Choosing an online course by priorities | Learn Dutch in English

Sentence explanations

1. Ik vergelijk online cursussen en ze lijken bij verschillende leerstijlen te passen.

   I'm comparing online courses, and they seem to fit different learning styles.

   Ik

   I

   vergelijk

   compare

   online

   online

   cursussen

   courses

   ze

   they

   lijken

   seem

   verschillende

   different

   leerstijlen

   learning styles

   passen

   fit

   More detail

   Ik is the Dutch first-person singular subject pronoun: “I.” It identifies the speaker as the subject. Compare ik with jij/je (“you,” singular informal) when the subject changes. vergelijk means “compare” here. It is the present-tense first-person singular form of vergelijken (“to compare”): ik vergelijk. Dutch present forms commonly use the verb stem with ik; the plural forms use wij/jullie/zij vergelijken. Example: Ik vergelijk twee opties. — “I compare two options.” online means “online.” In this sentence it modifies cursussen, meaning that the courses are online. This borrowed form does not take a Dutch adjective ending here. Example: een online cursus — “an online course.” cursussen means “courses.” It is the plural of cursus; the plural ending is -sen: cursus → cursussen. Example: Ik volg drie cursussen. — “I take three courses.” ze means “they” here and is the subject pronoun referring to the online courses identified in the fixed translation. Dutch ze can also be an unstressed form for some other pronoun functions, but its role here is plural subject “they.” lijken means “seem” here. It is the present-tense plural form of lijken (“to seem”): ze lijken. A useful Dutch pattern is lijken te + infinitive, meaning “seem to” do something. Example: Ze lijken te werken. — “They seem to work.” verschillende means “different.” It is the form used before the plural noun leerstijlen; Dutch attributive adjectives normally take -e in this environment. It can also mean “various,” depending on context, but “different” is the intended meaning here. Example: verschillende manieren — “different ways.” leerstijlen means “learning styles.” It is the plural of the compound noun leerstijl: leerstijl → leerstijlen. The compound combines leer- (“learning”) with stijl (“style”). Example: Iedereen heeft eigen leerstijlen. — “Everyone has their own learning styles.” passen means “fit” here. It is the infinitive of passen, used after te in the pattern te passen. With bij, the construction passen bij means “fit” or “suit” something: iets past bij ... for singular and iets passen bij ... when the subject is plural. Example: Deze methode past bij mij. — “This method suits me.” Together, Ik vergelijk online cursussen means “I’m comparing online courses.” Dutch present tense can describe an activity currently in progress, so the English progressive translation is natural even though vergelijk is a simple present form. en connects this with ze lijken bij verschillende leerstijlen te passen: “and they seem to fit different learning styles.” The plural subject ze matches the courses, while lijken ... te passen expresses that their suitability is presented as an appearance or assessment rather than as an absolute claim.

2. Wat is voor jou het belangrijkst: feedback, flexibiliteit of oefenen met spreken?

   What matters most to you: feedback, flexibility, or speaking practice?

   Wat is

   what is

   voor jou

   for you

   het belangrijkst

   most important

   feedback

   feedback

   flexibiliteit

   flexibility

   oefenen

   to practise

   spreken

   speaking

   More detail

   Wat is begins a question: wat means “what,” and is is the present-tense form of zijn (“to be”) for singular subjects. In a Dutch question, the finite verb commonly comes before the subject: Wat is ...? means “What is ...?” A useful contrasting pattern is Wat zijn ...? when the subject is plural. voor jou means “for you” in the sense of “according to your priorities” or “as it matters to you.” jou is the stressed form after the preposition voor; the unstressed form is often je, as in voor je. Example: Wat is voor jou belangrijk? — “What is important to you?” het belangrijkst expresses the highest degree of importance: belangrijk means “important,” belangrijker means “more important,” and het belangrijkst means “most important.” Here the superlative stands independently rather than directly modifying a following noun. When it directly precedes a noun, the form is commonly het belangrijkste, as in het belangrijkste punt — “the most important point.” feedback is a loanword used for comments or information that help someone improve. It is commonly used as a mass-like noun, so the sentence presents it as a type of course feature or learning resource rather than asserting a particular number of comments. Example: Ik krijg nuttige feedback. — “I receive useful feedback.” flexibiliteit is the noun “flexibility,” referring here to the ability to adapt or choose conveniently. It is related in meaning to the adjective flexibel (“flexible”), but flexibiliteit names the quality itself. Example: Flexibiliteit is belangrijk in mijn planning. — “Flexibility is important in my planning.” oefenen is the infinitive “to practise” or “to practice.” Dutch uses oefenen for repeated activity intended to improve a skill. In the expression oefenen met plus an activity, it means practising that activity. Example: Ik oefen elke dag. — “I practise every day.” spreken is the infinitive “to speak.” After oefenen met, it identifies the activity being practised: oefenen met spreken means “practising speaking.” The form spreken is also used as the infinitive after other constructions, while ik spreek is the present-tense form with ik. Together, feedback, flexibiliteit, and oefenen met spreken are three alternatives being compared. The pattern Wat is voor jou het belangrijkst: A, B of C? asks which option has the highest priority for the person addressed. Thus the whole utterance asks: “What matters most to you: feedback, flexibility, or speaking practice?”

3. Ik heb feedback nodig, maar mijn agenda verandert vaak.

   I need feedback, but my schedule changes a lot.

   Ik heb

   I have

   feedback

   feedback

   nodig

   needed

   agenda

   schedule

   verandert

   changes

   vaak

   often

   More detail

   Ik heb is the first-person singular present form of hebben (“to have”). Here it is part of the reusable Dutch pattern iets nodig hebben: literally “to have something needed,” meaning “to need something.” The subject form is ik; with another subject, hebben changes as required, for example Zij hebben feedback nodig = “They need feedback.” feedback is an international noun meaning feedback or comments that help someone improve. In this sentence it is the thing that is needed. Dutch often places the needed item before nodig hebben: Ik heb hulp nodig = “I need help.” nodig means “needed” or “necessary” here. It is not the verb “to need”; the need is expressed by the construction iets nodig hebben. The form nodig itself does not show the person; heb carries the first-person singular verb form. agenda means “schedule” here: a plan or list of appointments and activities. It can also mean a physical or digital agenda, depending on context. The possessive mijn means “my,” so mijn agenda is “my schedule.” verandert is the third-person singular present form of veranderen, “to change.” The ending -t marks the present form with a singular subject such as mijn agenda: Mijn agenda verandert = “My schedule changes.” With ik, the form is verander: Ik verander mijn agenda = “I change my schedule.” vaak means “often” or “frequently.” It describes how regularly the schedule changes. It does not itself mean “a lot” in quantity; in this sentence, the fixed translation’s “a lot” refers to frequent change. The first clause, Ik heb feedback nodig, says that the speaker needs feedback. maar means “but” and connects this with a contrasting fact: mijn agenda verandert vaak, “my schedule changes often.” Together, the utterance means: “I need feedback, but my schedule changes a lot.”

4. Dan past een flexibele cursus met optionele livesessies misschien het best.

   Then a flexible course with optional live sessions may fit best.

   Dan

   then

   past

   fits

   flexibele

   flexible

   cursus

   course

   optionele

   optional

   livesessies

   live sessions

   misschien

   perhaps

   het best

   best

   More detail

   Dan means “then” here and links this suggestion to what has just been discussed. Dutch can also use dan for “than” in comparisons, but that is not its function here. Example: Dan beginnen we. — “Then we’ll start.” past is the present-tense form of passen, “to fit” or “to suit.” Here it says that the course is a suitable match, not that it physically fits somewhere. The form is singular because een flexibele cursus is the subject. With a plural subject, the present form is passen: De cursussen passen goed. — “The courses fit well.” flexibele means “flexible.” Its base form is flexibel; the -e form is used before cursus in this noun phrase. Cursus is a de-word, and an adjective before a singular noun normally has -e in this setting: een flexibele cursus. This adjective describes the course’s flexibility. cursus means “course.” Its plural is cursussen: Ik volg een cursus. — “I am taking a course.” The noun is the subject of past; the initial Dan causes the finite verb to come before that subject: Dan past een cursus .... optionele means “optional.” Its base form is optioneel, and its -e form agrees with the plural noun livesessies in the phrase optionele livesessies. Example: Er zijn optionele opdrachten. — “There are optional assignments.” livesessies means “live sessions.” It is a plural noun; the singular is livesessie. The compound combines live with sessie and refers here to sessions held live, rather than merely recorded material. Example: De livesessie begint om zeven uur. — “The live session starts at seven o’clock.” misschien means “perhaps” or “maybe.” It makes the suggestion tentative: the course may be the best fit, rather than presenting that conclusion as certain. Example: Misschien past deze cursus beter. — “Perhaps this course fits better.” het best is the adverbial superlative “best.” It comes from goed (“well”); the comparison is beter (“better”), het best (“best”). In this sentence it modifies past, ranking the course as the most suitable option. Example: Deze oplossing werkt het best. — “This solution works best.” Together, Dan past presents the course as a suitable match at this point, while een flexibele cursus met optionele livesessies identifies the proposed option. Misschien softens the claim, and het best expresses the highest degree of suitability. The complete meaning is: “Then a flexible course with optional live sessions may fit best.”

5. Een cursus heeft goede beoordelingen, maar biedt heel weinig gelegenheid om te spreken.

   One course has strong reviews, but it has very little speaking practice.

   cursus

   course

   heeft

   has

   goede

   good; strong

   beoordelingen

   reviews; ratings

   maar

   but

   biedt

   offers; provides

   heel weinig

   very little

   gelegenheid

   opportunity

   spreken

   speak

   More detail

   cursus is a noun meaning “course.” Its plural is cursussen. In een cursus, een presents the course as an unspecified singular course; it does not itself assert a numeric count beyond the singular form of the noun. heeft is the present-tense third-person singular form of hebben (“to have”): ik heb, jij hebt, hij/zij/het heeft, wij hebben. Here the course is the subject, and heeft states that the course has the stated quality. goede is the form of the adjective goed (“good”). Before this noun, it has the -e ending: goede beoordelingen. Dutch adjective endings depend on factors including the noun phrase’s definiteness and the noun’s grammatical gender; the relevant noun here is the plural beoordelingen, so the attributive form is goede. In this context, “good reviews” naturally conveys “strong reviews.” beoordelingen is the plural of beoordeling, a “review” or “rating.” The ending -en marks the plural here. For example, De cursus heeft goede beoordelingen. means “The course has good reviews.” maar joins two contrasting statements. It keeps the first statement positive while introducing a limitation in the second one. biedt is the present-tense third-person singular form of bieden (“to offer” or “to provide”): ik bied, hij/zij/het biedt, wij bieden. The course is again the subject, and the object being provided comes after the verb. This form is not the same as heeft: heeft describes possession or a characteristic, while biedt describes what the course makes available. heel weinig is a quantity expression meaning “very little.” heel intensifies weinig; it does not belong to the noun gelegenheid as a separate adjective. In this sentence, the expression describes a very small amount of speaking opportunity. gelegenheid is a noun meaning “opportunity” or “occasion.” Its plural is gelegenheden. The pattern gelegenheid om te introduces an opportunity for an activity: gelegenheid om te oefenen means “opportunity to practise.” spreken is the infinitive “to speak.” In om te spreken, te marks the infinitive used with om to specify the activity connected with the opportunity. The two-word pattern gelegenheid om te spreken therefore means “opportunity to speak,” rather than merely naming speaking as an isolated action. Together, Een cursus heeft goede beoordelingen says that one course has strong reviews. maar biedt heel weinig gelegenheid om te spreken contrasts that with the fact that it provides very little opportunity to speak. The complete meaning is: “One course has strong reviews, but it has very little speaking practice.”

6. Als spreken je doel is, is dat gemis belangrijk.

   If speaking is your goal, that gap matters.

   Als

   if

   spreken

   speaking; to speak

   doel

   goal

   dat

   that

   gemis

   gap; absence

   belangrijk

   important

   More detail

   Als introduces a condition: it means “if” here. A reusable pattern is Als + clause, clause: “If …, …”. spreken means “speaking” here, but its base verb is spreken, “to speak.” The infinitive can function as the activity being discussed, as in Spreken is moeilijk — “Speaking is difficult.” doel means “goal.” It is a noun; its plural is doelen. In je doel, je is the possessive form meaning “your,” so the phrase means “your goal.” dat means “that” here. In this use it points to the gap just mentioned in the sentence, rather than functioning as the English conjunction “that.” Dutch dat also has other grammatical uses, so its role depends on the surrounding structure. gemis means “gap” or “absence”: something that is missing. It is a noun related to the idea of missing or lacking something. The phrase dat gemis means “that gap,” with dat agreeing with this neuter noun. belangrijk means “important.” It is an adjective and does not show a comparative form in this sentence. Its comparative is belangrijker, “more important,” and its superlative is het belangrijkst(e), depending on the construction. Together, Als spreken je doel is means “If speaking is your goal.” The condition is followed by is dat gemis belangrijk, literally “that gap is important,” meaning that the lack of speaking opportunity matters. The complete utterance is: “If speaking is your goal, that gap matters.”

7. De andere cursus bevat interactieve lessen en opmerkingen van de docent.

   The other course includes interactive classes and teacher comments.

   andere

   other

   cursus

   course

   bevat

   includes

   interactieve

   interactive

   lessen

   lessons

   opmerkingen

   comments

   docent

   teacher

   More detail

   andere means “other” here and modifies cursus. Its base form is ander; the -e form is used in de andere cursus, with the definite article and this noun phrase. Compare the reusable patterns een andere cursus (“another/other course”) and een ander boek (“another/other book”): the adjective ending is affected by the noun phrase, not by cursus alone. cursus is the noun “course.” Its plural is cursussen, as in twee cursussen (“two courses”). Here it is singular, shown by the singular noun phrase de andere cursus. bevat is the present-tense form of bevatten (“to contain/include”) for a singular third-person subject. The subject is de andere cursus, so Dutch uses bevat, not the plural form bevatten. Example: Deze cursus bevat veel oefeningen. — “This course contains many exercises.” interactieve means “interactive” and describes lessen. Its base form is interactief; the -e form appears before the plural noun here: interactieve lessen. Example: We gebruiken interactieve oefeningen. — “We use interactive exercises.” lessen is the plural of les, meaning “lesson” or, in this translation, “class.” The singular/plural contrast is een les / lessen (“one lesson” / “lessons”). opmerkingen means “comments” or “remarks” and is the plural of opmerking. Example: De docent geeft nuttige opmerkingen. — “The teacher gives useful comments.” docent means “teacher” or “instructor.” In van de docent, the phrase identifies the teacher as the source or possessor of the comments: “from the teacher” or “the teacher’s.” Its plural is docenten (“teachers”). Taken together, de andere cursus is “the other course,” and bevat says that this course includes two things: interactieve lessen (“interactive classes/lessons”) and opmerkingen van de docent (“teacher comments”). The complete utterance therefore means: “The other course includes interactive classes and teacher comments.”

8. Kies de cursus die past bij de manier waarop je echt wilt leren.

   Choose the one that matches how you actually want to learn.

   Kies

   choose

   de cursus

   the course

   die

   that / which

   past bij

   matches / suits

   de manier

   the way

   waarop

   in which

   je

   you

   echt

   actually / really

   wilt

   want

   leren

   learn

   More detail

   Kies is the imperative of kiezen (“to choose”). It gives a direct instruction; the form itself does not mark whether one person or more than one person is addressed. The infinitive is kiezen; for example, Kies een boek. means “Choose a book.” de cursus means “the course.” Cursus is a common-gender singular noun, so it takes the article de. The article identifies a particular course in this sentence; it does not itself state a numeric count. die refers here to de cursus and introduces the clause that describes which course to choose. Dutch uses die with singular de nouns and with plural nouns; with a singular het noun, the corresponding form is generally dat. For example, de cursus die ik volg means “the course that I take.” past bij is the present form of passen bij, “to suit” or “to match.” The form past is third-person singular, agreeing here with de cursus, not with the person being addressed. Bij is part of this verb pattern: Deze keuze past bij mij. means “This choice suits me.” de manier means “the way” or “the manner.” In de manier waarop ..., it introduces the manner in which something happens. Manier is a singular de noun. waarop means “in which” or, naturally here, “how” in the sense of “the way in which.” It is a relative adverb formed from waar and op; the fixed combination de manier waarop is a useful pattern. For example, Ik begrijp de manier waarop zij werkt. means “I understand the way in which she works.” je is the informal second-person pronoun “you.” Here it is the subject of wilt and the understood subject of leren. Its exact referent is the person addressed; the form itself is not marked for gender. echt means “really” or “actually.” Here it emphasizes that the desired way of learning is the learner’s genuine choice or intention. For example, Ik wil echt oefenen. means “I really want to practise.” wilt is a present-tense form of willen, “to want.” With je as the subject, the form here is je wilt; it expresses the person’s desire. Willen is followed by an infinitive when the wanted action is stated: Je wilt lezen. means “You want to read.” leren is the infinitive “to learn.” It follows wilt, so je wilt leren means “you want to learn.” The same infinitive can be used with other subjects: Wij willen leren. means “We want to learn.” Together, Kies de cursus gives the instruction “Choose the course.” The relative clause die past bij de manier waarop je echt wilt leren identifies the course by saying that it matches the way in which you genuinely want to learn. The complete meaning is therefore: “Choose the one that matches how you actually want to learn.”