Choosing indoor exercise when air quality is poor | Learn Dutch in English

Sentence explanations

1. De lucht voelt vandaag zwaar aan en de luchtkwaliteit kan slecht zijn.

   The air feels heavy today, and air quality may be poor.

   lucht

   air

   voelt … aan

   feels

   vandaag

   today

   zwaar

   heavy

   luchtkwaliteit

   air quality

   kan

   may

   slecht

   poor

   zijn

   be

   More detail

   lucht means “air” here. It is a common-gender Dutch noun, so the definite article is de: de lucht. The same noun can refer to the sky in another context, but the fixed translation identifies “air” here. voelt ... aan comes from the separable verb aanvoelen, “to feel” or “to have a certain feel.” In this sentence, voelt is the present-tense third-person singular form, agreeing with de lucht; aan appears later because the verb is separable. Example: De stof voelt zacht aan. — “The fabric feels soft.” vandaag means “today” and places the feeling in the current day. It is an adverb and does not change form. zwaar means “heavy.” Here it describes how the air feels, rather than asserting that the air has a measured physical weight. As an adjective used after aanvoelen, it stays in this form. Example: De tas voelt zwaar aan. — “The bag feels heavy.” luchtkwaliteit is the compound noun “air quality”: lucht + kwaliteit. Dutch commonly combines nouns into one word, and the whole compound takes the definite article de: de luchtkwaliteit. kan is the present-tense third-person singular form of the modal verb kunnen, “can” or “may.” With an infinitive, it expresses possibility here: kan ... zijn means “may be.” Example: Het weer kan morgen beter zijn. — “The weather may be better tomorrow.” slecht means “poor” or “bad.” Here it describes the quality as possibly poor. It is a predicative adjective after zijn, so it appears without an ending: kan slecht zijn. zijn is the infinitive “to be.” After the modal kan, Dutch uses the infinitive rather than a finite form: kan ... zijn. Together, De lucht voelt vandaag zwaar aan means “The air feels heavy today.” The conjunction en links this with de luchtkwaliteit kan slecht zijn, “air quality may be poor.” The complete utterance therefore says: “The air feels heavy today, and air quality may be poor.”

2. Buiten sporten is dan misschien geen goed idee.

   Outdoor exercise might not be a good idea, then.

   Buiten

   outdoors

   sporten

   to exercise; to play sports

   is

   is

   dan

   then

   misschien

   perhaps

   geen

   no; not a

   goed

   good

   idee

   idea

   More detail

   Buiten means “outdoors” here. It is an adverb describing where the activity takes place. A reusable pattern is buiten + activity, as in buiten werken (“to work outdoors”). Sporten is the infinitive “to exercise” or “to play sports.” The infinitive can name an activity, as in Sporten is gezond (“Exercising is healthy”). In this sentence, buiten sporten functions together as the subject: “exercising outdoors.” Is is the present-tense form of zijn (“to be”) for a singular subject. Here the subject is the activity buiten sporten, so the sentence uses singular agreement. Compare zijn in Sporten en wandelen zijn gezond (“Exercising and walking are healthy”), where the subject contains two activities. Dan means “then” in this sentence. It connects the conclusion to the situation already mentioned: given those conditions, outdoor exercise may not be a good idea. Its position can vary in Dutch; for example, Dan is buiten sporten misschien geen goed idee has the same basic meaning. Misschien means “perhaps” or “maybe.” It marks uncertainty about the judgment; it does not say that outdoor exercise definitely is a bad idea. For example, Misschien regent het means “It might rain.” Geen is used to negate an indefinite noun phrase. In geen goed idee, it contributes to the meaning “not a good idea,” rather than asserting a quantity of ideas. It commonly contrasts with een: een goed idee (“a good idea”) versus geen goed idee (“not a good idea”). Goed means “good” here and describes idee. Its base form is goed; in an indefinite singular neuter phrase such as een goed idee, it has no -e. With a common-gender noun, the attributive form is usually goede, as in een goede oplossing (“a good solution”). Idee means “idea.” It is a neuter noun: het idee. Its plural is ideeën (“ideas”). In the fixed sentence, it is the noun in the expression geen goed idee. Together, buiten sporten is the activity being evaluated, and is ... geen goed idee says that it is not a good idea. Dan connects this judgment with the circumstances already mentioned, while misschien makes the judgment uncertain. The whole utterance therefore means: “Outdoor exercise might not be a good idea, then.”

3. Ik was van plan om in het park te gaan hardlopen.

   I was planning to run in the park.

   Ik

   I

   was van plan om

   was planning to

   park

   park

   gaan

   go

   hardlopen

   go running

   More detail

   Ik is the first-person singular pronoun meaning “I,” used when the speaker refers to themself. It contrasts with jij or je (“you”), which refers to another person. was van plan om is part of the reusable pattern van plan zijn om ... te ..., meaning “to plan or intend to do something.” Was is the past-tense singular form of zijn (“be”), so the intention is located in the past. For example: Ik ben van plan om morgen te koken. — “I plan to cook tomorrow.” park is the noun “park.” In in het park, in marks the location and het is the definite article used with this noun. For example: We wandelen in het park. — “We walk in the park.” gaan is the infinitive of gaan, “to go.” In te gaan hardlopen, it combines with hardlopen to express going to do that activity: gaan hardlopen means “go running.” This is different from the simple use of gaan for movement to a place. For example: We gaan morgen zwemmen. — “We are going swimming tomorrow.” hardlopen is the verb “to go running” or “to run.” It is an infinitive here and names the activity after gaan. For example: Zij wil in het park hardlopen. — “She wants to go running in the park.” Taken together, Ik identifies the speaker, was van plan om introduces a past intention, in het park gives the location, and te gaan hardlopen names the intended activity. The complete utterance means: “I was planning to run in the park.”

4. Als je last hebt van vervuiling, kies dan liever voor een training binnen.

   If pollution bothers you, choose an indoor workout instead.

   Als je

   if you

   last hebt van

   are bothered by

   vervuiling

   pollution

   kies

   choose

   liever

   rather; preferably

   training

   workout; training

   binnen

   indoors

   More detail

   Als je introduces a condition: “if you …”. je is an informal “you” form; it can refer to one person or, in suitable contexts, more than one person. In this clause, the verb follows it, as in Als je ... hebt. A reusable pattern is Als je ..., ... (“If you ..., ...”). last hebt van is the Dutch construction for being bothered by or suffering inconvenience from something. Its base verb is hebben; hebt is the present-tense form used with je here. The noun or situation causing the nuisance follows van, as in Ik heb last van lawaai. — “I am bothered by noise.” vervuiling means “pollution” here. It is a noun referring to contamination or environmental pollution. The fixed translation supports the environmental reading in this sentence. last hebben van vervuiling therefore means “be bothered by pollution.” kies means “choose” here. It is the imperative form of kiezen, used to address the listener or listeners. Dutch imperatives commonly use the verb stem, so Kies ... means “Choose ...”. With voor, the reusable pattern is kiezen voor iets (“choose something”). Example: Kies een rustige plek. — “Choose a quiet place.” liever expresses preference: “rather” or “preferably.” It is the comparative form related to graag and can indicate that one option is preferred to another. A useful pattern is liever A dan B — “A rather than B”; that pattern includes dan, but this fixed sentence does not. Here, liever marks the indoor workout as the preferred option. training is a noun meaning a workout or training session. It can refer to organized practice or physical exercise; the fixed translation supports “workout” in this context. Example: De training begint om zeven uur. — “The training session starts at seven o’clock.” binnen is an adverb meaning “indoors” or “inside.” It describes the location of the workout without naming a particular building. Its useful opposite is buiten, “outdoors.” Example: Vandaag train ik binnen. — “Today I am training indoors.” Together, Als je last hebt van vervuiling sets the condition “If pollution bothers you.” kies ... liever voor gives the recommendation “preferably choose,” and een training binnen supplies the preferred option: “an indoor workout.” The complete utterance is therefore: “If pollution bothers you, choose an indoor workout instead.”

5. Ik zou in de sportschool kunnen trainen, hoewel dat minder ontspannend voelt dan het park.

   I could use the gym, although it feels less relaxing than the park.

   Ik zou

   I would

   kunnen

   be able to; can

   sportschool

   gym

   trainen

   train; work out

   hoewel

   although

   dat

   that; it

   minder ontspannend

   less relaxing

   voelt

   feels

   dan

   than

   park

   park

   More detail

   Ik zou introduces the speaker’s hypothetical or conditional stance: “I would.” In Dutch, zou is a form of zullen; here it combines with another verb to express a possible option rather than a definite plan. Example: Ik zou thuis blijven. — “I would stay home.” kunnen is the infinitive meaning “to be able to” or “can.” After zou, the infinitive is used: zou kunnen means “could” in this context. The construction zou + kunnen + infinitive is reusable for a possible action: Zij zou kunnen komen. — “She could come.” sportschool is the noun “gym.” In the sentence it appears in the phrase de sportschool; de is the definite article for this noun. Example: Ik ga naar de sportschool. — “I go to the gym.” trainen is the infinitive “to train” or “to work out.” It follows kunnen, so kunnen trainen means “be able to work out.” The same infinitive can be used after other modal verbs, for example moeten trainen — “must train.” hoewel means “although” and introduces a contrasting subordinate clause. Here, dat is the subject, minder ontspannend describes the degree, and voelt is the clause’s finite verb. The following dan het park completes the comparison; it does not make voelt a non-final verb in the subordinate clause. dat is the pronoun “that” or “it” here. It is a neuter singular form functioning as the subject of voelt. The fixed translation supports “it”; the supplied texts do not uniquely name a more specific concrete antecedent, so the safe reusable point is its grammatical role and form. Example: Ik weet dat. — “I know that.” minder ontspannend means “less relaxing.” minder marks a lower degree, while ontspannend is the adjective “relaxing.” A useful comparison pattern is minder + adjective: Deze plek is minder rustig. — “This place is less quiet.” voelt is the present-tense third-person singular form of voelen, “to feel.” The subject here is dat, so the form is singular: dat voelt. Voelen can describe how something feels, as in Het voelt goed. — “It feels good.” dan introduces the second part of a comparison and means “than.” The pattern is minder + adjective + dan: minder ontspannend dan ... — “less relaxing than ...” In other constructions, als can mean “if” or “when,” but it is not the comparison marker in this phrase. park is the noun “park.” The sentence has the full noun phrase het park, with the definite article het. Example: Het park is rustig. — “The park is quiet.” Together, Ik zou ... kunnen trainen expresses a possible choice: “I could work out.” in de sportschool places that activity in the gym. hoewel dat minder ontspannend voelt dan het park adds a contrast: it feels less relaxing than the park. The complete meaning is: “I could use the gym, although it feels less relaxing than the park.”

6. Binnen trainen is gezonder dan vervuilde lucht inademen.

   Training indoors is healthier than breathing poor air.

   Binnen

   indoors

   trainen

   to train; to exercise

   gezonder

   healthier

   dan

   than

   vervuilde

   polluted

   lucht

   air

   inademen

   to breathe in

   More detail

   Binnen means “indoors” here. It is an adverb of place, so it describes where the training happens. A reusable contrast is binnen “indoors” versus buiten “outdoors”: Ik werk binnen. — “I work indoors.” trainen means “to train” or “to exercise.” This is the infinitive, used here as the subject of the sentence: Binnen trainen means “training indoors.” Its common present-tense forms include ik train — “I train” and wij trainen — “we train.” gezonder means “healthier.” It is the comparative form of the adjective gezond “healthy”: gezond → gezonder → gezondst (“healthy” → “healthier” → “healthiest”). The comparative is followed by dan when two options are compared. Example: Deze keuze is gezonder dan die. — “This choice is healthier than that one.” dan means “than” in this comparison. It links the first option, binnen trainen, with the second option, vervuilde lucht inademen. This is different from als, which can introduce a condition, as in Als ik buiten loop, draag ik een masker. — “If I walk outdoors, I wear a mask.” vervuilde means “polluted” in this phrase. Its base form is the participial adjective vervuild “polluted.” It has the -e ending before lucht, a singular noun with the definite article de: vervuilde lucht. The ending belongs to the adjective, not to the noun. Example: vervuilde grond — “polluted soil.” lucht means “air.” It is a noun with the article de: de lucht. In this sentence it refers to air being breathed in, and the adjective specifies that the air is polluted. Example: De lucht is fris. — “The air is fresh.” inademen means “to breathe in” or “to inhale.” It is a separable verb: in a finite main clause, the parts separate, as in Ik adem de lucht in. — “I breathe the air in.” The infinitive keeps the combined form inademen, as it does here at the end of the infinitive phrase. Its past participle is ingeademd. Together, binnen trainen is the first option being evaluated, and vervuilde lucht inademen is the second. The pattern A is gezonder dan B means “A is healthier than B.” Thus the full utterance says: “Training indoors is healthier than breathing poor air.”

7. Moet ik een masker dragen als ik buiten moet lopen?

   Should I wear a mask if I need to walk outside?

   Moet ik

   should I?

   masker

   mask

   dragen

   wear

   als

   if

   buiten

   outside

   moet

   need to; must

   lopen

   walk

   More detail

   Moet ik means “should I?” here. moeten is the base form; moet is its present-tense form with ik and also with a singular subject such as hij or zij. In a yes/no question, the finite verb comes before the subject: Moet ik ...? (“Should I ...?”). Compare the ordinary order Ik moet ... (“I must/need to ...”). masker means “mask.” masker is the noun’s base form, and it is a het-word: het masker. With an indefinite article, the phrase is een masker (“a mask”). The article introduces an unspecified mask; it does not by itself assert a particular number as a teaching point. dragen means “wear” in this sentence. It is an infinitive, used after the modal verb moet: ik moet een masker dragen (“I need to wear a mask”). dragen can also mean “carry” in another context, so the clothing/protective-equipment context gives the intended meaning here. als introduces the condition “if” here. A common reusable pattern is als + a clause: Ik blijf binnen als het regent. — “I stay inside if it rains.” In the supplied sentence, the als clause comes after the main question clause. buiten means “outside.” It is an adverb here, specifying where the walking takes place. For example: De kinderen spelen buiten. — “The children are playing outside.” moet is the same present-tense form of moeten seen in Moet ik, but its position and function differ here. In the subordinate clause introduced by als, Dutch places the finite verb after the other clause elements: als ik buiten moet lopen (“if I need to walk outside”). The subject is ik, and the infinitive lopen follows the modal moet. lopen means “walk” here. It is an infinitive after moet; the modal carries the finite verb form, while lopen stays infinitive. Depending on context, lopen can also describe going on foot, but this sentence specifically presents walking outside as the activity. Together, Moet ik een masker dragen? asks whether the speaker needs to wear a mask. als ik buiten moet lopen adds the condition “if I need to walk outside.” The complete meaning is: “Should I wear a mask if I need to walk outside?” This is a neutral question about what is needed under that condition.

8. Een masker kan helpen en lokaal gezondheidsadvies kan extra voorzorgsmaatregelen aanraden.

   A mask can help, and local health advice may suggest extra precautions.

   masker

   mask

   kan

   can; may

   helpen

   help

   lokaal

   local

   gezondheidsadvies

   health advice

   extra

   extra

   voorzorgsmaatregelen

   precautions

   aanraden

   recommend

   More detail

   masker means “mask” here. Its plural is maskers: een masker means “a mask,” while maskers means “masks.” The article een introduces an unspecified singular noun; it does not by itself assert a numerical count as a teaching point. kan is the present-tense form of kunnen for this subject. It expresses ability or possibility, and the fixed translation gives the relevant reading: “can” in the first clause and “may” in the second. After kan, Dutch uses an infinitive: kan helpen and kan ... aanraden. Example: Dat kan helpen. — “That can help.” helpen is the infinitive “to help.” In the sentence, kan carries the finite verb form, so helpen remains infinitive. Its third-person singular present form is helpt, as in Het helpt. — “It helps.” lokaal means “local” here and describes gezondheidsadvies. In this phrase it has the form lokaal because the adjective is attributive with a singular indefinite neuter noun phrase: lokaal gezondheidsadvies. With a definite noun or a plural, the form is commonly lokale, for example het lokale advies — “the local advice.” gezondheidsadvies is “health advice.” It is a compound noun: gezondheid (“health”) plus advies (“advice”), written as one word in Dutch. Here it is singular and refers to advice from a local health source; the sentence does not specify a particular organization. Example: Gezondheidsadvies kan veranderen. — “Health advice can change.” extra means “extra” or “additional.” It modifies voorzorgsmaatregelen and does not take an adjective ending here. Example: extra tijd — “extra time.” voorzorgsmaatregelen means “precautions.” It is the plural of voorzorgsmaatregel, a compound meaning a measure taken as a precaution. The plural ending is -en; the singular and plural are een voorzorgsmaatregel and voorzorgsmaatregelen. Example: Neem extra voorzorgsmaatregelen. — “Take extra precautions.” aanraden means “to recommend” or, in this context, “to suggest.” It is an infinitive. In a finite clause, this separable verb commonly appears as raadt ... aan, while after kan the infinitive stays together: kan ... aanraden. Example: De arts raadt rust aan. — “The doctor recommends rest.” The first clause is Een masker kan helpen: “A mask can help.” The conjunction en joins it to the second clause. In lokaal gezondheidsadvies kan extra voorzorgsmaatregelen aanraden, lokaal gezondheidsadvies is the subject, the second kan expresses possibility, and extra voorzorgsmaatregelen is what may be recommended. Together, the utterance means: “A mask can help, and local health advice may suggest extra precautions.”

9. Het lijkt veiliger om het hardlopen uit te stellen tot de lucht verbetert.

   Postponing the run until the air improves seems safer.

   Het lijkt

   it seems

   veiliger

   safer

   het hardlopen

   running

   uit te stellen

   to postpone

   tot

   until

   de lucht

   the air

   verbetert

   improves

   More detail

   Het lijkt means “it seems.” In this sentence, het is an impersonal subject: it does not identify a particular object, but introduces the assessment that follows. lijken is the base form; lijkt is the present-tense form used with singular het. A reusable pattern is Het lijkt + adjective or Het lijkt + ... te ...: Het lijkt moeilijk. — “It seems difficult.” veiliger means “safer.” It is the comparative form of veilig (“safe”): veilig → veiliger (“safer”) → het veiligst (“the safest”). The comparison is relevant because postponing the run is presented as safer than proceeding under the circumstances; the sentence does not specify the other option in detail. het hardlopen means “running” or “the act of running.” Here hardlopen is a verb used as a noun with the definite article het; the article is part of the noun phrase and does not add a separate numerical meaning. Dutch can nominalize an activity this way: Het zwemmen is gezond. — “Swimming is healthy.” uit te stellen means “to postpone.” This is the separable verb uitstellen, with te inserted between its parts in this infinitive construction: uitstellen → uit te stellen. The pattern om ... te + verb commonly expresses the purpose or content of an assessment; here om het hardlopen uit te stellen is the action being assessed as safer. tot means “until” when it introduces the point or condition that limits an action in time. It is followed here by a clause, de lucht verbetert. In a different construction, tot can also introduce an endpoint such as “up to,” so its exact meaning comes from what follows. de lucht means “the air.” lucht is the noun’s base form, and de is its definite article. In this sentence, the fixed translation supports the atmospheric meaning “air”; the phrase does not identify a particular kind of air beyond that context. verbetert means “improves.” It is the present-tense form of verbeteren, “to improve,” used with the singular subject de lucht: de lucht verbetert. The ending marks this third-person singular present form; it is not an inflection of lucht. Together, Het lijkt veiliger gives the assessment “it seems safer.” The infinitive clause om het hardlopen uit te stellen states what is safer, and tot de lucht verbetert sets the condition or time limit: postponing the running until the air improves. The complete meaning is therefore: “Postponing the run until the air improves seems safer.”

10. Zo voorkom je dat sporten in een ander gezondheidsprobleem verandert.

    That keeps exercise from turning into another health problem.

    Zo

    that way; so

    voorkom

    prevent

    dat

    that

    sporten

    exercising

    ander

    another; different

    gezondheidsprobleem

    health problem

    verandert

    changes; turns

    More detail

    Zo means “that way” or “so” here. It refers to the way of preventing the result described in the sentence. A reusable pattern is Zo voorkom je ... — “That way, you prevent ...” or “This keeps ... from happening.” voorkom is a present-tense form of voorkomen, “to prevent.” In the non-inverted order, the subject form is je voorkomt; here, the finite verb comes before the subject je because of Dutch subject–verb inversion, giving voorkom je. The verb ending is not shortened because of the inversion. Example: Je voorkomt fouten. — “You prevent mistakes.” dat introduces the clause that describes what is prevented. In voorkomen dat ..., the following clause states the event that is prevented. sporten means “exercising” here. It is an infinitive functioning as the subject of the subordinate clause: dat sporten ... verandert — “that exercising changes ...”. As a verb, sporten can also mean “to exercise” or “to play sports,” depending on its construction. ander means “another” here, in een ander gezondheidsprobleem. It modifies the noun gezondheidsprobleem. Because that noun is singular and neuter and follows the indefinite article een, the adjective appears without -e: een ander gezondheidsprobleem. With a common-gender singular noun, the corresponding form is normally andere, as in een andere reden — “another reason.” gezondheidsprobleem means “health problem.” It is a compound noun. Its plural is gezondheidsproblemen: een gezondheidsprobleem — “a health problem”; twee gezondheidsproblemen — “two health problems.” verandert is the present-tense third-person singular form of veranderen, “to change” or “to turn into.” Its subject here is sporten, the activity treated as singular, so the form is verandert. A useful pattern is iets verandert in iets anders — “something turns into something else.” Example: Het plan verandert in een probleem. — “The plan turns into a problem.” Together, Zo voorkom je means “That way, you prevent,” while dat sporten in een ander gezondheidsprobleem verandert means “exercise from turning into another health problem.” The complete utterance is: “That keeps exercise from turning into another health problem.”