About This Lesson
Use Improving sleep habits to practice Dutch conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.
Dialogue
A
Mijn slaapkwaliteit is slecht, ook als ik vroeg naar bed ga.
mayn SLAHP-kwa-li-TITE iss slekht, ohk als ik vrookh nar bet khah. My sleep quality has been poor even when I go to bed early.
B
Hoe ziet je avondroutine eruit?
hoo zeet yuh AH-vont-roo-TEE-nuh ur-OWT? What does your evening routine look like?
A
Ik drink na het avondeten koffie en kijk in bed op mijn telefoon.
ik drink nah ut AH-vont-ay-tun KOH-fee en kike in bet op mayn tay-luh-FOHN. I drink coffee after dinner and check my phone in bed.
B
Zowel cafeïne als schermtijd kunnen het moeilijker maken om tot rust te komen.
ZOH-wul kah-fay-EE-nuh als SKHERM-tite KUN-un ut MOW-luh-kur MAH-kun om tot RUST tuh KOH-mun. Both caffeine and screen time can make it harder to wind down.
A
Ik kan niet alles tegelijk veranderen.
ik kan neet ALL-us tuh-KHAY-lyke vur-AN-duh-run. I cannot change everything at once.
B
Begin met één realistische verandering, bijvoorbeeld door na het avondeten geen koffie meer te drinken.
buh-KHIN met ayn ray-ah-LIS-tuh-suh vur-AN-duh-ring, bye-VOR-baylt door nah ut AH-vont-ay-tun khayn KOH-fee mair tuh DRINK-un. Start with one realistic change, like skipping coffee after dinner.
A
Dan kan ik de tijd op mijn telefoon vervangen door lezen voordat ik naar bed ga.
dan kan ik duh tite op mayn tay-luh-FOHN vur-VANG-un door LAY-zun vuh-DAHT ik nar bet khah. Then I can replace phone time with reading before bed.
B
Een routine die je kunt volhouden is belangrijker dan een perfecte routine.
ayn roo-TEE-nuh dee yuh kunt vol-HOW-dun iss buh-LANG-ruh-kur dan ayn pur-FEHK-tuh roo-TEE-nuh. A routine you can keep matters more than a perfect one.
A
Ik kan dat korte tijd uitproberen voordat ik het resultaat beoordeel.
ik kan daht KOR-tuh tite OWT-proo-BAIR-un vuh-DAHT ik ut ray-zul-TAHT buh-OOR-day-lun. I can test that for a short period before judging the result.
B
Dat geeft je lichaam genoeg tijd om zich aan te passen.
daht khayft yuh LEE-khahm khuh-NOOKH tite om zikh AHN-pahss-un. That gives your body enough time to adjust.Word by Word
Mijn
Mijn means my in this dialogue and appears before the noun in Mijn slaapkwaliteit. It is useful before a noun when referring to something belonging to or associated with the speaker.
slaapkwaliteit
Slaapkwaliteit means sleep quality and is the subject described as slecht. It is a compound noun for discussing how good or poor someone’s sleep is.
is
Is means is and links slaapkwaliteit with the description slecht. It is used to state what something is like or what condition it is in.
slecht
Slecht means poor or bad here and describes the speaker’s sleep quality. It can describe an unsatisfactory condition or result.
ook
Ook means even here in the phrase ook als ik vroeg naar bed ga. It shows that the poor sleep continues to be true despite the condition that follows.
als
Als introduces the condition or time situation in ook als ik vroeg naar bed ga, meaning even when or even if I go to bed early. It is useful for connecting a main statement with a condition.
ik
Ik means I and is the subject of ik vroeg naar bed ga. It is used when the speaker refers to their own action or situation.
vroeg
Vroeg means early and describes the time of going to bed. It can be used to specify that an action happens earlier than usual or expected.
naar
Naar indicates direction toward the bed in the expression naar bed ga. It is used with a destination or direction.
bed
Bed means bed and is the destination in naar bed ga. The phrase refers to going to bed rather than simply being located near a bed.
ga
Ga means go in ik vroeg naar bed ga and is the first-person form used with ik. It is useful for describing the speaker’s movement or planned destination.
Hoe
Hoe means how and starts the question about the appearance of the evening routine. It is used to ask about the way something is or looks.
ziet
Ziet is the form of zien used with je in the question ziet je avondroutine eruit. Together with eruit, it asks what something looks like or consists of.
je
Je means your before avondroutine in this dialogue. It is used before a noun to refer to something belonging to or associated with the person being addressed.
avondroutine
Avondroutine means evening routine and is the subject of the question about what it looks like. It names the regular activities someone follows in the evening.
eruit
Eruit is the separated particle completing ziet je avondroutine eruit. In this expression, it helps ask what the routine looks like or consists of.
drink
Drink means drink in Ik drink na het avondeten koffie and is the first-person form used with ik. It is used with a beverage as the object and can be combined with a time expression.
na
Na means after and introduces the time reference na het avondeten. It is used before an event or period to show that something happens later.
het
Het is the definite article in het avondeten, meaning the. It is used before this noun when referring to the specific meal.
avondeten
Avondeten means dinner or the evening meal and follows na in the time phrase na het avondeten. It names the meal after which the coffee is drunk.
koffie
Koffie means coffee and is the beverage in Ik drink na het avondeten koffie. It can be used as the object of a verb describing drinking.
en
En means and and links the two actions of drinking coffee and checking the phone. It connects words, phrases, or actions that belong together.
kijk
Kijk means look or check in kijk in bed op mijn telefoon. The full phrase describes checking the phone while in bed, and kijk expresses the looking action.
in
In means in and marks the location in bed in the phrase in bed. It is used to say where an action happens or where something is located.
op
Op is the preposition used with telefoon in op mijn telefoon. In this expression, it marks the phone as the device being looked at or used.
telefoon
Telefoon means phone and is the device referred to in op mijn telefoon. It can be used with a possessive word when describing someone’s phone.
Zowel
Zowel means both and introduces the first item in the paired phrase Zowe[l] cafeïne als schermtijd. It is used when two items are presented together as having the same role.
cafeïne
Cafeïne means caffeine and is the first item in the pair cafeïne als schermtijd. Here it names one factor that can affect the ability to wind down.
schermtijd
Schermtijd means screen time and is paired with cafeïne in the discussion of sleep habits. It names time spent using screens, especially as part of an evening routine.
kunnen
Kunnen means can or are able to and agrees with the two-item subject cafeïne en schermtijd. As a modal verb, it is followed by an infinitive to express possibility or ability.
moeilijker
Moeilijker means harder or more difficult in moeilijker maken. It compares the ease of winding down before and after the effects of caffeine and screen time.
maken
Maken means make and completes the expression moeilijker maken after kunnen. It describes causing something to become more difficult and can take an object describing what is affected.
om
Om introduces the infinitive clause om tot rust te komen. It connects the difficulty with the activity or state that is being made harder.
tot
Tot is part of the fixed expression tot rust te komen. In this expression, it marks the calm state that someone reaches.
rust
Rust means rest or calm in tot rust te komen. The expression refers to reaching a calmer state, especially when winding down before sleep.
te
Te is the infinitive marker before komen in om tot rust te komen. It helps form the infinitive clause after om.
komen
Komen means come in the expression tot rust te komen, where it describes reaching or becoming calm. It is the infinitive after te and is used with tot rust in this meaning.
kan
Kan means can or am able to in Ik kan niet alles tegelijk veranderen. It is the first-person form used with ik and is followed by an infinitive.
niet
Niet means not and negates the statement about changing everything at once. It is placed before the rest of the negated verb phrase here.
alles
Alles means everything and is the object of veranderen. It refers broadly to all the habits or changes being discussed.
tegelijk
Tegelijk means at once or simultaneously and modifies veranderen. It is useful when describing several actions happening during the same period.
veranderen
Veranderen means change and is the infinitive after kan. Here it refers to changing all the relevant habits, and it can be used with something that is being changed.
Begin
Begin means start or begin and directly tells the listener to start with one change. It is useful when giving practical advice or an instruction.
met
Met means with and introduces the starting point in Begin met één realistische verandering. The pattern is useful for saying what action, object, or step someone should start with.
realistische
Realistische means realistic and describes verandering in één realistische verandering. It characterizes a change as practical or achievable in the situation.
verandering
Verandering means change and is the single step recommended in the advice. It can name an adjustment to a habit, plan, or situation.
bijvoorbeeld
Bijvoorbeeld means for example and introduces a specific example of the realistic change. It is useful when moving from general advice to one illustration.
door
Door introduces the method in door na het avondeten geen koffie meer te drinken. With a te-infinitive, it explains how the suggested change can be carried out.
geen
Geen means no or not any and negates the noun koffie in geen koffie meer. It is used before a noun when saying that there is none of something.
meer
Meer means any longer or more in geen koffie meer te drinken. Together with geen, it expresses stopping the activity or no longer having the item.
drinken
Drinken means drink and is the infinitive after te in geen koffie meer te drinken. It describes the activity that is being stopped after dinner.
Dan
Dan means then and introduces the next step or consequence in the plan. It is useful for linking one proposed action to what follows.
de
De is the definite article before tijd in de tijd op mijn telefoon. It marks the specific time being discussed.
tijd
Tijd means time and is the thing being replaced in de tijd op mijn telefoon vervangen door lezen. It refers here to the time spent using the phone.
vervangen
Vervangen means replace and is the infinitive after kan. The dialogue uses the pattern de tijd op mijn telefoon vervangen door lezen, with the old activity before door and the replacement after it.
lezen
Lezen means reading or to read and names the activity that replaces phone time. It is used after door to identify the replacement activity.
voordat
Voordat means before and introduces the later action voordat ik naar bed ga. It is useful for placing one action earlier than another action or event.
Een
Een means a or an and introduces the unspecified routine in Een routine die je kunt volhouden. Its capital letter is due to its position at the beginning of the sentence.
routine
Routine means routine and is the subject being compared with a perfect routine. It refers to a repeated pattern of actions or habits.
die
Die introduces the relative clause die je kunt volhouden and adds information about routine. It is used after a noun to describe or identify that noun more closely.
kunt
Kunt means can or are able to and is the form used with je in die je kunt volhouden. It is followed by the infinitive volhouden to describe what the person is able to maintain.
volhouden
Volhouden means keep up or maintain over time. Here it describes a routine that the learner can continue following, so it is useful for habits or efforts that must be sustained.
belangrijker
Belangrijker means more important and compares a maintainable routine with a perfect routine. It is used with dan to express which of two things has greater importance.
perfecte
Perfecte means perfect and describes routine in een perfecte routine. It presents an ideal standard that is being compared with a routine the person can maintain.
dat
Dat means that and refers back to the proposed change or plan in Ik kan dat korte tijd uitproberen. It is used as a pronoun when the speaker points to an idea or action already mentioned.
korte
Korte means short and describes tijd in korte tijd. It specifies that the testing period will not be long.
uitproberen
Uitproberen means try out or test and is the infinitive after kan. It is useful for testing a plan, method, or change in practice before deciding about it.
resultaat
Resultaat means result and is the object of beoordeel. It refers to the outcome of testing the sleep-habit change.
beoordeel
Beoordeel means judge or evaluate and is the first-person form used with ik in voordat ik het resultaat beoordeel. It describes assessing an outcome after enough time has passed.
geeft
Geeft means gives and is the verb in Dat geeft je lichaam genoeg tijd. It describes providing someone or something with an amount of time or another resource.
lichaam
Lichaam means body and is the recipient of enough time in je lichaam genoeg tijd. It refers to the physical body adapting to the new routine.
genoeg
Genoeg means enough and describes the sufficient amount of time in genoeg tijd. It is useful for saying that an amount is sufficient for a purpose.
zich
Zich is the reflexive pronoun in zich aan te passen and refers back to lichaam, the subject that adjusts. It is used when the subject and the affected entity are the same.
aan
Aan is part of the verb expression zich aan te passen, meaning to adjust or adapt oneself. It contributes to the adapting meaning together with passen and is kept with that verb phrase.
passen
Passen is the infinitive after te in zich aan te passen. Together with aan, it expresses the body’s adjustment to the new routine.
Grammar Points
zowel ... als ...
Zowel koffie als cafeïne
ZOH-wul KOH-fee als kah-fay-EE-nuhBoth coffee and caffeine
This fixed conjunction links two equally important nouns and means “both ... and ...”.
moeilijker
Tot rust komen is moeilijker.
tot RUST KOH-mun iss MOW-luh-kurWinding down is more difficult.
The ending -er forms a comparative adjective, meaning “more ...” or “-er”.
Dutch Vocabulary
avondeten
noun
AH-vont-ay-tun
dinner; evening meal
avondroutine
noun
AH-vont-roo-TEE-nuh
evening routine
cafeïne
noun
kah-fay-EE-nuh
caffeine
eruit
adv
ur-OWT
out; like
koffie
noun
KOH-fee
coffee
naar bed
phrase
nar BET
to bed
ook als
conj
ohk als
even when
op mijn telefoon
phrase
op mayn tay-luh-FOHN
on my phone
slaapkwaliteit
noun
SLAHP-kwa-li-TITE
sleep quality
slecht
adj
slekht
poor; bad
vroeg
adv
vrookh
early
zowel ... als ...
conj
ZOH-wul ... als ...
both ... and ...
Quiz
Word Order
Arrange the words in the correct order.
What does your evening routine look like?
Show Answer
Hoe ziet je avondroutine eruit?I cannot change everything at once.
Show Answer
Ik kan niet alles tegelijk veranderen.Spelling
Tap the letters to spell the word.
coffee
Show Answer
koffiedinner; evening meal
Show Answer
avondetenevening routine
Show Answer
avondroutineearly