Constructive Responses to Workshop Resistance | Learn Dutch in English

Dutch lesson set in a contemporary Amsterdam everyday setting: While planning a professional workshop, two colleagues discuss framing resistance around systems, evidence, and constructive disagreement..

EN → NL / Level: B2

About This Lesson

Use Constructive Responses to Workshop Resistance to practice Dutch conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

A

Sommige deelnemers kunnen weerstand bieden omdat het onderwerp bestaande gewoonten ter discussie stelt.

SOM-uh-ghuh DAYL-nay-mers KUN-uh VAYR-stahnt BEE-duhn OHM-daht ut ON-der-wairp buh-STAHN-duh ghuh-VOHN-tun tair dis-KU-see stelt. Some participants may resist because the topic challenges existing habits.
B

Weerstand is waarschijnlijk als ze het gevoel hebben dat ze de schuld krijgen van beslissingen uit het verleden.

VAYR-stahnt is vahr-SKHAIN-luk als zuh ut ghuh-VOOL HAY-bun dat zuh duh SKHULT KRY-ghun van buh-SLIS-sing-un OYT ut vair-LAY-dun. Resistance is likely if they feel blamed for past decisions.
A

We moeten de sessie rond systemen opbouwen in plaats van rond individuen.

Vuh MOO-tun duh SES-see rohnd sis-STAY-mun OP-bow-un in PLAHTS van rohnd in-di-vee-DYOO-un. We should frame the session around systems rather than individuals.
B

Dat vermindert defensiviteit en nodigt uit tot een eerlijker gesprek.

Daht ver-MIN-durt day-fen-see-vee-TITE en NOH-dikht OYT tot un AIR-luh-kur ghuh-SPREK. That reduces defensiveness and invites more honest discussion.
A

Kunnen we voorbeelden opnemen waarin redelijke mensen het oneens waren?

KUN-uh vuh VOOR-bayl-dun OP-NAY-mun vah-RIN ray-duh-LUH-kuh MAY-sun ut ohn-AYNS VAH-run? Could we include examples where reasonable people disagreed?
B

Die voorbeelden zouden de complexiteit laten zien zonder iemand tot schurk te maken.

Dee VOOR-bayl-dun ZOW-dun duh kom-plek-see-TITE LAH-tun ZEEN ZON-dur EE-mahnt tot SKHURK tuh MAH-kun. Those examples would show complexity without creating villains.
A

Ik wil dat deelnemers oefenen met constructief van mening verschillen.

Ik wil daht DAYL-nay-mers OO-fuh-nun met kon-struk-TEEF van MAY-ning ver-SKHIL-un. I want participants to practice disagreement constructively.
B

Dan hebben we duidelijke regels nodig voor bewijs en toon.

Dahn HAY-bun vuh DOW-duh-luh-kuh RAY-ghuls NOH-dikh voor buh-VAYS en TOHN. Then we need clear rules for evidence and tone.

Word by Word

Sommige ‘Sommige’ means ‘some’ in ‘Sommige deelnemers’, referring to part of the participants rather than all of them. Use it before a plural noun when only an unspecified part of a group is meant.
deelnemers ‘Deelnemers’ means ‘participants’ in the workshop context. It names the people taking part in an activity, event, or session; ‘Sommige deelnemers’ is a reusable pattern.
kunnen ‘Kunnen’ expresses ‘can’ or ‘may’ in ‘Sommige deelnemers kunnen weerstand bieden’, and it also appears as ‘Kunnen’ in a question about possibility. Use ‘kunnen we ...?’ to ask whether something can be done, as in ‘Kunnen we voorbeelden opnemen?’.
weerstand ‘Weerstand’ means ‘resistance’ in the discussion of participants reacting against a challenging topic. In ‘weerstand bieden’, it refers to opposition or reluctance toward an idea, change, or approach.
bieden In ‘weerstand bieden’, ‘bieden’ contributes the idea of offering or presenting resistance, so the expression means to resist. The same verb can be reused in other fixed combinations when something is offered or provided, but here the exact object is ‘weerstand’.
omdat ‘Omdat’ means ‘because’ and introduces the reason that the topic challenges existing habits. Use it to connect a statement with its reason, as in ‘... omdat het onderwerp bestaande gewoonten ter discussie stelt’.
het In ‘het onderwerp’ and ‘het gevoel’, ‘het’ means ‘the’ and introduces the noun phrase. It is also the exact form used in the expression ‘het gevoel hebben dat ...’, meaning to feel that something is the case.
onderwerp ‘Onderwerp’ means ‘topic’ or ‘subject’; here it is the topic of the workshop. It can be used for the subject of a discussion, lesson, meeting, or text.
bestaande ‘Bestaande’ means ‘existing’ in ‘bestaande gewoonten’, describing habits that are already present. Use it before a noun to refer to something that already exists rather than something newly introduced.
gewoonten ‘Gewoonten’ means ‘habits’ in the phrase ‘bestaande gewoonten’. It refers to repeated ways of acting, and ‘bestaande gewoonten’ is useful when discussing established behavior.
ter In ‘ter discussie stelt’, ‘ter’ is part of the fixed expression that means to put something up for discussion or to challenge it. Keep it together with ‘discussie’ when reusing this expression.
discussie ‘Discussie’ means ‘discussion’ in the expression ‘ter discussie stelt’. Together, ‘ter discussie stellen’ describes questioning or challenging an assumption, practice, or idea.
stelt In ‘het onderwerp ... ter discussie stelt’, ‘stelt’ presents the existing habits as something being questioned or challenged. The reusable expression is ‘iets ter discussie stellen’, with the thing being questioned in the object position.
is ‘Is’ links ‘weerstand’ with ‘waarschijnlijk’ in ‘Weerstand is waarschijnlijk’, meaning that resistance is likely. Use it in similar statements that describe what something is or how probable it is.
waarschijnlijk ‘Waarschijnlijk’ means ‘likely’ or ‘probable’ in ‘Weerstand is waarschijnlijk’. It shows that resistance is expected but not certain, and it can be used after ‘is’ to assess the likelihood of something.
als ‘Als’ means ‘if’ in ‘als ze het gevoel hebben dat ...’, introducing the condition under which resistance is likely. Use ‘als’ to state a condition before the result or expectation connected to it.
ze ‘Ze’ means ‘they’ in ‘ze het gevoel hebben’, referring to the participants. It is useful when referring back to a group already mentioned instead of repeating the noun.
gevoel ‘Gevoel’ means ‘feeling’ in ‘het gevoel hebben dat ...’. The expression describes someone’s subjective impression, and ‘het gevoel hebben dat ...’ is a reusable pattern for saying that someone feels or believes something.
hebben In ‘het gevoel hebben dat ...’, ‘hebben’ means ‘have’ and combines with ‘het gevoel’ to express having a feeling. Reuse the complete pattern ‘het gevoel hebben dat ...’ when describing a person’s impression.
dat ‘Dat’ has two functions in the dialogue: ‘Dat vermindert defensiviteit’ means ‘That reduces defensiveness’, while ‘het gevoel hebben dat ...’ introduces what they feel. In both cases, the exact form connects the surrounding idea to a following or previous statement.
de ‘De’ means ‘the’ in ‘de schuld’. It introduces this specific noun phrase, and the reusable expression here is ‘de schuld krijgen’.
schuld ‘Schuld’ means ‘blame’ in ‘de schuld krijgen’, referring to responsibility assigned to someone for past decisions. Use the complete expression ‘de schuld krijgen van ...’ when saying that someone gets blamed for something.
krijgen In ‘de schuld krijgen’, ‘krijgen’ means ‘get’ or ‘receive’, with ‘de schuld’ as what is received. The pattern ‘de schuld krijgen van ...’ specifies what someone is blamed for.
van In ‘de schuld krijgen van beslissingen’, ‘van’ links the blame to the decisions it concerns, meaning ‘for’ in this context. It also appears in ‘van het verleden’ only as part of the source phrase ‘uit het verleden’; here the exact construction is ‘van beslissingen’.
beslissingen ‘Beslissingen’ means ‘decisions’ in ‘de schuld krijgen van beslissingen’. It refers to choices made in the past, and the pattern ‘beslissingen uit het verleden’ specifies when those choices were made.
uit In ‘beslissingen uit het verleden’, ‘uit’ means ‘from’, showing that the decisions come from the past. The form also appears in ‘nodigt ... uit’, where it completes the verb expression meaning ‘invites’.
verleden ‘Verleden’ means ‘past’ in ‘beslissingen uit het verleden’. It refers to an earlier period, and ‘uit het verleden’ is a reusable phrase for something originating in an earlier time.
We ‘We’ means ‘we’ in ‘We moeten de sessie ... opbouwen’, referring to the two colleagues together. Use it to state a shared intention, responsibility, or plan.
moeten ‘Moeten’ expresses ‘must’ or ‘should’ in ‘We moeten de sessie ... opbouwen’, showing that the speakers see this as necessary. The pattern ‘we moeten ...’ is useful for proposing a required action.
sessie ‘Sessie’ means ‘session’, here the professional workshop session being planned. It can refer to a scheduled period devoted to a meeting, lesson, workshop, or activity.
rond ‘Rond’ means ‘around’ in ‘de sessie rond systemen opbouwen’, indicating the central focus of the session. Use ‘rond’ before a topic when describing something organized around that topic.
systemen ‘Systemen’ means ‘systems’ in ‘rond systemen opbouwen’. Here it points attention toward systems rather than individual people, and ‘rond systemen’ identifies the focus of the session.
opbouwen ‘Opbouwen’ means ‘build’ or ‘structure’ in ‘de sessie rond systemen opbouwen’. It describes organizing the session so that its focus is systems; ‘iets rond een onderwerp opbouwen’ is a reusable pattern.
in In ‘in plaats van rond individuen’, ‘in’ is part of the fixed expression ‘in plaats van’, meaning ‘instead of’. Keep it with ‘plaats van’ when replacing one focus with another.
plaats In ‘in plaats van’, ‘plaats’ is part of the expression meaning ‘instead of’, not a physical place. The pattern ‘in plaats van X’ is used when choosing or emphasizing X rather than another option.
individuen ‘Individuen’ means ‘individuals’ in contrast with ‘systemen’. It refers to separate people considered one by one, and ‘rond individuen’ identifies people as the alternative focus.
vermindert ‘Vermindert’ means ‘reduces’ in ‘Dat vermindert defensiviteit’, describing a decrease in defensive reactions. It can be used when an action, condition, or change causes the amount or intensity of something to become lower.
defensiviteit ‘Defensiviteit’ means ‘defensiveness’ in the context of participants reacting protectively to possible blame. It names the guarded attitude that the proposed framing is intended to reduce.
en ‘En’ means ‘and’ and links the two results in ‘vermindert defensiviteit en nodigt uit’. Use it to connect actions, qualities, or statements that belong together.
nodigt In ‘nodigt uit tot een eerlijker gesprek’, ‘nodigt’ contributes the action of inviting. The complete expression ‘iemand uitnodigen tot iets’ describes encouraging someone toward an activity or response.
tot In ‘nodigt uit tot een eerlijker gesprek’, ‘tot’ introduces the activity or result invited, namely ‘een eerlijker gesprek’. It also appears in ‘iemand tot schurk te maken’, where it marks the result of making someone into a villain.
een ‘Een’ means ‘a’ or ‘an’ in ‘een eerlijker gesprek’, introducing one non-specific conversation. Use ‘een’ before a singular noun when the thing is not identified as a particular known item.
eerlijker ‘Eerlijker’ means ‘more honest’ in ‘een eerlijker gesprek’, describing a conversation with greater honesty than the alternative being discussed. It is useful when comparing the quality of one conversation with another or with an earlier standard.
gesprek ‘Gesprek’ means ‘conversation’ or ‘discussion’ in ‘een eerlijker gesprek’. It refers to people talking together, and ‘een gesprek voeren’ is a common reusable expression for having a conversation.
voorbeelden ‘Voorbeelden’ means ‘examples’ in ‘voorbeelden opnemen’. These are concrete cases used to make a general idea easier to understand, and they can be included in a session or explanation.
opnemen ‘Opnemen’ means ‘include’ in ‘voorbeelden opnemen’, referring to adding examples to the workshop session. The pattern ‘iets opnemen in een sessie’ can be used for adding content to a planned activity.
waarin ‘Waarin’ means ‘in which’ in ‘voorbeelden waarin redelijke mensen het oneens waren’, introducing what happened in the examples. Use it to describe an event or situation contained within something already mentioned.
redelijke ‘Redelijke’ means ‘reasonable’ in ‘redelijke mensen’, describing people whose views are presented as understandable rather than villainous. It can describe people or positions that are considered sensible or fair in context.
mensen ‘Mensen’ means ‘people’ in ‘redelijke mensen’. It refers to human beings as a group, and it can be combined with an adjective such as ‘redelijke’ to describe them.
oneens ‘Oneens’ means ‘in disagreement’ in ‘het oneens waren’. The reusable pattern ‘het oneens zijn met iemand’ expresses that someone disagrees with another person.
waren ‘Waren’ means ‘were’ in ‘redelijke mensen het oneens waren’, describing the people as being in disagreement in the examples. It is used with ‘het oneens’ to refer to disagreement in that past situation.
Die ‘Die’ means ‘those’ in ‘Die voorbeelden’, referring back to the examples just mentioned. Use it before a plural noun when pointing back to particular items already identified.
zouden ‘Zouden’ expresses ‘would’ in ‘Die voorbeelden zouden de complexiteit laten zien’, presenting the expected result of including the examples. Use ‘zouden’ when describing a possible or proposed consequence.
complexiteit ‘Complexiteit’ means ‘complexity’ in ‘de complexiteit laten zien’. It refers to the many interacting aspects of the issue, and the phrase ‘de complexiteit laten zien’ is useful when examples reveal that an issue is not simple.
laten In ‘de complexiteit laten zien’, ‘laten’ combines with ‘zien’ to express ‘show’, with the idea of making something visible or understandable. The reusable pattern is ‘iets laten zien’, where ‘iets’ is what is shown.
zien In ‘de complexiteit laten zien’, ‘zien’ contributes the idea of seeing, while ‘laten’ makes the complete expression mean ‘show’. Reuse ‘iets laten zien’ when presenting information, evidence, or an object to someone.
zonder ‘Zonder’ means ‘without’ in ‘zonder iemand tot schurk te maken’, excluding the result of turning someone into a villain. The pattern ‘zonder ... te ...’ describes an action that happens without another action happening.
iemand ‘Iemand’ means ‘someone’ in ‘zonder iemand tot schurk te maken’, referring to an unspecified person. It is used when the identity of the person is not important or is not specified.
schurk ‘Schurk’ means ‘villain’ in ‘iemand tot schurk te maken’. Here it describes the negative role that the examples should avoid assigning to a person.
te ‘Te’ marks the infinitive in ‘te maken’ within ‘zonder iemand tot schurk te maken’. The pattern ‘zonder ... te ...’ is used when saying that one action occurs without another action.
maken In ‘iemand tot schurk te maken’, ‘maken’ means ‘make’, with ‘tot schurk’ expressing the result assigned to the person. The pattern ‘iemand tot iets maken’ describes turning or presenting someone as something.
Ik ‘Ik’ means ‘I’ in ‘Ik wil’, identifying the speaker as the person expressing the intention. Use it to state your own plan, preference, or aim.
wil ‘Wil’ means ‘want’ in ‘Ik wil dat deelnemers ...’, expressing the speaker’s intention. The pattern ‘ik wil dat ...’ introduces a desired result or action involving someone else.
oefenen ‘Oefenen’ means ‘practice’ in ‘oefenen met constructief van mening verschillen’. It describes deliberately developing a skill, and it can be followed by the activity being practiced.
met ‘Met’ means ‘with’ in ‘oefenen met constructief van mening verschillen’, introducing the activity that participants practice. Use ‘oefenen met ...’ when naming the skill or behavior being practiced.
constructief ‘Constructief’ describes the disagreement in ‘constructief van mening verschillen’ as useful and solution-oriented rather than destructive. It can be placed before the activity or behavior it qualifies, as here.
mening ‘Mening’ means ‘opinion’ in the expression ‘van mening verschillen’. Together, ‘van mening verschillen’ means to have different opinions or disagree.
verschillen In ‘van mening verschillen’, ‘verschillen’ means ‘differ’, and the complete expression means ‘disagree’. Keep ‘van mening’ with it when expressing that people hold different opinions.
Dan ‘Dan’ means ‘then’ in ‘Dan hebben we duidelijke regels nodig’, linking the need for rules to the proposed practice. Use it to introduce a consequence or next step that follows from what was just said.
duidelijke ‘Duidelijke’ means ‘clear’ in ‘duidelijke regels’, describing rules that are easy to understand and apply. It can be placed before a noun to specify that the guidance should not be ambiguous.
regels ‘Regels’ means ‘rules’ in ‘duidelijke regels voor bewijs en toon’. It refers to agreed guidance for behavior or procedure, and ‘regels voor ...’ specifies what the rules concern.
nodig ‘Nodig’ means ‘needed’ or ‘necessary’ in ‘hebben we duidelijke regels nodig’. The reusable pattern ‘iets nodig hebben’ expresses that something is required.
voor ‘Voor’ means ‘for’ in ‘regels voor bewijs en toon’, identifying the subjects covered by the rules. Use ‘regels voor ...’ to specify what an instruction or policy applies to.
bewijs ‘Bewijs’ means ‘evidence’ in ‘regels voor bewijs en toon’. It refers to information or material used to support a claim, and it is one of the subjects that the workshop rules should address.
toon ‘Toon’ means ‘tone’ in ‘regels voor bewijs en toon’, referring to the manner or attitude used when communicating. It is paired with ‘bewijs’ because the workshop needs guidance about both support for claims and the way disagreement is expressed.

Grammar Points

bijvoeglijk naamwoord vóór een meervoudig zelfstandig naamwoord: -e

bestaande gewoonten

buh-STAHN-duh ghuh-VOHN-tun

existing habits

Bijvoeglijke naamwoorden vóór meervoudige zelfstandige naamwoorden krijgen meestal -e: bestaande + gewoonten.

het oneens zijn

het oneens waren

ut ohn-AYNS VAH-run

disagreed

De vaste uitdrukking gebruikt het werkwoord zijn. Waren is de verleden tijd voor een meervoudig onderwerp.

Dutch Vocabulary

beslissingen noun
buh-SLIS-sing-un decisions
bestaande gewoonten phrase
buh-STAHN-duh ghuh-VOHN-tun existing habits
de schuld krijgen phrase
duh SKHULT KRY-ghun to be blamed
de sessie noun
duh SES-see the session
deelnemers noun
DAYL-nay-mers participants
in plaats van prep
in PLAHTS van instead of
individuen noun
in-di-vee-DYOO-un individuals
systemen noun
sis-STAY-mun systems
ter discussie stellen phrase
tair dis-KU-see stelt to challenge or put up for discussion
uit het verleden phrase
OYT ut vair-LAY-dun from the past
waarschijnlijk adj
vahr-SKHAIN-luk likely or probable
weerstand bieden phrase
VAYR-stahnt BEE-duhn to resist

Quiz

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

decisions

Show Answerbeslissingen

participants

Show Answerdeelnemers

systems

Show Answersystemen

individuals

Show Answerindividuen