Checking dietary needs before cooking | Learn Dutch in English

Sentence explanations

1. Voordat ik het avondeten kook, moet ik nagaan welke voedingsbeperkingen iedereen heeft.

   Before I cook dinner, I should check everyone's dietary restrictions.

   Voordat

   before

   avondeten

   dinner

   kook

   cook

   moet ik

   I must / I need to

   nagaan

   check / find out

   welke

   which

   voedingsbeperkingen

   dietary restrictions

   iedereen

   everyone

   heeft

   has

   More detail

   Voordat introduces a time clause meaning “before.” In Dutch, it places the finite verb at the end of that clause: Voordat ik het avondeten kook (“Before I cook dinner”). A useful contrast is nadat (“after”), which introduces the opposite time relation. avondeten means “dinner,” specifically the evening meal. It is a compound noun and is used here with the article het: het avondeten. Example: We eten het avondeten om zes uur. — “We eat dinner at six o’clock.” kook is the present-tense form of koken (“to cook”) for ik (“I”): ik kook. In the subordinate clause, the form remains finite but appears at the end because of Voordat. moet ik combines the modal verb moeten (“must / need to”) with ik (“I”). moet is the present singular form used with ik, jij, and hij/zij/het in the relevant present-tense patterns; the subject follows the verb here because this is the main clause after the subordinate clause: moet ik ... — “I must ...”. In the fixed translation, this necessity is rendered as “I should ...”. nagaan means “to check” or “to find out.” It is an infinitive after the modal moet: ik moet nagaan — “I need to check.” As a separable verb, it can appear as ik ga ... na when it is finite, but the infinitive stays together after a modal. welke means “which” and introduces the information being checked: nagaan welke ... — “check which ...”. It is used here before the plural noun voedingsbeperkingen; Dutch also has the related question word wat (“what”), but welke selects from an understood set or type of options. voedingsbeperkingen means “dietary restrictions.” It is the plural of voedingsbeperking, so the form refers to restrictions in general rather than one restriction. The compound combines voeding (“food/nutrition”) with beperking (“restriction”); the useful whole-word form here is voedingsbeperking. iedereen means “everyone” and refers to all the people relevant in this context. Grammatically, it is treated as singular, even though it refers to multiple people. That is why the following verb is heeft, not plural hebben. heeft is the present-tense form of hebben (“to have”) used with a singular third-person subject. In iedereen heeft, it means “everyone has.” Example: Iedereen heeft een keuze. — “Everyone has a choice.” Together, Voordat ik het avondeten kook means “Before I cook dinner.” moet ik nagaan adds “I should / need to check,” and welke voedingsbeperkingen iedereen heeft means “what dietary restrictions everyone has.” The complete utterance therefore means: “Before I cook dinner, I should check everyone’s dietary restrictions.”

2. Het is de moeite waard om dit te controleren, want één gast vermijdt zuivel en een andere eet geen varkensvlees.

   It is worth checking, because one guest avoids dairy and another does not eat pork.

   Het is de moeite waard

   It is worth it

   te controleren

   to check

   één

   one

   gast

   guest

   vermijdt

   avoids

   zuivel

   dairy

   een andere

   another

   eet

   eats

   geen

   no / not any

   varkensvlees

   pork

   More detail

   Het is de moeite waard is a fixed Dutch construction meaning that something is worth doing or worth the effort. Here, het is the formal subject, while the action that is worthwhile is introduced by the following infinitive phrase. A reusable pattern is Het is de moeite waard om + infinitive: Het is de moeite waard om te wachten. — “It is worth waiting.” te controleren is the infinitive controleren (“to check”) with te, used here after de moeite waard om. In this sentence, the object being checked is expressed by the nearby dit (“this”). The te + infinitive pattern is reusable after many expressions: Ik probeer te leren. — “I try to learn.” één means “one” and has an accent here to emphasize the number or distinguish it from the article een. It identifies one guest, not necessarily the total number of guests. Dutch één is the number word; een without the accent can be an indefinite article or, in context, the unstressed form of “one.” gast means “guest.” Its plural is gasten: één gast — “one guest”; twee gasten — “two guests.” vermijdt is the present-tense form of vermijden, “to avoid,” for a third-person singular subject. The vowel and consonant sequence in the observed form belongs to the verb’s spelling pattern: ik vermijd, hij/zij vermijdt, vermijden. Here it says that the one guest avoids dairy. Example: Zij vermijdt suiker. — “She avoids sugar.” zuivel means “dairy” or “dairy products.” It is used here as a general, uncountable category rather than as one individually counted item. Example: Deze saus bevat zuivel. — “This sauce contains dairy.” een andere means “another” or “another one.” It refers to a different singular person from the guest already mentioned; the noun is understood rather than repeated. In this nounless use, andere has the -e form. Example: Eén student blijft, een andere vertrekt. — “One student stays, another leaves.” eet is the present-tense form of eten, “to eat,” for a third-person singular subject. The useful form chain is eten → ik eet / hij, zij eet. Here, the subject is the other guest, and the verb is followed by the food that this person does not eat. Example: Hij eet vis. — “He eats fish.” geen expresses the absence of a noun: “no” or “not any.” With varkensvlees, it makes the meaning “does not eat any pork”; the negation applies to the food, not to the action of eating in general. Dutch commonly uses geen before an indefinite or uncountable noun: Ik drink geen melk. — “I do not drink milk.” varkensvlees means “pork,” literally the meat of a pig, and is treated here as an uncountable food noun. geen varkensvlees therefore means “no pork” or “not any pork,” rather than one portion of pork. Together, Het is de moeite waard om dit te controleren says that checking this is worthwhile. want then introduces the reason: één gast vermijdt zuivel (“one guest avoids dairy”) and een andere eet geen varkensvlees (“another does not eat pork”). The complete meaning is: “It is worth checking, because one guest avoids dairy and another does not eat pork.”

3. Ik was van plan om romige pasta te maken, dus ik heb een alternatief nodig.

   I was planning to make creamy pasta, so I need a substitute.

   Ik was … van plan

   I was planning

   om … te maken

   to make

   romige

   creamy

   pasta

   pasta

   dus

   so

   heb … nodig

   need

   alternatief

   alternative

   More detail

   Ik was van plan expresses a past intention: “I was planning.” was is the past singular form of zijn (“to be”); the reusable pattern is van plan zijn om ... te ... = “to plan/intend to ...”. In the fixed sentence, the subject is Ik (“I”), so was agrees with that singular subject. om te maken means “to make”. Dutch uses om + te + an infinitive in this construction to introduce the planned action. The base form is maken; te marks the infinitive construction here. Example: Ik probeer te leren. — “I am trying to learn.” romige describes pasta as creamy. Its base form is the adjective romig (“creamy”); before this noun it appears as romige. Dutch adjectives often take -e before a noun, as in romige pasta. Example: een romige saus — “a creamy sauce.” pasta is the noun “pasta”. It is the thing that the speaker planned to make. Example: Ik kook pasta. — “I am cooking pasta.” dus connects the plan and its consequence: “so” or “therefore”. It introduces the result that follows from the preceding statement. Example: Het regent, dus ik blijf thuis. — “It is raining, so I am staying home.” heb ... nodig is the Dutch construction for “need”. In the source, heb and nodig surround een alternatief, but they work together as iets nodig hebben (“to need something”). heb is the present first-person singular form of hebben (“to have”) with ik; nodig contributes the meaning “needed/necessary” in this construction. Example: Ik heb water nodig. — “I need water.” alternatief is the noun “alternative”; here, in the fixed translation, it means a substitute for the planned creamy pasta. The indefinite article een presents an alternative but does not by itself assert a numerical count. Example: We zoeken een alternatief. — “We are looking for an alternative.” Together, Ik was van plan om romige pasta te maken means “I was planning to make creamy pasta”. dus marks the consequence, and ik heb een alternatief nodig means “I need a substitute/alternative”. The complete utterance is therefore: “I was planning to make creamy pasta, so I need a substitute.”

4. Je zou olijfolie en groenten kunnen gebruiken in plaats van een saus op basis van melk.

   You could use olive oil and vegetables instead of a milk-based sauce.

   Je zou

   you could

   olijfolie

   olive oil

   groenten

   vegetables

   kunnen

   can; be able to

   gebruiken

   use

   in plaats van

   instead of

   saus

   sauce

   op basis van

   based on

   melk

   milk

   More detail

   Je zou means “you could” here. zou is a past-tense form of zullen that is used in this conditional construction; it does not necessarily place the action in the past. Here it presents the suggestion as a possibility. je is the ordinary unstressed form of “you”; depending on context, it can refer to one person or more than one person. jij is the stressed form used for emphasis. olijfolie means “olive oil.” It is a compound noun made from olijf (“olive”) and olie (“oil”), written as one word. Example: zonnebloemolie means “sunflower oil.” groenten means “vegetables.” Its singular is groente; groenten is the plural form. Example: Ik koop groenten. — “I buy vegetables.” kunnen means “to be able to” or, as here with zou, “can/could.” After zou, this modal remains in the infinitive: zou kunnen means “could.” A useful contrast is moeten (“to have to/must”): Je zou moeten wachten. means “You would have to wait.” gebruiken means “to use.” It is the infinitive and remains infinitive after zou kunnen: Je zou ... kunnen gebruiken means “You could use ...”. Example: Je kunt deze kom gebruiken. — “You can use this bowl.” in plaats van is the fixed prepositional construction “instead of.” It introduces the alternative that is not chosen. Example: Ik neem thee in plaats van koffie. — “I’ll have tea instead of coffee.” saus means “sauce.” Its plural is sauzen. In een saus, the article marks the noun as indefinite; it does not by itself state a numerical count. op basis van means “based on” and introduces the basis or defining material of something. Here it describes what kind of sauce it is: a sauce based on milk. Example: een beslissing op basis van feiten — “a decision based on facts.” melk means “milk.” When it refers to the substance, it is normally a mass noun. In saus op basis van melk, it identifies milk as the basis of the sauce. Together, Je zou ... kunnen gebruiken forms the reusable pattern “You could use ...”. The coordinated objects are olijfolie en groenten, and in plaats van een saus op basis van melk states the replacement. The complete meaning is: “You could use olive oil and vegetables instead of a milk-based sauce.”

5. Zou dat voor gasten nog steeds als een echte maaltijd aanvoelen?

   Would that still feel like a proper meal for guests?

   Zou

   would

   dat

   that

   voor

   for

   gasten

   guests

   nog steeds

   still

   als

   like

   een

   a

   echte

   proper

   maaltijd

   meal

   aanvoelen

   feel

   More detail

   Zou is the past form of zullen, but here it is used as a conditional modal: “would”. In this yes/no question, it comes first, while the infinitive comes later: Zou ... aanvoelen? means “Would ... feel?”. Compare Zou dat werken? — “Would that work?” dat means “that” here and refers to the proposed option as a whole, as reflected in the fixed translation. Dutch dat is also the form used with a singular neuter noun, but this sentence does not require treating it as a reference to one particular noun. voor introduces the people for whom something is considered relevant: voor gasten means “for guests”. Gasten is the plural of gast (“guest”): een gast — “a guest”; twee gasten — “two guests”. nog steeds means “still”, indicating that the question concerns whether the same impression would remain. It is a fixed adverbial combination; the two words belong together in this meaning. als in aanvoelen als introduces the role or comparison “as/like”. This pattern is reusable: Het voelt als thuis. — “It feels like home.” een is the Dutch indefinite article used here before singular maaltijd. It marks an indefinite noun phrase, but by itself it does not assert a numerical count. Echte means “proper” or “real” here. It is the adjective echt with the -e form used before this noun phrase: een echte maaltijd. The adjective describes the meal, not een; its base form is echt. A useful contrast is een echte maaltijd — “a proper meal” versus geen echte maaltijd — “not a proper meal”. Maaltijd means “meal”. It is a singular noun; its plural is maaltijden: een maaltijd — “a meal”; twee maaltijden — “two meals”. Aanvoelen means “to feel” in the sense of seeming or being experienced in a certain way. It is a separable verb: Het voelt als een maaltijd aan. — “It feels like a meal.” In the fixed sentence it stays as the infinitive because zou carries the modal meaning and the infinitive is placed at the end. Together, Zou dat asks whether the proposed option would have a particular effect. voor gasten specifies the people whose experience is considered, nog steeds asks whether that impression would remain, and als een echte maaltijd aanvoelen expresses feeling like a proper meal. The whole utterance therefore means: “Would that still feel like a proper meal for guests?”

6. Dat zou het wel zijn, vooral als je champignons en een frisse salade toevoegt.

   It would, especially if you add mushrooms and a bright salad.

   Dat

   that

   zou

   would

   het

   it

   wel

   indeed

   zijn

   be

   vooral als

   especially if

   je

   you

   champignons

   mushrooms

   frisse

   fresh

   salade

   salad

   toevoegt

   add

   More detail

   Dat means “that” here and refers to the matter being discussed. Dutch uses dat for a neuter singular noun or for a previously mentioned matter or proposition; the choice is not determined by physical distance alone. The exact antecedent is supplied by the surrounding discussion rather than named in this sentence. zou expresses a conditional or hypothetical “would.” It is the form of zullen used here with an infinitive, not a simple past meaning. The reusable pattern zou + infinitive appears in Dat zou helpen. — “That would help.” het is the neuter singular pronoun “it.” Here it is the pronoun in zou het ... zijn; together with zijn, the literal structure is “would be it,” while the fixed translation naturally gives “It would.” wel adds affirmative emphasis. In this context it supports the sense “indeed” or “really,” rather than naming a separate object or action. Its exact English rendering depends on the surrounding sentence. zijn is the infinitive “be.” It follows the conditional form zou, giving zou ... zijn — “would be ...”. The same infinitive occurs after other auxiliaries, as in kan zijn — “can be.” vooral als introduces a condition with special emphasis: “especially if.” The clause after als states the condition under which the assessment applies. Example: Het is lekker, vooral als je het warm serveert. — “It is tasty, especially if you serve it warm.” je is an informal you form. In this sentence it is the subject of toevoegt; depending on context, je can refer to one person, more than one person, or people generally. A formal singular or plural alternative is u. champignons is the plural noun “mushrooms.” Its singular is champignon, and the plural is formed with -s: één champignon, twee champignons — “one mushroom,” “two mushrooms.” frisse means “fresh” here, with a fresh-tasting or lively quality attributed to the salad. Its base form is fris. The -e form occurs before salade in een frisse salade; the adjective agrees with this noun phrase. The noun salade is not the adjective’s base form. salade is the noun “salad.” It is a common-gender de-word: de salade. Example: Ik maak een salade. — “I am making a salad.” toevoegt means “add” in this subordinate clause. Its base form is the separable verb toevoegen. In a main clause with je, its parts are normally separated: Je voegt champignons toe. — “You add mushrooms.” In the subordinate clause after als, the finite verb is at the end and is written together: als je champignons toevoegt — “if you add mushrooms.” Together, Dat zou het wel zijn gives an affirmative conditional assessment, naturally rendered here as “It would.” vooral als je champignons en een frisse salade toevoegt adds the condition “especially if you add mushrooms and a bright salad.” The complete intended meaning is: “It would, especially if you add mushrooms and a bright salad.”

7. Ik stuur een kort bericht waarin ik vraag naar eventuele andere voorkeuren.

   I will send a quick message asking about any other preferences.

   stuur

   send

   kort

   short; quick

   bericht

   message

   waarin

   in which

   vraag naar

   ask about

   eventuele

   possible; any

   andere

   other

   voorkeuren

   preferences

   More detail

   stuur is the present-tense form of sturen, “to send.” With the subject ik, ik stuur means “I send”; in this sentence the fixed translation presents that planned sending as “I will send.” Dutch present tense can refer to a future action when the context makes that clear. Compare ik stuur (“I send / I am going to send”) with ik stuurde (“I sent”) and ik zal sturen (“I will send”). kort means “short” here and describes the length of bericht; the translation uses “quick” for the intended concise message. Its basic comparison pattern is kort (“short”), korter (“shorter”), het kortst (“the shortest”). bericht is a neuter noun meaning “message.” Its plural is berichten. The phrase een kort bericht therefore means “a short message”; een is the indefinite article, not by itself a stated numerical count. waarin is a relative word meaning “in which.” It connects the message to the information contained in it: the message is the thing in which the asking takes place. It is formed from waar (“which/what” in this relative use) and in (“in”), but waarin functions as one written word here. Example: De brief waarin zij schrijft... means “The letter in which she writes...” vraag naar uses the verb vragen (“to ask”) with naar to express asking about or asking for information concerning something. In ik vraag naar, vraag is the first-person singular present form: ik vraag, jij vraagt, zij vragen. The fixed sentence uses it inside the clause introduced by waarin. Example: Ik vraag naar de prijs. — “I ask about the price.” eventuele is the inflected form of the adjective eventueel, meaning “possible” or, in this context, “any.” It presents the preferences as possibilities that may or may not exist; it does not assert that such preferences do exist. In Dutch, the adjective takes this -e form before the plural noun voorkeuren. andere means “other” and distinguishes these preferences from some other preferences or options under discussion. It does not itself indicate how many other preferences there are. Example: Heb je andere ideeën? — “Do you have other ideas?” voorkeuren is the plural of voorkeur, meaning “preference.” The ending -en marks the plural: een voorkeur (“a preference”), meerdere voorkeuren (“several preferences”). In this sentence, it is the noun governed by the preposition naar in the expression vraag naar: the speaker asks about any other preferences. Together, Ik stuur een kort bericht gives “I will send a short message.” The relative clause waarin ik vraag naar eventuele andere voorkeuren specifies what the message contains: in it, the speaker asks about any other preferences. The complete meaning is therefore “I will send a quick message asking about any other preferences.”

8. Houd de vraag eenvoudig, anders kunnen mensen het gevoel krijgen dat ze voor problemen zorgen.

   Keep the question simple, or people may feel they are causing trouble.

   Houd

   keep; hold

   de vraag

   the question

   eenvoudig

   simple

   anders

   otherwise; or else

   kunnen

   may; can

   mensen

   people

   het gevoel

   the feeling

   krijgen

   get; receive

   ze

   they

   voor problemen zorgen

   cause trouble

   More detail

   Houd is the imperative of houden (“to keep” or “to hold”). Here it is a direct instruction to one or more listeners: “Keep …”. In the pattern Houd + object + adjective, the adjective describes the state in which the object should remain. Example: Houd de deur open. — “Keep the door open.” de vraag means “the question”. Vraag is a common-gender Dutch noun, so its definite article is de; this article is part of the noun phrase, not a statement about quantity. The same noun can also mean “question” in other contexts such as een vraag (“a question”). eenvoudig means “simple” here. It is an adjective describing de vraag. After a definite noun phrase with a form of “keep,” Dutch commonly uses the uninflected adjective after the object: Houd het kort. — “Keep it short.” The comparative is eenvoudiger (“simpler”), as in een eenvoudigere vraag (“a simpler question”). anders means “otherwise” or “or else.” It introduces the consequence of not following the instruction. In this sentence it links the instruction to the following clause; it does not mean “different” as an adjective. kunnen is the modal verb kunnen, “can” or “may.” With a plural subject such as mensen, the present-tense form is kunnen; the infinitive follows it at the end of the clause: Mensen kunnen zich vergissen. — “People may be mistaken.” Here kunnen expresses a possible consequence, so “may” fits the fixed translation better than a firm prediction. mensen means “people.” It is the plural of mens (“person” or “human being”). Its plural subject explains the plural form kunnen, while the word itself does not specify how many people. het gevoel means “the feeling.” Gevoel is a neuter noun, which is why its definite article is het. In the useful pattern het gevoel krijgen dat ..., the literal idea is “get the feeling that ...”; naturally, it means “feel that ...” or “come to feel that ...”. krijgen is the infinitive of krijgen, “to get” or “to receive.” In kunnen ... krijgen, kunnen is the finite modal verb and krijgen remains an infinitive at the end of this main clause. Example: Ze kunnen hulp krijgen. — “They may get help.” ze means “they” here. It is the unstressed third-person plural pronoun, referring in this sentence to mensen (“people”). Dutch ze can also have other grammatical uses in other contexts, but this occurrence is the plural subject of zorgen. voor problemen zorgen is a reusable Dutch construction meaning “cause trouble” or, more literally, “cause problems.” Zorgen voor normally means “provide for” or “take care of,” but with problemen this construction has the intended meaning “cause problems.” Example: Dat kan voor problemen zorgen. — “That can cause problems.” Together, Houd de vraag eenvoudig means “Keep the question simple.” Anders adds the consequence: kunnen mensen het gevoel krijgen dat ze voor problemen zorgen means “people may feel that they are causing trouble.” The whole utterance is therefore: “Keep the question simple, or people may feel they are causing trouble.”

9. Het bericht kan gewoon zeggen dat ik iets wil maken dat voor iedereen geschikt is.

   The message can simply say I want to make something suitable for everyone.

   bericht

   message

   kan

   can

   gewoon

   simply

   zeggen

   say

   dat

   that

   ik

   I

   iets

   something

   wil

   want

   maken

   make

   dat

   that

   voor iedereen

   for everyone

   geschikt

   suitable

   is

   is

   More detail

   bericht means “message” here. Its plural is berichten; the final -en is part of the plural form. Example: Het bericht is kort. — “The message is short.” kan is the present-tense form of kunnen for ik, jij/je, and hij/zij/het. Here it expresses possibility or permission in the message’s content: the message can say something. After kan, the other verb appears as an infinitive: kan zeggen. gewoon means “simply” here. It presents the action as straightforward, without adding a special complication. Its meaning is different from the adjective use “ordinary” in a phrase such as een gewone dag — “an ordinary day.” zeggen is the infinitive “to say.” Dutch commonly places an infinitive at the end of a clause after a modal verb: kan zeggen — “can say.” Example: Zij kan het antwoord zeggen. — “She can say the answer.” The first dat introduces the content of what the message can say. It corresponds to “that” in “say that …”; it is not the noun-like relative dat used later. ik is the first-person singular subject pronoun, “I.” It is the form used when the speaker presents themself as the actor of the next verb. iets means “something.” It is an indefinite pronoun for an unspecified thing. Example: Ik wil iets leren. — “I want to learn something.” wil is the first-person singular present form of willen, “to want.” With ik, the form is wil; after it, the intended action is expressed with an infinitive: wil maken — “want to make.” maken is the infinitive “to make.” In this sentence it names the action that the speaker wants to carry out. Example: Ik wil een plan maken. — “I want to make a plan.” The second dat refers back to iets and introduces a relative clause describing that unspecified thing. In iets dat ..., dat is the relative pronoun used with this neuter singular antecedent. It should not be confused with the first dat, which introduces reported content. voor iedereen means “for everyone.” voor marks the people considered, and iedereen means “everyone,” referring to all people as a group. Example: Deze uitleg is voor iedereen. — “This explanation is for everyone.” geschikt is the adjective “suitable” or “appropriate.” Here it says that the thing being made meets the needs or requirements of everyone. A useful related contrast is ongeschikt, “unsuitable,” but the fixed sentence itself states suitability, not its opposite. is is the present-tense form of zijn, “to be,” for hij, zij, and het, and also for formal u. In the relative clause, it links the thing being described with its property: dat ... geschikt is — “that ... is suitable.” Dutch places is at the end of this subordinate relative clause. Together, kan gewoon zeggen means “can simply say.” The first dat then introduces the message’s content: dat ik iets wil maken means “that I want to make something.” The relative clause dat voor iedereen geschikt is specifies that the thing is suitable for everyone. As a whole, the utterance means: “The message can simply say I want to make something suitable for everyone.”

10. Dat klinkt attent en geeft ze de kans om duidelijk te antwoorden.

    That sounds considerate and gives them a chance to answer clearly.

    Dat

    That

    klinkt

    sounds

    attent

    considerate

    geeft

    gives

    ze

    them

    kans

    chance

    om … te

    in order to

    duidelijk

    clearly

    antwoorden

    answer

    More detail

    Dat means “that” here and functions as the subject. With the preceding context, it points to the idea or wording just mentioned, rather than identifying a new participant. Dutch dat can refer to a specific thing or to previously mentioned content. klinkt is the present-tense form of klinken, “to sound.” The ending -t marks the third-person singular subject dat: dat klinkt = “that sounds.” For example: Dat klinkt goed. — “That sounds good.” attent describes considerate thoughtfulness toward other people. Here it is a predicate adjective after klinkt; it is not inflected because it follows this linking verb in this use. The combination klinkt attent means “sounds considerate.” geeft is the present-tense third-person singular form of geven, “to give.” Its subject is still Dat, so the coordinated clause literally has the structure “that sounds … and gives ….” The base/current pair is geven → geeft. For example: Dit geeft mij tijd. — “This gives me time.” ze means “them” here, as confirmed by the fixed translation. It is the object receiving the opportunity; the sentence does not specify their gender. Dutch ze can have other functions in other contexts, but this occurrence is the plural object pronoun. kans means “chance” or “opportunity.” The singular noun appears after the article de: de kans = “the chance.” A useful pattern is iemand de kans geven om ... — “to give someone the chance to ...”. om and te form the Dutch infinitive construction om ... te antwoorden, introducing the purpose or action connected with de kans: “to answer.” The two words are separated here by no intervening material, but they work with the infinitive as a unit. In this sentence, the construction specifies what the chance is for. duidelijk means “clearly.” Here it modifies the action antwoorden, so it describes the manner of answering, not the noun kans. For example: Leg het duidelijk uit. — “Explain it clearly.” antwoorden is the infinitive “to answer” or “to respond.” After te, it remains in the infinitive: te antwoorden = “to answer.” A related but distinct verb is vragen, “to ask”; antwoorden is used for giving an answer. Together, Dat klinkt attent says “That sounds considerate.” The coordinated clause en geeft ze de kans om duidelijk te antwoorden adds that it gives them the opportunity to answer clearly. The complete utterance therefore means: “That sounds considerate and gives them a chance to answer clearly.”