Addressing an Unsustainable Workload | Learn Dutch in English

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Use Addressing an Unsustainable Workload to practice Dutch conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

Ik ben productief geweest, maar het tempo wordt onhoudbaar.

ik ben proh-duk-TEEF guh-VAYST, mahr hut TEM-poh vort on-HOWT-bahr. I have been productive, but the pace is becoming unsustainable.

Ik waardeer het dat je dit aankaart voordat de prestaties achteruitgaan.

ik vahr-DAYR hut daht yuh dit AHN-kahrt vohr-DAHT duh preh-STAH-tseez AKH-ter-OYT-khahn. I appreciate you raising it before performance drops.

Ik kan resultaten blijven leveren, als we het aantal prioriteiten verminderen.

ik kahn reh-zul-TAH-tun BLY-vun LAY-vun, ahls vuh hut AHN-tahl pree-oh-ree-TAY-tun ver-MIN-duh-run. I can continue delivering, provided priorities are reduced.

We moeten onderscheid maken tussen dringend werk en werk dat vooral voor de zichtbaarheid wordt gedaan.

vuh MOO-tun ON-dur-SKHAYT MAH-kun TUS-sun DRING-unt verk un verk daht VOHR-ahl vohr duh ZIKHT-bahr-hayt vort guh-DAHN. We need to distinguish urgent work from work done mainly for visibility.

Sommige zichtbare taken kosten energie zonder de resultaten te veranderen.

SUM-uh-guh ZIKHT-bah-ruh TAH-kun KOS-tun eh-nur-ZHEE ZON-dur duh reh-zul-TAH-tun tuh ver-AHN-duh-run. Some visible tasks consume energy without changing results.

Dan moeten we ze bewust schrappen of delegeren.

DAHN MOO-tun vuh zuh buh-WUST SKHRAH-pun off day-lay-GAY-run. Then we should cut or delegate them deliberately.

Ik zou ook baat hebben bij duidelijkere momenten om te stoppen.

ik zow ohk baht HEB-un bay DOW-duh-lik-uh-ruh moh-MEN-tun om tuh STOP-un. I would also benefit from clearer stopping points.

Ik kan voor elke actieve taak criteria voor voltooiing vastleggen.

ik kahn vohr EL-kuh AHK-tee-vuh tahk KREE-tay-ree-ah vohr vul-TOY-ing VAHST-LEKH-un. I can define completion criteria for each active task.

Word by Word

Ik “Ik” refers to the speaker and means “I” in this dialogue. It is used as the subject before the finite verb, as in “Ik ben”. Use it when speaking about your own work, condition, or experience.

ben “ben” means “am” and describes the speaker’s state here. It is the first-person present form of zijn and appears with “Ik”. Use this form after “Ik” when describing your current state or situation.

productief “productief” means productive and describes the speaker’s work output here. It follows “ben” to describe a state or quality. Use it to discuss effective work or useful results in a professional conversation.

geweest “geweest” means “been” and refers to the speaker’s earlier period of being productive. It is the past participle related to zijn and appears with “ben”. This form is useful when describing a state that existed over an earlier period.

maar “maar” means “but” and introduces a contrast between being productive and the pace becoming unsustainable. It links two contrasting parts of a sentence. Use it when acknowledging one fact before presenting a problem or limitation.

het “het” is the definite article before “tempo”, so the phrase refers to the specific pace being discussed. It appears directly before the noun it determines. Use it before a definite noun when referring to a particular thing or situation.

tempo “tempo” means pace, especially the speed at which work is progressing here. It is the subject of “wordt” in the discussion about workload. Use it to talk about the speed or rhythm of work or another activity.

wordt “wordt” means “becomes” and shows that the pace is changing into an unsustainable state. It is the present form of worden used with “het tempo”. Use it to describe a condition or quality that is changing.

onhoudbaar “onhoudbaar” means unsustainable: it cannot reasonably continue in its current form. Here it describes the pace of work after “wordt”. Use it when a workload, plan, or situation cannot be maintained over time.

waardeer “waardeer” means “appreciate” and expresses recognition of the other person’s action. It is the first-person present form used with “Ik”. The phrase “Ik waardeer het dat je dit aankaart” is useful when acknowledging someone for raising an important issue.

dat “dat” introduces the clause explaining what is appreciated: the other person raising the issue. It connects “het” with the following action or statement. Use it to introduce a clause that gives the content of an opinion, feeling, or judgment.

je “je” refers to the other speaker and means “you” here. It is the subject of “aankaart”. Use it before a verb when addressing the person whose action or opinion you are discussing.

dit “dit” means “this” and refers to the workload issue being discussed. It points to a specific matter already understood from the conversation. Use it for a nearby or current issue that you want the other person to identify.

aankaart “aankaart” means “brings up” or “raises” an issue. It is the dialogue form related to the citation form aankaarten and appears with “je”. Use it when someone introduces a problem or topic that needs attention, especially in a discussion.

voordat “voordat” means “before” and introduces the time condition for raising the issue. It links the action of raising it with the possible later decline in performance. Use it before a clause describing something that should happen earlier.

de “de” is the definite article before “prestaties”, referring to the specific performance under discussion. It appears directly before the plural noun here. Use it when referring to known or specific people, things, or results.

prestaties “prestaties” means performance and refers to work results or effectiveness here. Its citation form is prestatie; “prestaties” is the plural form used in the dialogue. Use it when discussing how well someone or something is performing.

achteruitgaan “achteruitgaan” means decline or deteriorate, so here it describes performance becoming worse. It completes the clause about what may happen if the issue is not addressed. Use it to describe a gradual decrease in quality, condition, or results.

kan “kan” means “can” or “is able to” and presents the speaker’s ability to continue delivering results. It is followed by the action sequence “blijven leveren”. Use it before an action to describe ability or a possible course of action.

resultaten “resultaten” means results and refers to the outcomes the speaker continues to deliver. Its citation form is resultaat; “resultaten” is the plural form used here. Use it when discussing measurable outcomes, especially in a work context.

blijven “blijven” means “continue” and shows that the delivery of results will go on. In “blijven leveren”, it is followed by another verb describing the continuing action. Use this pattern when an activity should continue over time.

leveren “leveren” means deliver or produce, with “resultaten” as its object here. It describes providing the expected work outcomes. Use it with a concrete output, result, or responsibility that someone is expected to provide.

als “als” means “if” or “provided that” and introduces the condition for continuing to deliver results. It connects the ability to continue with reducing priorities. Use it to state a condition that must be met for something to happen.

we “we” means “we” and includes both speakers in the decision to reduce priorities. It functions as the subject of “verminderen”. Use it when describing a shared decision, responsibility, or action.

aantal “aantal” means “number” or “quantity” and focuses on how many priorities there are. In “het aantal prioriteiten”, it refers to the count of priorities rather than their content. Use the pattern “het aantal” before a plural noun when discussing a quantity.

prioriteiten “prioriteiten” means priorities: the tasks or concerns given greater importance. Its citation form is prioriteit; “prioriteiten” is the plural form used here. Use it when discussing which work should receive attention first.

verminderen “verminderen” means reduce and refers to making the number of priorities smaller. It is the action required in the condition introduced by “als”. Use it with a number, amount, workload, or set of items that needs to become smaller.

moeten “moeten” means “must” or “need to” and expresses the necessity of distinguishing between types of work. It is followed by the infinitive expression “onderscheid maken”. Use it before an action when describing a requirement or necessary step.

onderscheid “onderscheid” means a distinction between different categories or types of work. In “onderscheid maken”, it identifies the separation the speakers need to establish. Use the phrase “onderscheid maken tussen X en Y” when comparing two categories.

maken “maken” is the verb used inside “onderscheid maken”, the expression for making a distinction. Its precise contribution here is forming that expression with “onderscheid”. Use it with the appropriate noun in fixed combinations when describing an action or decision.

tussen “tussen” means “between” and introduces the two types of work being compared. It appears in the pattern “tussen X en Y”. Use it when placing two people, things, or categories in relation to each other.

dringend “dringend” means urgent and describes work that requires prompt attention. It modifies “werk” in the distinction between necessary work and visibility-related work. Use it to identify matters that cannot reasonably be delayed.

werk “werk” means work and refers to professional activities or tasks here. It appears in the expressions “dringend werk” and “werk dat vooral voor de zichtbaarheid wordt gedaan”. Use it as a general noun for duties, activity, or professional output.

en “en” means “and” and links the two categories of work in the comparison. It joins items or clauses of equal importance. Use it to connect multiple tasks, ideas, or actions in one statement.

vooral “vooral” means “mainly” and indicates that visibility is the primary reason for doing the work. It narrows the focus to the most important purpose or factor. Use it before the element that is the main one among several possibilities.

voor “voor” means “for” and marks the purpose connected with visibility in “voor de zichtbaarheid”. It shows what the work is intended to serve. Use it before a noun when describing a purpose, intended effect, or beneficiary.

zichtbaarheid “zichtbaarheid” means visibility, referring here to how noticeable the work is to others. It appears in the phrase “voor de zichtbaarheid”. Use it when discussing recognition or how easily work can be seen, rather than its direct results.

gedaan “gedaan” means “done” and indicates that the work is carried out for a particular purpose. It is the past participle related to doen and appears with “wordt” in “wordt gedaan”. Use it in this type of passive construction when describing work that is performed.

Sommige “Sommige” means “some” and introduces only part of the tasks under discussion. It appears at the beginning of the sentence before “zichtbare taken”. Use it before a plural noun when referring to an unspecified subset.

zichtbare “zichtbare” means visible or noticeable to others and describes the tasks here. Its citation form is zichtbaar; “zichtbare” is the form used before “taken”. Use it before a noun when describing something that can be seen or recognized.

taken “taken” means tasks and refers to individual pieces of work. Its citation form is taak; “taken” is the plural form used here. Use it when organizing, assigning, reviewing, or removing specific units of work.

kosten “kosten” means “cost” in the sense of consume or use up, not monetary price, because its object is “energie”. It says that the visible tasks use energy. Use it with a resource such as time, energy, or money when describing what an activity consumes.

energie “energie” means energy and refers here to the mental or working capacity consumed by the tasks. It is the object of “kosten”. Use it when discussing the effort or capacity required to complete work.

zonder “zonder” means “without” and introduces something that does not happen alongside the energy consumption. In “zonder de resultaten te veranderen”, it marks the absence of a change in results. Use it before a noun or an action to describe something missing or excluded.

te “te” is the infinitive marker in “te veranderen”. It helps connect the action of changing the results to “zonder”. Use the pattern “te” plus a verb when this construction requires an infinitive action.

veranderen “veranderen” means change or alter, and here it refers to changing the results. It appears after “te” in “te veranderen”. Use it with an object when describing an alteration to a result, condition, plan, or situation.

Dan “Dan” means “then” and signals the response that follows from the observation about the tasks. It connects the previous conclusion with the proposed action. Use it at the start of a sentence when drawing a consequence or suggesting the next step.

ze “ze” means “them” here and refers back to the visible tasks. It is the object of “schrappen” and “delegeren”. Use it to refer to previously mentioned plural items without repeating the noun.

bewust “bewust” means deliberately or consciously and emphasizes that the decision should be intentional. It modifies the actions of removing or delegating the tasks. Use it when highlighting careful, purposeful decision-making.

schrappen “schrappen” means cut or remove, referring here to taking tasks out of the workload. It has “ze” as its object. Use it when removing an item from a plan, list, schedule, or set of responsibilities.

of “of” means “or” and presents two possible actions for the tasks: removing them or delegating them. It links alternatives. Use it between options when only one of the possibilities, or either possibility, is being considered.

delegeren “delegeren” means delegate and refers to assigning the tasks to someone else. It has “ze” as its object in the dialogue. Use it when transferring responsibility for work while keeping the task within the wider project.

zou “zou” means “would” and makes the speaker’s statement about benefiting sound hypothetical or tactfully expressed. It appears in “Ik zou ook baat hebben bij”. Use it when expressing a possible benefit, preference, or polite request.

ook “ook” means “also” and adds another need to the earlier workload discussion. It shows that clearer stopping points are an additional helpful measure. Use it when adding a further person, fact, action, or benefit to what has already been mentioned.

baat hebben bij “baat hebben bij” means benefit from. In this construction, “baat” expresses an advantage, “hebben” supplies the idea of having that advantage, and “bij” introduces what provides it. The dialogue uses “baat hebben bij duidelijkere momenten om te stoppen”; reuse the construction before a noun phrase describing a helpful measure or condition.

duidelijkere “duidelijkere” means clearer and compares the requested stopping points with less clear alternatives. Its citation form is duidelijk; “duidelijkere” is the comparative form used before “momenten”. Use it before a noun when asking for greater clarity.

momenten “momenten” means moments or points in time and refers here to points at which work should stop. Its citation form is moment; “momenten” is the plural form used in the dialogue. Use it when identifying times for an action, decision, or boundary.

om “om” introduces the action associated with the stopping points in “om te stoppen”. Together with “te” and the verb, it links a noun describing a time or purpose to an action. Use the pattern “om te” plus a verb when referring to an intended action or purpose.

stoppen “stoppen” means stop, and here it means stop working at a defined point. It follows “om te” in “om te stoppen”. Use it when setting an endpoint for an activity or describing when an activity should end.

elke “elke” means “each” or “every” and distributes the completion criteria across individual tasks. It appears before the singular noun “taak”. Use it before a singular noun when referring to all members of a group one by one.

actieve “actieve” means active and describes tasks that are currently in progress or being managed. Its citation form is actief; “actieve” is the form used before “taak”. Use it before a noun to identify work that is currently active rather than completed or inactive.

taak “taak” means task and refers to one individual unit of work. It appears in “elke actieve taak”, where each task receives its own completion criteria. Use it when discussing a specific responsibility or piece of work.

criteria “criteria” means criteria or standards used to judge whether something is complete. Here the criteria apply to each active task. Use the pattern “criteria voor” before the result or condition that the standards define.

voltooiing “voltooiing” means completion and refers to the point at which a task is considered finished. It appears in “criteria voor voltooiing”. Use it when defining or discussing the conditions for finishing work.

vastleggen “vastleggen” means define, record, or formally set down, and here it refers to recording the completion criteria. It completes the phrase “criteria voor voltooiing vastleggen”. Use it when turning an agreement, rule, requirement, or decision into a clear reference.

Grammar Points

baat hebben bij + zelfstandig naamwoord

Actieve taken hebben baat bij duidelijkere prioriteiten.

AHK-tee-vuh TAH-kun HEB-un BAHT bay DOW-duh-lik-uh-ruh pree-oh-ree-TAY-tun.

Active tasks benefit from clearer priorities.

De vaste uitdrukking baat hebben bij betekent ‘profiteren van’. Bij volgt een zelfstandig naamwoord.

duidelijker(e) + zelfstandig naamwoord

een duidelijkere prioriteit

uhn DOW-duh-lik-uh-ruh pree-oh-ree-TAYT.

a clearer priority

Duidelijker is de vergrotende trap van duidelijk. Voor een de-woord krijgt het bijvoeglijk naamwoord -e.

Dutch Vocabulary

aankaarten verb

AHN-kahr-tun to raise or bring up an issue aankaart

achteruitgaan verb

AKH-ter-OYT-khahn to decline or deteriorate

leveren verb

LAY-vun to deliver

onderscheid maken phrase

ON-dur-SKHAYT MAH-kun to distinguish

onhoudbaar adj

on-HOWT-bahr unsustainable

prestatie noun

preh-STAH-tsee performance prestaties

prioriteit noun

pree-oh-ree-TAYT priority prioriteiten

productief adj

proh-duk-TEEF productive

resultaat noun

reh-zul-TAHT result resultaten

tempo noun

TEM-poh pace

verminderen verb

ver-MIN-duh-run to reduce

waarderen verb

VAHR-duh-run to appreciate waardeer

Quiz

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

productive

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productief

to deliver

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leveren

to appreciate

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waardeer

unsustainable

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onhoudbaar