtijd means screen time and refers to time spent using screens. In Minder schermtijd, it is the activity whose amount is being reduced. You use it when discussing habits involving phones, computers, or other screens.

kan Kan means can or may and expresses a possible helpful effect of reducing screen time. Its citation form is kunnen; kan is the form used with the singular subject Minder schermtijd. A useful pattern is kan + infinitive when describing what something may do.

helpen Helpen means help and describes the possible benefit for the listener. In kan je helpen ontspannen, it is followed by the action ontspannen. A reusable pattern is iemand helpen + action when saying that someone or something helps another person do something.

ontspannen Ontspannen means relax and names the action that screen-time reduction may help with. It appears as an infinitive after helpen. You use it when talking about becoming less tense, especially during a calm evening.

Zal Zal means shall or will in the question Zal ik in plaats daarvan een boek lezen? Here it asks whether the speaker should take the proposed action. Its citation form is zullen; a useful pattern is Zal ik + infinitive? when offering or checking a possible action.

in plaats daarvan In plaats daarvan means instead and introduces the alternative of reading a book rather than using the phone. In contributes the idea of in, plaats means place, and daarvan points back to the option being replaced. You use this full expression when proposing one choice as an alternative to another.

een Een means a or an and introduces boek and routine as non-specific singular things. It comes directly before the noun in een boek and een vaste routine. You use een + noun when mentioning one thing without identifying it as a particular one.

boek Boek means book and is the object of lezen in een boek lezen. It names the calm activity being suggested as an alternative to screen use. You use it when talking about reading material.

lezen Lezen means read and names the action proposed in the question. It appears as an infinitive after Zal ik. A useful pattern is een boek lezen when describing the activity of reading a book.

Kies Kies means choose and gives a direct recommendation. Its citation form is kiezen; Kies is the form used to address one person in this instruction. You use Kies + option when telling someone what to select.

iets Iets means something and refers to an unspecified calm and simple activity or thing. It is followed here by the describing forms rustigs and eenvoudigs. You use iets + adjective when referring to an unspecified thing with a particular quality.

rustigs Rustigs means something calm or quiet and describes the unspecified choice introduced by iets. The form rustigs appears after iets to describe an unspecified thing. You use iets rustigs when recommending a calm activity or option.

en En means and and connects the two qualities rustigs and eenvoudigs. It allows both qualities to describe the same unspecified choice. You use en to join words or descriptions that belong together.

eenvoudigs Eenvoudigs means something easy or simple and adds a second quality to the choice introduced by iets. The form eenvoudigs appears after iets in the same way as rustigs. You use iets eenvoudigs when recommending an option that is not complicated.

Zodat Zodat means so that and introduces the intended result of choosing something calm and easy. It connects that recommendation with the calmer state of the listener's mind. You use zodat + clause when explaining a purpose or expected result.

hoofd Hoofd means head literally, but here it refers to the listener's mind or mental activity. It is the subject of hoofd rustiger kan worden. You use je hoofd when talking about the thoughts or mental state of the person being addressed.

rustiger Rustiger means calmer and describes the new state of the mind. It is the comparative form of rustig and appears with worden to express becoming calmer. A useful pattern is worden + adjective when describing a change of state.

worden Worden means become or get and expresses the change toward a calmer state. It appears as an infinitive after kan in rustiger kan worden. You use worden + adjective when saying that someone or something changes into a described condition.

dat Dat means that and refers back to the suggestion of choosing a calm and easy activity. In Ik zal dat een paar nachten proberen, it is the thing the speaker will try. You use dat to refer to an idea, action, or thing already understood from the conversation.

paar Paar means a few or a couple in een paar nachten and indicates a small number. It appears between een and the plural noun nachten. A useful pattern is een paar + plural noun when referring to a small number of things.

nachten Nachten means nights and refers to several nights during which the speaker will try the new habit. Its singular citation form is nacht. You use een paar nachten when describing a short period lasting across several nights.

proberen Proberen means try and names the action the speaker plans to carry out. It appears as an infinitive after zal. A reusable pattern is iets proberen, with the thing being tried in the object position.

vaste Vaste means steady or regular and describes a routine that stays consistent. Its citation form is vast; vaste is the form used before routine here. You use een vaste routine when talking about repeated habits kept at regular times.

routine Routine means routine and names a repeated pattern of activities. In een vaste routine, it is the subject that can improve sleep. You use it when discussing regular daily or evening habits.

verbeteren Verbeteren means improve and names the possible positive effect on sleep. It appears as an infinitive after kan in kan je slaap verbeteren. A useful pattern is iets verbeteren, with the thing that becomes better in the object position.

Grammar Points

zodat + bijzin

zodat mijn hoofd rustiger wordt

zoh-DAHT mayn hoht RUHS-ti-khur VOR-t

so that my mind becomes calmer

After zodat, the finite verb moves to the end of the subordinate clause: rustiger wordt.

Dutch Vocabulary

avondroutine noun

AH-vont-roo-TEE-nuh evening routine

Misschien moet je je avondroutine veranderen.

gebruikt verb

khuh-BROIKT use

Ik gebruik mijn telefoon vlak voor het slapengaan.

goed adv

khoot well; good

Ik slaap de laatste tijd niet goed.

laatste tijd phrase

LAAT-stuh tayt recently; lately

Ik slaap de laatste tijd niet goed.

minder det

MIN-der less

Minder schermtijd kan je helpen ontspannen.

misschien adv

muh-SKHEEN maybe

Misschien moet je je avondroutine veranderen.

schermtijd noun

SKHERM-tayt screen time

Minder schermtijd kan je helpen ontspannen.

slaap noun

slahp sleep

Een vaste routine kan je slaap verbeteren.

slapengaan noun

SLAH-puhng-khahn going to bed

Ik gebruik mijn telefoon vlak voor het slapengaan.

telefoon noun

tay-luh-FOHN phone

Ik gebruik mijn telefoon vlak voor het slapengaan.

veranderen verb

ver-AHN-der-uh(n) to change

Misschien moet je je avondroutine veranderen.

vlak voor phrase

vlak vohr right before

Ik gebruik mijn telefoon vlak voor het slapengaan.

Quiz

Word Order

Arrange the words in the correct order.

Maybe your evening routine needs changing.

Show Answer

Misschien moet je je avondroutine veranderen.

Less screen time may help you relax.

Show Answer

Minder schermtijd kan je helpen ontspannen.

Choose something calm and easy.

Show Answer

Kies iets rustigs en eenvoudigs.

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

evening routine

Show Answer

avondroutine

well; good

Show Answer

goed

to change

Show Answer

veranderen

maybe

Show Answer

misschien