Setting boundaries for remote video meetings | Learn Dutch in English

Dutch lesson set in a contemporary Amsterdam everyday setting: In a remote work discussion, two adults decide when video meetings are needed and when written updates can replace them..

EN → NL / Level: B2

About This Lesson

Use Setting boundaries for remote video meetings to practice Dutch conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

A

Ik wil onnodige videovergaderingen waar mogelijk beperken.

ick vill on-NOH-dih-ghuh VEE-doh-vuhr-GHAA-duh-rin-ghun vahr MOH-ghuh-luk buh-PAIR-kuh. I want to reduce unnecessary video meetings where possible.
B

Ik begrijp het, hoewel sommige gesprekken baat hebben bij zichtbare reacties.

ick buh-GHRAIPE ut, hoo-VALE SOM-uh-ghuh ghuh-SPREK-uhn BAHT HEH-bun BIGH ZIKHT-bah-ruh ray-AHK-sees. I understand, though some discussions benefit from visible reactions.
A

Complexe beslissingen verdienen een livebespreking, maar updates vaak niet.

kom-PLEK-suh buh-SLISS-in-ghun vur-DEE-nuh un LIVE buh-SPRAY-king, mahr UP-dates vahrk neet. Complex decisions deserve live discussion, but updates often do not.
B

Dan moeten we vergaderingen over beslissingen scheiden van het delen van informatie.

dahn MOH-tun vuh vur-GHAA-duh-rin-ghun OH-vur buh-SLISS-in-ghun SKHYE-dun vahn ut DAY-lun vahn in-for-MAHT-see. Then we should separate decision meetings from information sharing.
A

Schriftelijke updates zouden mensen zorgvuldiger laten reageren.

SKHRIF-tuh-luh-kuh UP-dates ZOW-dun MEN-sun ZORKH-vul-duh-ghur LAH-tun ray-AH-ghay-run. Written updates would let people respond more thoughtfully.
B

Ze zorgen ook voor vastleggingen, wat later nuttig is.

zuh ZORKH-un ohk vohr VAST-lekh-in-ghun, vaht LAH-tur NUT-tikh iss. They also create records, which is useful later.
A

Zouden we die aanpak kunnen uitproberen bij een terugkerende vergadering?

ZOW-dun vuh dee AHN-pahk KUN-un OYT-proo-bun BIGH un tuh-RUNG-kay-run vur-GHAA-duh-ring? Could we pilot that approach with a recurring meeting?
B

We kunnen het testen en de kwaliteit van de resultaten vergelijken.

vuh KUN-un ut TES-tun un duh kwah-luh-TIGHT vahn duh ray-zul-TAH-tun vur-GHAY-luh-kun. We can test it and compare the quality of outcomes.

Word by Word

Ik Ik is the first-person pronoun meaning I; here it identifies the speaker as the person who wants to limit meetings. It commonly appears as the subject before a verb, as in Ik wil.
wil wil expresses want in Ik wil, presenting the speaker’s intention. After wil, an infinitive follows; here that infinitive is beperken, so this pattern is useful for stating a desired action.
onnodige onnodige describes videovergaderingen as unnecessary. It comes before the noun it modifies, as in onnodige videovergaderingen, which is useful when identifying meetings that can be reduced.
videovergaderingen videovergaderingen means video meetings; here these are the meetings the speaker wants to reduce. In onnodige videovergaderingen, it is specified by an adjective, a useful way to describe the type of meetings being discussed.
waar In waar mogelijk, waar contributes the meaning where or whenever the circumstances allow; the whole phrase limits how broadly the action is carried out. It is useful for qualifying an action by a condition, as in waar mogelijk.
mogelijk mogelijk means possible in waar mogelijk. Together with waar, it identifies the situations in which the action can be carried out, a useful way to qualify a recommendation.
beperken beperken is the infinitive meaning limit or reduce; here it is the action the speaker wants to take toward video meetings. After wil, an infinitive such as beperken states the intended action.
begrijp begrijp means understand in Ik begrijp het, showing that the speaker acknowledges the preceding point. Ik begrijp het is a reusable response when confirming that someone’s statement is understood.
het het means it here and refers to the preceding idea or proposal. In Ik begrijp het, it follows begrijp as the thing the speaker understands.
hoewel hoewel introduces a concession meaning although: the speaker understands the point even though some discussions benefit from visible reactions. It connects a main point with a qualification, as in hoewel sommige gesprekken baat hebben bij zichtbare reacties.
sommige sommige means some and limits gesprekken to an unspecified subset. It comes before a plural noun, as in sommige gesprekken, which is useful when only part of a group applies.
gesprekken gesprekken means discussions or conversations; here it refers to discussions that may benefit from visible reactions. With sommige before it, sommige gesprekken identifies a particular subset of discussions.
baat In baat hebben bij, baat contributes the idea of benefit; the full expression means benefit from, not baat by itself. Here the benefit is linked to zichtbare reacties, useful when discussing what helps a discussion.
hebben In baat hebben bij, hebben is the verb used with baat to form the expression for benefiting from something. The thing providing the benefit follows bij, here zichtbare reacties, so this pattern is useful for describing an advantage.
bij In baat hebben bij, bij introduces the thing from which the benefit is obtained, here zichtbare reacties. It is useful as part of this construction when naming what helps.
zichtbare zichtbare describes reacties as visible or perceptible to participants. It comes before the noun in zichtbare reacties, useful when specifying the kind of reactions that matter.
reacties reacties means reactions or responses; here it refers to visible reactions during a discussion. It appears after zichtbare in zichtbare reacties, useful for describing participant responses.
Complexe Complexe describes beslissingen as complex or difficult to handle. In Complexe beslissingen it comes before the noun, a useful order for qualifying decisions.
beslissingen beslissingen means decisions, here decisions that deserve live discussion. It can be specified by a preceding adjective, as in Complexe beslissingen, when discussing choices that need attention.
verdienen verdienen means deserve in the claim that complex decisions merit live discussion. It takes the thing considered deserved after it, here een livebespreking, useful for saying what a matter merits.
een een marks livebespreking as one nonspecific live discussion. It comes before the singular noun in een livebespreking, useful when introducing one option rather than a previously identified one.
livebespreking livebespreking names a discussion held live or in real time, here what complex decisions deserve. It follows een in een livebespreking, useful for naming a live discussion as an option.
maar maar means but and links the merit of live discussion with the contrasting claim about updates. It is useful for setting two related claims against each other, as in maar updates vaak niet.
updates updates refers to information updates; here updates are contrasted with complex decisions. In maar updates vaak niet, it is the subject of the shortened contrasting claim.
vaak vaak means often and gives the frequency of the claim about updates. It appears before niet in updates vaak niet, useful for saying that something is not true on many occasions.
niet niet negates the understood predicate in updates vaak niet, meaning that updates often do not deserve a live discussion. It is useful after a frequency word when rejecting the preceding claim for those cases.
Dan Dan means then and signals the proposed consequence of the preceding point. At the start of Dan moeten we, it introduces a next step in the discussion.
moeten moeten expresses should or must; here it presents separating the meeting types as the next recommended action. It is followed by the infinitive scheiden, a reusable modal-plus-infinitive pattern.
we we means we and names the group expected to take the action. It follows moeten in moeten we, useful for proposing a shared action.
vergaderingen vergaderingen means meetings; here the meetings about decisions are to be separated from information sharing. The noun can be specified by over, as in vergaderingen over beslissingen.
over over means about in vergaderingen over beslissingen and introduces the subject matter of the meetings. This is useful for naming what a meeting concerns.
scheiden scheiden means separate; here it is the action proposed for decision meetings and information sharing. After moeten it appears as an infinitive, and it works with van to identify what is separated from what.
van In scheiden van, van introduces the second side of the separation: het delen van informatie. This makes van useful when expressing separation between two categories.
delen In het delen van informatie, delen names the act of sharing information. With het before it, the action is treated as a thing that meetings can be separated from, useful when discussing an activity.
informatie informatie means information, here the material being shared. It follows van in delen van informatie, a useful way to specify what is shared.
Schriftelijke Schriftelijke describes updates as written rather than spoken. It comes before updates in Schriftelijke updates, useful when distinguishing written communication.
zouden zouden presents a possible or hypothetical result: written updates would let people respond more carefully. In the question Zouden we die aanpak kunnen uitproberen, the same form helps make a proposal polite.
mensen mensen means people; here they are the ones who would respond more carefully. In mensen zorgvuldiger laten reageren, it appears with laten to connect people with the action they perform.
zorgvuldiger zorgvuldiger means more thoughtfully or more carefully and modifies reageren. It appears in zorgvuldiger laten reageren, useful for describing an improved quality of response.
laten In mensen zorgvuldiger laten reageren, laten connects people with the following action reageren; the whole construction means let people respond more carefully. This pattern is useful when one person or thing enables another person to do something.
reageren reageren means respond; here it is the action people can perform more thoughtfully. It follows laten in laten reageren, a reusable way to name the action someone is allowed to perform.
Ze Ze means they here and refers back to the written updates. As the subject in Ze zorgen ook voor vastleggingen, it introduces another effect of those updates.
zorgen In zorgen voor vastleggingen, zorgen contributes the action that results in records; the whole construction means create or provide records. This is useful for describing what a measure produces.
ook ook means also and adds record-keeping as a second benefit of written updates. It appears in Ze zorgen ook voor vastleggingen, useful when adding another result.
voor In zorgen voor vastleggingen, voor links the action to the result produced, namely records. Here it belongs to the reusable construction zorgen voor rather than independently expressing the whole idea of creating something.
vastleggingen vastleggingen means records or documented records; here it refers to records created by written updates. It follows voor in zorgen voor vastleggingen, useful for naming documentation that a process produces.
wat In wat later nuttig is, wat introduces a comment about the preceding point and can be understood as which or what is useful later. It is useful for referring back to a preceding fact or thing before adding an evaluation.
later later means later and places the usefulness at a subsequent time. In later nuttig is, it gives the time frame for the evaluation.
nuttig nuttig means useful and describes the referenced records or preceding point as helpful later. It appears before is in later nuttig is, completing the description of its usefulness.
is is states that the thing referred to by wat has the quality nuttig. In wat later nuttig is, it completes the clause that evaluates later usefulness.
die die means that in die aanpak and points to the approach just discussed. It stands before aanpak, useful when referring back to a specific method.
aanpak aanpak means approach or method; here it is the proposed way of replacing some meetings with written updates. In die aanpak, it is identified as the specific method under consideration.
kunnen kunnen expresses can or be able to; in the question it presents trying the approach as a possible action. It is followed by the infinitive uitproberen, a reusable modal-plus-infinitive pattern.
uitproberen uitproberen means try out or pilot; here it applies the proposed approach in a recurring meeting. It follows kunnen and takes die aanpak as its object, useful for proposing a trial.
terugkerende terugkerende describes vergadering as recurring, meaning happening repeatedly. It comes before the noun in een terugkerende vergadering, useful when specifying a meeting that happens again over time.
vergadering vergadering means a meeting; here it is the meeting in which the approach would be tried. It is specified by terugkerende in terugkerende vergadering, useful for identifying the type of meeting.
testen testen means test; here it is the first of two actions the group can take. It follows kunnen in We kunnen het testen, useful for stating a planned test.
en en means and and joins testen with vergelijken. It is useful for linking two coordinated actions, as in testen en de kwaliteit van de resultaten vergelijken.
de de marks kwaliteit as the definite noun in de kwaliteit van de resultaten. It is used here because the discussion concerns the particular quality being evaluated.
kwaliteit kwaliteit means quality, here the quality of the outcomes. It is followed by van to specify what is being evaluated, as in kwaliteit van de resultaten.
resultaten resultaten means results or outcomes; here it refers to the outcomes produced by the tested approach. It appears in de resultaten and is linked by van to kwaliteit in kwaliteit van de resultaten.
vergelijken vergelijken means compare; here it is the second action, comparing outcome quality after testing. It follows en in testen en de kwaliteit van de resultaten vergelijken, useful for evaluating two or more results against each other.

Grammar Points

Hoewel + bijzin, hoofdzin

Hoewel schriftelijke informatie nuttig is, verdient een complexe beslissing een livebespreking.

hoo-VALE SKHRIF-tuh-luh-kuh in-for-MAHT-see NUT-tikh iss, vur-DEENT un kom-PLEK-suh buh-SLISS-ing un LIVE buh-SPRAY-king.

Although written information is useful, a complex decision deserves a live discussion.

Na hoewel staat het werkwoord aan het einde van de bijzin.

baat hebben bij + zelfstandig naamwoord

We hebben baat bij schriftelijke informatie.

vuh HEH-bun BAHT BIGH SKHRIF-tuh-luh-kuh in-for-MAHT-see.

We benefit from written information.

De vaste uitdrukking baat hebben bij wordt gevolgd door een zelfstandig naamwoord.

Dutch Vocabulary

baat hebben bij phrase
BAHT HEH-bun BIGH to benefit from
beperken verb
buh-PAIR-kuhn to reduce; to limit
beslissing noun
buh-SLISS-ing decision beslissingen
complex adj
kom-PLEKS complex complexe
gesprek noun
ghuh-SPREK discussion; conversation gesprekken
hoewel conj
hoo-VALE although
onnodig adj
on-NOH-dikh unnecessary onnodige
reactie noun
ray-AHK-see reaction reacties
verdienen verb
vur-DEE-nuh to deserve
videovergadering noun
VEE-doh-vuhr-GHAA-duh-ring video meeting videovergaderingen
waar mogelijk phrase
vahr MOH-ghuh-luk where possible
zichtbaar adj
ZIKHT-bahr visible zichtbare

Quiz

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

discussion; conversation

Show Answergesprekken

although

Show Answerhoewel

to reduce; to limit

Show Answerbeperken

reaction

Show Answerreacties