A fair cleaning routine | Learn Dutch in English

About This Lesson

Use A fair cleaning routine to practice Dutch conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

Onze schoonmaakroutine werkt niet en de keuken blijft rommelig worden.

OWN-zuh SKHOHN-mahk-roo-TEE-nuh VAIRKT NEET uhn duh KUR-kuhn blayft RAWM-uh-likh VOR-duhn. Our cleaning routine is not working, and the kitchen keeps getting messy.

Ik denk niet dat een van ons beiden dit expres doet.

IK DENK NEET daht uhn vahn awns BAY-duhn dit ex-PRESS DOOT. I do not think either of us is doing it on purpose.

Misschien hebben we een duidelijkere standaard nodig, vooral voor de afwas en het fornuis.

mis-KHEE-nuh HEB-uhn vuh uhn DOW-duh-luh-kuh STAHN-daart NOH-dikh, vohr-AHL vohr duh AHF-vahs en ut for-NOWSS. Maybe we need a clearer standard, especially for dishes and the stove.

We kunnen de taken wekelijks afwisselen, zodat niet steeds dezelfde persoon dweilt.

Vuh KUN-uhn duh TAH-kuhn VAY-kuh-liks AHF-viss-uh-luhn, soh-DAHT NEET staynts duh-ZELF-duh PUR-sohn DWAYLT. We could rotate tasks weekly, so the same person does not always mop.

Dat klinkt eerlijk, hoewel ik liever de vuilnis buitenzet dan de badkamer schoonmaak.

Daht KLINKT AYR-luk, hoo-VAYL ik LEE-vur duh VOWL-niss BOW-tuhn-ZET dahn duh BAHT-kah-mur SKHOHN-mahk. That sounds fair, although I prefer taking out the trash to cleaning the bathroom.

Voorkeuren zijn prima, maar de vervelende klussen moeten nog steeds worden verdeeld.

VOR-kur-uhn zayn PREE-mah, mahr duh vur-VAY-luhn-duh KLUH-suhn MOO-tuhn nokh STAYNTS VOR-duhn vur-DAYLT. Preferences are fine, but the unpleasant jobs still need to be shared.

Als we het opschrijven, kunnen we voorkomen dat er later wrevel ontstaat.

AHLS vuh ut awp-SKHRAI-vuhn, KUN-uhn vuh vohr-KOH-muhn daht ur LAH-tur RAY-vul ont-STAHT. If we write it down, we can keep resentment from building up later.

Laten we een eenvoudig schema maken en het bekijken nadat we het een tijdje hebben geprobeerd.

LAH-tuhn vuh uhn AYN-vow-dukh SKHAY-mah MAH-kuhn en ut buh-KAI-kuhn NAH-daht vuh ut uhn TAI-chuh HEB-uhn khuh-PROOT. Let's make a simple chart and review it after we try it for a while.

Als het te streng voelt, kunnen we het aanpassen in plaats van ruzie te maken.

AHLS ut tuh STRENGK VOOLT, KUN-uhn vuh ut AHN-pahs-uhn in PLAHTS vahn REW-zee tuh MAH-kuhn. If it feels too strict, we can adjust it instead of arguing.

Het doel is een schoner huis, niet een perfect systeem.

ut DOOL iss uhn SKHOH-nur HOWSS, NEET uhn pur-FEKT see-STAYM. The goal is a cleaner home, not a perfect system.

Word by Word

Onze Onze means “our” here and identifies the cleaning routine as belonging to the speakers together. It is used before a noun, as in onze schoonmaakroutine, when talking about something shared.

schoonmaakroutine Schoonmaakroutine means “cleaning routine,” the regular system for cleaning the home. This compound combines schoonmaak, cleaning, with routine, and is useful when discussing household habits.

werkt Werkt means “works” here: the cleaning routine is not functioning effectively. It is used with a plan, system, or method as the subject, such as een schema werkt.

niet Niet makes the statement negative, so werkt niet means “does not work.” It is commonly placed after the conjugated verb when negating this kind of statement.

en En means “and” and connects the two problems in the sentence. It can join two clauses or two items, such as de afwas en het fornuis.

de De is the definite article used in de keuken, de afwas, de vuilnis, and de badkamer. Use it before these known or specific nouns when discussing shared household areas or tasks.

keuken Keuken means “kitchen,” the room that keeps getting messy in this dialogue. It is useful for talking about cleaning, cooking, or other activities in the home.

blijft Blijft means “keeps” or “continues to” in blijft rommelig worden, describing an ongoing result. The pattern blijven plus an infinitive is useful when something continues to happen.

rommelig Rommelig means “messy” and describes the condition of the kitchen. It can be used after a verb such as worden or blijven to describe a place that is not tidy.

worden Worden means “become” in rommelig worden, describing the kitchen becoming messy. After blijven, the infinitive worden follows to show that this change continues.

Ik Ik means “I” and identifies the speaker as the person giving the opinion. It is used as the subject before a conjugated verb, as in Ik denk.

denk Denk means “think” in Ik denk niet dat, introducing the speaker’s opinion. The reusable pattern Ik denk dat introduces a belief, while Ik denk niet dat introduces a negative one.

dat Dat means “that” here and introduces the clause describing what the speaker thinks. It commonly links an opinion verb such as denk to a following statement.

een Een means “one” in een van ons beiden, referring to one person from the two housemates. The pattern een van plus a group is used to identify one member of that group.

van Van links een with the group ons beiden, giving the meaning “one of us both.” In this use, van introduces the larger group from which one person is selected.

ons Ons means “us” in een van ons beiden, referring to the two speakers. After van, it identifies the group from which one person is being considered.

beiden Beiden means “both” and emphasizes that the group contains the two speakers. It can be used after a pronoun to make clear that all two people are included.

dit Dit means “this” or “it” and refers to the action being discussed. In dit expres doet, it is the object of doet and points back to the household situation.

expres Expres means “deliberately” or “on purpose,” showing that the messy situation is not intentional. It is useful when explaining whether an action was planned or accidental.

doet Doet means “does” in dit expres doet, referring to what either housemate does intentionally or unintentionally. It is used with an object such as dit when describing an action.

Misschien Misschien means “maybe” and softens the suggestion about needing a clearer standard. It is useful at the beginning of a proposal when the speaker wants to sound tentative rather than definite.

hebben Hebben means “have” in the construction een duidelijkere standaard nodig hebben, which expresses “need a clearer standard.” The pattern iets nodig hebben is used to say that something is needed.

we We means “we” and refers to the two housemates together. It is used as the subject of shared actions or suggestions, such as we kunnen or we hebben.

duidelijkere Duidelijkere means “clearer,” comparing the proposed standard with the current one. It describes a noun directly, as in een duidelijkere standaard, when asking for more precise guidance.

standaard Standaard means “standard,” here meaning the agreed level of cleanliness. It is useful when discussing the rule or quality level that people are expected to follow.

nodig Nodig means “needed” in hebben ... nodig, the Dutch construction for saying that someone needs something. It follows the object in patterns such as tijd nodig hebben or hulp nodig hebben.

vooral Vooral means “especially” and highlights the dishes and stove as the most important parts of the standard. It can introduce the item or area that deserves particular attention.

voor Voor means “for” here and connects the standard with the areas it applies to, especially de afwas en het fornuis. It is useful for specifying the intended area, person, or purpose of a rule.

afwas Afwas means “dishes” or “washing-up,” referring to dishes that need cleaning. It is commonly used with doen or a cleaning-related standard when discussing household chores.

het Het is the definite article in het fornuis and Het doel, and it is a pronoun in expressions such as het opschrijven, het bekijken, and het aanpassen. It is used before certain nouns or as a short reference to something already discussed.

fornuis Fornuis means “stove,” one of the specific areas covered by the clearer cleaning standard. It is useful when discussing cooking equipment and its cleaning or condition.

kunnen Kunnen means “can” or “could” and presents a possible shared action in We kunnen de taken wekelijks afwisselen. A modal verb such as kunnen is followed by an infinitive when describing what people are able or willing to do.

taken Taken means “tasks,” referring to the different cleaning jobs that can be rotated. It is useful for talking about responsibilities that are assigned, shared, or completed.

wekelijks Wekelijks means “weekly” and specifies that the tasks should change or be organized every week. It can modify an action or schedule when describing a regular weekly routine.

afwisselen Afwisselen means “alternate” or “rotate,” so the housemates would take turns doing the tasks. The pattern taken afwisselen is useful when responsibilities should change between people.

zodat Zodat means “so that” and introduces the intended result: the same person should not always mop. It commonly connects an action with its purpose or consequence in a following clause.

steeds Steeds means “always” or “continually” here, emphasizing that the same person should not repeatedly do the mopping. It is useful for describing a repeated pattern that continues over time.

dezelfde Dezelfde means “the same” and identifies one unchanged person in dezelfde persoon. It is useful when contrasting repeated assignment with rotation or change.

persoon Persoon means “person,” referring to whoever is assigned a task. It can be used after a determiner such as dezelfde when identifying an individual without naming them.

dweilt Dweilt means “mops” in dezelfde persoon dweilt, describing the cleaning action done by that person. It is useful when talking about cleaning a floor with a mop.

klinkt Klinkt means “sounds” in Dat klinkt eerlijk, expressing an evaluation of how a proposal seems. The pattern iets klinkt plus an adjective is useful for giving an initial reaction.

eerlijk Eerlijk means “fair” in the evaluation of the proposed arrangement. It is useful when discussing whether responsibilities, treatment, or an agreement is balanced.

hoewel Hoewel means “although” and introduces a qualification to the agreement. It is useful when accepting one point while adding a preference or limitation.

liever Liever means “rather” or “preferably” and shows that the speaker prefers taking out the trash to cleaning the bathroom. The reusable preference pattern is liever X dan Y, comparing two choices.

vuilnis Vuilnis means “trash” or “rubbish,” referring to what is taken outside. It is useful when discussing household waste and chores involving its removal.

buitenzet Buitenzet means “takes outside” in de vuilnis buitenzet, meaning that the speaker prefers taking the trash outside. The citation form is buitenzetten, and the form buitenzet appears here in the subordinate clause after ik.

dan Dan means “than” and connects the two alternatives in liever de vuilnis buitenzet dan de badkamer schoonmaak. It is used after a comparative or preference to introduce the less preferred option.

badkamer Badkamer means “bathroom,” the room used as the less preferred cleaning task. It is useful when assigning, describing, or discussing household cleaning responsibilities.

schoonmaak Schoonmaak means “clean” in de badkamer schoonmaak, where the speaker says they prefer taking out the trash to cleaning the bathroom. The form is used after ik in the subordinate clause to describe the speaker’s own action.

Voorkeuren Voorkeuren means “preferences,” referring to which chores each person likes better. It is useful when acknowledging personal choices before explaining that shared duties still have to be divided.

zijn Zijn means “are” and links the plural subject Voorkeuren to the evaluation prima. It is used to state what a group of preferences or other plural subject is like.

prima Prima means “fine” or “okay,” indicating that having preferences is acceptable. It is useful as a brief positive evaluation before adding a condition or limitation.

maar Maar means “but” and contrasts accepting preferences with the need to share unpleasant chores. It is useful for introducing an opposing point or important qualification.

vervelende Vervelende means “unpleasant” and describes the chores that nobody particularly wants to do. It is useful before a noun when identifying annoying, difficult, or unattractive tasks.

klussen Klussen means “jobs” or “chores,” here referring to household tasks. It is useful for talking about practical jobs that need to be assigned or divided.

moeten Moeten means “must” or “need to,” expressing that the unpleasant chores still have to be shared. A modal verb such as moeten is followed by an infinitive or, here, by worden in a passive construction.

nog Nog means “still,” showing that the unpleasant jobs remain subject to sharing despite personal preferences. It is useful when an obligation or situation continues to apply.

verdeeld Verdeeld means “divided” or “shared out” in moeten worden verdeeld. Together with worden, it describes assigning the chores among the housemates; the citation form is verdelen.

Als Als means “if” and introduces the condition for preventing later resentment. It is useful for connecting a possible action or situation with its result.

opschrijven Opschrijven means “write down,” referring to recording the cleaning arrangement. The pattern iets opschrijven is useful when putting information, rules, or an agreement into written form.

voorkomen Voorkomen means “prevent” in kunnen voorkomen dat er later wrevel ontstaat. The pattern voorkomen dat plus a clause is useful when describing how to stop an unwanted result.

er Er is an introductory pronoun in er later wrevel ontstaat; it helps present wrevel as something that may arise. It does not refer to a specific physical place in this sentence.

later Later means “later,” referring to a future point after the cleaning routine has continued. It is useful for locating a consequence or event in the future.

wrevel Wrevel means “resentment” or lingering irritation, the negative feeling the speakers want to avoid. It is useful when discussing tension that can develop when responsibilities seem unfair.

ontstaat Ontstaat means “arises” or “develops,” describing resentment coming into existence over time. In wrevel ontstaat, wrevel is what develops, so the verb is useful for describing a feeling or problem emerging.

Laten Laten means “let” in Laten we een eenvoudig schema maken, which functions as “let’s make.” The construction Laten we plus an infinitive is a common way to suggest a joint action.

eenvoudig Eenvoudig means “simple” and describes the proposed chart as uncomplicated. It is useful when recommending a plan or tool that should be easy to follow.

schema Schema means “chart” or “schedule,” here meaning a written plan for assigning cleaning tasks. It is useful for organizing recurring activities, times, or responsibilities.

maken Maken means “make” in Laten we een eenvoudig schema maken, referring to creating the cleaning chart. After Laten we, the infinitive describes the shared action being proposed.

bekijken Bekijken means “review” or “look at,” referring to checking the chart after using it for a while. The pattern iets bekijken is useful when examining a plan, document, or arrangement.

nadat Nadat means “after” and introduces the point at which the chart will be reviewed. It connects a later action with something that has already been tried.

tijdje Tijdje means “a while” or “a short period of time” in een tijdje. The pattern een tijdje is useful for describing an indefinite but limited duration.

geprobeerd Geprobeerd means “tried” in hebben geprobeerd, referring to testing the chart in real life. It is the form used with hebben in the expression iets proberen or iets geprobeerd hebben.

te Te means “too” in te streng, indicating that the system may feel excessively strict. This use is different from the infinitive marker te and is placed directly before an adjective to express excessive degree.

streng Streng means “strict,” describing a rule or system that demands too much. It is useful when evaluating whether an agreement is too rigid or difficult to follow.

voelt Voelt means “feels” in het te streng voelt, describing how the system seems to the housemates. It is useful with het when giving a personal impression of a plan, rule, or situation.

aanpassen Aanpassen means “adjust” or “modify,” referring to changing the chart if it proves too strict. After kunnen, the infinitive aanpassen is used to describe the possible action.

in plaats van In plaats van means “instead of” as a whole and introduces the alternative of adjusting the chart rather than arguing. In contributes the idea of being in, plaats means “place,” and van links that place to the alternative; together they form a fixed replacement expression.

ruzie Ruzie means “argument” or “quarrel” in ruzie te maken, referring to a conflict between the housemates. The common expression ruzie maken means to argue or have a quarrel.

doel Doel means “goal,” referring to the intended result of the cleaning arrangement. It is useful when stating what a plan is meant to achieve.

is Is means “is” and links Het doel to the result that follows. It is used here in the basic pattern het doel is plus a description or outcome.

schoner Schoner means “cleaner,” describing the desired home in comparison with its current condition. It is the comparative form used before huis when stating an improvement in cleanliness.

huis Huis means “house” or “home,” the shared living space that the speakers want to improve. It is useful when discussing rooms, household routines, or the condition of a residence.

perfect Perfect means “perfect,” describing an unrealistic level that is explicitly not the goal. It is useful for contrasting an ideal standard with a practical or achievable one.

systeem Systeem means “system,” referring to the complete cleaning arrangement. It is useful when discussing an organized method or set of rules, especially when distinguishing a workable system from a perfect one.

Grammar Points

hoewel + bijzin: het werkwoord staat achteraan

Hoewel een van ons beiden liever dweilt, verdelen we de klussen eerlijk.

Hoo-VAYL uhn vahn awns BAY-duhn LEE-vur DWAYLT, vur-DAY-luhn vuh duh KLUH-suhn AYR-luk.

Although either one of us would rather mop, we divide the chores fairly.

Na hoewel staat het vervoegde werkwoord aan het einde van de bijzin.

om ... te + infinitief

We schrijven een schema op om wrevel te voorkomen.

Vuh SKHRAI-vuhn uhn SKHAY-mah awp um RAY-vul tuh vohr-KOH-muhn.

We write down a schedule to prevent resentment.

Gebruik om ... te met een infinitief om het doel van een handeling uit te drukken.

Dutch Vocabulary

afwas noun

AHF-vahs dishes; washing-up

afwisselen verb

AHF-viss-uh-luhn to alternate; to rotate

denken verb

DENK-uhn to think denk

duidelijk adj

DOW-duh-luk clear duidelijkere

een van ons beiden phrase

uhn vahn awns BAY-duhn either one of us

expres adv

ex-PRESS intentionally; on purpose

fornuis noun

for-NOWSS stove

keuken noun

KUR-kuhn kitchen

rommelig worden phrase

RAWM-uh-likh VOR-duhn to become messy

schoonmaakroutine noun

SKHOHN-mahk-roo-TEE-nuh cleaning routine

standaard noun

STAHN-daart standard

werken verb

VAIR-kuhn to work; to function werkt

Quiz

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

standard

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standaard

clear

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duidelijkere

to think

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denk

to work; to function

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werkt