Setting boundaries and taking real breaks | Learn Dutch in English

Dutch lesson set in a contemporary Amsterdam everyday setting: At work, one adult talks about burnout and considers clearer workload boundaries and a real break away from the desk..

EN → NL / Level: B1

About This Lesson

Use Setting boundaries and taking real breaks to practice Dutch conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

A

Ik denk dat ik opgebrand raak door deze werkdruk.

ick DENK daht ick OHP-kuh-brahnt rahk door DAY-zuh WERK-drook. I think I am getting burned out from this workload.
B

Heb je echte pauzes genomen, of ben je alleen van taak gewisseld?

hep yuh EHKH-tuh POW-zuhs, ohf ben yuh ah-LEEN vahn tahk kuh-WISS-ult? Have you been taking real breaks, or just switching between tasks?
A

Vooral van taak wisselen, en dat voelt niet echt als rust.

vohr-AHL vahn tahk WISS-uh-lun, en daht foolt neet EHKH-tuh ahls ruhst. Mostly switching tasks, which does not really feel like rest.
B

Dat zou verklaren waarom de druk blijft oplopen.

daht zow vuh-KLAR-un vah-ROHM duh druhk blyft OHP-loh-pun. That would explain why the pressure keeps building.
A

Ik voel me schuldig als ik stop wanneer de deadline dichtbij is.

ick fool muh SKHUL-dukh ahls ick stop wah-NAIR duh DEAD-line dahkh-BY iss. I feel guilty stopping when the deadline is close.
B

Een grens stellen is geen luiheid als het je helpt herstellen.

uhn khrenz STEL-un iss khayn LUY-hite ahls uht yuh helpt huh-STEL-un. A boundary is not laziness if it helps you recover.
A

Misschien moet ik mijn manager vertellen wat haalbaar is vóór de deadline.

muh-SKHEEN moot ick mine MAN-uh-jer ver-TEL-un waht HAHL-bahr iss vohr duh DEAD-line. Maybe I should tell my manager what is realistic before the deadline.
B

Wees duidelijk over wat je tegen die tijd kunt afmaken en waarvoor je meer tijd nodig hebt.

vays DOY-duh-luk OH-vur waht yuh TAY-khun dee TITE kunt AHF-mah-kun en vah-VOHR yuh mayr tite NOH-dukh hept. Be clear about what you can finish by then, and what needs more time.
A

Vandaag ga ik lunchen weg van mijn bureau.

vahn-DAHKH khah ick LUN-chun wekh vahn mine buh-ROH. I will take lunch away from my desk today.
B

Dat is een kleine maar nuttige stap om je energie terug te krijgen.

daht iss uhn KLY-nuh mahr NUH-tuh-khuh stahp om yuh en-er-ZHEE tuh-ROOK tuh KRY-khun. That is a small but useful step toward getting your energy back.

Word by Word

Ik ‘Ik’ means ‘I’ and is the speaker who gives the opinion in ‘Ik denk dat ik opgebrand raak’. It is used when talking about your own thoughts, feelings, or actions.
denk ‘denk’ means ‘think’ and expresses the speaker’s view in ‘Ik denk dat ik opgebrand raak’. The reusable pattern is ‘Ik denk dat ...’ when stating an opinion or belief.
dat In ‘Ik denk dat ik ...’, ‘dat’ introduces the content of the thought. In ‘Dat zou verklaren ...’, ‘Dat’ refers to the situation just mentioned; it is useful when linking an idea or situation to a following explanation.
opgebrand ‘opgebrand’ means burned out or exhausted in the context of continued work pressure. In ‘opgebrand raak’, it describes the state the speaker is becoming; this expression is useful when discussing serious tiredness from work.
raak ‘raak’ means get or become in ‘opgebrand raak’, showing a change into the state of being burned out. The pattern ‘raak’ plus a state expression is useful when describing a change in how someone feels.
door ‘door’ means because of or from in ‘door deze werkdruk’, identifying the cause of the burnout. The reusable pattern is ‘door’ plus a cause when explaining why something happens.
deze ‘deze’ means this and points to the specific workload being discussed in ‘deze werkdruk’. It is useful for identifying a current or nearby thing together with a noun.
werkdruk ‘werkdruk’ means workload or work pressure, the pressure that is causing the speaker to feel burned out. ‘Deze werkdruk’ is useful when discussing how demanding someone’s work is.
Heb ‘Heb’ means have and begins the question ‘Heb je echte pauzes genomen?’. Here it helps ask whether something has already happened; ‘Heb je ... genomen?’ is useful when asking about actions someone has taken.
je In ‘Heb je echte pauzes genomen?’, ‘je’ means you, the person being asked. In ‘je energie’, the same form means your; it is useful for referring to the other person or something belonging to them.
echte ‘echte’ means real or genuine and emphasizes that the pauses should provide actual rest in ‘echte pauzes’. It is used before the noun it describes when distinguishing a genuine break from merely changing activities.
pauzes ‘pauzes’ means breaks and refers to periods away from work in ‘echte pauzes genomen’. The pattern ‘pauzes nemen’ is useful when talking about taking breaks during a workday.
genomen ‘genomen’ means taken in ‘Heb je echte pauzes genomen?’. It is the form used with ‘Heb’ to ask about taking breaks, so ‘pauzes genomen’ is a useful combination for discussing breaks already taken.
of ‘of’ means or and introduces the alternative ‘ben je alleen van taak gewisseld?’. It is useful for presenting two possible activities or answers in one question.
ben ‘ben’ is the form of ‘zijn’ used with ‘je’ in ‘ben je alleen van taak gewisseld?’. Together with ‘gewisseld’, it asks whether the person has switched tasks; the pattern ‘ben je ...?’ is useful in questions about the other person.
alleen ‘alleen’ means only or just and limits the activity in ‘ben je alleen van taak gewisseld?’. It is useful when saying that one activity happened without mentioning another kind of break or action.
van In ‘van taak gewisseld’ and ‘van taak wisselen’, ‘van’ helps express moving from one task to another. This expression is useful when describing switching between work tasks.
taak ‘taak’ means task and is the work item involved in ‘van taak gewisseld’. The pattern ‘van taak wisselen’ is useful when describing a change from one task to another.
gewisseld ‘gewisseld’ means switched in ‘ben je alleen van taak gewisseld?’. It describes the completed change between tasks and is useful with ‘van taak’ when discussing task switching.
Vooral ‘Vooral’ means mostly and signals that task switching was the main activity in ‘Vooral van taak wisselen’. It is useful when identifying the main part of an activity or situation.
wisselen ‘wisselen’ means switching in ‘van taak wisselen’, describing the activity of moving between tasks. The pattern ‘van taak wisselen’ is useful when explaining that work changes from one task to another.
en ‘en’ means and and links ‘van taak wisselen’ with the result ‘dat voelt niet echt als rust’. It is useful for joining related actions, observations, or clauses.
voelt ‘voelt’ means feels in ‘dat voelt niet echt als rust’, describing the speaker’s experience of task switching. The pattern ‘voelt ... als ...’ is useful when describing how something seems or is experienced.
niet ‘niet’ means not and negates the idea that task switching feels like rest in ‘voelt niet echt als rust’. It is useful before the part of the sentence that is being denied.
echt ‘echt’ means really in ‘niet echt als rust’, showing that the activity does not truly feel like rest. It is useful for expressing degree, especially when softening or emphasizing an evaluation.
als ‘als’ means as or like in ‘voelt niet echt als rust’, comparing the experience with rest. The pattern ‘voelen als’ is useful when describing what something feels like.
rust ‘rust’ means rest and is what task switching does not really feel like in ‘als rust’. It is useful when discussing recovery time or a state without work activity.
zou ‘zou’ means would and presents a possible consequence in ‘Dat zou verklaren waarom de druk blijft oplopen’. The pattern ‘zou verklaren’ is useful when saying that something could account for a result.
verklaren ‘verklaren’ means explain and describes how the lack of real breaks could account for rising pressure in ‘zou verklaren waarom ...’. The pattern ‘verklaren waarom ...’ is useful when giving the reason for a situation.
waarom ‘waarom’ means why and introduces the reason clause ‘waarom de druk blijft oplopen’. It is useful when asking for or explaining the reason something happens.
de ‘de’ is the definite article before ‘druk’ in ‘de druk’. It is useful for referring to a specific pressure already understood from the work situation.
druk ‘druk’ means pressure in ‘de druk blijft oplopen’, referring to the increasing pressure caused by the workload. The expression ‘de druk’ is useful when discussing stress or demands in a work context.
blijft ‘blijft’ means keeps or continues in ‘blijft oplopen’. It shows that the increase does not stop; the pattern ‘blijft’ plus an activity is useful for describing an ongoing process.
oplopen ‘oplopen’ means build up or increase in ‘de druk blijft oplopen’. It is useful for describing pressure that becomes greater over time.
voel ‘voel’ means feel in ‘Ik voel me schuldig’, describing the speaker’s own emotional state. The pattern ‘Ik voel me’ plus a state or feeling is useful when talking about personal feelings.
me ‘me’ means me or myself in ‘Ik voel me schuldig’ and refers back to the speaker. The pattern ‘voel me’ is useful for describing how you feel.
schuldig ‘schuldig’ means guilty and describes the speaker’s feeling about stopping near the deadline in ‘voel me schuldig’. It is useful when someone feels morally uncomfortable about an action or decision.
stop ‘stop’ means stop in ‘als ik stop’, referring here to stopping work. The pattern ‘als ik stop’ is useful when talking about what happens when you end an activity.
wanneer ‘wanneer’ means when and introduces the time clause ‘wanneer de deadline dichtbij is’. It is useful for locating an action or feeling at a particular time.
deadline ‘deadline’ means deadline and is the due point that is close in ‘de deadline dichtbij is’. It is useful in work conversations about when something must be finished.
dichtbij ‘dichtbij’ means close or near and describes the deadline as near in time in ‘de deadline dichtbij is’. It is useful for saying that an event or due point is approaching.
is ‘is’ means is and links a subject with a state or description, as in ‘de deadline dichtbij is’. It also appears in ‘wat haalbaar is’, where it links the subject with the idea of being achievable; this pattern is useful for describing a current state.
Een ‘Een’ means a and introduces the general idea of one boundary in ‘Een grens stellen’. The pattern ‘Een’ plus a noun is useful when introducing one non-specific thing.
grens ‘grens’ means boundary and refers to a limit around work and rest in ‘Een grens stellen’. The expression ‘een grens stellen’ is useful when talking about setting a limit.
stellen ‘stellen’ means set or establish in ‘Een grens stellen’; together, the expression means setting a boundary. The pattern ‘een grens stellen’ is useful when explaining a limit to a colleague or manager.
geen ‘geen’ means no or not any and negates the noun ‘luiheid’ in ‘geen luiheid’. The pattern ‘geen’ plus a noun is useful for saying that something is not present or does not apply.
luiheid ‘luiheid’ means laziness, the quality that setting a boundary is said not to be in ‘geen luiheid’. It is useful when discussing whether choosing rest reflects laziness.
het ‘het’ means it in ‘als het je helpt herstellen’ and refers back to setting a boundary. It is useful for referring to a previously mentioned action or situation as the subject of a clause.
helpt ‘helpt’ means helps in ‘het je helpt herstellen’, describing a benefit for the person. The pattern ‘je helpt herstellen’ is useful when saying that something supports someone’s recovery.
herstellen ‘herstellen’ means recover in ‘je helpt herstellen’, referring to recovering from exhaustion or burnout. It is useful when discussing regaining strength after strain.
Misschien ‘Misschien’ means maybe and makes the suggestion tentative in ‘Misschien moet ik mijn manager vertellen ...’. It is useful when proposing a possible action without presenting it as certain.
moet ‘moet’ means must or should in ‘moet ik mijn manager vertellen ...’, expressing what the speaker thinks should be done. The pattern ‘moet’ plus an action is useful for discussing an obligation or recommended next step.
mijn ‘mijn’ means my and identifies the manager as belonging to or being connected with the speaker in ‘mijn manager’. The pattern ‘mijn’ plus a noun is useful when referring to something or someone connected to you.
manager ‘manager’ means manager and is the workplace person the speaker may talk to about realistic expectations. The expression ‘mijn manager vertellen’ is useful when discussing workload with a supervisor.
vertellen ‘vertellen’ means tell and describes communicating information to the manager in ‘mijn manager vertellen wat haalbaar is’. The pattern ‘iemand vertellen wat ...’ is useful when telling someone what is possible or true.
wat ‘wat’ means what and introduces the information ‘wat haalbaar is’. It is useful for introducing the content of something that is being told, evaluated, or discussed.
haalbaar ‘haalbaar’ means achievable or realistic in ‘wat haalbaar is’, referring to work that can actually be completed. The expression ‘vertellen wat haalbaar is’ is useful when setting realistic expectations.
vóór ‘vóór’ means before and places the conversation before the deadline in ‘vóór de deadline’. The pattern ‘vóór’ plus a time point or event is useful for setting a latest preparation time.
Wees ‘Wees’ means be and gives direct advice in ‘Wees duidelijk’. It is useful when asking someone to show a particular quality or communicate in a particular way.
duidelijk ‘duidelijk’ means clear and describes how the speaker should communicate about the work in ‘Wees duidelijk over ...’. The pattern ‘wees duidelijk over’ is useful when discussing a topic without ambiguity.
over ‘over’ means about and marks the topic after ‘duidelijk’ in ‘duidelijk over wat je ... kunt afmaken’. The pattern ‘duidelijk over’ is useful when saying that information about a subject should be clear.
tegen ‘tegen’ means by in the time expression ‘tegen die tijd’, indicating that something should be completed no later than that time. It is useful when setting a completion point connected to a deadline.
die ‘die’ means that in ‘tegen die tijd’ and points to the time already understood from the deadline discussion. The pattern ‘die’ plus a noun is useful when referring to a specific previously mentioned time or thing.
tijd ‘tijd’ means time in ‘tegen die tijd’, referring to the relevant time before or at the deadline. The expression ‘tegen die tijd’ is useful when saying ‘by then’.
kunt ‘kunt’ means can and describes what the listener is able to finish in ‘wat je tegen die tijd kunt afmaken’. The pattern ‘kunt’ plus an action is useful when discussing someone’s ability or available capacity.
afmaken ‘afmaken’ means finish or complete in ‘wat je tegen die tijd kunt afmaken’. It is useful for discussing which tasks or pieces of work can be completed by a specified time.
waarvoor ‘waarvoor’ means for which and introduces the part of the work ‘waarvoor je meer tijd nodig hebt’. It is useful when identifying the particular task or matter that requires something.
meer ‘meer’ means more and indicates that the speaker needs an additional amount of time in ‘meer tijd nodig hebt’. The pattern ‘meer’ plus a noun is useful when saying that the amount required is greater.
nodig ‘nodig’ means needed or necessary in ‘meer tijd nodig hebt’. Together with ‘tijd’ and ‘hebt’, the expression says that more time is required; ‘iets nodig hebben’ is useful when stating what someone needs.
hebt ‘hebt’ means have in ‘meer tijd nodig hebt’, but with ‘nodig’ the whole expression means need more time. The pattern ‘tijd nodig hebt’ is useful when explaining that a task cannot be completed within the available time.
Vandaag ‘Vandaag’ means today and sets the day for the speaker’s planned lunch in ‘Vandaag ga ik lunchen ...’. It is useful for announcing an action planned for the current day.
ga ‘ga’ means go in ‘ga ik lunchen’, where ‘gaan’ plus an action expresses a planned future activity. The pattern ‘ga ... lunchen’ is useful when announcing a plan to have lunch.
lunchen ‘lunchen’ means have lunch and is the planned activity in ‘ga ik lunchen’. It is useful when talking about taking the midday meal, especially as a break from work.
weg ‘weg’ means away in ‘weg van mijn bureau’, showing separation from the desk. The pattern ‘weg van’ plus a place is useful when saying that someone is away from a particular location.
bureau ‘bureau’ means desk in ‘weg van mijn bureau’, identifying the place the speaker plans to leave for lunch. The expression ‘mijn bureau’ is useful when referring to your own work desk.
kleine ‘kleine’ means small and describes the step in ‘een kleine maar nuttige stap’. It is useful before a noun when describing an action as limited in size or scope.
maar ‘maar’ means but and contrasts ‘kleine’ with ‘nuttige’ in ‘kleine maar nuttige’. The pattern ‘X maar Y’ is useful when showing that two descriptions both apply despite a contrast.
nuttige ‘nuttige’ means useful and describes the step in ‘een kleine maar nuttige stap’. It is useful before a noun when saying that an action has practical value.
stap ‘stap’ means step and refers here to a practical action toward getting energy back, not necessarily a physical step. The expression ‘een ... stap om ...’ is useful when describing progress toward a goal.
om ‘om’ means in order to and introduces the purpose ‘om je energie terug te krijgen’. The pattern ‘om’ plus an action is useful for explaining why something is done.
energie ‘energie’ means energy and is what the speaker wants to regain in ‘je energie terug te krijgen’. It is useful when discussing physical or mental capacity after work or effort.
terug ‘terug’ means back and shows that the energy is being regained in ‘terug te krijgen’. It is useful when describing a return to a previous condition or level.
te ‘te’ marks the infinitive in ‘om je energie terug te krijgen’. Together with ‘om’, the pattern ‘om ... te ...’ expresses purpose and is useful for saying what an action is intended to achieve.
krijgen ‘krijgen’ means get or regain in ‘je energie terug te krijgen’. With ‘energie’ and ‘terug’, it describes recovering energy; this pattern is useful when talking about regaining something that has been lost or reduced.

Grammar Points

raken + bijvoeglijk naamwoord

opgebrand raken

OHP-kuh-brahnt RAH-kun

to become burned out

Raken + adjective describes entering a state or condition; here, becoming burned out.

te + infinitief

terug te krijgen

tuh-ROOK tuh KRY-khun

to get back; to regain

Te comes before the infinitive in certain constructions: terugkrijgen becomes terug te krijgen.

Dutch Vocabulary

deadline noun
DEAD-line deadline

Wanneer de deadline dichtbij is.

druk noun
druhk pressure

De druk blijft oplopen.

grens stellen phrase
khrens STEL-un to set a boundary

Een grens stellen is geen luiheid.

herstellen verb
huh-STEL-un to recover

Als het je helpt herstellen.

luiheid noun
LUY-hite laziness

Een grens stellen is geen luiheid.

opgebrand raken phrase
OHP-kuh-brahnt RAH-kun to become burned out

Ik denk dat ik opgebrand raak door deze werkdruk.

oplopen verb
OHP-loh-pun to build up; to increase oploopt

Waarom de druk blijft oplopen.

pauze noun
POW-zuh break pauzes

Heb je echte pauzes genomen?

rust noun
ruhst rest

Dat voelt niet echt als rust.

schuldig adj
SKHUL-dukh guilty

Ik voel me schuldig als ik stop.

van taak wisselen phrase
vahn tahk WISS-uh-lun to switch tasks

Ben je alleen van taak gewisseld?

werkdruk noun
WERK-drook workload; work pressure

Ik denk dat ik opgebrand raak door deze werkdruk.

Quiz

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

pressure

Show Answerdruk

rest

Show Answerrust

deadline

Show Answerdeadline

to build up; to increase

Show Answeroploopt