Clarifying role scope and priorities | Learn Danish in English

Danish lesson set in a contemporary Copenhagen everyday setting: In a job interview, a candidate clarifies the breadth of a role and explains how they would handle unclear priorities across teams..

EN → DA / Level: B2

About This Lesson

Use Clarifying role scope and priorities to practice Danish conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

A

Stillingen lyder bredere, end beskrivelsen gav indtryk af.

SDEH-ling-en LOO-uh BREH-theh, en beh-SGREE-vuhl-sen gehv EN-droog ehw. The role sounds broader than the description suggested.
B

Den er blevet mere omfattende, fordi teamstrukturen er ved at blive ændret.

Den air BLEH-weth MEH-uh OM-feh-theh-nuh, fee-THEE TEHM-sdruh-GTOO-ren air veh uh BLEH-weth EN-drehth. It has grown because the team structure is being revised.
A

Jeg kan godt varetage en bred rolle, hvis prioriteterne er klare.

YAI kan goht veh-ruh-TAY-uh en breh ROH-luh, ves pree-oh-ree-TAY-teh-nuh air KLAH-uh. I can handle a broad role if the priorities are clear.
B

Den første prioritet vil være at forbedre den interne koordinering.

Den FUR-steh pree-oh-ree-TAYT veel VAIR-uh ehd feh-BROHTH-ruh den en-TEH-nuh koh-oh-dee-NAY-ring. The first priority would be improving internal coordination.
A

Det passer godt med min erfaring med tværgående projekter.

Deh PASS-uh goht meh meen EH-uh-fay-ring meh TVAIR-goh-eh-nuh proh-GEHG-tuh. That fits my experience with cross-functional projects.
B

Hvordan ville du håndtere teams med modstridende forventninger?

VOR-dan VEH-luh doo HON-tay-uh teems meh MOHTH-sdree-theh-nuh foh-VENT-ning-uh? How would you handle teams with conflicting expectations?
A

Jeg ville begynde med at kortlægge beslutningerne, de ansvarlige og de uafklarede antagelser.

YAI VEH-luh beh-GUR-nuh meh ehd KOR-dleh-guh beh-SLOOD-ning-uh, dee an-SVAH-lee og dee OO-eh-FKLAIR-eh an-TAH-gel-suh. I'd start by mapping the decisions, owners, and unresolved assumptions.
B

Det fortæller mig, at du ville tage dig tid til at forstå problemet, før du handlede.

Deh foh-TEL-uh mai, ehd doo VEH-luh TAY dai TEED ehd foh-STOH proh-BLAY-meth, fur doo HAN-leh-thuh. That tells me you'd take time to understand the problem before acting.

Word by Word

Stillingen “Stillingen” means “the position” in this dialogue, referring to the job being discussed. It is the definite form of “stilling”, used for a specific position. A common pattern is “en stilling” for a position and “stillingen” for the position.
lyder “Lyder” means “sounds” here, describing how the position appears from the speaker’s perspective. It is used with an adjective in “Stillingen lyder bredere”. A reusable pattern is “Det lyder godt” for “That sounds good”.
bredere “Bredere” means “broader” or “wider” here, referring to the scope of the position. It compares this role with the scope suggested by the description. It can be reused before “end” in a comparison, as in “bredere end ...”.
end “End” means “than” in the comparison “bredere, end beskrivelsen gav indtryk af”. It introduces the second part of a comparison. A reusable pattern is “mere ... end ...” or “mindre ... end ...”.
beskrivelsen “Beskrivelsen” means “the description”, specifically the job description mentioned here. It is the definite form of “beskrivelse”. A common pattern is “i beskrivelsen” when referring to information contained in a description.
gav “Gav” means “gave” here, describing the impression created by the description. It is the form used in “gav indtryk af”. A useful expression is “give et indtryk af ...”, meaning to give an impression of something.
indtryk “Indtryk” means “impression” in “gav indtryk af”, referring to what the description seemed to suggest. The word commonly appears with “give” and “af”. A reusable pattern is “det giver et godt indtryk” for “it gives a good impression”.
af “Af” introduces what the impression is about in “gav indtryk af”. Together with “indtryk” it forms the expression “gav indtryk af”, but “af” itself marks the subject or content of the impression. The same pattern can be used with a noun or clause after “af”.
Den “Den” means “it” here and refers back to “stillingen”. Its capital letter is due to its position at the beginning of the sentence. A common pattern is to use “den” for a specific common-gender noun already mentioned.
er “Er” means “is” and forms the present-tense part of “er blevet mere omfattende”. Here it links the position to a change described by the following words. A basic reusable pattern is “X er ...” to describe a current state.
blevet “Blevet” contributes the meaning “become” in “er blevet mere omfattende”, describing a change in the position’s scope. It is used with “er” in this completed-change expression. A reusable pattern is “er blevet ...” when something has changed into a new state.
mere “Mere” means “more” in “mere omfattende”, increasing the degree of the following description. It shows that the role has become more extensive than before. A common pattern is “mere + adjective”, such as “mere tydelig” for “clearer”.
omfattende “Omfattende” means “extensive” or “broad in scope” here, describing the enlarged role. With “mere”, it means “more extensive”. It can be reused to describe a task, role, project, or responsibility with a wide scope.
fordi “Fordi” means “because” and introduces the reason why the position has become more extensive. It connects the result with the explanation “teamstrukturen er ved at blive ændret”. A reusable pattern is “X, fordi Y” for giving a reason.
teamstrukturen “Teamstrukturen” means “the team structure”, referring to how the teams are organized. It is the definite form of “teamstruktur”. A common pattern is “ændre teamstrukturen” when discussing organizational changes.
ved “Ved” contributes the meaning that an action is in progress in “er ved at blive ændret”. It is part of the construction “være ved at + verb”. This pattern is useful for saying that something is currently happening or being prepared.
at “At” is the infinitive marker before “blive” in “ved at blive ændret”. It connects the ongoing-process expression with the action taking place. A reusable pattern is “ved at + infinitive” for an action in progress.
blive “Blive” means “become” or “be” in the passive change expression “blive ændret”. Here it shows that the team structure is undergoing a change. A common pattern is “blive + past participle” when something is changed or affected.
ændret “Ændret” means “changed” or “revised” here, describing what is happening to the team structure. It appears in “blive ændret”, where the structure is the thing being changed. It can be reused after “blive” for other changes, such as “blive ændret” in a plan or process.
Jeg “Jeg” means “I” and identifies the candidate as the person who can handle the role. It is the subject of “Jeg kan godt varetage ...”. A basic reusable pattern is “Jeg kan ...” for stating an ability or possibility.
kan “Kan” means “can” here and expresses the candidate’s ability to take responsibility for the role. It is followed by the infinitive “varetage” without “at”. A reusable pattern is “Jeg kan + infinitive” for describing what you are able to do.
godt “Godt” is part of “kan godt” here and reinforces that the speaker is able or willing to handle the role; it does not simply mean “well”. It gives the answer a confident, accommodating tone. A common pattern is “kan godt + infinitive” when confirming that something is possible.
varetage “Varetage” means “handle” or “take responsibility for” the role. It is the action governed by “kan godt” in “kan godt varetage en bred rolle”. It is useful in professional contexts with responsibilities, duties, tasks, or a role as its object.
en “En” means “a” in “en bred rolle”, introducing one non-specific role. It comes before the common-gender noun “rolle”. A reusable pattern is “en + adjective + noun”, such as “en vigtig opgave”.
bred “Bred” means “broad” here, describing a role with a wide scope of responsibilities. It appears before “rolle” in “en bred rolle”. A common pattern is “en bred rolle” when discussing a position covering several areas.
rolle “Rolle” means “role”, referring to the position or set of responsibilities under discussion. In “en bred rolle”, it is modified by “bred”. It can be reused with an adjective or with “i” to describe someone’s role in an activity.
hvis “Hvis” means “if” and introduces the condition that the priorities must be clear. It connects “Jeg kan godt varetage en bred rolle” with that condition. A reusable pattern is “hvis + clause” for stating a condition.
prioriteterne “Prioriteterne” means “the priorities”, referring to the specific priorities for the role. It is the definite plural form used with “er klare”. A common pattern is “sætte prioriteterne” or “afklare prioriteterne” when discussing work planning.
klare “Klare” means “clear” here, describing priorities that are understood and not ambiguous. It agrees with the plural subject “prioriteterne” in “prioriteterne er klare”. It can be reused after “er” to describe clear plans, goals, or expectations.
første “Første” means “first” and identifies the priority that should come before the others. It modifies “prioritet” in “Den første prioritet”. A common pattern is “den første ...” when ordering tasks, steps, or priorities.
prioritet “Prioritet” means “priority”, specifically the first important focus for the role. It appears in the expression “Den første prioritet”. It can be reused with “være” to state what the main focus will be.
vil “Vil” means “will” in “vil være”, presenting what the first priority is expected to be. It is followed by the infinitive “være” without “at”. A reusable pattern is “Det vil være ...” for describing a likely or planned result.
være “Være” means “be” in “vil være at forbedre ...”. It links the priority with the action that defines it. A common pattern is “vil være at + infinitive” for stating what a task or priority will involve.
forbedre “Forbedre” means “improve”, naming the action that defines the first priority. It follows “at” in “at forbedre den interne koordinering”. A reusable pattern is “forbedre + noun”, such as improving coordination, a process, or a result.
interne “Interne” means “internal” here and describes coordination within the organization. It modifies “koordinering” in “den interne koordinering”. It can be reused before nouns for matters that take place within a company, team, or organization.
koordinering “Koordinering” means “coordination”, referring to the work of aligning activities or people internally. It is the object of “forbedre” in “forbedre den interne koordinering”. A common professional pattern is “forbedre koordinering” between teams or departments.
Det “Det” means “that” here and refers to the previous statement about improving internal coordination. It is the subject of “passer godt med”. A reusable pattern is “Det passer med ...” when saying that something matches information or experience.
passer “Passer” means “fits” or “matches” here, showing that the proposed priority agrees with the speaker’s experience. It appears in “passer godt med min erfaring”. A common pattern is “det passer med ...” for a good match between two things.
med “Med” means “with” in “passer godt med min erfaring”, linking the proposed priority to the speaker’s experience. It identifies what the statement matches. A reusable pattern is “passe med + noun” when comparing an idea, plan, or fact with something else.
min “Min” means “my” and identifies the experience as belonging to the speaker. It modifies “erfaring” in “min erfaring”. A common pattern is “min + noun” when referring to something owned or associated with the speaker.
erfaring “Erfaring” means “experience”, referring here to professional experience with cross-functional projects. It appears after “min” in “min erfaring med ...”. A reusable pattern is “erfaring med + noun” for describing experience with a task, area, or type of project.
tværgående “Tværgående” means “cross-functional” here, describing projects that involve more than one function or area. It modifies “projekter” in “tværgående projekter”. It is useful in professional contexts for work spanning teams or departments.
projekter “Projekter” means “projects”, specifically the cross-functional projects in which the speaker has experience. It is the plural form used after “tværgående”. A common pattern is “arbejde med projekter” for talking about project work.
Hvordan “Hvordan” means “how” and asks about the method the candidate would use to handle the situation. It begins the question “Hvordan ville du håndtere ...”. A reusable pattern is “Hvordan ville du ...?” when asking about a hypothetical approach.
ville “Ville” means “would” and frames the question as a hypothetical interview situation. It appears before the subject “du” and the infinitive “håndtere”. A reusable pattern is “Hvordan ville du + infinitive?” for asking how someone would respond.
du “Du” means “you” and refers to the candidate being asked about a possible action. It is the subject after “ville” in the question. A common pattern is “ville du + infinitive” for asking about someone’s hypothetical choice or action.
håndtere “Håndtere” means “handle” or “manage” the teams and their expectations. It follows “ville du” as the infinitive in the interview question. It can be reused with a problem, situation, task, or group as its object.
teams “Teams” means “teams”, referring to groups with different expectations. It is the object of “håndtere” in the question. A common pattern is “teams med ...” for describing teams that have a particular feature or situation.
modstridende “Modstridende” means “conflicting” here, describing expectations that do not agree with one another. It modifies “forventninger” in “modstridende forventninger”. It can be reused before nouns for opinions, requirements, plans, or expectations that clash.
forventninger “Forventninger” means “expectations”, referring to what the different teams expect. It is plural and is modified by “modstridende”. A common pattern is “have forventninger til ...” when saying what someone expects from a person, task, or result.
begynde “Begynde” means “begin” in “ville begynde med”. It names the first step the candidate would take. A reusable pattern is “begynde med + noun” or “begynde med at + infinitive” for describing the starting point of a process.
kortlægge “Kortlægge” means “map out”, meaning to identify and organize the relevant decisions, responsible people, and unresolved assumptions. It follows “begynde med at” in the full expression “begynde med at kortlægge ...”. It can be reused with a process, problem, responsibilities, or other elements that need to be clarified.
beslutningerne “Beslutningerne” means “the decisions”, referring to the specific decisions that need to be mapped out. It is the definite plural form of “beslutning”. A common pattern is “træffe beslutninger” for making decisions.
de “De” means “the” in “de ansvarlige”, referring to the responsible people connected with the decisions. It introduces the plural noun phrase. A reusable pattern is “de + adjective used as a noun” when referring to a group of people with a shared role or quality.
ansvarlige “Ansvarlige” means “the responsible people” in “de ansvarlige”, identifying who is responsible for the decisions. Here the adjective functions as the central word of the plural noun phrase. A common pattern is “de ansvarlige for + noun” for naming the people responsible for something.
og “Og” means “and” and joins the three things to be mapped out: the decisions, the responsible people, and the unresolved assumptions. It connects items in the same list. A reusable pattern is “X, Y og Z” for listing several related elements.
uafklarede “Uafklarede” means “unresolved” or “not yet clarified”, describing the assumptions that still need examination. It modifies “antagelser” in “de uafklarede antagelser”. It can be reused with issues, questions, or points that have not yet been settled.
antagelser “Antagelser” means “assumptions”, referring to ideas being taken for granted before they are confirmed. It is modified by “uafklarede” in the dialogue. A common pattern is “undersøge antagelser” when checking whether assumptions are valid.
fortæller “Fortæller” means “tells” here, expressing what the candidate’s answer indicates to the interviewer. It appears in “fortæller mig, at ...”. A reusable pattern is “Det fortæller mig, at ...” for explaining what information suggests.
mig “Mig” means “me” and identifies the interviewer as the person receiving the information in “fortæller mig”. It is used after the verb rather than as the subject. A common pattern is “fortælle mig, at ...” for telling me that something is the case.
tage “Tage” means “take” in the expression “tage dig tid”, meaning to allow yourself time for something. It is the infinitive after “ville”. A reusable pattern is “tage sig tid til at + infinitive” for deliberately making time to do something.
dig “Dig” means “yourself” in “tage dig tid”, referring back to the candidate as the person taking the time. It is part of the reflexive expression “tage dig tid”. The same pattern changes the pronoun according to who is taking the time.
tid “Tid” means “time” in “tage dig tid til at forstå problemet”. It refers to time deliberately spent on understanding the problem. A common pattern is “tage sig tid til at + infinitive” for saying that someone makes time to do something.
til “Til” introduces the purpose of the time taken in “tid til at forstå problemet”. It is followed by “at” and the infinitive “forstå”. A reusable pattern is “tid til at + infinitive” for naming the activity someone has time for.
forstå “Forstå” means “understand”, naming the action the candidate would take before acting. It follows “til at” in “tid til at forstå problemet”. It can be reused with a problem, situation, explanation, or point as its object.
problemet “Problemet” means “the problem”, referring to the specific issue that should be understood before action. It is the definite form of “problem”. A common pattern is “forstå problemet” when discussing analysis or problem-solving.
før “Før” means “before” and introduces the action that should happen later: acting. It connects understanding the problem with the condition that comes before action. A reusable pattern is “før + clause” for ordering two actions or events.
handlede “Handlede” means “acted” here, referring to taking action after understanding the problem. It appears after “før” in the hypothetical statement. A common pattern is “før jeg handler” or “før du handler” when saying that action should wait until something else is done.

Grammar Points

den ansvarlige

Den ansvarlige håndterer problemet.

Den an-SVAH-lee HON-tay-uh proh-BLAY-meth.

The person responsible handles the problem.

After den, an adjective takes the definite singular form: ansvarlig becomes ansvarlige.

de modstridende prioriteter

De modstridende prioriteter kræver koordinering.

Dee MOHTH-sdree-theh-nuh pree-oh-ree-TAY-tuh KRAIR-vuh koh-oh-dee-NAY-ring.

The conflicting priorities require coordination.

With de and a plural noun, the adjective takes the plural form: modstridende.

Danish Vocabulary

beskrivelse noun
beh-SGREE-vuhl-suh description beskrivelsen
Gender
common
bred adj
BREHTH broad; broad in scope bredere
forbedre verb
feh-BROHTH-ruh to improve
give indtryk af phrase
gehv EN-droog ehw to suggest; to give the impression of gav indtryk af
klar adj
KLAH clear klare
lyde verb
LOO-uh to sound lyder
omfattende adj
OM-feh-theh-nuh extensive; comprehensive
prioritet noun
pree-oh-ree-TAYT priority prioriteterne
Gender
common
stilling noun
SDEH-ling position; job Stillingen
Gender
common
teamstruktur noun
TEHM-sdruh-GTOO-uh team structure teamstrukturen
Gender
common
varetage verb
veh-ruh-TAY-uh to handle; to take care of
ændre verb
EN-druh to change; to revise ændret

Quiz

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

broad; broad in scope

Show Answerbredere

position; job

Show AnswerStillingen

extensive; comprehensive

Show Answeromfattende

to handle; to take care of

Show Answervaretage