Ending a networking conversation politely | Learn Dutch in English

Sentence explanations

1. Ik vond het prettig om met je te praten.

   I have enjoyed talking with you.

   Ik

   I

   vond

   found

   prettig

   pleasant

   met je

   with you

   om … te praten

   to talk

   More detail

   Ik is the first-person singular subject pronoun, meaning “I.” It identifies the speaker as the person having the experience. A useful contrast is jij or je, meaning “you,” when addressing another person. vond is the simple past form of vinden (“to find”). The useful form chain is vinden → vind (present) → vond (past) → gevonden (past participle). Here, vinden is used in the pattern iets prettig vinden: “to find something pleasant.” Dutch uses the past form here, while the fixed English translation naturally uses “have enjoyed.” prettig is an adjective meaning “pleasant” or “nice.” In this sentence it describes the experience expressed by the infinitive clause. In a simple sentence, Dat is prettig. means “That is pleasant.” met je means “with you.” Here je is the unstressed personal-pronoun form after the preposition met. The stressed form jou can be used for emphasis: met jou means “with you” with extra contrast or emphasis. In this sentence, je refers to the person being addressed, as confirmed by the fixed translation. om ... te praten is a Dutch infinitive construction. praten is the infinitive “to talk”; its present-tense form is praat (“talks” or “am talking,” depending on the subject). The pattern om + the relevant words + te + infinitive commonly introduces an infinitive clause, here “to talk.” The words between om and te praten show who the talking is with: met je. Together, Ik vond het prettig om met je te praten says that the speaker found talking with the addressee pleasant. Its natural meaning, matching the fixed translation, is “I have enjoyed talking with you.”

2. Maar ik zou nog een paar andere mensen moeten spreken.

   But I should meet a few more people.

   Maar

   But

   ik zou

   I would

   nog

   still; additionally

   een paar

   a few

   andere

   other

   mensen

   people

   moeten

   must; have to

   spreken

   speak with; talk to

   More detail

   Maar means “but” and introduces a contrast with the preceding idea. ik zou literally gives “I would”: ik is “I”, and zou is a form of zullen. Here, its final meaning is completed by the following moeten: ik zou ... moeten expresses “I should ...” or “I would have to ...”. nog adds something further. In this sentence it contributes “more” or “additional,” rather than describing the people as greater in degree. Example: Ik heb nog een vraag. — “I have one more question.” een paar means “a few” or “a couple.” It indicates a small, indefinite number and does not necessarily assert exactly two. Example: Ik heb nog een paar vragen. — “I still have a few questions.” andere means “other” or “different.” It modifies mensen; in this plural noun phrase, Dutch uses the form andere. Example: andere boeken — “other books.” mensen means “people” and is the plural of mens, “person.” The plural is formed with -en: mens → mensen. Example: Veel mensen komen vandaag. — “Many people are coming today.” moeten is the infinitive of moeten, meaning “must” or “have to.” After zou, it appears in the pattern zou ... moeten and helps express “should” or “would have to.” The infinitive itself does not mark the subject’s person or number here. spreken is the infinitive of spreken, “to speak” or “to talk.” In this sentence, mensen spreken is understood in the supplied translation as meeting or speaking with people. Example: Ik wil morgen met haar spreken. — “I want to speak with her tomorrow.” Together, Maar ik zou ... moeten spreken means “But I should speak with or meet ...”. The object phrase nog een paar andere mensen means “a few more people.” As a whole, the utterance means: “But I should meet a few more people.”

3. Dat begrijp ik; bij dit soort evenementen vliegt de tijd voorbij.

   I understand; this is the kind of event where time disappears quickly.

   Dat

   that; it

   begrijp

   understand

   bij

   at; in

   dit

   this

   soort

   kind; type

   evenementen

   events

   tijd

   time

   vliegt … voorbij

   flies by

   More detail

   Dat is a demonstrative pronoun used here as the object of begrijp: “that” or “it.” The fixed translation identifies what is understood without specifying a separate noun that dat must refer to. Unlike dit, which means “this,” dat normally points to something more distant in the discourse or situation. Example: Dat begrijp ik. — “I understand that.” begrijp is the first-person singular present form of begrijpen, “to understand.” The subject ik is stated after the verb here, but the verb form itself shows first-person singular. Compare ik begrijp (“I understand”) with jij begrijpt (“you understand”). bij means “at” or “in” in the setting of something. Here it introduces the setting dit soort evenementen: “at this kind of event.” Example: Bij dit soort gesprekken luister ik goed. — “In this kind of conversation, I listen carefully.” dit soort evenementen is a reusable pattern meaning “this kind of event(s).” dit is the form used with singular neuter soort (het soort), while evenementen is the plural of evenement. The phrase describes a type or category; it does not assert that there is only one event. Compare dit soort evenement for “this kind of event” when using a singular noun after soort. soort means “kind” or “type.” Its plural is soorten. In dit soort evenementen, soort is the head of the category expression, and evenementen specifies what kind is meant. Example: Welke soort muziek vind je leuk? — “What kind of music do you like?” evenementen is the plural of evenement, “event.” The plural ending is -en: een evenement — “an event”; twee evenementen — “two events.” In the fixed phrase, it identifies the events belonging to the type mentioned by soort. tijd means “time.” It is a singular noun here, and it is the subject of vliegt. Example: De tijd gaat snel. — “Time goes quickly.” vliegt ... voorbij is a split verbal construction meaning “flies by” or, idiomatically, “passes quickly.” Its finite form vliegt is the third-person singular present of vliegen, “to fly,” matching singular de tijd; voorbij appears later in the clause. In a main clause, Dutch commonly places the finite verb in second position, so after the opening bij phrase the order is bij ... vliegt de tijd voorbij. The underlying reusable pattern is De tijd vliegt voorbij. — “Time flies by.” Together, Dat begrijp ik means “I understand that.” Then bij dit soort evenementen sets the situation as “at this kind of event,” and vliegt de tijd voorbij says that time passes quickly there. The complete utterance therefore means: “I understand; this is the kind of event where time disappears quickly.”

4. Kunnen we contactgegevens uitwisselen voordat ik ga?

   Before I go, could we exchange contact details?

   Kunnen we

   could we

   contactgegevens

   contact details

   uitwisselen

   exchange

   voordat

   before

   ik

   I

   ga

   go

   More detail

   Kunnen we is a reusable Dutch way to ask whether “we” can or could do something. kunnen is the present-tense finite form used with we, and it is identical in form to the infinitive kunnen; the singular form is kan. In a main-clause question, the finite verb comes before the subject: Kunnen we ...? For example: Kunnen we beginnen? — “Can we begin?” contactgegevens means contact details or contact information. It is the plural of contactgegeven, a compound noun for one contact detail. The plural is natural when referring to contact information as a set. uitwisselen means “to exchange.” It is an infinitive. With a modal verb such as kunnen, the lexical verb remains an infinitive: Kunnen we gegevens uitwisselen? — “Can we exchange information?” The modal and infinitive together express the possibility or request; uitwisselen itself names the exchange. voordat introduces a time clause meaning “before.” In a subordinate clause introduced by voordat, the finite verb is placed at the end: voordat ik ga — “before I go.” ik is the first-person singular subject pronoun, “I.” It is the form used when the speaker refers to themself as the subject. For example: Ik werk morgen. — “I work tomorrow.” ga is the first-person singular present-tense form of gaan, “to go.” Here, in ik ga, it refers to the speaker leaving; with voordat, the context gives it the future-oriented meaning “before I go.” The present form is commonly used for a future event when the time relation is clear. Compare ik ga (“I go / I am going”) with ik ging (“I went / I was going”), the past form. Together, Kunnen we contactgegevens uitwisselen? asks for the possibility or agreement to exchange contact details. voordat ik ga adds the temporal meaning “before I go.” In this subordinate clause, the word order is voordat + subject ik + finite verb ga: Kunnen we contactgegevens uitwisselen voordat ik ga? — “Before I go, could we exchange contact details?” This is a polite, ordinary way to make that request.

5. Dat lijkt me goed. Ik wil dit gesprek later voortzetten.

   I would like that. I want to continue this conversation later.

   Dat

   that

   lijkt me

   seems to me

   goed

   good

   Ik wil

   I want

   dit

   this

   gesprek

   conversation

   later

   later

   voortzetten

   continue

   More detail

   Dat is a demonstrative pronoun meaning “that.” Here it refers to the proposal or action understood from the preceding exchange; the supplied translation confirms that reading without identifying a more specific noun. Dutch also uses dit for “this,” with the choice depending on the demonstrative’s grammatical and discourse conditions. lijkt me contains the verb lijken (“to seem”) in its present singular form lijkt, plus unstressed me (“to me”). The pattern iets lijkt me ... means “something seems ... to me.” Example: Dat lijkt me handig. — “That seems useful to me.” goed is the adjective “good.” In lijkt me goed, it describes the understood dat; the full combination means that the proposal seems acceptable or desirable to the speaker. Its comparative is beter (“better”), from goed. Ik wil means “I want” or, before an infinitive, “I want to.” wil is the first-person singular present form of willen (“to want”); it is not formed by simply adding a regular ending to the infinitive. Example: Ik wil wachten. — “I want to wait.” dit is the demonstrative “this.” In this sentence it identifies gesprek, “conversation,” as the thing the speaker wants to continue. Dutch dit is used with a singular neuter noun such as het gesprek; its plural counterpart is deze, as in deze gesprekken (“these conversations”). gesprek is the noun “conversation.” Its definite article is het: het gesprek; the plural is gesprekken. Example: We voeren een gesprek. — “We are having a conversation.” later is the time adverb “later,” referring to a time after the relevant present or current point. It can be reused without changing for person or number: Ik bel je later. — “I will call you later.” voortzetten means “to continue” or “to carry on.” It is a separable verb: in a finite main clause, the parts separate, as in Ik zet het gesprek voort. — “I continue the conversation.” After wil, however, the infinitive remains together at the end: Ik wil het gesprek voortzetten. Together, Dat lijkt me goed says that the proposed action seems good or acceptable to the speaker, corresponding here to “I would like that.” Then Ik wil dit gesprek later voortzetten combines “I want to,” the demonstrative dit, the noun gesprek, the time adverb later, and the infinitive voortzetten to mean “I want to continue this conversation later.”

6. Een korte notitie over ons onderwerp zou het vervolg makkelijker maken.

   A short note about our topic would make the follow-up easier.

   korte

   short

   notitie

   note

   ons

   our

   onderwerp

   topic; subject

   zou

   would

   vervolg

   follow-up; continuation

   makkelijker

   easier

   maken

   make

   More detail

   korte describes notitie as short. The base form is kort; the ending -e is used here because the adjective comes before the noun in this noun phrase. Compare een korte notitie with the base form in a predicate such as De notitie is kort (“The note is short”). notitie means “note” here: a short written record. It is a noun, and its plural is notities (“notes”). ons onderwerp means “our topic.” ons is the possessive form used with a singular het-word; onderwerp is such a noun (het onderwerp). With a plural or a de-word, Dutch uses onze, as in onze gesprekken (“our conversations”). The possessive expresses ownership or association; it does not itself specify who the other people are. onderwerp means “topic” or “subject.” In this sentence it refers to the topic already being discussed, consistent with the fixed translation. Its plural is onderwerpen (“topics/subjects”). zou is the form of zullen used here for “would.” In een ... zou ... maken, it presents the result as conditional or hypothetical; it does not by itself mean that the action happened in the past. A reusable pattern is X zou Y helpen — “X would help Y.” vervolg means “follow-up” or “continuation.” The phrase het vervolg treats it as a specific continuation or next part. Its plural is vervolgen, although the singular is the natural form in this sentence. makkelijker is the comparative form of makkelijk, meaning “easier” here. The comparison is between the follow-up with such a note and the follow-up without that help. The useful chain is makkelijk (“easy”) → makkelijker (“easier”) → het makkelijkst (“the easiest”). For example, Deze uitleg maakt de taak makkelijker means “This explanation makes the task easier.” maken means “make” in the construction iets makkelijker maken, literally “make something easier.” The verb is in the infinitive because it follows zou. In this pattern, the object is the thing whose condition changes: Een plan maakt het werk makkelijker means “A plan makes the work easier.” Together, Een korte notitie over ons onderwerp means “a short note about our topic.” The construction zou het vervolg makkelijker maken says that this note would make the follow-up easier. Thus the complete utterance means: “A short note about our topic would make the follow-up easier.”

7. Noem het gesprek over de werkwijze, dan weet ik weer waar het over ging.

   Mention the workflow discussion, and I will know the context.

   Noem

   mention

   het gesprek

   the discussion

   werkwijze

   way of working; workflow

   dan

   then

   weet

   know

   weer

   again

   waar het over ging

   what it was about

   More detail

   Noem is the imperative of noemen (“to mention/name”). It is the form used for a direct informal instruction to one person; the same form also occurs with jij in the present tense, as in jij noemt, but the imperative omits the subject. Example: Noem je naam. — “Mention your name.” het gesprek means “the discussion/conversation.” Gesprek is a neuter noun, so its definite article is het; this article belongs to the noun phrase and is not a separate numerical claim. Example: Het gesprek was kort. — “The conversation was short.” werkwijze means “way of working” or “workflow.” It is a noun; its usual definite form is de werkwijze. Here, over de werkwijze specifies the subject of het gesprek: the discussion was about the way of working. Example: We bespreken onze werkwijze. — “We are discussing our way of working.” dan means “then” and links the requested action to its result. In the second main clause, Dutch places the finite verb before the subject: dan weet ik, literally “then know I.” weet is the first-person singular present form of weten, “to know”: ik weet, jij weet, wij weten. The form weet therefore belongs to the verb, not to ik; ik is the subject. Example: Ik weet het antwoord. — “I know the answer.” weer means “again” or “once more.” Here it indicates that mentioning the discussion will allow the speaker to know the context again, without specifying why that knowledge was no longer active. waar het over ging is a reusable Dutch pattern meaning “what it was about.” Waar introduces the thing being asked about, over is the preposition used with the subject of a discussion, and ging is the past-tense form of gaan (“to go”). In this fixed expression, ging is not best translated literally as physical movement. The subordinate clause has the verb at the end: waar het over ging. A more formal alternative is waarover het ging, but the given form is ordinary and natural. Example: Ik weet niet waar de film over ging. — “I do not know what the film was about.” Together, Noem het gesprek over de werkwijze means “Mention the discussion about the workflow.” dan weet ik weer adds the result “then I will know again,” and waar het over ging specifies what the speaker will know: what the discussion was about. The complete utterance therefore means: “Mention the workflow discussion, and I will know the context.”

8. Ik waardeerde de concrete voorbeelden die je deelde.

   I appreciated the concrete examples you shared.

   waardeerde

   appreciated

   concrete

   concrete

   voorbeelden

   examples

   deelde

   shared

   More detail

   waardeerde means “appreciated” here. Its base form is waarderen (“to appreciate/value”); waardeerde is the simple past form. With ik, this gives ik waardeerde = “I appreciated.” Example: Ik waardeerde je hulp. — “I appreciated your help.” concrete describes the examples as specific and practical rather than abstract. Dutch adjectives usually take an -e ending before a plural noun or a definite noun phrase, as in concrete voorbeelden. Compare concreet voorbeeld (“a concrete example”) with het concrete voorbeeld (“the concrete example”). The adjective is concreet; concrete is its form in this noun phrase. voorbeelden means “examples.” Its singular base form is voorbeeld; voorbeelden is the plural. The ending -en is a common Dutch plural ending, but plural formation is not identical for every noun. Example: Deze voorbeelden zijn duidelijk. — “These examples are clear.” deelde means “shared” in this sentence. Its base form is delen (“to share”); deelde is the simple past form. In die je deelde, je is the subject of this relative clause, so the meaning is “that you shared.” The relative word die links the clause to voorbeelden; here it refers back to the plural noun “examples.” Example: De foto die je deelde was interessant. — “The photo that you shared was interesting.” Together, Ik waardeerde expresses the speaker’s past appreciation, de concrete voorbeelden identifies what was appreciated, and die je deelde specifies which examples: the ones the listener shared. The complete meaning is: “I appreciated the concrete examples you shared.”`

9. Door jouw vragen kon ik ze duidelijker uitleggen.

   Your questions helped me explain them more clearly.

   Door

   because of

   vragen

   questions

   kon ik

   I could

   ze

   them

   duidelijker

   more clearly

   uitleggen

   explain

   More detail

   Door introduces a cause: “because of” or “as a result of.” Here it is followed by the noun phrase jouw vragen, so the questions are presented as the reason for what follows. A reusable pattern is door + noun phrase for a cause. vragen means “questions” here. Its singular is vraag, and the plural adds -en: vraag → vragen. Jouw is the possessive form meaning “your,” so jouw vragen means “your questions.” kon ik combines the past form kon of the modal verb kunnen (“can; be able to”) with the subject pronoun ik (“I”). Kon is the singular past form used with ik; in this sentence it expresses that I was able to do something. With a modal verb, Dutch places the other verb in the infinitive, usually at the end of the clause: Ik kon het uitleggen — “I could explain it.” ze is the object pronoun meaning “them” in this sentence, as confirmed by the fixed translation. Its exact referents are not identified here. Dutch ze can have other functions in other contexts, but here it is the unstressed plural object form. duidelijker means “more clearly.” It is the comparative form of the adverb duidelijk (“clearly”): duidelijk → duidelijker (“more clearly”). The comparative shows that the explaining was clearer than before or clearer by comparison with another standard; it does not itself specify what the comparison is. uitleggen is the infinitive meaning “to explain.” It is a separable Dutch verb: in some finite clauses, its parts can separate, as in Ik leg het uit — “I explain it.” After the modal kon, however, the infinitive appears together at the end: kon ... uitleggen. Together, Door jouw vragen gives the cause, kon ik says that I was able to act, ze identifies the things explained as “them,” and duidelijker uitleggen means “explain more clearly.” The whole utterance therefore means: “Your questions helped me explain them more clearly.”