Overlapping expertise in product strategy and operations | Learn Dutch in English

Dutch lesson set in a contemporary Amsterdam everyday setting: At a professional networking event, two attendees discuss overlapping work in product strategy, research, operations, and workflow improvement..

EN → NL / Level: B2

About This Lesson

Use Overlapping expertise in product strategy and operations to practice Dutch conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

A

Ik zag dat er op je badge productstrategie staat.

ik ZAHKH dat uhr awp yuh BETSH proh-DUKT-strah-teh-ZHEE STAHT. I noticed your badge mentions product strategy.
B

Dat is mijn belangrijkste werkterrein, al strekt mijn werk zich ook uit tot onderzoek en operations.

daht iss mine buh-LAHNG-rike-stuh WERK-ter-RINE, ahl STREKT mine werk zikh ohk oyt tawt AWN-der-ZOOK en aw-puh-RAY-shuns. That is my main area, though my work also crosses into research and operations.
A

Die combinatie zal wel helpen wanneer productbeslissingen ingewikkeld worden.

dee kom-bee-NAHT-see zahl well HEL-puhn vah-NAIR proh-DUKT-buh-SLISS-ing-un ing-uh-WIK-ult WOR-dun. That mix must help when product decisions get complicated.
B

Dat doet het, vooral wanneer een strategie afhangt van hoe teams in de praktijk werken.

daht doot ut, voh-RAHL vah-NAIR uhn strah-TEH-zhee AHF-hahngt vahn hoo tayms in duh prak-TAKE WER-kuhn. It does, especially when a strategy depends on how teams actually work.
A

Ik help kleine digitale teams om hun werkprocessen op orde te brengen.

ik help KLY-nuh dee-GHEE-tah-luh tayms awm huhn WERK-proh-SESS-un awp OR-duh tuh BRENG-un. I help small digital teams clean up their workflows.
B

Dan lopen we waarschijnlijk tegen een aantal van dezelfde coördinatieproblemen aan.

dahn LOH-pun wuh vahr-SKHINE-luhk TAY-ghun uhn AHN-tahl vahn duh-ZELF-duh koh-or-dee-NAHT-see-proh-BLAY-mun ahn. Then we are probably dealing with some of the same coordination issues.
A

Ik zou graag eens onze aanpakken vergelijken.

ik zow ghrahkh ayns ON-zuh AHN-pah-kuhn ver-GHAY-luh. I would like to compare approaches sometime.
B

Dat kan nuttig zijn, vooral als we het gesprek praktisch houden.

daht kahn NUH-tukh zine, voh-RAHL ahls wuh ut ghuh-SPREK PRAHK-tiss HOW-duhn. That could be useful, especially if we keep the conversation practical.

Word by Word

Ik Ik means “I” here and is the subject of the speaker’s observation or action. It is used before a verb in patterns such as Ik help ... . In a professional conversation, use it to introduce something you noticed or do.
zag zag means “noticed” or “saw” here, referring to the speaker’s observation of the badge. It is the dialogue form related to zien, used for this completed observation. A common pattern is Ik zag dat ... for introducing something you noticed.
dat dat introduces the clause explaining what the speaker noticed: dat er op je badge productstrategie staat. It connects the observation with the information observed. A reusable pattern is Ik zag dat ... followed by a complete clause.
er er functions as an anticipatory subject marker in the clause about what is written on the badge. Together with staat, it presents something that appears in a place: er ... staat. A new example is Er staat een naam op het formulier.
op op means “on” here and indicates the surface where the information appears. It is used with je badge in the location expression op je badge. A reusable pattern is iets staat op een badge or another surface.
je je means “your” here and identifies the badge as belonging to the person being addressed. It appears directly before the noun je badge. In an informal conversation, use je before a noun to refer to the other person’s possession.
badge badge means a badge or name tag, specifically the item displaying the person’s professional information. In this dialogue it follows je in je badge. A new example is Mijn badge ligt op tafel.
productstrategie productstrategie means “product strategy” and is the professional field written on the badge. It is a compound describing strategy related to a product. You can use it when discussing someone’s area of professional expertise.
staat staat means “is written” or “appears” here, referring to the text on the badge. It is the dialogue form related to staan and is used in er op je badge productstrategie staat. A reusable pattern is Op een document staat ... for information shown in writing.
is is means “is” here and links Dat with the speaker’s main area of work. It is the verb in Dat is mijn belangrijkste werkterrein. Use it to identify or describe a professional field.
mijn mijn means “my” and identifies the speaker’s own work area. It appears before mijn belangrijkste werkterrein. A reusable pattern is mijn belangrijkste ... when naming your main professional responsibility or focus.
belangrijkste belangrijkste means “main” or “most important” here, describing the speaker’s primary work area. It is related to belangrijk and appears before werkterrein in mijn belangrijkste werkterrein. Use it when identifying the primary item in a group of responsibilities or interests.
werkterrein werkterrein means an area or field of work. Here it names the speaker’s main professional field in mijn belangrijkste werkterrein. You can use it when describing the domain in which someone works.
al al means “although” or “though” here and introduces information that qualifies the statement about the speaker’s main work area. It connects the main clause with al strekt mijn werk zich ook uit tot onderzoek en operations. Use al to add a concessive point in a professional explanation.
strekt strekt contributes to the expression strekt mijn werk zich ook uit tot onderzoek en operations, meaning that the work extends into those areas. It is the dialogue form related to uitstrekken. A reusable pattern is iets strekt zich uit tot een ander gebied.
werk werk means “work” here and is the subject of the statement about what extends into other areas. It appears in strekt mijn werk zich ook uit tot onderzoek en operations. Use it to refer to someone’s professional activities or responsibilities.
zich zich is the reflexive component of the expression zich uitstrekken, which means “to extend.” Here it links the work to the extension described in strekt mijn werk zich ook uit tot onderzoek en operations. The reusable pattern is iets strekt zich uit tot ... .
ook ook means “also” here and adds research and operations to the speaker’s main area. It appears before uit in the expression zich ook uitstrekt or strekt ... zich ook uit. Use it when adding another related responsibility or field.
uit uit is part of the expression zich uitstrekken tot, which describes something extending into an area. In this dialogue it cannot be understood as “out” on its own; it completes the expression with strekt, zich, and tot. A reusable pattern is iets strekt zich uit tot een nieuw terrein.
tot tot marks the area or endpoint reached by the extension in zich uitstrekken tot onderzoek en operations. It connects the expression with the fields that are included. Use zich uitstrekken tot ... when describing work or influence reaching another domain.
onderzoek onderzoek means “research” here and names one of the fields into which the speaker’s work extends. It follows tot in tot onderzoek. You can use it when discussing research as a professional activity or area.
operations operations refers to operations as another professional field included in the speaker’s work. It is coordinated with onderzoek by en in tot onderzoek en operations. Use it when discussing the operational side of an organization or business.
en en means “and” and links onderzoek with operations. It joins two fields that are both included in the speaker’s work. Use it to connect related professional areas in a list.
Die Die means “that” here and refers back to the combination of product strategy, research, and operations. It appears before combinatie in Die combinatie. Use die to refer back to a previously mentioned item or situation.
combinatie combinatie means “combination” or “mix” here, referring to the speaker’s overlapping areas of expertise. It is the noun in Die combinatie zal wel helpen. Use it when describing several skills or fields considered together.
zal zal expresses an expectation or assumption in Die combinatie zal wel helpen, roughly “that combination will probably help.” It is used with the infinitive helpen. A reusable pattern is Dat zal wel ... when making a cautious prediction.
wel wel softens the prediction in zal wel helpen and signals that the speaker considers the result likely or reasonable. Its meaning comes from this use with zal, not from a separate physical meaning. Use zal wel ... for a probable but not certain expectation.
helpen helpen means “to help” here, describing the expected benefit of the combination of expertise. It appears after zal in zal wel helpen. A reusable pattern is iets helpt bij ... when explaining what provides assistance.
wanneer wanneer means “when” here and introduces the situation in which product decisions become complicated. It links the main statement with a time or condition-related clause. Use wanneer to describe a recurring situation in which something happens.
productbeslissingen productbeslissingen means “product decisions,” referring to decisions related to a product. It is the subject of ingewikkeld worden. Use this compound when discussing decisions about a product’s direction, features, or development.
ingewikkeld ingewikkeld means “complicated” here and describes the state product decisions reach. It appears before worden in productbeslissingen ingewikkeld worden. A reusable pattern is iets wordt ingewikkeld when a situation becomes harder to manage or understand.
worden worden means “become” or “get” here and marks a change into the state described by ingewikkeld. It appears at the end of the clause productbeslissingen ingewikkeld worden. Use worden with an adjective to describe a change of state.
doet doet is part of the short response Dat doet het, which confirms that the combination does provide the expected help. It is the dialogue form related to doen in this fixed response. Use Dat doet het when confirming that something has the intended effect.
het het is the pronoun completing Dat doet het and refers back to the effect under discussion. In this dialogue, the response means that the combination does help. Use the same short construction when confirming that something works or has the expected effect.
vooral vooral means “especially” here and highlights the particular situation in which the combination is helpful. It introduces the clause about a strategy depending on how teams work. Use it to give special emphasis to one condition or example.
een een means “a” here and introduces the nonspecific noun strategie. It appears directly before een strategie in the subordinate clause. Use it before a singular, nonspecific professional idea, plan, or object.
strategie strategie means “strategy” here and is the subject of the clause about dependence on how teams work. It appears in een strategie afhangt van ... . Use it when discussing a planned approach to reaching a goal.
afhangt afhangt means “depends” here and describes the strategy as being determined partly by how teams work in practice. It is the dialogue form related to afhangen and is used with van. A reusable pattern is iets hangt af van ... or, in a subordinate clause, iets afhangt van ... .
van van is the preposition required with afhangen in afhangt van hoe teams in de praktijk werken. It introduces the factor on which something depends. Use afhangen van ... when naming a condition or influence.
hoe hoe means “how” here and introduces the embedded clause describing the way teams work. It appears before teams in hoe teams in de praktijk werken. Use hoe ... when explaining the manner in which an activity happens.
teams teams means “teams” here and is the subject of hoe teams in de praktijk werken. It refers to groups carrying out work in a real professional setting. Use it when discussing how groups coordinate or perform tasks.
in in is part of the expression in de praktijk, meaning “in practice” or in the real-world setting. Here it contrasts practical team behavior with an abstract strategy. Use in de praktijk when explaining how something works outside theory.
de de is the definite article in de praktijk, referring to practice as a recognized real-world context. It appears directly before praktijk. Learn it as part of the common expression in de praktijk.
praktijk praktijk means “practice” or the real-world setting in which work is actually carried out. In de praktijk modifies werken and emphasizes how teams really operate. Use in de praktijk when moving from plans or theory to actual implementation.
werken werken means “work” here and completes the clause hoe teams in de praktijk werken. It is the infinitive form placed at the end of this subordinate clause. Use hoe ... werken to describe how a team or group operates.
help help means “help” here and is the form used with Ik in Ik help kleine digitale teams. It describes the speaker’s professional service to those teams. A reusable pattern is Ik help iemand om ... te ... .
kleine kleine means “small” here and describes the digital teams receiving help. It appears before kleine digitale teams. Use it to describe organizations or groups with a limited size.
digitale digitale means “digital” here and describes the type of teams the speaker helps. It appears before digitale teams. Use it before a noun when identifying work connected with digital products or services.
om om introduces the purpose of the help in om hun werkprocessen op orde te brengen. It works together with te and the infinitive to express “to get their workflows in order.” A reusable pattern is iemand helpen om iets te doen.
hun hun means “their” here and identifies the work processes as belonging to the teams. It appears before hun werkprocessen. Use hun before a noun when referring to something belonging to more than one person or group.
werkprocessen werkprocessen means “work processes” or “workflows” here, referring to the procedures the teams use to carry out their work. It is the object of op orde te brengen. Use it when discussing how work moves through a team or organization.
orde orde is part of the expression op orde brengen, which means “to get into order” or “to organize.” In this dialogue, it describes improving the teams’ workflows. A reusable pattern is iets op orde brengen, with the object kept between the expression’s components when needed.
te te marks the infinitive in op orde te brengen and connects the purpose introduced by om with brengen. The full structure om ... te ... expresses what the speaker helps the teams do. Use om iets te doen for a purpose clause.
brengen brengen means “bring” literally, but in op orde te brengen it means to get something into an orderly state. It is the infinitive after te. A reusable pattern is iets op orde brengen, keeping the object slot in that expression.
Dan Dan means “then” here and draws a logical conclusion from the speaker’s work with workflows. It introduces the conclusion that both people probably face similar coordination problems. Use Dan at the beginning of a sentence when responding to an implication or result.
lopen lopen is part of lopen tegen ... aan, which means “to run into” or “encounter” a problem. In this dialogue, the form occurs with we in lopen we waarschijnlijk tegen ... aan. A reusable pattern is we lopen tegen een probleem aan.
we we means “we” here and refers to both speakers together. It is the subject of lopen in the expression lopen we waarschijnlijk tegen ... aan. Use it when presenting a shared experience or common professional issue.
waarschijnlijk waarschijnlijk means “probably” here and makes the conclusion about shared problems cautious rather than certain. It modifies the statement about what both speakers encounter. Use it when giving a likely interpretation or prediction.
tegen tegen is part of the expression tegen iets aanlopen, meaning “to run into something,” especially a difficulty. Here it introduces the coordination problems encountered. Use tegen ... aan with aanlopen when describing an obstacle or problem.
aantal aantal means “number” or “some” here in een aantal van dezelfde coördinatieproblemen. It indicates more than one problem without specifying the exact quantity. A reusable pattern is een aantal problemen or een aantal van deze problemen.
dezelfde dezelfde means “the same” here and says that the coordination problems resemble problems the other speaker also faces. It appears before coördinatieproblemen. Use dezelfde when identifying something as identical or shared with something already mentioned.
coördinatieproblemen coördinatieproblemen means “coordination problems,” referring to difficulties in organizing work between people or teams. It is the object of tegen ... aanlopen. Use this compound when discussing breakdowns or friction in cooperation.
aan aan is the second part of the expression tegen ... aanlopen, meaning “to run into” or “encounter.” It completes the construction with lopen and tegen. Keep both tegen and aan when reusing the pattern tegen een probleem aanlopen.
zou zou makes the proposal in Ik zou graag eens onze aanpakken vergelijken polite and tentative. It is the dialogue form related to zullen used here to express a wished-for action. A reusable pattern is Ik zou graag ... followed by an infinitive.
graag graag expresses willingness or desire in Ik zou graag ..., giving the meaning “I would like to.” It works with zou and the following infinitive vergelijken. Use Ik zou graag ... when making a polite professional suggestion.
eens eens means “sometime” or “at some point” here and keeps the proposed comparison open-ended. It appears in Ik zou graag eens onze aanpakken vergelijken. A common pattern is Laten we eens ... when suggesting an activity for a later occasion.
onze onze means “our” here and identifies the approaches as belonging to both speakers. It appears before onze aanpakken. Use onze before a noun when referring to something shared by the speaker and another person or group.
aanpakken aanpakken means “approaches” here, referring to the methods each speaker uses in their work. In this dialogue it is a noun after onze, related to the noun aanpak. Use onze aanpak vergelijken when discussing and comparing working methods.
vergelijken vergelijken means “compare” here and describes the proposed activity involving both speakers’ approaches. It follows Ik zou graag eens ... . A reusable pattern is A met B vergelijken, keeping both things being compared.
kan kan means “can” or “could” here and expresses the possibility that the comparison will be useful. It appears in Dat kan nuttig zijn. Use Dat kan ... zijn to give a cautious positive assessment.
nuttig nuttig means “useful” here and describes the possible value of comparing the approaches. It appears before zijn in Dat kan nuttig zijn. Use it to assess whether an activity or exchange provides practical value.
als als means “if” here and introduces the condition for the conversation being useful. The condition is als we het gesprek praktisch houden. Use als to state what must be true for a result to follow.
gesprek gesprek means “conversation” here and refers to the professional exchange between the two attendees. It appears as the object in het gesprek praktisch houden. Use it when discussing a conversation, discussion, or talk.
praktisch praktisch means “practical” here and describes the desired character of the conversation. It is used after het gesprek in het gesprek praktisch houden. Use it when emphasizing concrete, applicable discussion rather than abstract discussion.
houden houden means “keep” or “maintain” here in het gesprek praktisch houden, meaning to keep the conversation practical. It is the infinitive after the conditional clause’s subject and object. A reusable pattern is iets eenvoudig houden or iets praktisch houden.

Grammar Points

om ... te + infinitief

om werkprocessen op orde te brengen

awm WERK-proh-SESS-un awp OR-duh tuh BRENG-un

to get work processes in order

Use om ... te before an infinitive to express purpose: “to do something.”

Dutch Vocabulary

afhangt verb
AHF-hahngt depends
badge noun
BETSH badge
belangrijkste adj
buh-LAHNG-rike-stuh main; most important
combinatie noun
kom-bee-NAHT-see combination; mix
ingewikkeld adj
ing-uh-WIK-ult complicated
onderzoek noun
AWN-der-ZOOK research
operations noun
aw-puh-RAY-shuns operations
productbeslissingen noun
proh-DUKT-buh-SLISS-ing-un product decisions
productstrategie noun
proh-DUKT-strah-teh-ZHEE product strategy
staat verb
STAHT is written; appears
strekt verb
STREKT extends
werkterrein noun
WERK-ter-RINE area of work; field

Quiz

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

research

Show Answeronderzoek

badge

Show Answerbadge

area of work; field

Show Answerwerkterrein

is written; appears

Show Answerstaat