Making a private call during a work break | Learn Dutch in English

Sentence explanations

1. Ik moet tijdens de pauze een privégesprek voeren.

   I need to make a private call during the break.

   Ik moet

   I need to / I must

   tijdens

   during

   pauze

   break

   privégesprek

   private conversation / call

   voeren

   to conduct / make

   More detail

   Ik moet combines the subject ik (“I”) with moet, the present-tense form of moeten for ik. Here it expresses a need or obligation. With a lexical verb, Dutch places the other verb in the infinitive: Ik moet wachten. — “I need to wait.” The same form can also be used with other subjects, but the form changes: ik moet, jij moet, wij moeten. tijdens means “during” and introduces the period in which something happens. It is a preposition, so tijdens de pauze means “during the break.” Example: Tijdens de les lees ik. — “During the lesson, I read.” pauze is a noun meaning “break,” especially a pause in an activity such as work or a lesson. Its common article is de: de pauze. Example: De pauze begint om tien uur. — “The break begins at ten o’clock.” privégesprek is a compound noun meaning “private conversation.” In this sentence, the fixed translation identifies it as a private call. The adjective privé means “private,” and gesprek means “conversation”; Dutch writes this compound as one word. Example: We voeren een privégesprek. — “We are having a private conversation.” voeren is the infinitive “to conduct” or “to have” in certain fixed combinations. With gesprek, een gesprek voeren means “to have or conduct a conversation”; in the supplied sentence, een privégesprek voeren is naturally translated as “make a private call.” Because moet already carries the finite verb function, voeren remains an infinitive at the end. Example: Zij voert een belangrijk gesprek. — “She is having an important conversation.” Together, Ik moet gives the need, tijdens de pauze specifies when it applies, and een privégesprek voeren names the required action. The whole utterance therefore means: “I need to make a private call during the break.”

2. Gebruik de rustige gang als het onderwerp gevoelig is.

   Use the quiet hallway if the topic is sensitive.

   Gebruik

   use

   rustige

   quiet

   gang

   hallway

   als

   if

   onderwerp

   topic

   gevoelig

   sensitive

   is

   is

   More detail

   Gebruik is the imperative of gebruiken (“to use”). It gives a direct instruction: “Use …”. In Dutch, the imperative commonly uses the verb stem, so gebruiken becomes gebruik here. Example: Gebruik deze stoel. — “Use this chair.” rustige means “quiet” here and describes gang. Its base form is rustig. Before the singular definite noun gang, the adjective takes the attributive ending -e: rustige gang. This ending belongs to the adjective, not to the noun. Example: een rustige kamer — “a quiet room.” gang means “hallway” or “corridor”. It is a common-gender noun with the definite article de: de gang. The plural is gangen. In this sentence, it refers to the hallway being recommended for use. als introduces the condition “if”. It connects the instruction to the situation in which it applies. Here it begins the conditional clause als het onderwerp gevoelig is, which follows the main instruction. Example: Bel me als je tijd hebt. — “Call me if you have time.” onderwerp means “topic” or “subject”. The form here is singular and definite because it is preceded by het: het onderwerp. Its plural is onderwerpen, as in de onderwerpen (“the topics”). gevoelig means “sensitive” in this context. It is a predicate adjective after the linking verb is, so it remains in its basic form rather than taking attributive -e. Compare een gevoelig onderwerp (“a sensitive topic”) with het onderwerp is gevoelig (“the topic is sensitive”). is is the third-person singular present form of zijn (“to be”). It links het onderwerp with the description gevoelig. In the conditional clause, Dutch places the finite verb at the end: het onderwerp gevoelig is. Together, Gebruik de rustige gang gives the instruction “Use the quiet hallway”. The conditional clause als het onderwerp gevoelig is adds the condition “if the topic is sensitive”. The complete utterance therefore means: “Use the quiet hallway if the topic is sensitive.”

3. Ik wil mensen die nog aan het werk zijn niet storen.

   I don't want to interrupt people who are still working.

   Ik wil

   I want

   mensen

   people

   aan het werk

   at work; working

   storen

   to disturb; to interrupt

   More detail

   Ik wil means “I want” here. wil is the present-tense form of willen for ik; the infinitive is willen. Dutch uses willen + an infinitive to express a person’s wish or intention: Ik wil rusten. = “I want to rest.” mensen means “people.” It is the plural of mens (“person/human”). The plural form is useful when the statement concerns more than one person, without specifying an exact number. die introduces information about mensen: “who.” In this use it is a relative pronoun referring back to a plural noun. The relative clause is die nog aan het werk zijn (“who are still working”). nog means “still” here. It indicates that the people’s working is continuing at the relevant time. It can also have other meanings in Dutch, such as “another” or “yet,” so its meaning comes from the surrounding construction. aan het werk is a fixed expression meaning “at work” or, with zijn, “working.” aan het werk zijn describes being engaged in work; it is not simply the noun werk used by itself. For example, Zij zijn aan het werk. means “They are working.” zijn means “are” in this relative clause. It is the plural present-tense form of zijn (“to be”), matching the plural referent of die, namely mensen. The pattern aan het werk zijn places zijn after the other part of the expression in this clause. niet is the usual Dutch negation word for denying the action that follows it here. In niet storen, it makes the meaning “not interrupt.” Its exact position can vary with sentence structure, but here it directly precedes the infinitive storen. storen means “to disturb” or “to interrupt.” It is an infinitive, selected after wil: Ik wil ... storen would mean “I want to interrupt ...,” while Ik wil ... niet storen means “I don’t want to interrupt ...”. Together, mensen die nog aan het werk zijn means “people who are still working.” The relative clause identifies the people by their continuing work. The main pattern is Ik wil [object] niet [infinitive]: “I don’t want to [verb] [object].” Thus Ik wil mensen die nog aan het werk zijn niet storen. means “I don’t want to interrupt people who are still working.”

4. De vergadering gaat zo weer verder, dus houd het kort als dat kan.

   The meeting restarts soon, so keep it brief if you can.

   vergadering

   meeting

   gaat … verder

   continues

   zo

   soon

   weer

   again

   dus

   so

   houd het kort

   keep it brief

   als dat kan

   if you can

   More detail

   vergadering means “meeting” here. Its base form is vergadering; the plural is vergaderingen. It is a countable noun, so Dutch uses de in de vergadering. Example: De vergadering begint om negen uur. — “The meeting starts at nine.” gaat ... verder expresses continuation: literally, the meeting “goes further,” and naturally, it continues or resumes. The verb is gaan; gaat is its present-tense form for a singular subject such as de vergadering. verder means “further/onward” and completes this continuation pattern. Example: Na de pauze gaat de les verder. — “After the break, the lesson continues.” zo means “soon” in this sentence. It refers to the meeting continuing in the near future, not to the manner “like this.” Example: Ik kom zo terug. — “I’ll be back soon.” weer means “again.” Together with the continuation expression, weer verder indicates that the meeting will continue again after a pause or interruption. Example: De film gaat weer verder. — “The film continues again.” dus connects a stated situation to its consequence: “so” or “therefore.” It introduces the request that follows. Example: Het regent, dus neem een jas mee. — “It’s raining, so take a jacket.” houd het kort is a reusable informal singular imperative meaning “keep it brief.” The verb is houden; houd is its imperative form. The normal pattern is iets kort houden, literally “keep something short,” with het serving as the object here. kort describes the desired brief length or duration. Example: Houd je antwoord kort. — “Keep your answer brief.” als dat kan means “if you can” or, more literally, “if that is possible.” kan is the present-tense singular form of kunnen, “can/be able to.” In this sentence, dat refers to carrying out the immediately preceding request—keeping it brief—without requiring a specific noun referent. Example: Kom morgen, als dat kan. — “Come tomorrow, if you can.” The complete structure is De vergadering gaat zo weer verder, dus houd het kort als dat kan. The first part says that the meeting will continue soon again. dus marks the consequence, and the second part gives an informal singular request to keep the contribution brief, softened by als dat kan (“if you can”). The fixed meaning is therefore: “The meeting restarts soon, so keep it brief if you can.”

5. Als ik niet precies op tijd terug ben, zou je dan kunnen bijhouden wat ik mis?

   If I'm not back exactly on time, could you keep track of anything I miss?

   Als ik

   if I

   niet

   not

   precies

   exactly

   op tijd

   on time

   terug

   back

   ben

   am

   zou je dan kunnen

   could you then

   bijhouden

   keep track of

   wat ik mis

   what I miss

   More detail

   Als ik introduces a condition: “if I …”. Dutch als can introduce a conditional clause, and ik is the first-person singular pronoun “I”. Example: Als ik tijd heb, kom ik. — “If I have time, I’ll come.” niet negates the following situation. Here it makes being back on time negative: “am not”. Its position can affect what is being negated, so it is useful to keep it with the clause it modifies. precies means “exactly” and narrows the accuracy of the time reference. It can also modify other words, as in precies hetzelfde — “exactly the same.” op tijd is the fixed expression “on time”, meaning not late for the relevant time. It differs from tijdig, a more formal word that can mean “in time” or “early enough,” depending on context. terug means “back” or “back again,” indicating a return toward the relevant place or situation. It is an adverb here, not an inflected form of a verb. Example: Ik kom morgen terug. — “I’m coming back tomorrow.” ben is the first-person singular present form of zijn, “to be”: ik ben — “I am.” The form agrees with ik; other subjects use forms such as jij bent and wij zijn. Together, Als ik niet precies op tijd terug ben means “If I am not back exactly on time.” The clause uses present-tense Dutch even though it refers to a possible future situation; Dutch commonly uses this present form in an als clause. zou je dan kunnen is a reusable way to ask “could you then …?” zou is a form of zullen used here with kunnen to express a conditional or polite request, while je is the second-person singular pronoun “you.” dan means “then” and links the requested action to the condition. The lexical verb after kunnen remains in the infinitive: Zou je kunnen helpen? — “Could you help?” bijhouden means “to keep track of” or “to keep a record of.” It is a separable verb in many finite forms: Ik houd het bij — “I keep track of it”; the infinitive remains together after kunnen: kunnen bijhouden. Do not confuse it with simply houden (“to hold/keep”); the prefix bij- contributes the idea of maintaining something alongside or up to date. wat ik mis means “what I miss.” wat introduces the thing or information concerned, and ik mis is the first-person singular present form of missen, “to miss” or “to be missing.” Example: Ik schrijf op wat ik mis. — “I write down what I miss.” In this sentence, wat ik mis is the object of bijhouden; the speaker asks the other person to track the things or information the speaker misses. As a whole, Als ik niet precies op tijd terug ben, zou je dan kunnen bijhouden wat ik mis? means: “If I’m not back exactly on time, could you keep track of anything I miss?” The conditional clause gives the situation, and the main clause makes a polite request for the tracking action.

6. Dat kan ik doen, maar stuur me een bericht als het gesprek langer duurt.

   I can do that, but message me if the call takes longer.

   Dat

   that

   kan ik

   I can

   doen

   do

   stuur me

   message me

   een bericht

   a message

   als

   if

   het gesprek

   the call

   langer

   longer

   duurt

   takes

   More detail

   Dat means “that” here and refers to the action being discussed: doing what was requested. In Dutch, dat is also a demonstrative pronoun; its specific referent comes from context rather than from the word’s form alone. kan ik expresses “I can.” kan is the present-tense form of kunnen used with ik; the verb kunnen expresses ability or possibility. In Dat kan ik doen, the initial object Dat occupies the first position, so the finite verb comes before the subject: a common Dutch main-clause pattern. Compare Ik kan dat doen (“I can do that”), where the subject is first. doen means “do” and is the infinitive after kan. After a modal verb such as kunnen, the other verb normally remains in the infinitive. Example: Ik kan helpen. — “I can help.” stuur me means “message me” in this context. stuur is the imperative of sturen (“to send”), and me is the object pronoun “me.” The imperative directly addresses the listener. Example: Stuur me een foto. — “Send me a photo.” een bericht means “a message.” bericht is a noun; een is the indefinite article. The phrase does not by itself state a precise numerical count; it presents a message as an unspecified item. Example: Ik stuur een bericht. — “I send a message.” als introduces the condition “if” here. It connects the request to the condition that follows. Example: Bel me als je klaar bent. — “Call me if you are ready.” het gesprek means “the call” in the fixed translation. gesprek is a neuter noun, which is why it appears with the definite article het here. In other contexts, gesprek can also mean “conversation” or “discussion”; the fixed translation identifies the intended sense here. langer means “longer.” It is the comparative form of lang (“long”): lang → langer. It compares the duration with an expected or previously understood duration. Example: De vergadering duurt langer. — “The meeting lasts longer.” duurt means “takes” or “lasts” here. It is the present-tense third-person singular form of duren (“to last”); the subject is het gesprek. The construction iets duurt lang means that something lasts a long time, and iets duurt langer means that it lasts longer. Together, Dat kan ik doen says “I can do that.” maar then contrasts this agreement with a request: stuur me een bericht means “message me.” The condition als het gesprek langer duurt means “if the call takes longer.” The complete utterance is therefore: “I can do that, but message me if the call takes longer.”

7. Dat doe ik. Ik zou vóór het volgende agendapunt terug moeten zijn.

   I will. I should be back before the next agenda item.

   Dat

   that

   doe

   do

   ik

   I

   Ik zou

   I should

   vóór

   before

   volgende

   next

   agendapunt

   agenda item

   terug

   back

   moeten

   need to

   zijn

   be

   More detail

   Dat means “that” here and refers to the action mentioned in the preceding context. Dutch dat can also introduce a clause, but in this sentence it is a demonstrative pronoun functioning as the object of doe. doe is the first-person singular present form of doen, “to do”: ik doe = “I do.” Because Dat comes first, the finite verb comes before the subject: Dat doe ik literally has the order “That do I.” This inversion is normal when another element occupies the first position. ik is the first-person singular pronoun, “I.” In Dat doe ik, it identifies the person carrying out the action; in the following clause, it is also the person who is expected to be back. Ik zou introduces a tentative, expected, or conditional statement. zou is the form of zullen used here with first-person singular ik; with an infinitive phrase it can give a meaning such as “would” or “should,” with the exact nuance determined by context. The useful pattern is ik zou + infinitive: Ik zou morgen komen. = “I would/should come tomorrow,” with the exact nuance determined by context. vóór means “before” in a time expression. It places the event or point that follows it earlier than the reference point: vóór de vergadering = “before the meeting.” The accent can mark contrast or emphasis in writing; the unaccented preposition voor is also commonly used for “before,” depending on context and style. volgende means “next” here. It is the form of the adjective volgend used before the definite noun phrase het volgende agendapunt; the -e form is required in this construction. Compare het volgende punt (“the next point”) with the indefinite neuter phrase een volgend punt (“a next/following point”), where the adjective form differs. agendapunt is a neuter compound noun meaning “agenda item” or “item on the agenda.” Its plural is agendapunten: the final part changes from punt to punten, while the compound remains one word. In this sentence, het belongs to the noun phrase het volgende agendapunt. terug means “back,” expressing a return to a previous place or situation. It is an adverb, not an inflected adjective: Ik ben terug. = “I am back.” moeten means “to have to” or “to need to.” It is the infinitive after zou: zou moeten + infinitive. In this sentence, zou moeten zijn expresses an expected or advisable state, translated by the fixed meaning as “should be.” zijn is the infinitive of zijn, “to be.” It completes the pattern terug zijn, “to be back.” The final infinitive is selected because moeten is itself preceded by the modal form zou: zou moeten zijn. Together, Ik zou vóór het volgende agendapunt terug moeten zijn means “I should be back before the next agenda item.” Ik is the subject; zou moeten zijn forms the modal verb chain; terug describes the state of being back; and vóór het volgende agendapunt sets the time limit. Combined with Dat doe ik, the whole utterance means: “I will. I should be back before the next agenda item.”

8. Het eerste deel na de pauze is alleen een korte update.

   The first part after the break is just a quick update.

   eerste

   first

   deel

   part

   na

   after

   pauze

   break

   is

   is

   alleen

   just

   korte

   short

   update

   update

   More detail

   eerste means “first” here: it marks the earliest item in an ordered series, not merely a high degree of a quality. The related ordinal forms include tweede “second” and derde “third”. Example: Het eerste punt is duidelijk. — “The first point is clear.” deel means “part” or “section”. Its plural is delen. In this sentence it identifies one section of something larger. Example: Dit deel is kort. — “This part is short.” na means “after” and introduces what follows in time or order. Here it links the section to de pauze, so the section comes after the break. Example: Na de les ga ik naar huis. — “After the lesson, I go home.” pauze means “break” or “pause”. It is a common-gender noun, so it is used with de: de pauze. Example: De pauze begint nu. — “The break starts now.” is is the present-tense form of zijn “to be” for a singular subject in the third person. The subject here is Het eerste deel, which is singular. Example: Het plan is eenvoudig. — “The plan is simple.” alleen means “just” in this sentence, limiting the description to what follows. It does not itself mean that there is a numerical count. Example: Het is alleen een voorstel. — “It is just a proposal.” korte means “short” here. Its base form is kort; the -e form appears before the noun in een korte update, because update is a common-gender noun. Example: We hebben een korte bespreking. — “We have a short discussion.” update is a noun meaning “update”: a brief report of new information or progress. Dutch commonly uses the plural updates. Example: Ik geef een update. — “I am giving an update.” Together, Het eerste deel means “the first part”; na de pauze specifies that this part comes after the break; is links that subject to its description; and alleen een korte update says that it is just a short update. The complete meaning is: “The first part after the break is just a quick update.”

9. Dat helpt. Ik ga nu even naar buiten.

   That helps. I'll step outside now.

   Dat

   that

   helpt

   helps

   Ik ga

   I am going / I’ll go

   nu

   now

   even

   briefly

   naar buiten

   outside

   More detail

   Dat means “that” here and refers to something previously mentioned or understood; the supplied translation supports that general reference but does not identify a more specific referent. Dutch dat is also the neuter singular demonstrative, distinct from die in other demonstrative uses. helpt is the present-tense form of helpen (“to help”) with a third-person singular subject: het helpt means “it helps,” and dat helpt means “that helps.” The -t ending here belongs to the verb form, not to dat. Example: Dit helpt. — “This helps.” Ik ga combines ik (“I”) with the present form ga of gaan (“to go”). The form ga is used with ik; compare jij gaat (“you go”) and wij gaan (“we go”). In Dutch, a present-tense form of gaan can describe an imminent or intended action, so Ik ga ... can naturally correspond to “I’ll ...” in this context. nu means “now” and places the action in the present moment. It modifies the following situation as a whole: the speaker is going outside now, rather than at an unspecified later time. even literally relates to a short moment, but in this sentence it makes the action sound brief or lightly framed: “for a moment” or “just.” Its exact English rendering depends on context. Example: Wacht even. — “Wait a moment.” naar buiten is a directional phrase meaning “outside” or “to the outside.” naar marks movement toward a destination, while buiten means “outside.” It differs from buiten used simply to describe location: Ik ben buiten. — “I am outside.” Together, Ik ga nu even naar buiten means “I’ll step outside now”: the speaker intends to move outside at this moment, with even suggesting that the outing is brief or lightly expressed. The complete utterance is Dat helpt. Ik ga nu even naar buiten. — “That helps. I’ll step outside now.”

10. Neem de tijd die je nodig hebt, maar houd de klok in de gaten.

    Take the time you need, but keep an eye on the clock.

    Neem

    take

    tijd

    time

    die je nodig hebt

    that you need

    houd … in de gaten

    keep an eye on

    klok

    clock

    More detail

    Neem is the imperative of nemen (“to take”). Dutch imperative forms do not by themselves specify whether the addressee is singular, plural, informal, or formal; the situation supplies that information. Here it gives advice or an instruction. Example: Neem een pauze. — “Take a break.” tijd means “time.” In Neem de tijd, Dutch uses the definite article de in the established expression meaning “take your time”; this does not by itself state a particular measured quantity. Example: Ik heb tijd. — “I have time.” die je nodig hebt means “that you need.” die is a relative pronoun introducing information about tijd and agrees with that noun’s relevant grammatical class; here it links the clause to tijd. nodig means “needed” or “necessary,” and hebt is the present-tense form of hebben with je (“you”). Together, nodig hebben is the reusable pattern “to need”: Ik heb hulp nodig. — “I need help.” houd ... in de gaten is the Dutch idiom “keep an eye on” or “watch.” houd is the imperative of houden (“to keep/hold”), while in de gaten completes the idiom; the parts are discontinuous because de klok occurs between them. Example: Houd de deur in de gaten. — “Keep an eye on the door.” klok means “clock.” With de, de klok means “the clock.” Example: De klok loopt achter. — “The clock is slow.” The first part, Neem de tijd die je nodig hebt, says to take the time you need. maar means “but” and contrasts this advice with the second part, houd de klok in de gaten, “keep an eye on the clock.” Together, the utterance means: “Take the time you need, but keep an eye on the clock.”