Family plans
Gezinsplannen
- Talk about plans and ambitions for the future
- Talk about your relationships and family plans
- Wishes, politeness and suggestions with onvoltooid verleden toekomende tijd
This lesson focuses on discussing family plans using the Dutch conditional tense (onvoltooid verleden toekomende tijd). Learn essential expressions like 'Ik zou graag samenwonen' (I would like to live together) and 'We zouden een gezin willen stichten' (We would like to start a family).
Listening & reading materials
Practice vocabulary in context with real materials.
Vocabulary (12) Share Copied!
Exercises Share Copied!
These exercises can be done together during conversation lessons or as homework.
Exercise 1: Translate and use in a sentence
Instruction: Pick a word, translated and use the word in a sentence or dialogue.
1
De relatie
The relationship
2
Scheiden
To divorce
3
Een gezin stichten
Starting a family
4
Samenwonen
To live together
5
Trouwen
To marry
Oefening 2: Conversation exercise
Instructie:
- What is the next big step (your partner and) you want to take? (What is the next big step (your partner and) you want to take?)
- Would you like to start a family? (Would you like to start a family?)
- Would you like to have pets? Why or why not? (Would you like to have pets? Why or why not?)
Teaching guidelines +/- 10 minutes
Example phrases:
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Mijn partner en ik gaan in juni trouwen. My partner and I are getting married in June. |
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Ik heb geen partner, maar mijn beste vriend en ik zijn net samen gaan wonen. I don't have a partner but my best friend and I just moved in together. |
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Ik wil binnenkort een gezin stichten. Ik zou graag 3 kinderen willen hebben. I would like to start a family soon. I would love to have 3 children. |
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Ik wil in de toekomst geen kinderen. Mijn partner en ik zijn heel gelukkig zonder hen. I don't want to have children in the future. My partner and I are very happy without them. |
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Ik zou later graag een hond en twee katten willen hebben. Ik ben opgegroeid met huisdieren en ik zou hetzelfde willen voor mijn kinderen. I would like to have a dog and two cats later. I grew up with pets and I would like the same for my children. |
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Een huisdier is een grote verantwoordelijkheid en met ons werk en twee kinderen hebben we niet genoeg tijd om voor een huisdier te zorgen. A pet is a lot of responsibility and with our work and two children we do not have enough time to care for a pet. |
| ... |
Exercise 3: Dialogue Cards
Instruction: Select a situation and practice the conversation with your teacher or fellow students.
Exercise 4: Multiple Choice
Instruction: Choose the correct solution
1. Ik ___ graag binnenkort met mijn partner samenwonen.
(I ___ like to live together with my partner soon.)2. We ___ misschien een huisdier nemen als we een huis kopen.
(We ___ might get a pet if we buy a house.)3. Hij ___ graag binnen vijf jaar een gezin willen stichten.
(He ___ would like to start a family within five years.)4. Jullie ___ aan de toekomst moeten denken voordat jullie trouwen.
(You all ___ should think about the future before you get married.)Exercise 5: Making family plans
Instruction:
Verb Tables
Zouden - Would
Conditionele Tegenwoordige Tijd
- Ik zou
- Jij zou
- Hij/Zij/Het zou
- Wij zouden
- Jullie zouden
- Zij zouden
Exercise 6: Wensen, beleefdheid en suggesties met onvoltooid verleden toekomende tijd
Instruction: Fill in the correct word.
Grammar: Wishes, politeness and suggestions with onvoltooid verleden toekomende tijd
Show translation Show answerszou, Zou, zouden
Grammar Share Copied!
It's not the most exciting thing, we admit, but it’s absolutely essential (and we promise it'll pay off)!
A2.32.2 Grammatica
Wensen, beleefdheid en suggesties met onvoltooid verleden toekomende tijd
Wishes, politeness and suggestions with onvoltooid verleden toekomende tijd
Verb conjugation tables for this lesson Share Copied!
Leven live Share Copied!
Conditionele Tegenwoordige Tijd (CTT)
| Dutch | English |
|---|---|
| ik zou leven | I would live |
| jij zou leven / zou jij leven | you would live / would you live |
| (hij/zij/het) hij zou leven / zij zou leven / het zou leven | he would live / she would live / it would live |
| wij zouden leven | we would live |
| jullie zouden leven | you would live |
| zij zouden leven | they would live |
Trouwen to marry Share Copied!
Conditionele Tegenwoordige Tijd (CTT)
| Dutch | English |
|---|---|
| (ik) zou trouwen | I would marry |
| (jij) zou trouwen | You would marry |
| (hij/zij/het) zou trouwen | he/she/it would marry |
| (wij) zouden trouwen | we would marry |
| (jullie) zouden trouwen | You would marry |
| (zij) zouden trouwen | they would marry |
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Lesson Overview: Family Plans and Future Wishes in Dutch
This lesson focuses on discussing family plans, wishes, politeness, and suggestions using the onvoltooid verleden toekomende tijd (conditional present tense) in Dutch. It is designed for learners at the A2 level and provides practical dialogues and examples about planning a family, sharing future wishes, and giving polite advice.
Main Language Themes
- Expressing wishes and plans: Using "Ik zou graag... willen" to express desires or intentions politely.
- Politeness and suggestions: Phrases like "Je zou kunnen..." and "Misschien zou je..." to make polite recommendations or discuss options.
- Conditional verb forms: Focus on the verb "zouden" (would) to create polite or hypothetical statements about the future.
Key Vocabulary and Example Phrases
- family-related terms: kinderen (children), gezin (family), samenwonen (living together), trouwen (marry), opvoeden (parenting), huisdier (pet), huisvesting (housing)
- modal verbs and expressions: zou graag willen (would like to), zouden moeten (should), misschien (maybe), binnenkort (soon), samen (together)
- Example sentences:
Ik zou graag over een paar jaar kinderen willen krijgen.
Jullie zouden aan de toekomst moeten denken voordat jullie trouwen.
Lesson Content Summary
The lesson includes dialogues practicing conversations at home about family plans, discussions with friends about relationships and future intentions, and polite advice about family topics in the workplace. Learners practice recognizing and using conditional verb forms in relevant social contexts. A short story reinforces the conditional present tense usage for expressing wishes and hypothetical situations.
About the Conditional Present Tense in Dutch
In Dutch, the conditional present tense ("onvoltooid verleden toekomende tijd"), notably using forms of "zouden," is often used to express wishes, polite requests, or hypothetical situations. For example, "Ik zou graag... willen" means "I would like to...". This differs from English where "would" is also a conditional or polite form, but Dutch often structures such sentences with "zouden" plus an infinitive. Understanding this tense is essential for polite and nuanced conversation about future plans.
Useful Dutch Phrases and Their English Equivalents
- Ik zou graag samenwonen. — I would like to live together.
- Je zou kunnen overwegen om... — You could consider...
- Misschien zouden we... — Maybe we would...
- Dat klinkt mooi. — That sounds nice.
- Ben je al nagedacht over... — Have you already thought about...
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