Managing an unsustainable workload | Learn Danish in English

Danish lesson set in a contemporary Copenhagen everyday setting: In a remote work discussion, two adults address an unsustainable pace by reducing priorities, delegating visible tasks, and defining stopping points..

EN → DA / Level: B2

About This Lesson

Use Managing an unsustainable workload to practice Danish conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

A

Jeg har været produktiv, men tempoet er ved at blive uholdbart.

yai ha VAI-uhd proh-duhk-TEEV, men TEM-poh-uhd air vehd a BLEE-uh OO-hol-BARD. I have been productive, but the pace is becoming unsustainable.
B

Jeg sætter pris på, at du tager det op, før din præstation falder.

yai SET-uh prees poh, a doo TAI-uh deh OHB, fur deen preh-sta-SHOHN FEL-uh. I appreciate you raising it before performance drops.
A

Jeg kan fortsætte med at levere, hvis vi reducerer antallet af prioriteter.

yai kan foh-SET-uh meh a LAY-vuh, ves vee reh-doo-SAIR-uh AN-tal-uhd eh proh-ree-TEH-duh. I can continue delivering, provided priorities are reduced.
B

Vi er nødt til at skelne mellem presserende arbejde og arbejde, der primært udføres for synlighedens skyld.

vee air NURT teel a SKEL-nuh MEL-um PRES-uh-nuh AR-bai-duh oh AR-bai-duh, dair PREE-mairt OO-foh-uhs foh SOON-lee-hay-dens skool. We need to distinguish urgent work from work done mainly for visibility.
A

Nogle synlige opgaver bruger energi uden at ændre på resultaterne.

NOH-luh SOON-lee-uh OH-pah-vuh BROO-uh eh-NUR-REE OO-den a EN-druh poh reh-sool-TAIR-nuh. Some visible tasks consume energy without changing results.
B

Så bør vi bevidst fjerne dem eller uddelegere dem.

soh bur vee beh-VEEST FYEN-uh dem EL-uh OO-deh-leh-GEH-uh dem. Then we should cut or delegate them deliberately.
A

Jeg ville også have gavn af tydeligere punkter, hvor vi stopper.

yai VEL-uh OH-soh HAY-vuh gown eh TOO-deh-lee-uh-ruh POONG-tuh, voh vee STOP-uh. I would also benefit from clearer stopping points.
B

Jeg kan definere kriterier for, hvornår hver aktiv opgave er afsluttet.

yai kan deh-fee-NEH-ruh kree-TAIR-ee-uh foh, voh-NAIR vair ak-TEEV OH-pah-vuh air AF-sloo-duh. I can define completion criteria for each active task.

Word by Word

Jeg “Jeg” means “I” in the dialogue and identifies the speaker as the person experiencing or proposing something. It is used before the verb, as in “Jeg har været produktiv”. A new example is “Jeg arbejder hjemme.”
har “har” means “have” here as the auxiliary in “Jeg har været produktiv”, referring to a situation continuing up to the present. It combines with the following form “været” to make this past-to-present expression. A new example is “Jeg har arbejdet hele dagen.”
været “været” means “been” in “Jeg har været produktiv” and describes the speaker’s state or activity over a period. It is the form of “være” used after “har” in this expression. A new example is “Hun har været træt.”
produktiv “produktiv” means “productive” here and describes the speaker’s work output. It follows “været” in “har været produktiv” as a description of the subject. A new example is “Teamet er produktivt.”
men “men” means “but” and connects the speaker’s productivity with the problem that the pace is becoming unsustainable. It introduces a contrasting point between the two parts of the sentence. A new example is “Jeg vil gerne hjælpe, men jeg har ikke tid.”
tempoet “tempoet” means “the pace” of the work in this dialogue. The ending “-et” is part of the exact definite form used after “men”. A new example is “Tempoet er højt.”
er “er” means “is” in “tempoet er ved at blive uholdbart” and links the pace to an ongoing change. It is a form of “være”. A new example is “Arbejdet er vigtigt.”
ved “ved” is part of the expression “er ved at blive”, which means that the pace is in the process of becoming unsustainable. In this construction, it does not mean “with”; it helps mark an ongoing process. A new example is “Prisen er ved at stige.”
at “at” introduces “blive” in the construction “er ved at blive” and links the process marker “ved” to the verb. Here it has the infinitive-marking function of “to”. A new example is “Hun er ved at komme.”
blive “blive” means “become” in “er ved at blive uholdbart”, describing a change into an unsustainable state. It follows “at” in this ongoing-process construction. A new example is “Situationen kan blive vanskelig.”
uholdbart “uholdbart” means “unsustainable” and describes the condition that the pace is moving toward. It follows “blive” as the result or new state of the change. A new example is “Det er uholdbart i længden.”
sætter pris på “sætter pris på” means “appreciate” in “Jeg sætter pris på, at du tager det op”. The whole expression conveys appreciation; “sætter” contributes the verb, “pris” refers to value, and “på” completes the expression. A new example is “Jeg sætter pris på din hjælp.”
du “du” means “you” and refers to the person who raises the workload problem. It appears as the subject of “tager” in “at du tager det op”. A new example is “Du arbejder hjemme.”
tager “tager” means “raise” in “du tager det op”, where the topic is brought into discussion. Its meaning here comes from the expression “tager det op”, not from “tager” alone. A new example is “Vi tager problemet op på mødet.”
det “det” means “it” in “du tager det op” and refers to the workload or pace issue already mentioned. Together with “tager ... op”, it forms the expression for raising a topic. A new example is “Jeg forstår det.”
op “op” is the particle in “tager det op”, which means to raise a matter for discussion. It works together with “tager” and does not mean physical upward movement here. A new example is “Lad os tage spørgsmålet op.”
før “før” means “before” and introduces the point in time before performance drops. It connects the main response with the subordinate clause “før din præstation falder”. A new example is “Ring, før du kommer.”
din “din” means “your” and links the performance to the person being addressed. It comes directly before the singular noun “præstation” in “din præstation”. A new example is “Hvor er din computer?”
præstation “præstation” means “performance” in the work-related context of the dialogue. It is the subject of “falder” in “din præstation falder”. A new example is “Hendes præstation er stabil.”
falder “falder” means “drops” in “din præstation falder”, referring to a decline in performance. It is the verb used after “præstation” in the clause introduced by “før”. A new example is “Temperaturen falder.”
kan “kan” means “can” and expresses the speaker’s ability or possibility to continue delivering. It is followed by the infinitive “fortsætte” in “Jeg kan fortsætte med at levere”. A new example is “Jeg kan hjælpe.”
fortsætte “fortsætte” means “continue” in “kan fortsætte med at levere”. It describes carrying on with an activity rather than starting a new one. A new example is “Vi kan fortsætte i morgen.”
med “med” is part of the construction “fortsætte med at levere”, which means to continue doing something. It introduces the activity that continues, while “at levere” names that activity. A new example is “Hun fortsætter med at arbejde.”
levere “levere” means “deliver” in the work context and refers to continuing to produce the expected work. It follows “fortsætte med at” in the reusable pattern “fortsætte med at levere”. A new example is “Vi skal levere resultatet fredag.”
hvis “hvis” means “if” and introduces the condition that the number of priorities is reduced. It connects “Jeg kan fortsætte med at levere” with the condition “vi reducerer antallet af prioriteter”. A new example is “Jeg kommer, hvis jeg har tid.”
vi “vi” means “we” and refers to the people jointly responsible for reducing the priorities. It is the subject of “reducerer” in “vi reducerer antallet af prioriteter”. A new example is “Vi arbejder sammen.”
reducerer “reducerer” means “reduce” in the dialogue, specifically reducing the number of priorities. It is followed by the object “antallet af prioriteter”. A new example is “Vi reducerer omkostningerne.”
antallet “antallet” means “the number” and refers to how many priorities there are. It is followed by “af prioriteter” in the expression “antallet af prioriteter”. A new example is “Antallet af fejl er faldet.”
af “af” links “antallet” to what is being counted in “antallet af prioriteter”. The pattern “antallet af” is used before a plural noun to specify the number of something. A new example is “Antallet af møder er højt.”
prioriteter “prioriteter” means “priorities” and identifies the items whose number should be reduced. It follows “antallet af” in “antallet af prioriteter”. A new example is “Vi skal vælge vores prioriteter.”
nødt til “nødt til” means “need to” or “have to” in “Vi er nødt til at skelne”. The whole expression conveys necessity; “nødt” carries the idea of being obliged, and “til” connects it to the following infinitive. A new example is “Vi er nødt til at beslutte os.”
skelne “skelne” means “distinguish” in “skelne mellem presserende arbejde og arbejde”. It is used with “mellem” to identify the two things being differentiated. A new example is “Det er vigtigt at skelne mellem fakta og antagelser.”
mellem “mellem” means “between” and introduces the two categories being distinguished. The reusable pattern here is “skelne mellem X og Y”. A new example is “Hun skelner mellem arbejde og fritid.”
presserende “presserende” means “urgent” and describes work that requires attention quickly. It comes directly before “arbejde” in “presserende arbejde”. A new example is “Vi har en presserende opgave.”
arbejde “arbejde” means “work” in the phrase “presserende arbejde”. It names one of the two categories being compared with work done for visibility. A new example is “Jeg har meget arbejde.”
og “og” means “and” and joins the two types of work in the comparison. It connects “presserende arbejde” with the following work category. A new example is “Vi planlægger og arbejder.”
der “der” introduces the relative clause “der primært udføres for synlighedens skyld”, which describes the work just mentioned. Here it functions as the relative link for that clause. A new example is “Det er en opgave, der tager tid.”
primært “primært” means “mainly” or “primarily” and says that visibility is the main reason for carrying out the work. It modifies “udføres” in “primært udføres”. A new example is “Arbejdet udføres primært om morgenen.”
udføres “udføres” means “is carried out” or “is done” in the description of work performed mainly for visibility. It presents the work as an activity being carried out, without naming the person doing it. A new example is “Opgaven udføres af teamet.”
for synlighedens skyld “for synlighedens skyld” means “for the sake of visibility” and explains the purpose of carrying out the work. The whole expression combines “for” with “synlighedens” and “skyld”; together they express that visibility is the reason. A new example is “Han deltager for erfaringens skyld.”
Nogle “Nogle” means “some” and introduces an unspecified part of the visible tasks. It comes at the beginning of the sentence before “synlige opgaver”. A new example is “Nogle møder er korte.”
synlige “synlige” means “visible” in “synlige opgaver”, referring to tasks that are noticeable to others. It describes the plural noun “opgaver”. A new example is “Vi har brug for synlige resultater.”
opgaver “opgaver” means “tasks” and refers to the pieces of work that consume energy. It is the subject of “bruger” in “Nogle synlige opgaver bruger energi”. A new example is “Jeg har tre opgaver.”
bruger “bruger” means “use” or “consume” in “opgaver bruger energi”, describing energy being spent on the tasks. It is followed by the object “energi”. A new example is “Arbejdet bruger meget tid.”
energi “energi” means “energy” and refers to the effort consumed by the visible tasks. It is the object of “bruger” in “bruger energi”. A new example is “Jeg mangler energi.”
uden “uden” means “without” and introduces the result that does not occur: changing the results. It is followed by the infinitive phrase “at ændre på resultaterne”. A new example is “Han gik uden at sige farvel.”
ændre “ændre” means “change” in “uden at ændre på resultaterne”. It describes altering the results that the tasks fail to produce. In this sentence, it is used after “uden at”. A new example is “Vi må ændre planen.”
på “på” completes the expression “ændre på resultaterne”, which means to change or affect the results. Its function here comes from the construction with “ændre”, not from “på” alone. A new example is “Det ændrer ikke på beslutningen.”
resultaterne “resultaterne” means “the results” and refers to the outcomes that the visible tasks do not change. The definite form is used for the relevant results under discussion. A new example is “Resultaterne kommer i morgen.”
Så “Så” means “then” here and draws a conclusion from the observation that some tasks consume energy without changing results. It introduces the proposed response “bør vi ...”. A new example is “Så begynder vi nu.”
bør “bør” means “should” and expresses a recommendation about removing or delegating the tasks. It is followed by the infinitives “fjerne” and “uddelegere”. A new example is “Vi bør tale om det.”
bevidst “bevidst” means “deliberately” and shows that the decision to remove or delegate the tasks should be intentional. It modifies the actions “fjerne” and “uddelegere”. A new example is “Hun vælger bevidst en enkel løsning.”
fjerne “fjerne” means “remove” in “fjerne dem”, referring to cutting the visible tasks from the workload. It is one of the two alternatives linked by “eller”. A new example is “Vi kan fjerne den gamle opgave.”
dem “dem” means “them” and refers back to the visible tasks. It is the object after “fjerne” and is also understood as the object of “uddelegere” in the coordinated alternatives. A new example is “Vi beholder dem.”
eller “eller” means “or” and presents two possible actions: removing the tasks or delegating them. It joins “fjerne” and “uddelegere”. A new example is “Vi kan mødes i dag eller i morgen.”
uddelegere “uddelegere” means “delegate” and refers to assigning the visible tasks to someone else. It is coordinated with “fjerne” after “bør”. A new example is “Lederen kan uddelegere opgaven.”
ville “ville” means “would” in “Jeg ville også have gavn af ...” and presents a possible benefit in a polite, less direct way. It is followed by “have” in the expression “ville have gavn af”. A new example is “Jeg ville gerne hjælpe.”
også “også” means “also” and adds another helpful measure to the earlier proposals. It appears before “have gavn af” in “ville også have gavn af”. A new example is “Jeg kommer også i morgen.”
have “have” means “have” in the expression “have gavn af”, meaning to benefit from something. Here it follows “ville” and takes “gavn af tydeligere punkter” as its complement. A new example is “Hun vil have glæde af kurset.”
gavn “gavn” means “benefit” in “have gavn af tydeligere punkter”. The reusable expression “have gavn af” means that something is useful or beneficial to someone. A new example is “Vi har gavn af klare regler.”
tydeligere “tydeligere” means “clearer” and describes stopping points that are easier to understand or identify. It comes before the plural noun “punkter”. A new example is “Vi har brug for tydeligere beskeder.”
punkter “punkter” means “points” and refers here to defined moments at which the work should stop. It is followed by the relative clause “hvor vi stopper”, which explains these points. A new example is “Vi aftaler flere kontrolpunkter.”
hvor “hvor” means “where” in “punkter, hvor vi stopper” and introduces the clause describing what happens at those points. It links “punkter” with the action “vi stopper”. A new example is “Det er stedet, hvor vi mødes.”
stopper “stopper” means “stop” in “hvor vi stopper”, referring to ending work at the defined points. It is the verb of the clause introduced by “hvor”. A new example is “Vi stopper klokken fem.”
definere “definere” means “define” and refers to setting clear criteria for when each task is finished. It follows “kan” in “Jeg kan definere kriterier”. A new example is “Vi skal definere målet.”
kriterier “kriterier” means “criteria” and refers to the standards used to decide whether each active task is complete. It is followed by “for, hvornår” to specify what the criteria determine. A new example is “Vi aftaler klare kriterier.”
for “for” introduces what the criteria concern in “kriterier for, hvornår hver aktiv opgave er afsluttet”. It links the criteria to the point in time or condition described by the following clause. A new example is “Vi har kriterier for kvalitet.”
hvornår “hvornår” means “when” and introduces the clause specifying when a task counts as finished. It follows “kriterier for” in the pattern “kriterier for, hvornår ...”. A new example is “Vi skal beslutte, hvornår vi starter.”
hver “hver” means “each” and indicates that the completion criteria apply separately to every active task. It comes before the singular noun “aktiv opgave”. A new example is “Hver medarbejder får en plan.”
aktiv “aktiv” means “active” and describes a task that is currently in progress or being handled. It comes before the singular noun “opgave” in “hver aktiv opgave”. A new example is “Vi gennemgår alle aktive projekter.”
opgave “opgave” means “task” and refers to each individual piece of work covered by the completion criteria. It is the subject of “er afsluttet” in the clause “hver aktiv opgave er afsluttet”. A new example is “Denne opgave er vigtig.”
afsluttet “afsluttet” means “completed” or “finished” and describes the state that shows a task is done. It follows “er” in “hver aktiv opgave er afsluttet”. A new example is “Mødet er afsluttet.”

Grammar Points

Adjektivers bøjning: uholdbar → uholdbart

Et uholdbart tempo.

ehd oo-HOL-bard TEM-poh

An unsustainable pace.

Adjektivet får endelsen -t efter et-ord som tempo.

Komparativ: tydelig → tydeligere

Tydeligere punkter.

TOO-deh-lee-uh-ruh POONG-tuh

Clearer points.

Komparativ dannes ofte med endelsen -ere for at sammenligne.

Danish Vocabulary

falde verb
FEL-uh fall or drop falder
fortsætte verb
foh-SET-uh continue
levere verb
LAY-vuh deliver
prioritet noun
proh-ree-TEHD priority prioriteter
produktiv adj
proh-duhk-TEEV productive
præstation noun
preh-sta-SHOHN performance
skelne mellem phrase
SKEL-nuh MEL-um distinguish between
sætte pris på phrase
SET-uh prees poh appreciate sætter pris på
tage op phrase
TAI-uh OHB raise or bring up tager det op
tempo noun
TEM-poh pace tempoet
Gender
neuter
uholdbar adj
oo-HOL-bahr unsustainable uholdbart
Gender
neuter
være nødt til phrase
VAI-uh NURT teel need to or be obliged to er nødt til

Quiz

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

deliver

Show Answerlevere

productive

Show Answerproduktiv

unsustainable

Show Answeruholdbart

continue

Show Answerfortsætte