Improving office recycling practices | Learn Dutch in English

Dutch lesson set in a contemporary Amsterdam everyday setting: At work, two adults discuss clearer recycling labels, visible sorting examples, and reducing disposable supplies through practical procurement changes..

EN → NL / Level: B2

About This Lesson

Use Improving office recycling practices to practice Dutch conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

A

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

wuh HEB-uhn ree-SAI-kling-bah-kuhn op kuhn-TOHR, mahr MEN-suhn LIE-kuhn in duh WAR We have recycling bins in the office, but people seem confused.
B

De labels zijn waarschijnlijk te vaag voor dagelijks gebruik.

DUH LAY-buhls zine wahr-SHINE-luhk tuh VAAKH for DAA-khuh-likes guh-BROIK The labels are probably too vague for daily use.
A

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

wuh ZOW-duhn duh RAY-khuhls for AHF-vahl-SKHEI-ding AINE-vow-di-kher en ZIKHT-bahr-duhr MOO-tuhn MAH-kuhn We should make sorting rules simpler and more visible.
B

Visuele voorbeelden bij de bakken zouden fouten verminderen.

vih-SUE-uh-luh VOHR-bayl-duhn bye duh BAH-kuhn ZOW-duhn FOW-tuhn vuh-MIN-duh-run Visual examples near the bins would reduce mistakes.
A

Ik denk ook dat we minder wegwerpmaterialen zouden moeten bestellen.

ik DENK ohk daht wuh MIN-duhr WEKH-wairp-mah-tay-ree-AH-luhn ZOW-duhn MOO-tuhn buh-STEL-luhn I also think fewer disposable supplies should be ordered.
B

Dat vereist veranderingen in de inkoop, niet alleen herinneringen.

daht vuh-RAYST vuh-AHN-duh-ring-uhn in duh IN-kohp, neet ah-LAYN heh-RIN-uh-ring-uhn That requires procurement changes, not just reminders.
A

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

KUN-uhn wuh buh-KHIN-uhn met ar-TEE-kuh-luhn vahr-VOHR khuh-MAH-kuh-luk ahl-tuhr-NAH-tee-vuhn tuh VIN-duhn zine Could we start with items that have easy alternatives?
B

Dat zou de verandering minder ingrijpend maken.

daht ZOW duh vuh-AHN-duh-ring MIN-duhr ing-KHREI-punt MAH-kuhn That would make the change less disruptive.

Word by Word

We We means “we” in both We hebben recyclingbakken and We zouden ... moeten maken. It is used as the subject before the verb, for example when discussing a shared workplace action.
hebben hebben means “have” in We hebben recyclingbakken op kantoor. It is used with the thing possessed or present after it, such as recyclingbakken.
recyclingbakken recyclingbakken means “recycling bins” in We hebben recyclingbakken op kantoor. It names the bins used for recycling, and it can be used as the object after hebben.
op op means “at” in op kantoor, describing the location of the bins. This location pattern is used for activities or things associated with an office, as in op kantoor werken.
kantoor kantoor means “office” in op kantoor. Together with op, it identifies the workplace location; the same phrase can describe where someone works or where something is located.
maar maar means “but” and introduces the contrast between having recycling bins and people being confused. It commonly connects two statements with opposing or unexpected information.
mensen mensen means “people” in mensen lijken in de war. It refers generally to the office users here and can be used as the subject when describing what people do or think.
lijken lijken means “seem” in mensen lijken in de war. It presents being confused as an appearance or impression rather than a directly stated fact, and it can be followed by an adjective or expression describing that impression.
in in contributes “in” to the expression in de war, which means that people are confused. Here it is part of the complete expression rather than describing a physical container.
de de is the definite article in de war and de labels. Its exact form appears before nouns such as labels and in the fixed expression in de war.
war war means “confusion” in the expression in de war, used here to say that people are confused. Use it together with in de rather than treating war alone as the complete expression for this meaning.
labels labels means “labels” in De labels zijn waarschijnlijk te vaag. It refers to the written signs on the recycling bins and can be discussed as the subject of a statement about their clarity.
zijn zijn means “are” in De labels zijn waarschijnlijk te vaag. It links de labels with the description te vaag, and the same form is also used in alternatieven te vinden zijn.
waarschijnlijk waarschijnlijk means “probably” in De labels zijn waarschijnlijk te vaag. It shows that the speaker is giving a likely explanation rather than complete certainty, and it can be placed before the description being judged likely.
te te means “too” in te vaag, showing that the labels are excessively vague for daily use. In te vinden, it also marks the infinitive in the expression alternatives being easy to find, so its meaning depends on the construction.
vaag vaag means “vague” in te vaag, describing labels that do not give sufficiently clear guidance. It can be used after zijn to describe how clear or unclear something is.
voor voor means “for” in voor dagelijks gebruik, indicating the intended purpose or situation of the labels. It commonly introduces the activity or users something is intended for.
dagelijks dagelijks means “daily” in dagelijks gebruik. It specifies that the use happens as part of everyday practice, and it can describe a recurring activity before the noun for that activity.
gebruik gebruik means “use” in dagelijks gebruik. The phrase voor dagelijks gebruik means “for daily use,” and gebruik can be used after voor to describe an intended purpose.
zouden zouden expresses “should” in We zouden ... moeten maken, presenting a recommended workplace action. Together with moeten and the final verb, it is useful for proposing what should be done.
regels regels means “rules” in de regels voor afvalscheiding. It refers to the instructions for sorting waste and can be followed by voor to specify the area or activity the rules concern.
afvalscheiding afvalscheiding means “waste separation” or “recycling sorting” in regels voor afvalscheiding. It identifies the process governed by the rules, and it can follow voor when specifying what rules are about.
eenvoudiger eenvoudiger means “simpler” in de regels ... eenvoudiger en zichtbaarder maken. It describes the desired improvement to the rules and is used with maken when something is to become easier to understand or follow.
en en means “and” in eenvoudiger en zichtbaarder. It joins the two desired qualities of the sorting rules and can connect equivalent descriptions or actions.
zichtbaarder zichtbaarder means “more visible” in de regels ... eenvoudiger en zichtbaarder maken. It describes making the sorting guidance easier to notice, and it is coordinated with eenvoudiger by en.
moeten moeten means “should” or “need to” in We zouden ... moeten maken. It expresses the required or recommended action and is followed here by the verb maken.
maken maken means “make” in eenvoudiger en zichtbaarder moeten maken and minder ingrijpend maken. It is used to describe causing a rule or change to have a particular quality, with the affected thing before the description.
Visuele Visuele means “visual” in Visuele voorbeelden. It describes examples that can be seen, and it is placed before the noun voorbeelden.
voorbeelden voorbeelden means “examples” in Visuele voorbeelden bij de bakken. These are concrete sorting examples placed near the bins, and voorbeelden can be specified by an adjective such as Visuele.
bij bij means “near” in bij de bakken, identifying where the visual examples should be placed. It commonly introduces the nearby person, place, or object.
bakken bakken means “bins” in bij de bakken. It also appears inside recyclingbakken, referring to the same kind of container, and can follow de when referring to the bins already being discussed.
fouten fouten means “mistakes” in fouten verminderen. It refers to incorrect sorting decisions, and it can be used as the object of a verb describing a reduction or prevention.
verminderen verminderen means “reduce” in Visuele voorbeelden ... zouden fouten verminderen. It describes making the number of mistakes smaller and can be used with the thing being reduced after it.
Ik Ik means “I” in Ik denk ook. It identifies the speaker as the person expressing an opinion, and it is placed before the verb in this statement.
denk denk means “think” in Ik denk ook dat ... . It introduces the speaker’s opinion, followed here by the clause beginning with dat; this is a common way to state a view or assessment.
ook ook means “also” in Ik denk ook dat ... . It adds this opinion to the points already made and can be placed near the verb or the part being added.
dat dat means “that” in Ik denk ook dat we minder wegwerpmaterialen zouden moeten bestellen, where it introduces the content of the opinion. The capitalized form Dat refers back to the proposed change in Dat zou de verandering minder ingrijpend maken.
minder minder means “fewer” in minder wegwerpmaterialen and “less” in minder ingrijpend. It indicates a smaller quantity with wegwerpmaterialen and a lower degree with ingrijpend.
wegwerpmaterialen wegwerpmaterialen means “disposable supplies” in minder wegwerpmaterialen zouden moeten bestellen. It refers to materials intended for single use in the workplace and can follow minder when discussing a reduced quantity.
bestellen bestellen means “order” in zouden moeten bestellen. It is the action proposed for the workplace supplies, and it follows moeten in this construction.
vereist vereist means “requires” in Dat vereist veranderingen in de inkoop. It states that procurement changes are necessary and is followed by the required change.
veranderingen veranderingen means “changes” in veranderingen in de inkoop. It refers to modifications in procurement practice, and in de inkoop specifies the area where the changes are needed.
inkoop inkoop means “procurement” in veranderingen in de inkoop. It refers to the workplace purchasing process, and it can follow in when describing changes within that process.
niet niet means “not” in niet alleen herinneringen. Together with alleen, it rejects the idea that reminders are the only measure needed and introduces a broader contrast.
alleen alleen means “only” in niet alleen herinneringen. With niet, the expression means “not only reminders,” and it is useful for showing that another measure is also necessary.
herinneringen herinneringen means “reminders” in niet alleen herinneringen. It refers to messages that remind people how to sort waste, and it is contrasted with procurement changes in the same sentence.
Kunnen Kunnen means “can” or “could” in Kunnen we beginnen met ... ? It forms a polite question about whether the proposed starting point is possible, followed by the subject we and the infinitive beginnen.
beginnen beginnen means “start” in Kunnen we beginnen met artikelen ... ? It introduces the first items to address and is used here with met to specify the starting point.
met met means “with” in beginnen met artikelen. It introduces the items selected as the starting point, and beginnen met is a reusable pattern for saying what to start with.
artikelen artikelen means “items” in beginnen met artikelen waarvoor ... . It refers to purchasable workplace supplies and is followed by a relative clause explaining which items are suitable.
waarvoor waarvoor means “for which” in artikelen waarvoor gemakkelijk alternatieven te vinden zijn. It links the items to the purpose of finding alternatives for them and introduces the information that describes those items.
gemakkelijk gemakkelijk means “easily” in gemakkelijk alternatieven te vinden zijn. It describes how readily alternatives can be found, and it can be used before an infinitive construction to describe the ease of an action.
alternatieven alternatieven means “alternatives” in gemakkelijk alternatieven te vinden zijn. It refers to replacement options for the disposable items and can be used when discussing possible substitutes.
vinden vinden means “find” in alternatieven te vinden zijn. Here it is part of the expression meaning that alternatives are easy to find, and it can be used with the thing being found after it.
zou zou means “would” in Dat zou de verandering minder ingrijpend maken. It presents the likely result of the suggested approach, and it combines with maken to describe what that approach would cause.
verandering verandering means “change” in de verandering minder ingrijpend maken. It refers to the workplace transition being discussed, and it is the thing described as less disruptive.
ingrijpend ingrijpend means “disruptive” or “far-reaching” in minder ingrijpend. It describes how strongly the change affects normal work, and minder lowers that degree.

Grammar Points

Vergrotende trap: bijvoeglijk naamwoord + -er

eenvoudiger en zichtbaarder

AINE-vow-di-kher en ZIKHT-bahr-duhr

simpler and more visible

Dutch vormt veel vergelijkingen met -er. Bijvoeglijke naamwoorden krijgen dan vaak dezelfde uitgang.

Dutch Vocabulary

afvalscheiding noun
AHF-vahl-SKHEI-ding waste separation
dagelijks adj
DAA-khuh-likes daily
eenvoudiger adj
AINE-vow-di-kher simpler
gebruik noun
guh-BROIK use
in de war phrase
in duh WAR confused
kantoor noun
kuhn-TOHR office
recyclingbakken noun
ree-SAI-kling-bah-kuhn recycling bins
regels noun
RAY-khuhls rules
vaag adj
VAAKH vague
visuele adj
vih-SUE-uh-luh visual
waarschijnlijk adv
wahr-SHINE-luhk probably
zichtbaarder adj
ZIKHT-bahr-duhr more visible

Quiz

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

vague

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office

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rules

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daily

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