Building support for policy changes | Learn Dutch in English

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Use Building support for policy changes to practice Dutch conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

Beleid werkt meestal niet als werknemers het gevoel hebben dat veranderingen aan hen worden opgelegd.

buh-LAYT vairkt MAY-stahl neet ahls VAIRK-nay-murs ut guh-VOOL HEB-bun daht vur-AHN-duh-ring-un ahn hun VOR-dun OP-khuh-LEKT. Policies tend to fail when employees feel changes are being imposed on them.

Mensen passen zich eerder aan als ze echt iets te zeggen hebben over het proces.

MEN-sun PAH-sun zikh AIR-dur ahn ahls zuh ekht eets tuh ZEG-un HEB-bun OH-vur ut proh-SESS. People are more likely to adjust when they have a real say in the process.

We zouden om suggesties kunnen vragen voordat we het plan definitief maken.

wuh ZOW-dun om sukh-STEE-sees KUN-un VRAH-khun VOO-daht wuh ut plahn day-fih-NEE-teef MAH-kun. We could invite suggestions before we finalize the plan.

Dat zou praktische problemen aan het licht brengen die we van hieruit misschien niet zien.

daht zow PRAHK-ti-suh proh-BLAY-mun ahn ut LIKHT BREN-khun dee wuh vahn HEER-owt mis-KHEEN neet zeen. That would bring up practical issues we might not see from here.

Het geeft mensen ook meer reden om de uitkomst belangrijk te vinden.

ut KHAYFT MEN-sun ohk mayr RAY-dun om duh OWT-kohmst buh-LAHNG-rike tuh VIN-dun. It also gives people more reason to care about the outcome.

Een werkbaar plan vereist nog steeds dat mensen zich erbij betrokken voelen.

un VAIRK-bahr plahn vur-AIST nokh stays daht MEN-sun zikh ur-BYE buh-TROK-un VOO-lun. A workable plan still needs people to feel invested.

Het moeilijke is om de discussie constructief en concreet te houden.

ut MOO-luh-kuh iss om duh dis-KUE-see kohn-struk-TEEF un kon-KRAYT tuh HOW-dun. The hard part is keeping the discussion constructive and specific.

Dan moeten we gerichte vragen stellen in plaats van om algemene feedback te vragen.

daan MOOT-un wuh khuh-RIKH-tuh VRAH-khun STEL-un in PLAHTS vahn om uhl-khuh-MAY-nuh FEET-bek tuh VRAH-khun. Then we should ask focused questions instead of making a broad feedback request.

Word by Word

Beleid Beleid means policy or policies here, referring to workplace rules or plans. It is the subject of werkt in this sentence. Use it when discussing rules or decisions made by an organization.

werkt Werkt means works or functions here: the policy does not produce the desired result. It agrees with the singular subject Beleid. Use it when evaluating whether a policy, method, or plan functions effectively.

meestal Meestal means usually or generally and describes how often the statement is true. It appears before niet in Beleid werkt meestal niet. Use it to describe a general tendency without saying that something always happens.

niet Niet makes the statement negative: the policy usually does not work. It comes after meestal and before the condition introduced by als. Use it to negate a verb or a complete statement.

als Als introduces the condition under which the policy fails, meaning when or if employees feel this way. It connects the main statement with the clause beginning werknemers. Use it to introduce a condition or situation.

werknemers Werknemers means employees and is the people who have the feeling described in the following clause. It is the subject of hebben. Use it when referring to people who work for an organization.

het In het gevoel, het is the definite article meaning the. In Het geeft, the capitalized form Het is the pronoun it and refers back to the suggestion process. Use the form according to whether it introduces a noun or refers back to something already mentioned.

gevoel Gevoel means feeling or sense in het gevoel hebben dat, referring to employees' perception that changes are imposed. The noun commonly appears in this construction before a dat-clause. Use it when describing a perception or personal impression.

hebben Hebben means have in het gevoel hebben dat, where it expresses having a feeling or impression. The following dat-clause explains the content of that feeling. Use it with a feeling or impression when introducing what someone thinks is happening.

dat Dat introduces the clause explaining what employees feel: veranderingen aan hen worden opgelegd. Here it means that rather than referring to a noun. Use it to connect a statement about a thought, feeling, or belief with its content.

veranderingen Veranderingen means changes and is the thing being imposed in this sentence. It is the subject of the passive sequence worden opgelegd. Use it when discussing changes to rules, plans, or procedures.

aan Aan marks the people affected by the imposed changes in aan hen worden opgelegd. Here it points toward the recipients of the action, not toward a physical location. Use it before the person or group to whom something is imposed or directed.

hen Hen means them and refers specifically to the employees affected by the changes. It follows aan as the stressed pronoun for the people involved. Use it after a preposition when referring clearly to those people.

worden Worden helps form the passive meaning in veranderingen aan hen worden opgelegd: the changes are being imposed on them. Together with opgelegd, it presents the employees as affected by an action. Use it with a past participle when describing something being done to someone or something.

opgelegd Opgelegd means imposed here and completes the passive expression worden opgelegd. It is the form of opleggen used to describe a rule or change forced on someone. Use it when a requirement or decision is placed on people without their choice.

Mensen Mensen means people and is the subject of passen zich aan. The capital letter reflects its position at the beginning of the sentence; the same word appears later as mensen. Use it for people in general when no specific group is named.

passen In passen zich eerder aan, passen means adapt or adjust. The verb is separated from aan by zich eerder in this sentence, while together they express adapting to a situation. Use it when describing how people respond to a change or new circumstance.

zich Zich is the reflexive pronoun referring back to Mensen in passen zich aan. It shows that the people adjust themselves rather than adjusting a separate object. Use it with a reflexive action such as adapting to a change.

eerder Eerder means more readily or sooner here, expressing that people are more likely to adjust when they have a say. It modifies the idea of adapting rather than giving a time reference. Use it when comparing how readily someone does something under different conditions.

ze Ze means they here and refers back to Mensen. It is the subject of hebben in the als-clause. Use it as the common unstressed pronoun for a group of people already understood from the context.

echt Echt means really or genuinely and emphasizes that people have a real say in the process. It strengthens the phrase iets te zeggen hebben. Use it to emphasize that something is genuine rather than merely apparent.

iets Iets means something in iets te zeggen hebben, referring to some actual influence or contribution. It works with the following infinitive to express having something to say. Use it when the particular thing is not specified or is less important than the fact that it exists.

te Te marks the infinitive zeggen in iets te zeggen hebben. It helps form the expression for having something to say or contribute. Use it before an infinitive in this type of construction.

zeggen Zeggen means to say in iets te zeggen hebben, where the phrase means to have a say or something to contribute. The object of what is said is left open as iets. Use it when discussing expressing an opinion or contribution.

over Over means about or concerning and introduces the subject of the say: het proces. It specifies what people can have a say about. Use it before the topic of an opinion, discussion, or comment.

het proces Het proces means the process, referring here to the procedure through which the policy is developed or changed. It follows over as the topic of people's say. Use this phrase when referring to an organized sequence of steps or decisions.

We We means we and refers to the two speakers as the people planning the next step. It is the subject of zouden kunnen vragen. Use it when proposing an action that the speaker and others may take together.

zouden Zouden means would here and makes the proposal tentative: We zouden ... kunnen vragen. It presents the suggestion as a possible course of action rather than a firm decision. Use it for hypothetical or politely proposed actions.

om Om introduces what is being requested in om suggesties vragen. In this sentence it means for, as part of the construction for asking for something. Use it before the thing or response being requested.

suggesties Suggesties means suggestions and is the requested input in om suggesties vragen. It is the plural object of the request. Use it when inviting possible ideas or proposals from other people.

kunnen Kunnen means can or could and combines with vragen to express the possible action the speakers could take. Together with zouden, it makes the proposal especially tentative. Use it before an infinitive when discussing ability or possibility.

vragen Vragen means ask or request in om suggesties vragen. The phrase specifies that suggestions are being requested from others. Use it with om when naming what is being requested.

voordat Voordat means before and introduces the action that must happen first: asking for suggestions. It connects the request with the later finalization of the plan. Use it before a clause describing an earlier action or event.

plan Plan means plan and appears as het plan, the plan already under discussion. It is the object of definitief maken. Use it for an intended course of action or an organized proposal.

definitief Definitief means final or definitive in het plan definitief maken. It describes the result of making the plan no longer provisional. Use it when something is being settled as the final version.

maken Maken means make in het plan definitief maken, where the whole phrase means finalize the plan. The object is het plan and definitief describes the resulting status. Use it with a plan when describing the act of finalizing it.

zou Zou means would in Dat zou ..., presenting the practical issues as a possible result of inviting suggestions. Its singular form agrees with Dat. Use it when describing a hypothetical consequence or expected result.

praktische Praktische means practical and describes the type of problems that may be revealed. It appears directly before problemen. Use it for issues connected with real implementation rather than abstract discussion.

problemen Problemen means problems or issues and is what the suggestions might reveal. It is the object of aan het licht brengen. Use it for difficulties that need to be identified or solved.

aan het licht brengen Aan het licht brengen means bring to light or reveal, so the suggestions would reveal practical problems. In this expression, aan and het licht form the idea of bringing something into view, while brengen completes the action of revealing it. Use the full expression when previously unnoticed information or problems become visible.

die Die means that or which and introduces the relative clause describing problemen. It links the noun to the information we might not see. Use it after a noun when adding a clause that gives more information about that noun.

van Van means from in van hieruit, identifying the viewpoint from which the speakers may fail to see the problems. It combines with hieruit to express a starting point or perspective. Use it before a place or standpoint when describing where something is viewed from.

hieruit Hieruit means from here or from this situation. In the dialogue, it refers to the speakers' current position and limited perspective. Use it when drawing a conclusion or viewpoint from the present situation.

misschien Misschien means perhaps or maybe and marks uncertainty about whether the speakers can see the problems. It appears before niet zien. Use it when presenting a possibility without claiming certainty.

zien Zien means see in misschien niet zien, referring to noticing or recognizing practical problems. The negation and misschien make the statement uncertain and negative. Use it when discussing whether something is noticed or understood.

geeft Geeft means gives and describes the benefit that inviting suggestions provides to people. It takes mensen as the recipient and meer reden as what is given. Use it when explaining that an action provides someone with a reason, opportunity, or benefit.

ook Ook means also and adds another benefit after the earlier point about revealing practical problems. It signals that giving people more reason to care is an additional effect. Use it to add a further point to an existing statement.

meer Meer means more and modifies reden, showing an increased reason to care about the outcome. It expresses a greater amount rather than a separate kind of reason. Use it before a noun when comparing quantity or degree.

reden Reden means reason in meer reden om de uitkomst belangrijk te vinden. The following om-clause explains what the reason leads people to do or feel. Use it with om followed by an infinitive when explaining a motivation.

de De is the definite article in de uitkomst, meaning the. It marks uitkomst as a specific result under discussion. Use it before this noun in its definite form.

uitkomst Uitkomst means outcome or result and is the specific result that people may come to value. It is the object of belangrijk vinden. Use it when discussing the result produced by a process or decision.

belangrijk Belangrijk means important in de uitkomst belangrijk vinden. Here it describes how people regard the outcome rather than simply stating that it has importance. Use it after vinden when expressing an opinion about the value of something.

vinden Vinden means find or consider in de uitkomst belangrijk te vinden. With an object and an adjective, it expresses considering the outcome important. Use it to state how someone judges or regards a person, thing, or result.

Een Een means a or an and introduces werkbaar plan as one workable plan rather than a previously identified plan. Its capital letter reflects its position at the beginning of the sentence. Use it before a singular countable noun when it is not yet specific.

werkbaar Werkbaar means workable or feasible and describes a plan that can realistically be used. It appears directly before plan. Use it when assessing whether a proposed arrangement can function in practice.

vereist Vereist means requires and states what the workable plan still needs from people. Its subject is Een werkbaar plan. Use it when describing a necessary condition for something to succeed.

nog Nog means still here and contributes to the continuing requirement expressed in nog steeds. It shows that the requirement remains in place. Use it with steeds when emphasizing that a situation continues.

steeds Steeds means still or continuously and combines with nog to emphasize that the requirement remains true. Together, nog steeds means still. Use the combination when a condition continues despite other developments.

erbij Erbij means involved with it or connected to it in zich erbij betrokken voelen. It refers back to the plan or process and shows what people feel connected to. Use it with betrokken when describing involvement in something already understood from the context.

betrokken Betrokken means involved or engaged in zich erbij betrokken voelen. It describes people who feel personally connected to the plan. Use it when discussing participation, commitment, or a sense of connection.

voelen Voelen means feel in zich erbij betrokken voelen, describing people's personal sense of involvement. The surrounding words specify what they feel and what they feel connected to. Use it when describing an emotional or personal perception.

moeilijke Moeilijke means difficult or hard in Het moeilijke, referring to the difficult part of the situation. With Het, the adjective functions as a noun-like expression. Use it when identifying what is difficult about an activity or situation.

is Is means is and links Het moeilijke with the explanation om de discussie constructief en concreet te houden. It identifies the difficult part as a particular task. Use it to connect a subject with its description or explanation.

discussie Discussie means discussion and is the thing that must be kept constructive and specific. It is the object of houden. Use it for an organized exchange of views about a topic.

constructief Constructief means constructive and describes the desired quality of the discussion. It appears alongside concreet after houden. Use it when discussion is intended to help solve a problem or make progress.

en En means and and links the two qualities constructief and concreet. It shows that both qualities apply to the discussion. Use it to join words or phrases that have equal roles in a sentence.

concreet Concreet means specific or concrete and describes discussion that stays focused on clear details. It is coordinated with constructief by en. Use it when distinguishing precise, practical points from vague comments.

houden Houden means keep or maintain in de discussie constructief en concreet houden. It describes maintaining the discussion in two desired states. Use it with an object followed by an adjective when describing how something should remain.

Dan Dan means then and introduces the next step that follows from the previous point. Its capital letter reflects its position at the beginning of the sentence. Use it to mark a consequence, decision, or next action.

moeten Moeten means must or should and expresses the speakers' conclusion about what they need to do next. It is followed by stellen, the main action. Use it to express necessity or a strong recommendation.

gerichte Gerichte means focused or targeted and describes questions designed to obtain specific information. It appears directly before vragen. Use it when questions are aimed at a particular issue rather than being broad.

stellen Stellen means ask or pose in gerichte vragen stellen. With vragen as its object, it is the usual verb for putting questions to people. Use it when describing the act of asking or posing questions.

in plaats van In plaats van means instead of and marks the alternative the speakers should avoid. The components in, plaats, and van form one fixed expression, whose combined meaning is replacement of one action or option by another. Use it before a noun or an infinitive clause when contrasting the chosen option with the rejected one.

algemene Algemene means general or broad and describes feedback that is not directed at one particular issue. It appears directly before feedback. Use it when referring to something covering a wide area rather than a specific point.

feedback Feedback means feedback and is the response being requested from employees. It appears after algemene and is part of the request introduced by om. Use it in workplace discussions when asking people to comment on a plan, process, or proposal.

Grammar Points

zich aanpassen

Werknemers passen zich meestal aan.

VAIRK-nay-murs PAH-sun zikh MAY-stahl ahn.

Employees usually adapt.

Aanpassen is a separable verb. In a main clause, aan moves to the end and zich stays with the subject.

voordat + bijzin

Voordat we het proces definitief maken, vragen we om feedback.

VOO-daht wuh ut proh-SESS day-fih-NEE-teef MAH-kun, VRAH-khun wuh om FEET-bek.

Before we finalize the process, we ask for feedback.

After voordat, the verb moves to the end of the subordinate clause: definitief maken.

Dutch Vocabulary

aanpassen verb

AHN-pah-sun to adjust passen zich ... aan

beleid noun

buh-LAYT policy

eerder adv

AIR-dur earlier; sooner; more likely

gevoel noun

guh-VOOL feeling

iets te zeggen hebben phrase

eets tuh ZEG-un HEB-bun to have a say

meestal adv

MAY-stahl usually

opleggen verb

OP-khuh-LEKH-un to impose opgelegd

proces noun

proh-SESS process

suggestie noun

sukh-STEE-see suggestion suggesties

vragen verb

VRAH-khun to ask; to request

werken verb

VAIR-kun to work; to function werkt

werknemer noun

VAIRK-nay-mur employee werknemers

Quiz

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

employee

Show Answer

werknemers

to work; to function

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werkt

feeling

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gevoel

policy

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beleid