Clarifying dependencies in a tense priority discussion | Learn Danish in English

About This Lesson

Use Clarifying dependencies in a tense priority discussion to practice Danish conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

Samtalen blev anspændt, da folk begyndte at rangordne alles prioriteter.

SAM-tah-len blehv ahn-SPENT, dah fohlg beh-GURN-teh ah RANG-ord-nuh AL-less pree-oh-ree-TEH-ter. The discussion got tense once people started ranking everyone's priorities.

Det lød, som om nogle teams følte, at deres arbejde blev skubbet til side.

Deh LUH-th, som ohm NOH-leh teemz FURHL-teh, ahd DEH-rəs AR-byeh blehv SKOO-bet til SEE-theh. It sounded like some teams felt their work was being pushed aside.

Det kan skade tilliden, selv om ingen mente det sådan.

Deh kan SKAY-theh TEEL-lehn, selv ohm ENG-en MEN-teh deh SOH-n. That can hurt trust, even if nobody meant it that way.

Måske bør vi skelne mellem afhængigheder og vigtighed før næste møde.

MAW-skeh buhr vee SKAYL-nuh MEL-lem ahf-HENG-eh-theh-dər ohg VIG-teh-heth fohr NES-teh MUH-theh. Maybe we should separate dependencies from importance before the next meeting.

Nogle opgaver skal udføres først.

NOH-leh OH-pah-vər skal ood-FUR-es FURST. Some tasks need to happen first.

Men det gør dem ikke mere værdifulde.

Men deh gur dem IK-keh MEH-reh VAIR-theh-fool-deh. But that does not make them more valuable.

Jeg kan lave et afhængighedskort, før vi mødes igen.

YAI kan LAH-veh ed ahf-HENG-eh-theths-kort, fur vee MUH-thes ee-GEN. I can put together a dependency map before we meet again.

Det burde holde diskussionen konkret i stedet for personlig.

Deh BOO-theh HOL-leh dis-koo-SHOH-nen kon-KREHT ee STEH-theh fohr per-SOHN-lee. That should keep the discussion concrete instead of personal.

Så kan folk basere diskussionen på de samme oplysninger og ikke kun på deres frustrationer.

Soh kan fohlg bah-SEH-reh dis-koo-SHOH-nen paw deh SAH-meh ohp-lee-SNEENG-er ohg IK-keh koon paw DEH-rəs froos-trah-SHOH-ner. Then people can base the discussion on the same information, not just their frustrations.

Word by Word

Samtalen “Samtalen” means “the discussion” or “the conversation” here. The form refers to the specific discussion already being talked about; reuse it before a description of what a conversation did or became.

blev “Blev” means “became” or “got” in “Samtalen blev anspændt.” It describes a change into a state, and can be reused before an adjective such as “anspændt”.

anspændt “Anspændt” means tense or strained here, describing the atmosphere of the discussion. It can be reused after “blev” to describe a situation that becomes tense.

da “Da” means “when” here and introduces the time at which the discussion became tense. It can introduce a clause describing something that happened when another event occurred.

folk “Folk” means “people” in this dialogue. It is used as the subject of an action and can be reused before a verb when referring to people generally.

begyndte “Begyndte” means “started” or “began” here. In “begyndte at rangordne,” it is followed by “at” and an infinitive to say what people started doing.

at “At” is the infinitive marker in “begyndte at rangordne.” The pattern “begyndte at” is followed by the action that started.

rangordne “Rangordne” means to rank or order according to priority in this dialogue. It is the action following “begyndte at,” and can be used with the things being ranked.

alles “Alles” means “everyone’s” in “alles prioriteter,” showing that the priorities belong to everyone. It comes directly before the noun it relates to.

prioriteter “Prioriteter” means priorities here. It is the plural noun being ranked, and can be reused after a possessive form or another description of whose priorities they are.

Det “Det” means “it” at the beginning of “Det lød,” referring to the situation or discussion just mentioned. It can be used as the subject when commenting on how something sounded.

lød “Lød” means “sounded” here, describing the impression the situation gave. It can be reused before a description such as “som om” to report how something seemed.

som “Som” contributes “like” in the expression “som om,” which introduces an impression rather than a direct fact. The reusable pattern is “det lyder som om” or “det lød som om” followed by a clause.

om “Om” is part of “som om,” meaning “as if” in this dialogue. Together with “som,” it introduces the situation that something seemed to be the case.

nogle “Nogle” means “some” in “nogle teams,” referring to part of a larger group. It is placed before the plural noun it limits.

teams “Teams” means teams in this workplace context. It is the group whose feelings are being described and can be used after “nogle” to refer to several teams.

følte “Følte” means “felt” here, describing the teams’ perception of what was happening. It can be followed by a clause introduced by “at” to state what they felt.

deres “Deres” means “their” and refers here to the teams mentioned earlier. It comes before “arbejde” to show whose work is meant.

arbejde “Arbejde” means “work” here, referring to the work belonging to the teams. It can be used after a possessive such as “deres” when identifying someone’s work.

skubbet “Skubbet” contributes “pushed” in “blev skubbet til side.” Together with “blev,” it describes work being moved aside or treated as less important.

til “Til” contributes “to” in the expression “til side.” It combines with “side” to describe something being moved away from its position or attention.

side “Side” means “side” in “til side,” as in pushing something aside. The full reusable expression is “skubbe noget til side,” with the thing being pushed as the object.

kan “Kan” means “can” here and expresses that something is capable of causing harm. It is followed by the infinitive “skade” in the pattern “kan” plus an action.

skade “Skade” means “harm” or “damage” in “kan skade tilliden.” It follows “kan” and takes the thing affected as its object.

tilliden “Tilliden” means “the trust,” referring to trust within the teams or workplace. The definite form identifies the particular trust that the situation may damage.

selv “Selv” contributes “even” in the expression “selv om,” emphasizing that the following condition does not change the result. Use it with “om” when saying that something remains true despite a condition.

ingen “Ingen” means “nobody” or “no one” here and is the subject of “mente.” It can be used before a verb to say that no person had a particular intention or view.

mente “Mente” means “meant” in “ingen mente det sådan.” It describes the intention someone had, and can be reused with “det” to refer to an action or situation.

sådan “Sådan” means “that way” or “like that” here, describing the manner intended. It can be reused after a verb of intention or description to refer back to how something was done or understood.

Måske “Måske” means “maybe” and makes the suggestion less direct. It can be placed at the beginning of a sentence before a suggestion or proposal.

bør “Bør” means “should” or “ought to” here and presents a recommendation. It is followed by the infinitive “skelne” in “bør vi skelne,” with the subject placed after the modal.

vi “Vi” means “we” and refers to the two colleagues or the wider group involved in the discussion. It is the subject of the proposed action.

skelne “Skelne” means “distinguish” or “separate” here, asking the speakers to treat dependencies and importance as different things. A useful pattern is “skelne mellem” followed by the things being distinguished.

mellem “Mellem” means “between” in the pattern “skelne mellem afhængigheder og vigtighed.” It introduces the two or more things that are being distinguished.

afhængigheder “Afhængigheder” means “dependencies” here: relationships in which one task relies on another. It is one side of the contrast introduced by “skelne mellem.”

og “Og” means “and” and links “afhængigheder” with “vigtighed.” It can connect two items that are being considered together or compared.

vigtighed “Vigtighed” means “importance” here, the value or priority assigned to something. It is the second item in “skelne mellem afhængigheder og vigtighed.”

før “Før” means “before” and places the action ahead of the next meeting. It can introduce a time phrase or a full clause describing what happens earlier.

næste “Næste” means “next” in “næste møde,” identifying the meeting that will follow. It is placed before the noun it describes.

møde “Møde” means “meeting” here, not an action. In “næste møde,” it names the future workplace meeting being referred to.

opgaver “Opgaver” means “tasks” here. It is the subject of “skal udføres” and can be used when discussing several pieces of work.

skal “Skal” means “must” or “need to” in this sentence, expressing a requirement or necessary order. It is followed by “udføres,” the action that has to happen.

udføres “Udføres” means “be carried out” or “be performed” here, describing tasks as actions that need to be completed. It is used after “skal” when the tasks are presented as things being carried out.

først “Først” means “first” and shows that some tasks must happen earlier than others. It can be placed after the action to mark the required order.

Men “Men” means “but” and introduces a qualification to the previous statement. It links the requirement that tasks happen first with the point that this does not make them more valuable.

gør “Gør” means “makes” in “gør dem ikke mere værdifulde.” It is used in the construction “gøre nogen eller noget” plus an adjective to describe the result of an action.

dem “Dem” means “them” and refers back to the tasks. It is the object affected by “gør” in “gør dem ikke mere værdifulde.”

ikke “Ikke” means “not” and negates the claim that the tasks become more valuable. It is placed before the part of the sentence being negated.

mere “Mere” means “more” in “mere værdifulde,” expressing a higher degree of value. It comes before the adjective it modifies.

værdifulde “Værdifulde” means “valuable” here, describing the tasks’ value. In “mere værdifulde,” it forms a comparison of whether the tasks are more valuable.

Jeg “Jeg” means “I” and identifies the speaker as the person offering to prepare the map. It is the subject before the modal verb “kan.”

lave “Lave” means “make” or “create” here, referring to preparing a dependency map. It follows “kan” in the pattern “kan lave” plus the thing being made.

et “Et” is the indefinite article used before “afhængighedskort.” It marks the map as one non-specific item and agrees with that noun’s article.

afhængighedskort “Afhængighedskort” means “dependency map,” a map showing relationships between dependencies. It is the object of “lave” and can be used after an expression meaning “make” or “prepare.”

mødes “Mødes” means “meet” in “vi mødes igen,” referring to the people meeting one another. It can be reused with a subject and a time or frequency word.

igen “Igen” means “again,” showing that the meeting will happen another time. It can be placed after the verb or near the end of the clause.

burde “Burde” means “should” or “ought to” here, expressing an expected result rather than a firm command. It is followed by the infinitive “holde” in “burde holde.”

holde “Holde” means “keep” in “holde diskussionen konkret.” It is used after “burde” and takes the discussion as the object whose character is maintained.

diskussionen “Diskussionen” means “the discussion,” referring to the specific priority discussion already under consideration. It is the object of “holde” in “holde diskussionen konkret.”

konkret “Konkret” means concrete or specific here, describing a discussion focused on identifiable information rather than personal reactions. It follows “holde diskussionen” to describe the state the discussion should remain in.

i “I” contributes “in” to the expression “i stedet for.” Together, the phrase introduces what is chosen or maintained as an alternative to something else.

stedet “Stedet” contributes “the place” in the fixed expression “i stedet for,” which means “instead of.” Its meaning here is part of that whole expression rather than a literal physical place.

for “For” completes the expression “i stedet for,” meaning “instead of.” The phrase is followed by the alternative that is being avoided or replaced.

personlig “Personlig” means personal here, describing a discussion that focuses on people rather than concrete matters. It appears after “i stedet for” as the alternative to “konkret.”

Så “Så” means “then” here and presents the consequence of using the same information. It can begin a sentence that follows logically from a previous proposal or action.

basere “Basere” means “base” in “basere diskussionen på.” It is followed by the thing being based on and uses the pattern “basere noget på noget.”

på “På” means “on” in the construction “basere diskussionen på.” It introduces the information or evidence used as the basis for the discussion.

de “De” means “the” in “de samme oplysninger.” It introduces the specific information shared by the people in the discussion.

samme “Samme” means “same,” emphasizing that everyone uses identical information. The common pattern is “de samme” followed by the shared thing being referred to.

oplysninger “Oplysninger” means “information” here, referring to the facts in the dependency map or discussion material. It is the object after “på” in “basere diskussionen på de samme oplysninger.”

kun “Kun” means “only” or “just” and limits the basis of the discussion to frustrations when used with “ikke kun.” The expression “ikke kun” means “not only” and introduces something that should not be the sole basis.

frustrationer “Frustrationer” means “frustrations” here, referring to personal feelings that should not be the only basis for the discussion. It follows “deres” and is contrasted with “de samme oplysninger.”

Grammar Points

blev + kort tillægsform

Tilliden blev skubbet til side.

TEEL-lehn blehv SKOO-bet til SEE-theh.

The trust was pushed aside.

Dansk bruger blev + kort tillægsform til passiv i datid: blev skubbet.

selv om + ledsætning

Selv om samtalen lød anspændt, følte jeg frustration.

Selv ohm SAM-tah-len LUH-th ahn-SPENT, FURHL-teh yai froos-trah-SHOHN.

Even though the discussion sounded tense, I felt frustration.

Selv om indleder en ledsætning. Den kommer ofte før hovedsætningen og viser en kontrast.

Danish Vocabulary

anspændt adj

ahn-SPENT tense

Samtalen blev anspændt.

føle verb

FUR-leh feel følte

nogle teams følte

lyde verb

LEW-theh sound lød

Det lød, som om

mene verb

MEH-neh mean mente

ingen mente det sådan

prioritet noun

pree-oh-ree-TEH-t priority prioriteter

alles prioriteter

rangordne verb

RANG-ord-nuh rank

folk begyndte at rangordne alles prioriteter

samtale noun

SAM-tah-leh discussion Samtalen

Samtalen blev anspændt.

selv om conj

selv ohm even if

selv om ingen mente det sådan

skade verb

SKAY-theh harm

Det kan skade tilliden

skelne mellem phrase

SKAYL-nuh MEL-lem distinguish between

skelne mellem afhængigheder og vigtighed

skubbe til side phrase

SKOO-beh til SEE-theh push aside blev skubbet til side

deres arbejde blev skubbet til side

tillid noun

TEEL-leth trust tilliden

Det kan skade tilliden

Quiz

Word Order

Arrange the words in the correct order.

Some tasks need to happen first.

Show Answer

Nogle opgaver skal udføres først.

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

priority

Show Answer

prioriteter

discussion

Show Answer

Samtalen

rank

Show Answer

rangordne

tense

Show Answer

anspændt