A2.41: Opinions and negotiations

Meningen en onderhandelingen

In deze les leer je meningen uit te drukken en te onderhandelen met zinnen zoals 'Ik vind dat' en 'Volgens mij'. Je oefent belangrijke woorden als 'compromis' en 'overtuigd' in dagelijkse situaties zoals werk en teamuitjes.

Listening & reading materials

Practice vocabulary in context with real materials.

A2.41.1 Kort verhaal

Je mening geven

Giving your opinion


Vocabulary (13)

 Het compromis: The compromise (Dutch)

Het compromis

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The compromise Show

 De onderhandeling: The negotiation (Dutch)

De onderhandeling

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The negotiation Show

 Zonder twijfel: Without a doubt (Dutch)

Zonder twijfel

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Without a doubt Show

 Je mening geven: Giving your opinion (Dutch)

Je mening geven

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Giving your opinion Show

 De mening: The opinion (Dutch)

De mening

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The opinion Show

 Negatief: negative (Dutch)

Negatief

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Negative Show

 Positief: positive (Dutch)

Positief

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Positive Show

 Juist: Correct (Dutch)

Juist

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Correct Show

 Fout: Wrong (Dutch)

Fout

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Wrong Show

 Het argument: The argument (Dutch)

Het argument

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The argument Show

 Het tegenargument: The counterargument (Dutch)

Het tegenargument

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The counterargument Show

 Geloven (to believe) - Verb conjugation and exercises

Geloven

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To believe Show

 Het debat: The debate (Dutch)

Het debat

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The debate Show

Exercises

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

Juist


Correct

2

Het argument


The argument

3

Positief


Positive

4

Negatief


Negative

5

Je mening geven


Giving your opinion

Exercise 2: Dialogue Cards

Instruction: Select a situation and practice the conversation with your teacher or fellow students.

Exercise 3: Multiple Choice

Instruction: Choose the correct solution

1. Ik ___ dat dit een goed compromis is voor iedereen.

(I ___ this is a good compromise for everyone.)

2. Volgens mij ___ de oplossing niet fout, we moeten blijven onderhandelen.

(In my opinion ___ the solution not wrong, we must keep negotiating.)

3. Ik denk dat jij gisteren niet op kantoor ___ geweest.

(I think you were not at the office ___ yesterday.)

4. Ik ben ervan overtuigd dat we morgen een compromis ___ bereiken.

(I am convinced that we ___ reach a compromise tomorrow.)

Exercise 4: Exchanging opinions during a team meeting

Instruction:

Tijdens de teamvergadering (Antwoorden - OVT) ik op de vraag van mijn collega. Ik (Geloven - OVT) dat haar argument niet helemaal juist was. "Naar mijn mening (Zijn - OVT) sommige feiten onjuist," zei ik. Zij (Antwoorden - OVT) rustig en (Geloven - OVT) dat haar standpunt sterker was. Wij (Maken - OVT) een compromis om samen verder te werken. Volgens mij (Zijn - OVT) dat de beste oplossing voor het probleem.


During the team meeting, I answered (Antwoorden - OVT) my colleague's question. I believed (Geloven - OVT) that her argument was not entirely correct. "In my opinion, some facts were (Zijn - OVT) incorrect," I said. She answered (Antwoorden - OVT) calmly and believed (Geloven - OVT) that her point was stronger. We made (Maken - OVT) a compromise to continue working together. In my opinion, that was (Zijn - OVT) the best solution to the problem.

Verb Tables

Antwoorden - Antwoorden

Onvoltooid verleden tijd (OVT)

  • Ik antwoordde
  • Jij antwoordde
  • Hij/Zij antwoordde
  • Wij antwoordden
  • Jullie antwoordden
  • Zij antwoordden

Geloven - Geloven

Onvoltooid verleden tijd (OVT)

  • Ik geloofde
  • Jij geloofde
  • Hij/Zij geloofde
  • Wij geloofden
  • Jullie geloofden
  • Zij geloofden

Zijn - Zijn

Onvoltooid verleden tijd (OVT)

  • Ik was
  • Jij was
  • Hij/Zij was
  • Wij waren
  • Jullie waren
  • Zij waren

Maken - Maken

Onvoltooid verleden tijd (OVT)

  • Ik maakte
  • Jij maakte
  • Hij/Zij maakte
  • Wij maakten
  • Jullie maakten
  • Zij maakten

Exercise 5: Je mening geven

Instruction: Fill in the correct word.

Grammar: Giving your opinion

Show translation Show answers

Volgens mij, Ik geloof dat, Naar mijn mening, Ik vind, Ik ben ervan overtuigd, Ik denk dat

1.
... is dit een negatief punt.
(In my opinion, this is a negative point.)
2.
... dat je gelijk hebt.
(I think you are right.)
3.
... is dat een goed compromis.
(I think that is a good compromise.)
4.
... hij het echt meent.
(I believe that he really means it.)
5.
... dat dit klopt.
(I am convinced that this is correct.)
6.
... hij een fout heeft gemaakt.
(I think he has made a mistake.)

Grammar

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A2.41.2 Grammatica

Je mening geven

Giving your opinion


Verb conjugation tables for this lesson

Antwoorden to answer

Onvoltooid verleden tijd (OVT)

Dutch English
(ik) antwoordde I answered
(jij) antwoordde/antwoorde you answered
(hij/zij/het) antwoordde he/she/it answered
(wij) antwoordden we answered
(jullie) antwoordden you answered
(zij) antwoordden they answered

Exercises and examples phrases

Geloven to believe

Onvoltooid verleden tijd (OVT)

Dutch English
(ik) geloofde I believed
(jij) geloofde/geloof you believed/believe
(hij/zij/het) geloofde he/she/it believed
(wij) geloofden we believed
(jullie) geloofden you believed
(zij) geloofden they believed

Exercises and examples phrases

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Lesson Overview: Expressing Opinions and Negotiations in Dutch

This A2-level lesson focuses on essential skills for everyday conversations in Dutch, especially when sharing your opinions and negotiating effectively. You will learn how to clearly express your thoughts, agree or disagree politely, and find compromises in various common situations like discussing work schedules, lunch options, or team activities.

Key Expressions for Giving Opinions

Understanding how to voice your opinions is crucial in Dutch conversations. Important phrases include:

  • Ik vind dat... – I think that...
  • Volgens mij... – In my opinion...
  • Naar mijn mening... – In my opinion...
  • Ik denk dat... – I think that...
  • Ik ben ervan overtuigd dat... – I am convinced that...
  • Ik geloof dat... – I believe that...

These structures help you present your viewpoint clearly and respectfully.

Practical Dialogue Scenarios

The lesson includes real-life dialogues where these expressions are used:

  • Discussing opinions about a new work schedule
  • Debating the best lunch spot
  • Choosing activities for a team outing

Each dialogue demonstrates how to support your opinions with reasons and responds thoughtfully to others’ views.

Negotiation and Compromise Vocabulary

To negotiate successfully, you’ll find vocabularies like compromis (compromise) and useful verbs such as onderhandelen (to negotiate) featured in the lesson. You will learn to propose adjustments politely, for example:

  • Ik vind dat we een compromis moeten zoeken. (I think we should find a compromise.)
  • Volgens mij kan dat door de werktijden iets aan te passen. (In my opinion, that can be done by adjusting the working hours a little.)

Verb Conjugations in Context

The lesson also covers verb forms in the present and past tense, particularly verbs commonly used in discussions like geloven (to believe), antwoordden (answered), and maken (to make). Practicing these helps you communicate past opinions and decisions accurately.

Mini Story Summary with Past Tense Verbs

A short story illustrates exchanging opinions during a team meeting, showing verbs in the simple past tense (onvoltooid verleden tijd). Verbs include antwoordde (answered), geloofde (believed), and was (was), helping you gain familiarity with their conjugations and usage in context.

Instruction Language vs. Dutch

Since the instruction language is English and the learning language is Dutch, translations and equivalents are provided for key phrases. Note that Dutch often uses phrases like Volgens mij or Naar mijn mening to express opinions, which correspond to English expressions like "In my opinion" or "According to me." These are useful to include as polite and clear opinion statements during conversations.

While English usually structures negations and verb placement differently, Dutch frequently uses word order changes after phrases like Ik denk dat... (I think that...), often placing the verb at the end of the subordinate clause: e.g., Ik denk dat jij gisteren niet op kantoor bent geweest (I think that you were not at the office yesterday). Understanding this difference helps you form correct and natural Dutch sentences.

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