Constructive responses to resistance in a professional workshop | Learn Danish in English

Danish lesson set in a contemporary Copenhagen everyday setting: While planning a professional workshop, two colleagues discuss framing resistance around systems, evidence, and constructive disagreement..

EN → DA / Level: B2

About This Lesson

Use Constructive responses to resistance in a professional workshop to practice Danish conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

A

Nogle deltagere vil måske gøre modstand, fordi emnet udfordrer eksisterende vaner.

NOH-luh DEL-tah-guh-ruh vil MOH-skeh GUR-uh MOHT-stahn, foh-DEE EM-nuh OO-thor-druh ek-see-STAY-ruh-nuh VAH-nuh. Some participants may resist because the topic challenges existing habits.
B

Modstand er sandsynlig, hvis de føler, at de får skylden for tidligere beslutninger.

MOHT-stahn air SAN-soo-lee, vis dee FUR-uh, at dee foh SKOOL-uhn for TEE-lee-uh-ruh beh-SLOOD-ning-uh. Resistance is likely if they feel blamed for past decisions.
A

Vi bør fokusere sessionen på systemer frem for enkeltpersoner.

Vee buhr foh-koo-SAY-ruh seh-SHOH-nun poh SIS-teh-muh frem for ENG-gult-per-SOH-nuh. We should frame the session around systems rather than individuals.
B

Det mindsker deres forsvarsreaktioner og inviterer til en mere ærlig diskussion.

Deh MIN-sker DAIR-uhs fohr-SVAHRS-ree-ak-SHOH-nuh uh in-vee-TAY-uh til en MAY-ruh AIR-lee dis-goo-SHOHN. That reduces defensiveness and invites more honest discussion.
A

Kunne vi tage eksempler med, hvor fornuftige mennesker var uenige?

KUN-uh vee TAY-uh ek-SEM-pluh may, voh fohr-NOOF-tee-uh MEN-uh-sker var oo-AY-nee-uh? Could we include examples where reasonable people disagreed?
B

De eksempler ville vise kompleksiteten uden at gøre nogen til skurke.

Dee ek-SEM-pluh VEL-uh VEE-suh kom-plek-see-TAYD-uhn OO-un at GUR-uh NOH-un til SKOOR-guh. Those examples would show complexity without creating villains.
A

Jeg vil have, at deltagerne øver sig i at være uenige på en konstruktiv måde.

YAI vil HAY-vuh, at DEL-tah-guh-nuh UR-vuh sigh ee at VAIR-uh oo-AY-nee-uh poh en kon-strook-TEEV MOH-thuh. I want participants to practice disagreement constructively.
B

Så har vi brug for klare regler for, hvordan vi bruger evidens, og hvilken tone vi holder.

Soh har vee BROO for KLAIR-uh RAY-luh for, voh-DAN vee BROO-uh eh-vee-DENS, oh VIL-ken TOH-nuh vee HOL-uh. Then we need clear rules for evidence and tone.

Word by Word

Nogle “Nogle” means some in “Nogle deltagere” and introduces an unspecified part of the participants. It is used directly before the noun it describes, as in “Nogle deltagere”.
deltagere “deltagere” means participants in this workshop context. It names the people who may resist, and it can be reused after quantity words such as “Nogle”.
vil In “vil måske gøre modstand”, “vil” helps express that the participants may do something when combined with “måske”. The reusable pattern is “vil måske” followed by an infinitive such as “gøre”.
måske “måske” means perhaps or possibly and makes the prediction less certain. In “vil måske gøre modstand”, it works with “vil” before the action being considered.
gøre “gøre” means do in the expression “gøre modstand”, which as a whole means resist. After “vil måske”, it appears in this infinitive form; the reusable construction is “gøre” plus an expression describing an action or response.
modstand “modstand” means resistance in “gøre modstand” and refers here to participants opposing or pushing back against the topic. The phrase “gøre modstand” is a reusable way to describe resistance to a proposal or change.
fordi “fordi” means because and introduces the reason for the possible resistance. It begins the explanation clause “fordi emnet udfordrer eksisterende vaner”.
emnet “emnet” means the topic being discussed in the workshop. The form refers to one specific topic already understood in context, and it functions as the subject of “udfordrer”.
udfordrer “udfordrer” means challenges in “emnet udfordrer eksisterende vaner”. It describes what the topic does to established habits, and it can be reused with a subject followed by something that is challenged.
eksisterende “eksisterende” means existing and describes the habits that are already in place. It appears directly before “vaner”, so it can be reused before a noun when describing something currently present.
vaner “vaner” means habits, specifically the existing habits challenged by the topic. It refers to repeated ways of doing things and is used here after the adjective “eksisterende”.
er “er” means is in “Modstand er sandsynlig”. It links “Modstand” with the description “sandsynlig”, and the same linking pattern can describe a situation or result.
sandsynlig “sandsynlig” means likely in “Modstand er sandsynlig”. It evaluates resistance as probable, and it can be used after “er” to describe how likely an event or result is.
hvis “hvis” means if and introduces the condition under which resistance is likely. It begins “hvis de føler”, followed by the situation that may cause the result.
de In “hvis de føler”, “de” means they and refers to the participants. It is used as the subject before “føler” in the conditional clause.
føler “føler” means feel in “de føler, at de får skylden”. It introduces the participants’ perception, and it can be followed by “at” and a clause describing what they feel.
at In “føler, at de får skylden”, “at” means that and introduces the content of the feeling. It connects “føler” to the clause “de får skylden”.
får In “får skylden”, “får” contributes the meaning get or receive, while the whole expression means get the blame. The reusable pattern is “får” plus what someone receives, such as “skylden” here.
skylden “skylden” means the blame in the fixed expression “får skylden”. It identifies the blame that the participants feel they receive, and it follows “får” in this construction.
for In “skylden for tidligere beslutninger”, “for” links the blame to the past decisions it concerns. It can be reused to specify what responsibility, criticism, or blame relates to.
tidligere “tidligere” means previous or past in “tidligere beslutninger”. It places the decisions before the current workshop situation and appears directly before the noun it describes.
beslutninger “beslutninger” means decisions, referring here to choices made in the past. It follows “tidligere” and identifies what the participants might be blamed for.
Vi “Vi” means we and refers to the two colleagues speaking about how to plan the session. It appears at the beginning of “Vi bør fokusere” as the subject of the recommendation.
bør “bør” means should or ought to and presents “fokusere sessionen” as a recommendation. It is followed by the infinitive “fokusere” when suggesting an action.
fokusere “fokusere” means focus in “fokusere sessionen på systemer”. The reusable pattern is “fokusere” on a subject or area, with “på” introducing what receives the focus.
sessionen “sessionen” means the session, referring to the workshop session being planned. The specific session is the object of “fokusere” in “fokusere sessionen på systemer”.
på In “fokusere sessionen på systemer”, “på” means on and introduces the area receiving the focus. It is also used here to connect “fokusere” with “systemer”.
systemer “systemer” means systems, which are proposed as the focus of the session. It follows “på” and is contrasted with “enkeltpersoner” by “frem for”.
frem for The expression “frem for” means rather than or instead of and sets systems against individuals in the proposed framing. Here “frem” helps mark the preferred option, while “for” completes the comparison with the alternative.
enkeltpersoner “enkeltpersoner” means individuals or individual people. In “frem for enkeltpersoner”, it names the alternative that should receive less focus than systems.
Det “Det” means that or it and refers back to the suggested focus on systems. As the subject of “mindsker” and “inviterer”, it links that earlier proposal to its expected effects.
mindsker “mindsker” means reduces in “mindsker deres forsvarsreaktioner”. It describes making the participants’ defensive reactions less strong, and it can be reused with an object naming something that becomes less intense.
deres “deres” means their and identifies the defensive reactions as belonging to the participants. It appears before “forsvarsreaktioner” to show whose reactions are meant.
forsvarsreaktioner “forsvarsreaktioner” means defensive reactions in the workshop context. It names the reactions that the systems-focused framing is expected to reduce.
og “og” means and and joins the two effects in “mindsker deres forsvarsreaktioner og inviterer”. It connects parallel actions attributed to “Det”.
inviterer “inviterer” means invites in “inviterer til en mere ærlig diskussion”. It describes encouraging a discussion, and the reusable pattern is “inviterer til” followed by the activity or situation encouraged.
til In “inviterer til en mere ærlig diskussion”, “til” means to and introduces the discussion that people are encouraged to enter or take part in. The pattern “inviterer til” is used for encouraging an activity or response.
en “en” means a and introduces the singular noun “diskussion”. It appears before the adjectives and noun in “en mere ærlig diskussion”.
mere “mere” means more and increases the degree of “ærlig” in “mere ærlig diskussion”. It can be placed before an adjective when making a comparison in degree.
ærlig “ærlig” means honest and describes the desired quality of the discussion. In “en mere ærlig diskussion”, it appears before the noun and is modified by “mere”.
diskussion “diskussion” means discussion, referring to the honest exchange the session should encourage. It is the activity introduced by “inviterer til”.
Kunne “Kunne” means could and makes the suggestion polite in “Kunne vi tage eksempler med”. It appears before the subject “vi” in this question and introduces a possible action.
tage In “tage eksempler med”, “tage” contributes the idea of including or bringing examples, while the whole expression means include examples. It is used in the infinitive after “Kunne”.
eksempler “eksempler” means examples, referring to cases that could be included in the session. It is the object of “tage” in “tage eksempler med”.
med In “tage eksempler med”, “med” contributes the meaning along or included, so the whole expression means include or bring examples. The reusable pattern places the thing being included before “med”.
hvor “hvor” means where in “eksempler, hvor fornuftige mennesker var uenige”. It introduces the clause describing the situations represented by the examples.
fornuftige “fornuftige” means reasonable and describes the people in the proposed examples. It appears before “mennesker” and presents them as sensible participants in a disagreement.
mennesker “mennesker” means people and refers to the people who disagreed in the examples. It is the subject of “var uenige”.
var “var” means were in “mennesker var uenige”. It links the people with the description “uenige” when referring to the situations presented in the examples.
uenige “uenige” means disagreed or were in disagreement in “var uenige”. It describes the relationship between the reasonable people, and it can be reused after “var” to describe disagreement.
ville “ville” means would in “ville vise kompleksiteten”. It presents the expected result of including those examples and is followed by the infinitive “vise”.
vise “vise” means show in “ville vise kompleksiteten”. It describes what the examples would demonstrate, and the reusable pattern is “vise” followed by the thing or quality demonstrated.
kompleksiteten “kompleksiteten” means the complexity, referring to the many-sided nature of the issue. It is the object of “vise” and names what the examples would make visible.
uden “uden” means without and introduces the result that should be avoided in “uden at gøre nogen til skurke”. It is followed here by an infinitive clause describing an action that does not happen.
nogen “nogen” means anyone or someone in “gøre nogen til skurke”. It refers to an unspecified person who should not be labelled as a villain.
skurke “skurke” means villains in “gøre nogen til skurke”. It names the negative role that the examples should avoid assigning to anyone.
Jeg “Jeg” means I and identifies the speaker expressing a personal goal for the participants. It is the subject of “vil have” in “Jeg vil have”.
have In “vil have, at deltagerne øver sig”, “have” contributes the meaning want when combined with “vil”. The reusable pattern is “vil have, at” followed by the action the speaker wants someone to carry out.
deltagerne “deltagerne” means the participants and refers to the specific workshop group. It is the subject of the clause after “vil have, at”.
øver “øver” means practice in “deltagerne øver sig”. It describes deliberate practice, and the reusable construction is “øver sig i” followed by an activity or skill.
sig In “øver sig”, “sig” refers back to the participants and is part of the expression meaning practise. The reusable pattern is “øver sig i” when someone practises an activity or behaviour.
i In “øver sig i at være uenige”, “i” introduces what is being practised. It is followed by “at” and the infinitive clause “være uenige”.
være “være” means be in “at være uenige”. It is the infinitive used after “at” and describes the state or behaviour the participants should practise.
konstruktiv “konstruktiv” means constructive and describes the manner of being in disagreement. It contributes to the phrase “på en konstruktiv måde”, which explains how the participants should disagree.
måde “måde” means way or manner in “på en konstruktiv måde”. The expression describes how an action is carried out, and the adjective before it specifies the manner.
Så “Så” means then and connects the desired practice with the next planning consequence. It introduces the conclusion that clear rules are needed.
har In “har vi brug for”, “har” contributes to the expression meaning need or be in need of. The reusable pattern is “har brug for” followed by the thing needed.
brug In “har brug for klare regler”, “brug” is part of the expression meaning need. It cannot be interpreted alone here; the complete reusable construction is “har brug for” plus the needed item.
klare “klare” means clear and describes the rules needed for the workshop. It appears directly before “regler” and indicates that the rules should be easy to understand.
regler “regler” means rules, referring to the agreed guidance for using evidence and maintaining tone. It is the thing needed in “har brug for klare regler”.
hvordan “hvordan” means how and introduces the way evidence is used in “hvordan vi bruger evidens”. It begins an embedded question or explanation about method.
bruger “bruger” means use in “vi bruger evidens”. It describes the action applied to evidence and appears after the subject “vi”.
evidens “evidens” means evidence and refers to the material used to support points in the discussion. It is the object of “bruger” in “hvordan vi bruger evidens”.
hvilken “hvilken” means which or what kind of and asks about the type of tone maintained. It appears directly before “tone” in “hvilken tone vi holder”.
tone “tone” means tone, referring to the manner or attitude maintained during the discussion. It is the noun selected by “hvilken” in “hvilken tone vi holder”.
holder In “hvilken tone vi holder”, “holder” means maintain or keep rather than physically hold. The reusable pattern is “holde” a tone, with the tone describing how communication is conducted.

Grammar Points

at øve sig i + infinitiv eller substantiv

Deltagerne øver sig i at fokusere på emnet.

DEL-tah-guh-nuh UR-vuh sigh ee at foh-koo-SAY-ruh poh EM-nuh.

The participants practise focusing on the topic.

The reflexive verb øve sig i means “to practise”. The subject and sig refer to the same people.

at få skylden

Enkeltpersonen får skylden.

ENG-gult-per-SOH-nun foh SKOOL-uhn.

The individual person gets the blame.

Få skylden is a fixed expression meaning “be blamed” or “get the blame”; skylden is definite.

Danish Vocabulary

beslutning noun
beh-SLOOD-ning decision beslutninger
deltager noun
DEL-tah-guh participant deltagere
eksisterende adj
ek-see-STAY-ruh-nuh existing
emne noun
EM-nuh topic; subject emnet
få skylden phrase
foh SKOOL-uhn be blamed; get the blame får skylden
gøre modstand phrase
GUR-uh MOHT-stahn resist; oppose
modstand noun
MOHT-stahn resistance; opposition
måske adv
MOH-skeh perhaps; maybe
sandsynlig adj
SAN-soo-lee likely; probable
tidligere adj
TEE-lee-uh-ruh previous; past; earlier
udfordre verb
OO-thor-druh challenge udfordrer
vane noun
VAY-nuh habit vaner

Quiz

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

habit

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topic; subject

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resistance; opposition

Show Answermodstand

existing

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