Short team update meeting | Learn Dutch in English

Sentence explanations

1. Laten we deze voortgangsvergadering kort houden en de agenda doornemen.

   Let's keep this update meeting short and work through the agenda.

   Laten we

   let’s

   deze

   this

   voortgangsvergadering

   progress meeting

   kort

   short

   houden

   keep

   agenda

   agenda

   doornemen

   go through

   More detail

   Laten we is the reusable Dutch suggestion pattern “let’s …”. It combines laten with we and is followed here by infinitives. It does not mean that the speaker is physically letting someone do something; in this pattern it proposes a joint action. For example: Laten we beginnen. — “Let’s begin.” deze means “this” and is placed before the noun it identifies. Here it agrees with the singular de-word voortgangsvergadering; Dutch uses deze with singular de-words and dit with singular het-words. The form also contrasts with plural deze, which has the same spelling: deze vergaderingen — “these meetings.” voortgangsvergadering is a noun meaning “progress meeting” or, in this context, “update meeting.” It is a compound containing the idea of progress and a meeting. Its definite form is shown by the separate article de: de voortgangsvergadering. The following context mentions de voortgang van de ontwerptaak, supporting the progress/update topic, but it does not change the meaning of the noun itself. kort means “short.” In kort houden, it describes the meeting’s duration, not its physical size. Dutch uses the same form after houden in this construction: We houden de bespreking kort. — “We keep the discussion short.” As a predicate after houden, kort is not given an attributive ending. houden is the infinitive of houden, “to keep” or “to hold.” In the pattern iets kort houden, it means keeping something brief. The form is an infinitive because it follows Laten we; the subject of the proposed action is we. A useful contrast is We houden de vergadering kort. — “We keep the meeting short.” de agenda means “the agenda.” agenda is a singular noun with the definite article de here; the article marks an identified agenda, not a numeric quantity. For example: De agenda is duidelijk. — “The agenda is clear.” doornemen means “to go through” or “to review” something. It is a separable Dutch verb: in a finite main clause, its parts separate, as in We nemen de agenda door. — “We go through the agenda.” After Laten we, the infinitive remains together: Laten we de agenda doornemen. The utterance uses two coordinated infinitive actions after Laten we: deze voortgangsvergadering kort houden (“keep this update meeting short”) and de agenda doornemen (“go through the agenda”). Together, Laten we deze voortgangsvergadering kort houden en de agenda doornemen. means “Let’s keep this update meeting short and work through the agenda.” This is a concise, practical meeting suggestion.

2. Ik kan beginnen met de voortgang van de ontwerptaak.

   I can start with progress on the design task.

   Ik kan

   I can

   beginnen

   to begin; to start

   voortgang

   progress

   ontwerptaak

   design task

   More detail

   Ik kan expresses “I can.” kan is the present-tense form of kunnen (“can; to be able to”) with the first-person singular subject ik. After a modal such as kunnen, Dutch normally places the other verb in the infinitive: Ik kan beginnen = “I can start.” beginnen means “to begin” or “to start.” It is already the infinitive here, selected by kan. A useful pattern is kunnen + infinitive: Wij kunnen morgen beginnen. — “We can start tomorrow.” voortgang means “progress” or “advancement.” It is a noun; the phrase de voortgang uses the definite article de. In this sentence, met de voortgang means “with the progress,” identifying what the speaker can start with. met is not part of the quoted word, but it links beginnen to this object. ontwerptaak means “design task.” It is a Dutch compound noun: ontwerp (“design”) + taak (“task”). The compound is treated as one noun in the sentence, and de in de ontwerptaak marks it with the definite article. The sequence de voortgang van de ontwerptaak means “the progress on the design task”; van links the progress to the task. Putting the parts together, Ik kan beginnen gives “I can start,” and met de voortgang van de ontwerptaak specifies what the starting point is: “with progress on the design task.” The complete utterance therefore means: “I can start with progress on the design task.”

3. Noem daarna alsjeblieft eventuele problemen die de planning kunnen beïnvloeden.

   After that, please mention any blockers that could affect the timeline.

   Noem

   mention

   daarna

   after that

   alsjeblieft

   please

   eventuele

   possible

   problemen

   problems

   planning

   schedule

   kunnen

   can

   beïnvloeden

   affect

   More detail

   Noem is the imperative form of noemen, “to name” or “to mention.” Dutch uses this form to address one or more people, including in a formal request; it is not limited to an informal singular addressee. Example: Noem één voorbeeld. — “Mention one example.” daarna means “after that” and places this action after an earlier step. It is an adverb, so it does not change form. Here it follows the earlier step mentioned in the surrounding context. alsjeblieft is a polite “please.” It softens the request without changing the requested action. It can also appear in other requests, such as Wacht alsjeblieft. — “Please wait.” eventuele means “possible” or “any” in the sense of problems that may or may not exist. Before the plural noun problemen, it has the adjective ending -e. This word does not assert that problems exist. problemen is the plural of the noun probleem, “problem.” The singular is een probleem; the plural is problemen. In this sentence, it refers generally to any relevant problems, which matches the translation’s “blockers.” planning is a noun meaning “schedule” or “planning.” In this context it is the schedule or timeline that may be affected. A useful contrast is planning (the schedule) versus plan (a plan); they are related but not interchangeable in every sentence. kunnen is the modal verb “can” or “be able to.” With the plural subject problemen, the present form is kunnen; the following verb remains in the infinitive. Compare een probleem kan ... with problemen kunnen .... beïnvloeden is the infinitive “to affect” or “to influence.” After the modal kunnen, it stays in the infinitive: kunnen beïnvloeden. In this clause, eventuele problemen is the subject and de planning is the object. Together, Noem daarna alsjeblieft asks politely for a later action: “please mention after that.” eventuele problemen means “any possible problems,” and die de planning kunnen beïnvloeden means “that can affect the schedule.” The complete utterance is: “After that, please mention any blockers that could affect the timeline.”

4. Het grootste probleem is dat we wachten op goedkeuring van het juridische team.

   The main blocker is waiting for approval from the legal team.

   grootste

   greatest; main

   probleem

   problem; blocker

   wachten

   wait; waiting

   goedkeuring

   approval

   juridische

   legal

   team

   team

   More detail

   grootste means “greatest” or “largest” here and is the superlative of groot (“big”). In het grootste probleem, it presents this problem as the most significant one in the relevant set; the fixed translation naturally renders that as “main.” The comparative is groter (“bigger”), and the superlative is grootste. probleem means “problem.” Dutch het probleem is a singular noun with the article het; its plural is problemen. In this sentence, the translation uses “blocker” to express a problem that is holding up the work, not a different literal noun. wachten means “to wait.” It is the infinitive/base form, used inside dat we wachten (“that we wait”). A useful pattern is wachten op + the thing or person awaited: We wachten op de goedkeuring. — “We are waiting for the approval.” goedkeuring means “approval.” It is a noun formed from the verb goedkeuren (“to approve”), but the observed form itself names the approval, not the act as a finite verb. In op goedkeuring wachten, the preposition op is part of the reusable “wait for” pattern. juridische means “legal” in the sense of relating to law. It is the attributive form of juridisch; before the definite noun phrase het juridische team, the adjective has the ending -e. The adjective describes team, not goedkeuring: the phrase means “approval from the legal team.” team means “team.” It is a singular loanword noun; het team is the corresponding definite phrase, and de teams is a common plural form. The sentence begins with Het grootste probleem (“The main problem/blocker”). is links that noun phrase to the following dat-clause, which explains what the problem consists of. Inside the clause, we wachten op goedkeuring means “we are waiting for approval,” and van het juridische team identifies the source of that approval as the legal team. Together: “The main blocker is waiting for approval from the legal team.”

5. Wie moet na dit gesprek contact met hen opnemen?

   Who should follow up with them after this call?

   Wie moet

   who should

   na

   after

   dit

   this

   gesprek

   conversation; call

   contact … opnemen

   to contact; to follow up

   met hen

   with them

   More detail

   Wie moet asks which person has the responsibility or obligation to do something. wie means “who”; moet is the present-tense form of moeten used with a singular subject, including an unknown person in a question. The infinitive belonging to it appears later: Wie moet ... opnemen? = “Who must/should ... follow up?” na means “after” and introduces a later time or event. It is followed here by dit gesprek, so na dit gesprek means “after this call/conversation.” dit means “this” and is the form used with a singular neuter noun in Dutch. The demonstrative agrees with gesprek, whose definite article is het: dit gesprek. For a singular common-gender noun, Dutch uses deze instead, as in deze vergadering (“this meeting”). gesprek means “conversation” or “call” here. Its plural is gesprekken. In this workplace context, the fixed translation supports the sense “call,” but the word can also refer to a conversation more generally. contact opnemen is a reusable Dutch construction meaning “to contact” or “to follow up.” The base verb is the separable verb opnemen; with contact, the construction is contact opnemen met iemand (“to contact someone”). In this question, moet is the finite verb and the infinitive opnemen remains at the end. Example: Ik neem morgen contact met haar op. — “I will contact her tomorrow.” In that main-clause form, the separable parts appear apart: neem ... op. met hen means “with them.” hen is the object form of the plural personal pronoun corresponding to “them”; the preposition met selects this phrase here. The phrase identifies the people to be contacted without specifying their individual identities. Together, Wie moet + na dit gesprek + contact met hen opnemen? produces: “Who should follow up with them after this call?” The question asks which person is responsible for making that contact after the call; it does not state that the contact has already happened.

6. Ik kan dat doen, maar eerst heb ik de nieuwste versie van het document nodig.

   I can do it, but I need the latest document version first.

   Ik kan

   I can

   dat

   it

   doen

   do

   maar

   but

   eerst

   first

   heb … nodig

   need

   nieuwste

   latest

   versie

   version

   document

   document

   More detail

   Ik kan: This means “I can” here. kan is the first-person singular present form of kunnen (“can, be able to”); the subject Ik determines this form. A modal such as kan is followed by an infinitive: Ik kan helpen. — “I can help.” dat: This is the object pronoun “it” in this sentence. The fixed translation supports that object reading, but it does not identify a more specific referent. Dutch dat is also used as a demonstrative or relative form in other structures, so its role must be read from the sentence. doen: This is the infinitive of doen, “to do.” After the modal kan, it stays in the infinitive and appears at the end of this clause. Ik kan dat doen. — “I can do it.” maar: This coordinating conjunction means “but” and links the ability expressed in the first clause with the need stated in the second clause. eerst: This adverb means “first” here: the need comes before the action is carried out. Lees dit eerst. — “Read this first.” heb ... nodig: These two separated parts form the reusable Dutch construction iets nodig hebben, meaning “to need something.” heb is the first-person singular present form of hebben (“to have”); in this construction, nodig means “needed” or “necessary,” rather than expressing ordinary possession. Ik heb hulp nodig. — “I need help.” nieuwste: This is the superlative form of nieuw (“new”): nieuw — “new,” nieuwer — “newer,” nieuwste — “newest/latest.” It describes versie, so de nieuwste versie means “the latest version.” versie: This noun means “version,” as in a particular edition or state of a document. Welke versie heb je? — “Which version do you have?” document: This noun means “document.” In the source, van het document identifies the document to which the version belongs: “of the document.” Together, Ik kan dat doen means “I can do it.” maar eerst heb ik de nieuwste versie van het document nodig adds that the speaker needs the document’s latest version before doing it. The complete utterance therefore means: “I can do it, but I need the latest document version first.”

7. Ik zal iemand vragen om het vandaag te sturen.

   I'll ask someone to send it today.

   Ik zal

   I will

   iemand

   someone

   vragen

   ask

   om … te

   to (introducing an infinitive)

   het

   it

   vandaag

   today

   sturen

   send

   More detail

   Ik zal combines ik (“I”) with zal, the first-person singular present form of zullen. In this pattern, zal works as a future auxiliary: Ik zal ... = “I will ...”. The main verb remains an infinitive and normally appears later in the clause. Example: Ik zal morgen bellen. — “I will call tomorrow.” iemand means “someone” and refers to an unspecified person. It is useful when the speaker does not identify who will do the action. Example: Ik vraag iemand om te helpen. — “I ask someone to help.” vragen is the infinitive “to ask”. In the fixed sentence, it follows zal, so it is not marked for person or tense. A common reusable pattern is iemand vragen om iets te doen: “to ask someone to do something.” om ... te introduces an infinitive clause expressing the requested action. The two parts belong together even though het and vandaag occur between them: om het vandaag te sturen means “to send it today”. With a different verb, the same pattern appears in proberen om op tijd te komen — “to try to arrive on time.” het is the object pronoun “it” here. It is the thing that someone is being asked to send; the sentence and its translation do not require the speaker to name that thing again. Dutch het can also be a definite article in other contexts, but here it stands on its own as a pronoun. vandaag is the time adverb “today”. It places the sending on the current day. Example: Ik stuur het vandaag. — “I am sending it today.” sturen is the infinitive “to send”. After te, the form is te sturen; te marks the infinitive clause, while sturen carries the lexical meaning. Example: Zij wil het document sturen. — “She wants to send the document.” Together, Ik zal gives the future commitment, iemand vragen means “ask someone”, and om het vandaag te sturen specifies the requested action and its time. The complete utterance therefore means: “I’ll ask someone to send it today.”

8. Dan zouden we het nog steeds voor de geplande deadline moeten kunnen afronden.

   Then we should still be able to finish by the planned deadline.

   Dan

   Then

   zouden we … moeten kunnen

   we should be able to

   het

   it

   nog steeds

   still

   voor

   by (a deadline)

   geplande

   planned

   deadline

   deadline

   afronden

   finish, complete

   More detail

   Dan means “then” here. It can point to a consequence or situation in the surrounding discourse: dan ... = “then ...”. zouden we contains we, the first-person plural pronoun “we”, and zouden, the plural imperfect form of zullen, used here for a conditional or qualified expectation. In this sentence, zouden ... moeten kunnen gives the meaning “should be able to”; it is not a simple past statement about ability. het is a neuter singular pronoun meaning “it” here. The fixed sentence does not identify exactly what het refers to, so its grammatical form can be explained without assigning it a particular referent. nog steeds means “still”: the situation continues to hold despite the circumstances. It modifies the combined expectation that follows, rather than naming a separate action. voor means “by” when used with a deadline or other time limit. In voor de deadline, the intended meaning is completion no later than that deadline; it does not mean physical position in front of something. geplande is the adjective “planned” in its inflected form. Its basic adjective form is gepland, related to the verb plannen “to plan”. In de geplande deadline, the adjective appears with -e; the ending belongs to geplande, not to deadline. deadline is a noun meaning “deadline”, the time limit by which something should be completed. The phrase uses the definite article de: de deadline. afronden is an infinitive meaning “to finish” or “to complete”, especially bringing a task to completion. It is a separable verb: in a finite main-clause form, the parts can separate, as in Ik rond het werk af — “I finish the work.” After modal verbs such as kunnen, the infinitive remains at the end: kunnen afronden. Together, zouden we ... moeten kunnen afronden means “we should be able to finish”. The object is het, and voor de geplande deadline sets the latest completion time. Thus the whole utterance means: “Then we should still be able to finish it by the planned deadline.”

9. Na de vergadering stuur ik een schriftelijke samenvatting van de beslissingen.

   After the meeting, I'll send a written summary of the decisions.

   Na

   after

   vergadering

   meeting

   stuur

   send

   schriftelijke

   written

   samenvatting

   summary

   beslissingen

   decisions

   More detail

   Na means “after” here and introduces a later time in relation to an event. It is a preposition: na de vergadering = “after the meeting.” Compare voor de vergadering = “before the meeting.” vergadering means “meeting.” Its base form is singular; with the definite article, de vergadering means “the meeting.” The plural is vergaderingen, as in de vergaderingen (“the meetings”). stuur is the first-person singular present form of sturen, “to send.” In this sentence, ik stuur means “I send” or, with the time phrase and future context, “I’ll send.” Because Na de vergadering is placed first, Dutch keeps the finite verb in the second position: Na de vergadering stuur ik ... (“After the meeting, I’ll send ...”). Example: Morgen stuur ik het document. — “Tomorrow I’ll send the document.” schriftelijke means “written.” It is the inflected form of the adjective schriftelijk before the singular common-gender noun samenvatting. In een schriftelijke samenvatting, een is an indefinite article, not a definite article; the adjective has -e because samenvatting is a common-gender noun. The same ending appears with the definite article: de schriftelijke samenvatting. Example: een schriftelijke bevestiging — “a written confirmation.” samenvatting means “summary.” It is a singular noun; its plural is samenvattingen (“summaries”). The phrase een schriftelijke samenvatting means “a written summary.” beslissingen means “decisions.” It is the plural of beslissing, “decision.” The noun phrase de beslissingen means “the decisions”; the definite article signals that the decisions are understood as specific in this context. Example: We bespreken de beslissingen. — “We discuss the decisions.” Together, Na de vergadering sets the time: “After the meeting.” stuur ik gives the subject and action: “I’ll send.” een schriftelijke samenvatting identifies what will be sent: “a written summary,” and van de beslissingen specifies its content: “of the decisions.” The complete meaning is: “After the meeting, I’ll send a written summary of the decisions.”

10. Dat helpt iedereen om helder voor ogen te hebben wat de volgende stappen zijn.

    That will help everyone stay clear on the next steps.

    Dat

    That

    helpt

    helps

    iedereen

    everyone

    helder voor ogen te hebben

    to have clearly in mind

    volgende

    next

    stappen

    steps

    zijn

    are

    More detail

    Dat means “that” here and functions as the subject of helpt. Dutch demonstrative pronouns distinguish forms such as dat and dit; the correct choice depends on the grammatical gender and number of the noun or idea referred to, as well as distance in the context. Here, the fixed translation confirms the intended reading “that,” without identifying a more specific referent. helpt is the present-tense singular form of helpen, “to help.” The subject is dat, so the verb is singular. The useful pattern is iets/iemand helpen — “to help something/someone.” Example: Deze uitleg helpt mij. — “This explanation helps me.” iedereen means “everyone.” Although it refers to all people collectively, it is grammatically singular in Dutch, which is why it combines with singular helpt. Example: Iedereen weet het. — “Everyone knows it.” helder voor ogen te hebben is a fixed expression meaning “to have clearly in mind” or “to keep clearly in view.” te hebben is the infinitive construction of hebben; voor ogen is part of the expression, not a literal reference to a particular person’s eyes. After om, Dutch commonly uses te plus an infinitive to express the intended result or purpose: om ... te hebben — “to have ...”. volgende means “next” here. It is the attributive form of volgend, “following,” and appears before the plural noun stappen in de volgende stappen. This word describes order in a sequence; it is not the comparative form of a size adjective. Example: de volgende vraag — “the next question.” stappen is the plural of the noun stap, “step.” The noun can refer to stages in a process as well as physical steps. Example: We bespreken de volgende stappen. — “We are discussing the next steps.” zijn is the present-tense plural form of zijn, “to be.” In wat de volgende stappen zijn, it agrees with plural stappen. The clause is a content clause meaning “what the next steps are”; Dutch places the finite verb at the end of this subordinate clause, unlike the usual position in a simple main clause. Putting the parts together: Dat helpt iedereen means “That helps everyone,” and om helder voor ogen te hebben wat de volgende stappen zijn specifies what this help enables them to do: “to have clearly in mind what the next steps are.” The complete utterance therefore means: “That will help everyone stay clear on the next steps.”