A realistic healthy routine | Learn Dutch in English

Sentence explanations

1. Ik wil een gezondere routine, maar ik stop altijd na een week.

   I want a healthier routine, but I always quit after a week.

   Ik wil

   I want

   gezondere

   healthier

   routine

   routine

   stop

   quit; stop

   altijd

   always

   na

   after

   week

   week

   More detail

   Ik wil means “I want.” wil is the present-tense form of willen with ik; the infinitive is willen, while plural forms include willen again, as in wij willen. Dutch uses willen for a desire or intention. For example: Ik wil rusten. — “I want to rest.” gezondere means “healthier.” It is the comparative form of gezond (“healthy”): gezond → gezonder → gezondste (“healthy” → “healthier” → “healthiest”). Here the comparative describes routine and has the attributive ending -e. The comparison is implicit: the routine is intended to be healthier than the current or another relevant routine. routine is a noun meaning “routine.” The phrase een gezondere routine is “a healthier routine”; een introduces the noun phrase but does not by itself state a numeric count. stop means “quit” or “stop” here. It is the first-person singular present form of stoppen: ik stop. The same verb can describe stopping an activity more generally. For example: Ik stop met werken. — “I stop working.” altijd means “always.” It is an adverb and states that the quitting happens consistently in the situation described. For example: Zij komt altijd op tijd. — “She always arrives on time.” na means “after” when it introduces a later point or period. na een week means “after a week.” For example: Na de les ga ik naar huis. — “After the lesson, I go home.” week means “week.” In een week, it names the period used as the time reference; the phrase does not need to be understood as asserting a specific numerical count beyond that time period. The sentence has the pattern Ik wil [noun phrase], maar ik stop altijd na [time period]: “I want [something], but I always quit after [a period].” maar connects the desired routine with the contrasting recurring outcome. Together, Ik wil een gezondere routine expresses the speaker’s desire, while ik stop altijd na een week says that the speaker consistently quits after a week. The complete meaning is: “I want a healthier routine, but I always quit after a week.”

2. Misschien probeer je te veel tegelijk te veranderen.

   Maybe you are trying to change too much at once.

   Misschien

   maybe

   probeer

   try

   te veel

   too much

   tegelijk

   at once

   veranderen

   change

   More detail

   Misschien means “maybe” here. It is an adverb that marks the statement as possible rather than certain. It can also appear later in a Dutch sentence, but at the beginning it sets the frame for the whole sentence. probeer is the present-tense form of proberen (“to try”) with the subject je (“you”). The useful pattern is proberen te + infinitive: Ik probeer te slapen. — “I try to sleep.” Dutch present tense does not require a separate progressive form, so je probeert can express “you try” or, as in the fixed translation, “you are trying,” depending on context. With je after the finite verb, the form is probeer; compare Je probeert ... when je comes before the verb. te veel means “too much” in this sentence: an excessive amount or extent of something. te makes the amount excessive, while veel means “much” or “a lot.” For a countable plural, Dutch commonly uses te veel with the plural noun as well: te veel plannen — “too many plans.” Here it describes the extent of veranderen, not a stated number of changes. tegelijk means “at once” or “simultaneously.” It describes actions or events happening during the same period. Example: Ik lees en luister niet graag tegelijk. — “I do not like reading and listening at the same time.” veranderen is the infinitive “to change.” In te veranderen, te is the infinitive marker required by proberen; it is not part of the verb’s base form. The verb can also be used without te in another construction, for example Ik verander mijn plan. — “I change my plan.” Together, probeer ... te veranderen gives “try to change,” while te veel specifies an excessive extent and tegelijk says that this is done at once. The complete utterance therefore means: “Maybe you are trying to change too much at once.”

3. Meestal plan ik bewegen, koken en eerder slapen allemaal tegelijk.

   I usually plan exercise, cooking, and earlier sleep all at the same time.

   Meestal

   usually

   plan

   plan

   bewegen

   exercise

   koken

   cooking

   eerder

   earlier

   slapen

   sleep

   allemaal tegelijk

   all at the same time

   More detail

   Meestal means “usually” and is an adverb of frequency. It commonly comes near the beginning of a sentence, as here, to describe how often the action happens. plan is the first-person singular present form of plannen, “to plan”: ik plan = “I plan.” The subject ik appears immediately after the adverb here, while the verb remains in the second position of the main clause. Example: Ik plan mijn dag. — “I plan my day.” bewegen is the infinitive “to exercise” or “to move,” used here as an activity being planned. Dutch can use an infinitive as the name of an activity without adding an English-style ending. Example: Bewegen is gezond. — “Exercising is healthy.” koken is the infinitive “to cook,” likewise functioning here as the activity “cooking.” It is a separate activity from bewegen, and the two are coordinated in the list. eerder means “earlier.” It is the comparative form related to vroeg (“early”): vroeg → eerder → het vroegst (“early” → “earlier” → “the earliest”). In this sentence, it modifies the time of slapen, so the intended meaning is sleeping earlier, not simply sleeping. slapen is the infinitive “to sleep.” Together with eerder, it forms the activity “to sleep earlier.” Example: Ik wil eerder slapen. — “I want to sleep earlier.” allemaal tegelijk means “all at the same time.” Allemaal refers collectively to the listed activities, while tegelijk expresses simultaneity. The phrase therefore says that the planning covers every listed activity at once, rather than spreading them across separate times. The structure is Meestal plan ik [activity 1], [activity 2] en [activity 3] allemaal tegelijk: “Usually I plan moving/exercising, cooking, and sleeping earlier all at the same time.” The three activities are bewegen, koken, and eerder slapen; allemaal tegelijk applies to the complete list.

4. Kies eerst één gewoonte en kijk wat je tegenhoudt.

   Pick one habit first and look at what gets in the way.

   Kies

   choose; pick

   eerst

   first

   één

   one

   gewoonte

   habit

   kijk

   look

   wat

   what

   je

   you

   tegenhoudt

   holds back; gets in the way

   More detail

   Kies means “choose” here. It is the imperative of kiezen (“to choose”). Dutch imperative forms do not themselves mark whether the command is addressed to one person or more than one. Example: Kies een boek. — “Choose a book.” eerst means “first” in the time/order sense. Here it places choosing before the later instruction to look. Example: Lees eerst de tekst. — “Read the text first.” één is the numeral “one.” The accent distinguishes the numeral from the indefinite article een in writing, especially when the exact number is relevant. Here it limits gewoonte to one item. Example: Kies één doel. — “Choose one goal.” gewoonte means “habit,” a repeated way of behaving. Its plural is gewoonten. In één gewoonte, the numeral specifies one habit. Example: Een gewoonte kan veranderen. — “A habit can change.” kijk means “look” here. It is the imperative of kijken (“to look”). In kijk wat ..., it introduces something the listener is asked to examine, rather than naming a physical direction. Example: Kijk naar dit woord. — “Look at this word.” wat means “what” in wat je tegenhoudt. It introduces the thing being examined and also functions as the subject of tegenhoudt: “what holds you back.” Example: Ik weet niet wat hij nodig heeft. — “I do not know what he needs.” je is an informal second-person pronoun meaning “you.” Here it is the object of tegenhoudt, the person being held back. This form does not by itself establish whether the addressee is singular or plural. Example: Ik help je. — “I help you.” tegenhoudt means “holds back” or “gets in the way” here. It is the present-tense form of tegenhouden (“to hold back; to stop”) in this subordinate clause. The verb is separable: in a main clause, iets houdt je tegen means “something holds you back,” while at the end of this subordinate clause the parts appear together as tegenhoudt. The -t is the ending of the finite form related to houden; tegen- is the separable prefix. Example: Vermoeidheid houdt me tegen. — “Tiredness holds me back.” Together, Kies eerst één gewoonte means “First choose one habit.” Then kijk wat je tegenhoudt asks the listener to examine what is holding them back. The full utterance is: “Pick one habit first and look at what gets in the way.”

5. Het grootste probleem is dat ik na mijn werk weinig energie heb.

   The main problem is that I have low energy after work.

   grootste

   main; biggest

   probleem

   problem

   is dat

   is that

   na

   after

   werk

   work

   weinig

   little; low

   energie

   energy

   heb

   have

   More detail

   grootste means “main” here because it is the superlative of groot (“big”): groot → groter (“bigger”) → grootste (“biggest”). In het grootste probleem, the superlative describes probleem; het is the definite article used with this noun phrase. Example: Dit is het grootste probleem. — “This is the biggest problem.” probleem is a neuter noun meaning “problem.” Its singular definite form is het probleem, and its plural is problemen. Example: We hebben een probleem. — “We have a problem.” is dat introduces the content of the statement: literally, “is that …”. The verb is is the present-tense form of zijn (“to be”) for a singular subject. This pattern is reusable after a statement such as Het probleem is dat ... — “The problem is that ...”. na means “after” and places one event or time after another. na mijn werk means “after my work” or, naturally here, “after work.” Example: Na het eten lees ik. — “After dinner, I read.” werk means “work.” In mijn werk, it is a singular noun with the possessive word mijn (“my”). In this sentence, the phrase refers to the speaker’s work period or work activity. weinig means “little” or “not much” and indicates a small amount. With an uncountable noun such as energie, it describes the amount rather than comparing two things. Its useful contrast is veel (“much; a lot”). Example: Ik heb weinig tijd. — “I have little time.” energie means “energy.” It is commonly used with hebben: energie hebben means “to have energy.” Example: Zij heeft veel energie. — “She has a lot of energy.” heb is the first-person singular present form of hebben (“to have”): ik heb, jij hebt, hij/zij heeft. Here it expresses the speaker’s state of having little energy. Example: Ik heb tijd. — “I have time.” Together, Het grootste probleem identifies the main problem, is dat introduces what that problem consists of, and ik na mijn werk weinig energie heb says that the speaker has little energy after work. The complete meaning is: “The main problem is that I have low energy after work.”

6. Begin dan met een korte wandeling voor het avondeten.

   Then start with a short walk before dinner.

   Begin

   start; begin

   dan

   then

   met

   with

   korte

   short

   wandeling

   walk

   voor

   before

   avondeten

   dinner

   More detail

   Begin means “start” here. It is the imperative of beginnen (“to begin”): the form used to tell someone to start. Dutch imperatives commonly use the verb stem, so beginnen becomes begin. Example: Begin rustig. — “Start calmly.” dan means “then” and places this action in sequence. The pattern Begin dan ... is reusable for “Then start ...”. met introduces what someone starts with. The construction beginnen met is followed by a noun or another activity. Example: We beginnen met koffie. — “We start with coffee.” korte means “short” and describes wandeling. Its base form is kort; korte is the inflected form used here before the singular noun wandeling with the indefinite article een. Example: een korte pauze — “a short break.” wandeling means “walk” as a noun, a walk or walking outing. It is related to the verb wandelen (“to walk”), but wandeling itself is the noun. Example: De wandeling was prettig. — “The walk was pleasant.” voor means “before” here and introduces the time of the next event. The pattern voor + noun can express that one action happens earlier than that event. Example: voor het werk — “before work.” avondeten means “dinner” or “the evening meal.” It is a compound noun: avond (“evening”) + eten (“food/eating”), but the whole word names the meal. With het, as in het avondeten, it refers to dinner as a meal. Together, Begin dan gives the sequence “Then start,” met een korte wandeling says what to start with, and voor het avondeten sets the time: “before dinner.” The complete utterance is therefore: “Then start with a short walk before dinner.”

7. Dat voelt realistisch en niet te zwaar.

   That feels realistic and not too demanding.

   Dat

   that; it

   voelt

   feels

   realistisch

   realistic

   zwaar

   heavy; demanding

   More detail

   Dat is a standalone Dutch demonstrative pronoun meaning “that” here. It functions as the subject and points to something already established in the situation, without naming it again. Dutch also uses dit for “this” and dat for “that”; the choice expresses demonstrative distance or discourse reference, not a fixed English word order. voelt is the present-tense form of voelen (“to feel”) for a third-person singular subject such as dat. In this sentence, voelen describes the impression something gives: “feels” or “seems.” For example, Dat voelt goed. means “That feels good.” realistisch is an adjective meaning “realistic,” describing what the subject seems like. In Dat voelt realistisch, it appears after the linking verb and therefore has no adjective ending. The same adjective can modify a noun: een realistisch plan means “a realistic plan.” zwaar is an adjective whose basic meaning is “heavy,” but in this context it means demanding or difficult to sustain. Its comparison is zwaar–zwaarder–het zwaarst (“heavy/demanding”–“heavier/more demanding”–“the heaviest/most demanding”). For example, Deze oefening is zwaarder. means “This exercise is more demanding.” The linking verb voelt connects the subject Dat with two descriptions joined by en: realistisch and niet te zwaar. Here niet negates the following description, while te means “too,” so niet te zwaar means “not too demanding,” rather than simply “not heavy.” Together, Dat voelt realistisch en niet te zwaar. means “That feels realistic and not too demanding.”

8. Je kunt later uitgebalanceerde maaltijden toevoegen, zodra wandelen vanzelfsprekend voelt.

   You can add balanced meals later, once walking feels natural.

   Je kunt

   you can

   later

   later

   uitgebalanceerde

   balanced

   maaltijden

   meals

   toevoegen

   add

   zodra

   once; as soon as

   wandelen

   walking; to walk

   vanzelfsprekend

   natural

   voelt

   feels

   More detail

   Je kunt combines the subject pronoun je with kunt, the present-tense second-person singular form of kunnen. Here it expresses ability or possibility: “you can.” After a modal verb such as kunnen, the other verb remains in the infinitive and comes later in the clause. Example: Je kunt rusten. — “You can rest.” later is an adverb meaning “later,” referring to a subsequent time. It does not itself specify exactly when. uitgebalanceerde is the adjective uitgebalanceerd (“balanced”) with the attributive -e form used before the plural noun maaltijden. The adjective describes the meals; it is not derived from maaltijden. Example: uitgebalanceerde keuzes — “balanced choices.” maaltijden is the plural of maaltijd, “meal.” The singular/plural contrast is een maaltijd / maaltijden. Example: De maaltijden zijn eenvoudig. — “The meals are simple.” toevoegen means “to add.” It is the infinitive selected by kunt; in a finite main clause, its separable parts can appear apart, as in Je voegt iets toe. — “You add something.” In this sentence, the whole infinitive stays together after the modal structure. zodra introduces a subordinate time clause meaning “once” or “as soon as.” It marks the condition in time for the main clause. In a Dutch subordinate clause introduced by zodra, the finite verb comes at the end: zodra het klaar is — “once it is ready.” wandelen is the infinitive “to walk,” used here as the subject of the subordinate clause, corresponding to the activity “walking.” An infinitive can function as an activity-like subject without an article. Example: Wandelen is prettig. — “Walking is pleasant.” vanzelfsprekend is a predicative adjective meaning “natural” in this context. It can also mean “self-evident” or “obvious” in other contexts, but the fixed translation selects the sense “natural.” Example: Dat voelt vanzelfsprekend. — “That feels natural.” voelt is the present-tense third-person singular form of voelen, “to feel.” The subject here is the activity expressed by wandelen, treated as singular, so the singular form voelt is used. Compare ik voel (“I feel”), je voelt (“you feel”), and zij voelen (“they feel”). Together, Je kunt presents a possibility, later places it in the future, and uitgebalanceerde maaltijden toevoegen specifies what can be added. The zodra clause gives the time condition: this can happen once the activity of walking feels natural. The reusable pattern is Je kunt X, zodra Y voelt. — “You can X once Y feels ...”

9. Het drie keer per week bijhouden klinkt beter dan het elke dag proberen.

   Tracking it three times a week sounds better than trying every day.

   drie keer per week

   three times a week

   week

   week

   bijhouden

   to track; to keep track of

   klinkt

   sounds

   beter

   better

   elke dag

   every day

   dag

   day

   proberen

   to try

   More detail

   drie keer per week expresses a frequency: “three times a week.” keer means “time” in the sense of an occurrence, while per links the frequency to its period. The phrase can be reused with other periods, for example: twee keer per maand — “twice a month.” week is the noun “week.” In per week, it names the period over which the frequency is measured. Its plural is weken, as in drie weken — “three weeks.” bijhouden is the infinitive of the Dutch separable verb meaning “to track” or “to keep track of.” In this sentence, the fixed translation identifies the understood object as “it.” In a finite clause, the parts can separate: Ik houd mijn uitgaven bij. — “I keep track of my expenses.” klinkt comes from klinken, “to sound.” It is the present-tense form for a singular subject: het klinkt — “it sounds.” Here, the subject is the whole activity expressed by het drie keer per week bijhouden, so klinkt means that this activity sounds better as an option. beter is the comparative form of goed: goed — “good,” beter — “better,” best — “best.” It compares the first activity with the alternative introduced later by dan. Example: Deze aanpak werkt beter. — “This approach works better.” elke dag means “every day.” elke is used before a singular noun, and dag means “day.” The phrase describes repeated timing, contrasting with drie keer per week; it does not itself say how many attempts occur on each day. dag is the noun “day.” Its plural is dagen, as in zeven dagen — “seven days.” In this sentence it remains singular because elke is followed by a singular noun. proberen is the infinitive “to try.” With het, the infinitive functions as a noun-like activity: het proberen — “trying.” The target text does not state a separate object after proberen; the fixed translation presents the activity generally as “trying.” Example: Het proberen helpt. — “Trying helps.” Taken together, het drie keer per week bijhouden is the noun-like activity “tracking it three times a week.” klinkt beter dan sets up a comparison: that activity “sounds better than” het elke dag proberen, “trying every day.” The complete meaning is therefore: “Tracking it three times a week sounds better than trying every day.”

10. Flexibele doelen zijn op de lange termijn gemakkelijker vol te houden.

    Flexible goals are easier to keep over time.

    Flexibele

    flexible

    doelen

    goals

    zijn

    are

    op de lange termijn

    over the long term

    gemakkelijker

    easier

    vol te houden

    to keep up

    More detail

    Flexibele describes doelen here: “flexible,” meaning able to be adapted rather than fixed. It is the adjective flexibel with the plural ending -e, because it modifies the plural noun doelen. Example: flexibele plannen = “flexible plans.” Doelen means “goals” here. Its singular base form is doel; doelen is the plural. Example: Het doel is duidelijk. = “The goal is clear.” Zijn means “are” in this sentence. It is the present-tense plural form of zijn (“to be”), agreeing with the plural subject flexibele doelen. Example: De plannen zijn flexibel. = “The plans are flexible.” Op de lange termijn is a fixed time expression meaning “over the long term” or “in the long run.” The adjective lange modifies termijn and has the -e form used here with this noun phrase. Example: Op de lange termijn werkt dit beter. = “In the long run, this works better.” Gemakkelijker means “easier” here. It is the comparative of gemakkelijk (“easy”), formed with -er: gemakkelijk → gemakkelijker. The comparison is understood against another option or approach, even when that comparison is not stated in the same sentence. Example: Deze manier is gemakkelijker. = “This way is easier.” Vol te houden means “to keep up” or “to maintain.” It comes from the separable verb volhouden, whose base meaning is to continue something despite difficulty. With te, the particle and verb appear separated: volhouden → vol te houden; houden itself means “to hold/keep.” Example: Een rustig tempo is beter vol te houden. = “A steady pace is easier to maintain.” Together, Flexibele doelen zijn makes “flexible goals are”; op de lange termijn specifies the time perspective; gemakkelijker adds the comparison “easier”; and vol te houden says what is easier: maintaining or keeping up the goals. The complete meaning is: “Flexible goals are easier to keep over time.”