Improving office recycling practices | Learn Dutch in English

Sentence explanations

1. We hebben recyclingbakken op kantoor, maar mensen lijken in de war.

   We have recycling bins in the office, but people seem confused.

   hebben

   have

   recyclingbakken

   recycling bins

   kantoor

   office

   mensen

   people

   lijken

   seem

   in de war

   confused

   More detail

   hebben is the present-tense form used with we here: we hebben means “we have.” The same word is also the infinitive “to have.” Compare ik heb (“I have”) with we hebben (“we have”). Example: We hebben tijd. — “We have time.” recyclingbakken means “recycling bins.” It is a plural compound: recyclingbak is the singular “recycling bin,” and -en marks the plural here. The first part specifies the bins’ purpose. Example: Er staan twee recyclingbakken buiten. — “There are two recycling bins outside.” kantoor means “office.” In op kantoor, the preposition op combines with this noun to mean “at/in the office” in the relevant workplace sense. The noun itself is singular; the phrase does not state how many offices there are. Example: Zij werkt op kantoor. — “She works in the office.” mensen means “people.” It is the plural of mens (“person/human being”). Because mensen is plural, the following verb is in its plural form. Example: Mensen wachten buiten. — “People are waiting outside.” lijken means “seem” here. It is the present-tense plural form with mensen; the infinitive is also lijken. With a singular subject, Dutch uses lijkt, as in Het lijkt moeilijk. — “It seems difficult.” The construction lijken + ... presents an appearance or impression rather than a direct assertion. in de war is a fixed expression meaning “confused.” It describes a state of confusion, not simply the physical location of something. Example: Ik ben in de war. — “I am confused.” The sentence first states possession and location: We hebben recyclingbakken op kantoor — “We have recycling bins in the office.” maar then introduces a contrast: mensen lijken in de war — “people seem confused.” Together, the utterance says that the bins are present at the office, while people appear confused.

2. De labels zijn waarschijnlijk te vaag voor dagelijks gebruik.

   The labels are probably too vague for daily use.

   labels

   labels

   zijn

   are

   waarschijnlijk

   probably

   te vaag

   too vague

   dagelijks

   daily

   gebruik

   use

   More detail

   labels means “labels” here. It is the plural of label; the singular is label. Dutch plural nouns commonly take -s or -en, and this noun uses -s: label → labels. Example: De labels zijn duidelijk. — “The labels are clear.” zijn is the present-tense plural form of zijn, “to be.” It agrees here with the plural subject de labels. The same form can also be the infinitive, “to be,” in another construction. Example: De regels zijn eenvoudig. — “The rules are simple.” waarschijnlijk is an adverb meaning “probably.” It marks the speaker’s uncertainty about the statement that follows; it does not change the plural form of zijn or vaag. Example: De uitleg is waarschijnlijk correct. — “The explanation is probably correct.” te vaag combines te, “too,” with the adjective vaag, “vague.” Te says that the degree is excessive for the relevant purpose, so te vaag means “too vague,” not merely “somewhat vague.” The adjective’s basic form is vaag; in a different noun phrase, adjective endings may depend on the noun phrase, but no ending is added here after te. Example: Deze instructie is te vaag. — “This instruction is too vague.” dagelijks means “daily” in dagelijks gebruik. Here it describes the noun gebruik. In Dutch, dagelijks can also function adverbially, as in Zij oefent dagelijks. — “She practises daily.” Before a noun, a related inflected form is often seen in other noun phrases, such as dagelijkse regels — “daily rules”; the observed form in the sentence is specifically dagelijks. gebruik means “use” in the sense of using something, especially its practical use. It is a noun; het gebruik is the definite noun phrase “the use.” It is different from the verb gebruiken, “to use,” even though the meanings are related. Example: Het gebruik van deze bak is eenvoudig. — “Using this bin is easy.” The structure is De labels zijn waarschijnlijk te vaag voor dagelijks gebruik. De labels is the plural subject, and zijn links it to the description te vaag. Waarschijnlijk makes the assessment probable rather than certain. Voor dagelijks gebruik means “for daily use,” so the complete sentence is: “The labels are probably too vague for daily use.”

3. We zouden de regels voor afvalscheiding eenvoudiger en zichtbaarder moeten maken.

   We should make sorting rules simpler and more visible.

   We zouden

   we should

   regels

   rules

   afvalscheiding

   waste separation

   eenvoudiger

   simpler

   zichtbaarder

   more visible

   moeten

   should

   maken

   make

   More detail

   We zouden combines the subject we with zouden, the conditional/past form of zullen. With a following infinitive phrase, this construction can express a recommendation; here it corresponds to “we should,” rather than simply stating a past event. We is the first-person plural subject, so the proposal is made on behalf of the speaker and at least one other person. regels means “rules” here. Its singular base form is regel; the plural adds -s: regel → regels. The noun is plural because the sentence refers to rules in general, not one rule. afvalscheiding is a compound noun meaning “waste separation,” the sorting of waste into appropriate categories. In regels voor afvalscheiding, voor links the rules to the activity they concern: “rules for waste separation.” eenvoudiger is the comparative of eenvoudig (“simple”): eenvoudig → eenvoudiger (“simpler”). It says that the rules should become simpler relative to their current or implied form. For example: Deze uitleg is eenvoudiger. — “This explanation is simpler.” zichtbaarder is the comparative of zichtbaar (“visible”): zichtbaar → zichtbaarder (“more visible”). It describes an increase in how easily the rules can be seen or noticed. For example: De symbolen moeten zichtbaarder worden. — “The symbols need to become more visible.” moeten is the infinitive of moeten, expressing necessity or obligation. After zouden, it forms zouden moeten (“should” / “would need to” in the relevant construction). Because moeten is an infinitive here, it does not carry the finite subject agreement; zouden is the finite form. maken is the infinitive of maken (“to make”). In iets eenvoudiger en zichtbaarder maken, it means “to make something simpler and more visible.” The adjective forms describe the resulting qualities of the object being changed. Together, We zouden ... moeten maken gives the recommendation “We should make ...”. The object is de regels voor afvalscheiding, “the rules for waste separation,” and eenvoudiger en zichtbaarder gives two coordinated results: simpler and more visible. The complete meaning is: “We should make the rules for waste separation simpler and more visible.”

4. Visuele voorbeelden bij de bakken zouden fouten verminderen.

   Visual examples near the bins would reduce mistakes.

   Visuele

   visual

   voorbeelden

   examples

   bakken

   bins

   zouden

   would

   fouten

   mistakes

   verminderen

   reduce

   More detail

   Visuele describes voorbeelden in this sentence: “visual examples.” Its base form is visueel; before this plural noun, the adjective has the attributive ending -e: visueel → visuele. The adjective agrees with the noun phrase here, not with bakken. voorbeelden means “examples.” It is the plural of voorbeeld: een voorbeeld = “an example,” voorbeelden = “examples.” The plural form is used because the sentence refers to examples in the plural. bij de bakken means “near the bins.” bij introduces the location, and de bakken is the definite plural noun phrase “the bins.” bakken is the plural of bak. This phrase specifies where the examples would be located; it does not change the role of voorbeelden as the subject. zouden is the plural form used in the conditional construction zouden ... verminderen, corresponding here to “would ... reduce.” It is a form of zullen and combines with an infinitive later in the clause. In this sentence, the construction presents the reduction of mistakes as a predicted or hypothetical result, not as an established fact. fouten means “mistakes” here. It is the plural of fout: een fout = “a mistake,” fouten = “mistakes.” The noun is the object of verminderen, the thing whose number would become smaller. verminderen is the infinitive “to reduce” or “to decrease.” In zouden ... verminderen, it stays in the infinitive because it follows the modal/conditional form zouden. For example, Meer uitleg zou fouten verminderen means “More explanation would reduce mistakes.” Together, Visuele voorbeelden bij de bakken forms the subject: “visual examples near the bins.” The discontinuous construction zouden ... verminderen says what effect those examples would have, and fouten identifies that effect’s object. The complete meaning is: “Visual examples near the bins would reduce mistakes.”

5. Ik denk ook dat we minder wegwerpmaterialen zouden moeten bestellen.

   I also think fewer disposable supplies should be ordered.

   Ik denk

   I think

   ook

   also

   we

   we

   minder

   fewer; less

   wegwerpmaterialen

   disposable supplies

   zouden moeten

   should

   bestellen

   order

   More detail

   Ik denk means “I think” here. denk is the first-person singular present form of denken (“to think”): ik denk, but we denken (“we think”). This frame can introduce an opinion or judgment: Ik denk dat het werkt. — “I think it works.” ook means “also” and adds this opinion to something already relevant. Its position after Ik denk gives the sense “I also think”; it does not itself identify what earlier idea is being added. we is the first-person plural subject pronoun, “we.” It is the subject of the later action, not of denk: the speaker says that the group should order something. Dutch uses we as the ordinary unstressed form; wij is the more emphatic variant. minder expresses a smaller amount or number. With plural countable items such as wegwerpmaterialen, the natural English equivalent is “fewer”; with an uncountable amount, it commonly corresponds to “less.” Example: We bestellen minder dozen. — “We order fewer boxes.” wegwerpmaterialen is a plural compound meaning “disposable supplies” or “disposable materials.” Its parts combine the idea of something intended for throwing away with materialen, “materials/supplies.” The singular is wegwerpmateriaal; the plural ending is on materiaal, while the compound as a whole is the noun being reduced by minder. zouden moeten is a modal construction meaning “should” in this context. zouden is the plural form of zullen used here in a conditional or softened recommendation, and moeten is the infinitive “to have to/must.” Together with we, the pattern is we zouden moeten + infinitive: We zouden moeten wachten. — “We should wait.” This is a recommendation rather than a bare statement that an order is already required. bestellen is the infinitive “to order.” After the modal construction zouden moeten, the lexical verb remains in the infinitive: we zouden moeten bestellen — “we should order.” The object of this action is minder wegwerpmaterialen. The whole utterance has the structure Ik denk ook dat we minder wegwerpmaterialen zouden moeten bestellen: “I also think that we should order fewer disposable supplies.” dat introduces the content of the opinion, and the subordinate clause places the modal verb before the final infinitive. The fixed translation presents the ordering as something that should happen; the Dutch wording explicitly identifies we as the group who should place the order.

6. Dat vereist veranderingen in de inkoop, niet alleen herinneringen.

   That requires procurement changes, not just reminders.

   Dat

   That

   vereist

   requires

   veranderingen

   changes

   inkoop

   procurement

   niet alleen

   not just

   herinneringen

   reminders

   More detail

   Dat is a demonstrative pronoun used here as the subject: “that” refers to a previously mentioned fact or proposal. Dutch dat can point to a clause or to a singular neuter noun; the form itself does not identify a particular noun as its referent. vereist means “requires” here. It is the present-tense form of vereisen with a singular third-person subject: dat vereist. Compare ik vereis (“I require”) and zij/hij vereist (“she/he requires”). The verb takes what is required as its object. veranderingen means “changes” here. Its singular is verandering; the plural ending -en gives veranderingen. The word can describe changes in a plan, process, or situation, not only physical alterations. inkoop means “procurement” or “purchasing” in this context. With de in de inkoop, it names the procurement area or process. The following in de inkoop specifies where the changes are needed: “in procurement.” niet alleen means “not only” or, naturally here, “not just.” It introduces a contrast: the requirement involves more than the item mentioned afterward. A reusable pattern is niet alleen X, maar ook Y — “not only X, but also Y.” In this sentence, the second part is left implicit; the wording still says that reminders alone are insufficient. herinneringen means “reminders” here. Its singular is herinnering, and herinneringen is the plural. Depending on context, herinnering can also mean a memory, but the fixed translation identifies the intended meaning here as reminders. Together, Dat vereist veranderingen in de inkoop means “That requires changes in procurement”: the previously mentioned matter is presented as needing procurement changes. niet alleen herinneringen adds “not just reminders,” so the complete utterance is: “That requires procurement changes, not just reminders.”

7. Kunnen we beginnen met artikelen waarvoor gemakkelijk alternatieven te vinden zijn?

   Could we start with items that have easy alternatives?

   Kunnen we

   Could we

   beginnen

   start

   artikelen

   items

   waarvoor

   for which

   gemakkelijk

   easily

   alternatieven

   alternatives

   vinden

   find

   zijn

   are

   More detail

   Kunnen we uses kunnen with we. The form kunnen is the present-tense form used with we and other plural subjects; with an infinitive, it expresses ability or permission. In this question, the fixed translation shows a polite suggestion: “Could we…?” Dutch places the infinitive after the modal: Kunnen we beginnen? — “Could we start?” beginnen means “to begin” or “to start.” It is an infinitive here because it follows kunnen. A useful pattern is beginnen met + a noun: We beginnen met het eerste punt. — “We start with the first point.” artikelen means “items” in this sentence. Its singular is artikel; artikelen is the plural form. Depending on context, artikel can also mean “article,” but the fixed translation establishes the intended sense here as items. waarvoor is a relative form meaning “for which.” It connects the item being discussed with a purpose or suitability relation: artikelen waarvoor ... means “items for which …”. The waar- part refers back to a non-person thing, while voor contributes the meaning “for.” gemakkelijk means “easy” here. In gemakkelijk te vinden zijn, it describes how readily something can be found. The related adverbial use can also describe an action directly, but here the construction presents the alternatives as easy to find. alternatieven means “alternatives.” Its singular is alternatief; alternatieven is the plural. In this sentence, these are the alternative items associated with the items introduced by artikelen. vinden means “to find.” The form te vinden is an infinitive construction. In gemakkelijk te vinden, Dutch expresses the idea “easy to find,” with alternatieven as the things that can be found. Example: Deze informatie is gemakkelijk te vinden. — “This information is easy to find.” zijn means “are” here. It is the present-tense plural form of zijn (“to be”), agreeing with plural alternatieven. In the construction alternatieven te vinden zijn, it completes the clause meaning that alternatives are easy to find. The form zijn is not the form used with a singular subject; for example, Het alternatief is gemakkelijk te vinden. means “The alternative is easy to find.” Putting the parts together: Kunnen we beginnen asks whether starting is possible or acceptable; met artikelen specifies what to start with; and waarvoor gemakkelijk alternatieven te vinden zijn identifies those items as ones for which easy alternatives can be found. The whole utterance therefore means: “Could we start with items that have easy alternatives?”

8. Dat zou de verandering minder ingrijpend maken.

   That would make the change less disruptive.

   Dat zou

   that would

   de verandering

   the change

   minder ingrijpend

   less disruptive

   maken

   make

   More detail

   Dat zou means “that would.” Dat is a demonstrative pronoun functioning here as the subject; the fixed translation supports “that,” without identifying a more specific referent. Zou is the singular past form of zullen, but in this construction it expresses a hypothetical or conditional result, not past time. Compare Dat zal helpen (“That will help”) with Dat zou helpen (“That would help”). De verandering means “the change.” Verandering is a de-word and has the plural veranderingen; the definite article is de in both singular and plural, so number is shown by the noun form here. Example: De veranderingen zijn groot. — “The changes are significant.” Minder ingrijpend means “less disruptive.” Ingrijpend is the adjective meaning “disruptive” or “far-reaching” here. Minder places it below a comparison point: ingrijpend → minder ingrijpend (“less disruptive”). It is not the same as niet ingrijpend (“not disruptive”): the comparative says that the degree is lower, while the negative form simply denies the property. Maken means “make.” It is the infinitive used after the conditional auxiliary zou. Dutch commonly uses the pattern iets + adjective maken to say that an action causes something to have a quality: Dat maakt de taak eenvoudiger. — “That makes the task easier.” Together, Dat zou ... maken gives the conditional “That would make ...”; de verandering is what would be affected, and minder ingrijpend describes the resulting degree. Thus the whole utterance means, “That would make the change less disruptive.”