Pushing Back on an Unrealistic Timeline | Learn Danish in English

Danish lesson set in a contemporary Copenhagen everyday setting: During a remote project meeting, two coworkers discuss a risky timeline and plan to use testing evidence before making a decision..

EN → DA / Level: B2

About This Lesson

Use Pushing Back on an Unrealistic Timeline to practice Danish conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

A

Den foreslåede tidsplan virker ambitiøs, eftersom testproblemerne stadig er uløste.

dehn foh-uh-SLOH-uh-thuh TEETS-plahn VEER-kuh am-bee-tee-OHS, EF-ter-SOM TEST-proh-BLAY-muh-nuh STAY-thee air oo-LUR-stuh. The proposed timeline feels ambitious, given the unresolved testing issues.
B

Jeg deler den bekymring, selv om ledelsen ønsker fremdrift før gennemgangen.

yai DAY-luh dehn beh-KOOM-reeng, sel OHM LAY-thuhls-un URN-skuh FREM-drift fur GEN-um-GAHNG-un. I share that concern, though leadership wants momentum before the review.
A

Fremdriften vil lide, hvis vi udgiver noget ustabilt.

FREM-drif-ten vel LEE-thuh, ves vee OO-thee-vuh NOH-th oo-stah-BEELT. Momentum will suffer if we release something unstable.
B

Det forstår jeg, men en forsinkelse uden dokumentation kan svække vores sag.

deht foh-STOR yai, men en foh-SING-uhl-suh OO-thun doh-koo-men-tah-SHOHN kan SVEH-kuh VOH-uhs say. I understand, yet delaying without evidence may weaken our case.
A

Vi kan indsamle dokumentation ved at prioritere de mest risikable test.

vee kan IN-sam-luh doh-koo-men-tah-SHOHN veh ehd proh-ree-TEE-ruh dee mest ree-see-KAH-bluh test. We can gather evidence by prioritizing the riskiest tests.
B

Det ville gøre diskussionen mere objektiv og mindre præget af forsvar.

deht VEL-uh GUR-uh dis-koo-SHOH-nun MAY-uh ob-yek-TEE-v oh MIN-druh PRAY-uhd eh foh-SVAHR. That would make the discussion more objective and less defensive.
A

En risikopsummering baseret på de aktuelle resultater ville understøtte den tilgang.

en ree-see-koh-poo-meh-REENG bah-SAIR-uhd poh dee ahk-TOO-uhl-uh reh-sool-TAIR-thuh-nuh VEL-uh ohn-uh-STUR-tuh dehn tehl-GAHNG. A risk summary based on current results would support that.
B

Jeg kan tage den opsummering med til mødet.

yai kan TAY-uh dehn OB-soo-meh-REENG meh tehl MUR-uhd. I can bring that summary to the meeting.
B

Så kan vi træffe en praktisk beslutning.

soh kan vee TREF-uh en PRAK-tisk beh-SLOOT-neeng. So we can make a practical decision.

Word by Word

Den “Den” means “the” here and contributes definiteness to the noun phrase “Den foreslåede tidsplan”. Use it before a definite common-gender noun phrase when an adjective comes before the noun.
foreslåede “foreslåede” means “proposed” in “Den foreslåede tidsplan”. It is the form used with a definite noun phrase after “Den”; reuse it in descriptions such as “Den foreslåede tidsplan”.
tidsplan “tidsplan” means “timeline” or “schedule” and refers to the project schedule being assessed. It combines with “Den foreslåede” in “Den foreslåede tidsplan”, useful when discussing planned dates or stages.
virker “virker” means “seems” or “appears” here, presenting an assessment of the timeline. The pattern “tidsplan virker ambitiøs” can be used when evaluating whether a plan appears demanding.
ambitiøs “ambitiøs” means “ambitious” and describes the timeline as demanding in scope. It follows “virker” in “virker ambitiøs”, a useful pattern for giving an assessment.
eftersom “eftersom” means “since” or “given that” and introduces the reason for the assessment. Use it before a full reason clause, as in “eftersom testproblemerne stadig er uløste” when explaining why something is the case.
testproblemerne “testproblemerne” means “the testing issues” and refers to the specific problems connected with testing. The definite form appears in “testproblemerne stadig er uløste”; use it when those issues are already identified in the discussion.
stadig “stadig” means “still” and shows that the unresolved situation continues. In “testproblemerne stadig er uløste”, it indicates that the problems remain unresolved at this point.
er “er” means “are” here and links “testproblemerne” with the description “uløste”. The form is used in “er uløste” to state the current condition of the issues.
uløste “uløste” means “unresolved” and describes the testing issues in “testproblemerne stadig er uløste”. It is useful when reporting that a problem has not yet been resolved.
Jeg “Jeg” means “I” and identifies the speaker as the subject. It appears in “Jeg deler den bekymring” and “Jeg kan tage den opsummering med”, useful when stating your own view or planned action.
deler “deler” means “share” here, so the speaker says that they share the concern. The pattern “Jeg deler den bekymring” is useful when agreeing with someone’s concern.
selv om The full expression “selv om” means “even though”. “selv” adds the sense of “even”, while “om” introduces the subordinate clause; use the whole construction before a contrasting fact, as in “selv om ledelsen ønsker fremdrift før gennemgangen”.
bekymring “bekymring” means “concern” and refers to the concern about the timeline. In “Jeg deler den bekymring”, it is the issue that the speaker says they share.
ledelsen “ledelsen” means “the leadership” or “management” and refers to the group making the organizational request. It is the subject in “ledelsen ønsker fremdrift”, useful when describing what management wants.
ønsker “ønsker” means “wants” here and states what the leadership wants before the review. The pattern “ledelsen ønsker fremdrift” is useful for describing an organization’s desired progress or outcome.
fremdrift “fremdrift” means “progress” or “momentum” in the project. It is the progress leadership wants in “ledelsen ønsker fremdrift” and the progress discussed again in “Fremdriften vil lide”.
før “før” means “before” and places one event earlier than another. In “før gennemgangen”, it identifies the review as the point that the desired momentum should precede.
gennemgangen “gennemgangen” means “the review” and refers to the specific review mentioned in the meeting. Use it after “før” in “før gennemgangen” when describing something that happens before that review.
Fremdriften “Fremdriften” means “the progress” or “the momentum” and refers to the specific project progress under discussion. The definite form is used in “Fremdriften vil lide” to make that progress the subject of the prediction.
vil “vil” means “will” here and presents an expected consequence. It combines with the infinitive “lide” in “vil lide” and can also introduce a future result such as the one described in this sentence.
lide “lide” means “suffer” in “Fremdriften vil lide”. It follows the modal “vil” and describes the negative effect that an unstable release would have on project momentum.
hvis “hvis” means “if” and introduces the condition for the predicted consequence. Use it before a conditional clause, as in “hvis vi udgiver noget ustabilt” when describing what would cause the problem.
vi “vi” means “we” and identifies the speaker’s team as the subject. It appears in “vi udgiver noget ustabilt” and “Vi kan indsamle dokumentation”, useful when discussing the team’s actions.
udgiver “udgiver” means “release” or “publish” here and describes the team making something available. The pattern “vi udgiver noget ustabilt” is useful when discussing the consequences of releasing an unstable product or result.
noget “noget” means “something” and refers to an unspecified thing being released. In “noget ustabilt”, it is followed by a description of the thing’s condition.
ustabilt “ustabilt” means “unstable” and describes the unspecified thing in “noget ustabilt”. The phrase is useful when warning that a release may not be reliable enough.
Det “Det” means “that” or “it” here and refers back to the point just made. In “Det forstår jeg”, it is the thing the speaker says they understand.
forstår “forstår” means “understand” and expresses acceptance of the other speaker’s point. In “Det forstår jeg”, the understood point comes first, followed by the subject “jeg”, a useful way to acknowledge someone before adding a qualification.
men “men” means “but” and introduces a qualification or opposing consideration. It connects the acknowledgment with the concern expressed in “men en forsinkelse uden dokumentation kan svække vores sag”.
en “en” means “a” or “an” and marks an unspecified common-gender singular noun. It appears in “en forsinkelse” and, capitalized at the start of a sentence, in “En risikopsummering”.
forsinkelse “forsinkelse” means “delay” and refers to delaying the project. In “en forsinkelse uden dokumentation”, it is the delay whose effect on the case is being considered.
uden “uden” means “without” and introduces something that is absent. In “uden dokumentation”, it shows that the delay would happen without supporting evidence.
dokumentation “dokumentation” means “evidence” or “documentation” in this project discussion. It appears after “uden” in “uden dokumentation” and after “indsamle” in “indsamle dokumentation”, so it is both something that may be missing and something the team can gather.
kan “kan” means “can” or “may” and expresses possibility or ability. It combines with an infinitive in “kan svække” and “Vi kan indsamle”, useful for describing possible effects or available actions.
svække “svække” means “weaken” and describes reducing the strength of the team’s case. It follows “kan” in “kan svække vores sag”, a useful pattern for describing what may undermine an argument.
vores “vores” means “our” and identifies the case as belonging to the speakers’ team. In “vores sag”, it comes directly before the noun being associated with the team.
sag “sag” means “case” here, referring to the team’s position or argument in the discussion. The phrase “vores sag” is useful when discussing how evidence or a lack of evidence affects an argument.
indsamle “indsamle” means “gather” or “collect” and describes obtaining documentation. It follows “kan” in “Vi kan indsamle dokumentation”, a useful pattern for stating that a team can collect evidence.
ved “ved” means “by” here and introduces the method used to gather evidence. The construction “ved at prioritere de mest risikable test” explains how the team can carry out the action.
at “at” is the infinitive marker in “ved at prioritere”. It marks “prioritere” as the infinitive inside the method construction “ved at ...”.
prioritere “prioritere” means “prioritize” and describes deciding which tests should receive attention first. In “prioritere de mest risikable test”, the object is the group of riskiest tests.
de “de” means “the” here and marks the specified plural group in “de mest risikable test”. Use it before a plural group described by an adjective when referring to that identified group.
mest “mest” means “most” and gives “risikable” its highest-degree meaning in “de mest risikable test”. This pattern is useful when selecting the tests with the greatest risk among the relevant tests.
risikable “risikable” means “risky” and describes the tests selected for priority. In “de mest risikable test”, it combines with “mest” to identify the tests considered most risky.
test “test” refers to the tests that the team needs to prioritize. In “de mest risikable test”, it is the object of “prioritere” and identifies the practical work being selected.
ville “ville” means “would” and presents a proposed or expected result. It combines with “gøre” in “ville gøre diskussionen mere objektiv og mindre præget af forsvar” to describe the likely effect of using evidence.
gøre “gøre” means “make” and describes causing the discussion to have different qualities. It follows “ville” in “ville gøre diskussionen mere objektiv og mindre præget af forsvar”.
diskussionen “diskussionen” means “the discussion” and refers to the specific meeting discussion. It is the object of “gøre” in “gøre diskussionen mere objektiv og mindre præget af forsvar”.
mere “mere” means “more” and increases the degree of “objektiv”. In “mere objektiv”, it describes the intended direction of change in the discussion.
objektiv “objektiv” means “objective” and describes a discussion guided more by evidence than by personal reactions. It appears in the comparison “mere objektiv”, useful when describing a more evidence-based discussion.
og “og” means “and” and joins the two qualities assigned to the discussion. In “objektiv og mindre præget af forsvar”, it links the ideas of greater objectivity and reduced defensiveness.
mindre “mindre” means “less” and reduces the degree of the quality described after it. In “mindre præget af forsvar”, it indicates that defensiveness should characterize the discussion to a lesser extent.
præget “præget” means “marked” or “characterized” in the construction “præget af forsvar”. It describes a discussion as having a noticeable quality, here a defensive quality.
af “af” means “by” or “of” in “præget af forsvar”. It links the quality of being characterized with what produces or defines that quality.
forsvar “forsvar” means “defense” and refers here to a defensive stance in the discussion. In “præget af forsvar”, it names the quality that the discussion should show less of.
risikopsummering “risikopsummering” means “risk summary” and refers to a summary focused on the project’s risks. It appears in “En risikopsummering baseret på de aktuelle resultater”, a useful term for a document used to support a project decision.
baseret “baseret” means “based” and introduces the basis for the risk summary. It is used with “på” in “baseret på de aktuelle resultater” to show which information supports the summary.
på “på” means “on” in the construction “baseret på”. It identifies the information on which the summary is based, here “de aktuelle resultater”.
aktuelle “aktuelle” means “current” and describes the results available at this point in the project. In “de aktuelle resultater”, it identifies the results used as the basis for the summary.
resultater “resultater” means “results” and refers to the findings currently available from the project or tests. It appears in “de aktuelle resultater” after “baseret på”, showing what supports the summary.
understøtte “understøtte” means “support” and describes how the risk summary would strengthen the proposed approach. It follows “ville” in “ville understøtte den tilgang”.
tilgang “tilgang” means “approach” and refers to the plan of using prioritized testing and evidence. In “den tilgang”, it points back to that proposed way of handling the discussion.
opsummering “opsummering” means “summary” and refers back to the risk summary just mentioned. In “den opsummering”, it is the document that the speaker can bring to the meeting.
tage “tage” means “take” or “bring” in the construction “tage den opsummering med”. Here, “tage” contributes the action of carrying the summary, while “med” completes the sense of bringing it along.
med “med” means “with” and completes “tage den opsummering med”, meaning to bring the summary along. Use it after the object in this construction when saying that something is taken to an event.
til “til” means “to” and marks the destination or event the summary is brought to. In “til mødet”, it identifies the meeting as that destination.
mødet “mødet” means “the meeting” and refers to the specific meeting where the decision will be discussed. It follows “til” in “tage den opsummering med til mødet”.
Så “Så” means “so” and introduces the result or purpose of the preceding plan. In “Så kan vi træffe en praktisk beslutning”, it connects bringing the summary to the possibility of making a decision.
træffe “træffe” means “make” or “take” in the decision-making collocation used here. It combines with the decision object in “træffe en praktisk beslutning”; keep the decision object after the verb when reusing this pattern.
praktisk “praktisk” means “practical” and describes the decision as workable and focused on action. It appears before “beslutning” in “træffe en praktisk beslutning”.
beslutning “beslutning” means “decision” and is the outcome the coworkers want to reach. It appears as the object in “træffe en praktisk beslutning”, the standard decision-making pattern used here.

Grammar Points

-en/-et: bestemt ental

ledelsen

LAY-thuhls-un

the leadership

Et bestemt substantiv i ental kan få endelsen -en eller -et; ledelsen betyder “the leadership”.

-ene/-erne: bestemt flertal

resultaterne

reh-sool-TAIR-thuh-nuh

the results

Bestemt flertal markeres ofte med -ene eller -erne; resultaterne betyder “the results”.

Danish Vocabulary

ambitiøs adj
am-bee-tee-OHS ambitious
bekymring noun
beh-KOOM-reeng concern
Gender
common
eftersom conj
EF-ter-SOM since; because
foreslåede adj
foh-uh-SLOH-uh-thuh proposed
Definite
true
fremdriften noun
FREM-drif-ten the momentum; the progress
Gender
common
Definite
true
gennemgangen noun
GEN-um-GAHNG-un the review
Gender
common
Definite
true
ledelsen noun
LAY-thuhls-un the leadership
Gender
common
Definite
true
testproblemerne noun
TEST-proh-BLAY-muh-nuh the testing issues
Definite
true
tidsplan noun
TEETS-plahn timeline
Gender
common
Definite
false
udgiver verb
OO-thee-vuh releases; publishes
uløste adj
oo-LUR-stuh unresolved
Definite
true
virker verb
VEER-kuh seems; appears

Quiz

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

since; because

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concern

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timeline

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the leadership

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