Building employee buy-in for policy changes | Learn Danish in English

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Use Building employee buy-in for policy changes to practice Danish conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

Politikker har en tendens til at mislykkes, når medarbejderne føler, at ændringerne bliver påtvunget dem.

poh-lee-TIG-uh hah uhn ten-DENS til uh mis-LUHK-uhs, nor meh-thah-BYE-thuh-nuh FUR-luh, at EN-dring-uh-nuh BLEE-vuh paw-TVOONG-uhd dehm. Policies tend to fail when employees feel changes are being imposed on them.

Folk er mere tilbøjelige til at tilpasse sig, når de har reel indflydelse på processen.

fohlk air MAY-uh til-BUR-yuh-lee-uh til uh til-PASS-uh sigh, nor dee hah rayl en-FLOO-thul-suh poh proh-SESS-uhn. People are more likely to adjust when they have a real say in the process.

Vi kunne bede om forslag, før vi lægger planen endeligt fast.

vee KUN-uh BAY-thuh ohm foh-SLAHG, fur vee LEG-uh PLAY-nuhn EN-day-lee fast. We could invite suggestions before we finalize the plan.

Det ville få praktiske problemer frem, som vi måske ikke kan se herfra.

deht VIL-uh foh PRAHG-dis-guh proh-BLAY-muh frem, som vee MAWS-guh EG-uh kan say HAIR-frah. That would bring up practical issues we might not see from here.

Det giver også folk mere grund til at gå op i resultatet.

deht KEE-vuh AW-soh fohlk MAY-uh grohn til uh goh ohp ee reh-sool-TAH-duh. It also gives people more reason to care about the outcome.

En plan, der kan fungere, kræver stadig, at folk føler sig engagerede i den.

uhn plehn, dair kan fong-GAIR-uh, KRAY-vuh STAY-thee, uh fohlk FUR-luh sigh ang-ah-SHAIR-uh-thuh ee dehn. A workable plan still needs people to feel invested.

Det svære er at holde diskussionen konstruktiv og konkret.

deht SVAIR-uh air uh HOHL-uh dis-goo-SYOH-nuhn kohn-STROHG-deev aw kohn-KRAYD. The hard part is keeping the discussion constructive and specific.

Så bør vi stille målrettede spørgsmål i stedet for at bede om bred feedback.

soh bur vee STIL-uh MOHL-REH-duh SPURK-smohl ee STAY-thuh for uh BAY-thuh ohm brayth FEED-behg. Then we should ask focused questions instead of making a broad feedback request.

Word by Word

Politikker “Politikker” means policies here, referring to workplace rules or plans. It is used as the subject in “Politikker har en tendens til at mislykkes” and can be reused when discussing organizational policies.

har “Har” means has or have here and helps express that policies have a tendency to fail. It commonly appears before a noun phrase, as in “har en tendens”.

en “En” means a or an in “en tendens”. It introduces the singular noun “tendens” and is used directly before that noun.

tendens “Tendens” means tendency here: a usual direction or likelihood. The reusable pattern is “have en tendens til at” followed by an action.

til “Til” links “tendens” to the action that tends to happen in “en tendens til at mislykkes”. In this pattern, it is followed by “at” and an action.

at “At” marks the action that follows “til” in “til at mislykkes”. It is used before an infinitive in this construction, so the pattern is “til at” plus an action.

mislykkes “Mislykkes” means fail here, describing what happens to the policies. It is used after “til at” in “til at mislykkes” and can describe a plan, attempt, or policy that does not succeed.

når “Når” means when and introduces the situation in which the policies tend to fail. It commonly begins a clause describing a condition or recurring situation.

medarbejderne “Medarbejderne” means the employees, referring to the people affected by the policy changes. It is the subject of “føler” and can be used when discussing employees in a workplace.

føler “Føler” means feel here, describing the employees’ perception of the changes. It is followed by “at” and the situation they perceive: “føler, at ændringerne bliver påtvunget dem”.

ændringerne “Ændringerne” means the changes, specifically the policy changes in this discussion. It is the thing being imposed in “ændringerne bliver påtvunget dem”.

bliver “Bliver” helps express that the changes are being imposed in “bliver påtvunget”. Here it comes before “påtvunget” and forms part of the passive expression.

påtvunget “Påtvunget” means imposed or forced on someone here. In “bliver påtvunget dem”, it describes changes that employees feel are forced upon them.

dem “Dem” means them here and refers to the employees. It appears after “påtvunget” to identify the people affected by the imposition.

Folk “Folk” means people here, referring generally to employees or participants in the process. It is the subject in “Folk er mere tilbøjelige” and can introduce a general statement about people.

er “Er” means are here and links “Folk” with their likelihood of adjusting. It is followed by “mere tilbøjelige til” in this sentence pattern.

mere “Mere” means more and increases the likelihood expressed by “tilbøjelige”. The reusable pattern is “mere tilbøjelig til at” or, as here, “mere tilbøjelige til at” followed by an action.

tilbøjelige “Tilbøjelige” means likely or inclined here. In “mere tilbøjelige til at tilpasse sig”, it describes people who are more likely to adjust.

tilpasse “Tilpasse” means adjust or adapt here, as part of “tilpasse sig”. It is used with “sig” when the people themselves adapt to a situation.

sig “Sig” refers back to the people in “Folk ... tilpasse sig” and makes the expression mean adjust themselves or adapt. The reusable pattern is “tilpasse sig til” something when the relevant object is stated.

de “De” means they here and refers to the people who have a real say in the process. It is the subject of “har” in “når de har reel indflydelse”.

reel “Reel” means real or genuine here, emphasizing that the influence is meaningful rather than merely nominal. It directly describes “indflydelse” in “reel indflydelse på processen”.

indflydelse “Indflydelse” means influence or a say here: the ability to affect the process. A common pattern is “have indflydelse på” followed by the thing someone can influence.

på “På” means on here and connects “indflydelse” with the process affected by it. The reusable pattern is “indflydelse på” plus a person, matter, or process.

processen “Processen” means the process, referring to the procedure in which people can participate. It follows “indflydelse på” as the thing affected by their say.

Vi “Vi” means we here and refers to the two people discussing the plan. It begins the suggestion “Vi kunne bede om forslag” and is commonly used for a group including the speaker.

kunne “Kunne” means could here and presents an option or suggestion. It is followed by the action “bede om forslag”, so the pattern is “kunne” plus an action.

bede “Bede” means ask or request here, as in requesting suggestions. The expression “bede om” is used before the thing being requested.

om “Om” means for in “bede om forslag” and completes the pattern for asking for something. Use “bede om” before a request, item, or information.

forslag “Forslag” means suggestions here, referring to ideas employees can contribute before the plan is finalized. It is the object of “bede om” in “bede om forslag”.

før “Før” means before and introduces the action that must happen first. Here it links “bede om forslag” with “lægger planen endeligt fast”.

lægger “Lægger” means sets or puts here as part of “lægger planen endeligt fast”, which means finalize the plan. The exact expression “lægge ... fast” can be reused with an object that is being fixed or settled.

planen “Planen” means the plan, referring to the workplace plan under discussion. It is the object in “lægger planen endeligt fast”.

endeligt “Endeligt” means definitively or finally here, emphasizing that the plan is being settled in its final form. It modifies “lægger ... fast” in “lægger planen endeligt fast”.

fast “Fast” means firmly here as part of “lægger planen ... fast”. Together with “lægger” and the object “planen”, it expresses setting or finalizing something.

Det “Det” means that or it here and refers to the proposed invitation for suggestions. It is the subject of “ville få” in “Det ville få praktiske problemer frem”.

ville “Ville” means would here and presents the likely result of inviting suggestions. It is followed by “få” to form the conditional statement “ville få ... frem”.

få “Få” means cause or get here in the expression “få praktiske problemer frem”, meaning bring practical problems to light. The reusable pattern is “få” plus an object and “frem” when something is made visible or discussed.

praktiske “Praktiske” means practical here and describes problems connected with applying the plan. It directly modifies “problemer” in “praktiske problemer”.

problemer “Problemer” means problems or issues here, specifically issues that may appear in practice. It is the object brought to light by “få ... frem”.

frem “Frem” means out or forward here and completes “få praktiske problemer frem”, meaning bring problems to attention. It is used after the object in this expression.

som “Som” means which or that here and introduces information about the problems. In “problemer, som vi måske ikke kan se herfra”, it links the noun to a describing clause.

måske “Måske” means maybe or perhaps and shows that the speakers are not certain whether they can see the problems. It commonly appears before the main verb in a clause, as in “måske ikke kan se”.

ikke “Ikke” means not and negates “kan se” in “ikke kan se herfra”. It is placed before the verb phrase being negated.

kan “Kan” means can here and expresses ability to see the problems. It is followed by “se” and commonly introduces an action someone is able to perform.

se “Se” means see here, referring to noticing or recognizing practical problems. It follows the modal “kan” in “kan se herfra”.

herfra “Herfra” means from here and gives the viewpoint from which the speakers may not see the problems. It can be used after an action of seeing, hearing, or judging to state the starting point.

giver “Giver” means gives here and describes what the suggestion process provides to people. It is followed by “folk” and the result or reason they receive.

også “Også” means also and adds this benefit to the previously mentioned practical benefit. Here it appears after “giver” and before “folk”.

grund “Grund” means reason here, as in “mere grund til at gå op i resultatet”. The reusable pattern is “give nogen grund til at” followed by an action.

gå op i “Gå op i” means care about or take an interest in here, referring to caring about the outcome. In this expression, “gå”, “op”, and “i” work together, and it is followed by the object “resultatet”; a reusable pattern is “gå op i” plus a matter or activity.

resultatet “Resultatet” means the outcome or result here, referring to the final effect of the plan. It is the object of “gå op i” in “gå op i resultatet”.

plan “Plan” means plan here, referring to a plan that can work in practice. It follows “En” in “En plan, der kan fungere” and can be described by a relative clause introduced by “der”.

der “Der” means that or which here and introduces the clause describing the plan. In “En plan, der kan fungere”, it connects “plan” with the statement that it can work.

fungere “Fungere” means function or work here, describing whether the plan will be workable. It follows “kan” in “der kan fungere”.

kræver “Kræver” means requires here and states what the workable plan still needs. It is followed by “at folk føler sig engagerede” to express the required condition.

stadig “Stadig” means still here and shows that this requirement remains necessary even for a workable plan. It appears before “kræver” in “kræver stadig” and can emphasize that something continues to apply.

engagerede “Engagerede” means engaged or invested here, describing people who feel involved in the plan. It appears in “føler sig engagerede i den”, where the following “i” identifies what they are invested in.

i “I” means in here as part of “engagerede i den”, connecting the feeling of engagement with the plan. The reusable pattern is “engageret i” followed by a project, activity, or matter.

den “Den” means it here and refers back to “plan”. It follows “i” in “engagerede i den” and avoids repeating the noun.

svære “Svære” means difficult or hard here in “Det svære”, referring to the difficult part of the task. It is followed by “er” and the action “holde diskussionen konstruktiv og konkret”.

holde “Holde” means keep or maintain here, as in keeping the discussion constructive and specific. The reusable pattern is “holde” an object in a particular state or condition.

diskussionen “Diskussionen” means the discussion, referring to the conversation about the plan. It is the object of “holde” in “holde diskussionen konstruktiv og konkret”.

konstruktiv “Konstruktiv” means constructive here, describing a discussion that helps produce useful progress. It is one of the qualities maintained in “holde diskussionen konstruktiv og konkret”.

og “Og” means and and joins the two qualities “konstruktiv” and “konkret”. It connects words or phrases that both apply to the discussion.

konkret “Konkret” means specific or concrete here, describing feedback or discussion focused on identifiable points. It is paired with “konstruktiv” after “og”.

Så “Så” means then here and introduces the speakers’ next recommendation as a consequence of the previous point. It appears at the start of “Så bør vi stille målrettede spørgsmål”.

bør “Bør” means should or ought to here and gives a recommendation about how to request feedback. It is followed by the action “stille målrettede spørgsmål”.

stille “Stille” means ask or pose here, specifically in the expression “stille spørgsmål”. The reusable pattern is “stille” followed by the questions being asked.

målrettede “Målrettede” means focused or targeted here, describing questions aimed at specific points. It directly modifies “spørgsmål” in “målrettede spørgsmål”.

spørgsmål “Spørgsmål” means questions here, referring to focused questions used to obtain useful suggestions. It is the object of “stille” in “stille målrettede spørgsmål”.

i stedet for “I stedet for” means instead of and contrasts the focused questions with a broad feedback request. The components “i”, “stedet”, and “for” form one construction, followed here by “at bede om bred feedback”; the reusable pattern is “i stedet for” plus a noun or action.

bred “Bred” means broad here, describing a feedback request that is not limited to specific questions. It directly modifies “feedback” in “bred feedback”.

feedback “Feedback” means feedback here, referring to responses or comments from employees. It is the object of “bede om” in “bede om bred feedback”.

Grammar Points

tilpasse sig + noun

Medarbejderne skal tilpasse sig ændringerne.

MEH-thah-BYE-thuh-nuh sgel til-PASS-uh sigh EN-dring-uh-nuh.

The employees must adapt to the changes.

The verb uses the reflexive pronoun sig when the employees adapt themselves to something.

i stedet for + noun phrase

Medarbejderne kan bede om konkret feedback i stedet for brede diskussioner.

MEH-thah-BYE-thuh-nuh kan BAY-thuh ohm kohn-KRAYD FEED-behg ee STAY-thuh for BRAY-thuh dis-goo-SYOH-nuh.

The employees can ask for specific feedback instead of broad discussions.

i stedet for means “instead of” and is followed directly by a noun phrase.

Danish Vocabulary

bede om phrase

BAY-thuh ohm ask for; request

forslag noun

foh-SLAHG suggestion

indflydelse noun

en-FLOO-thul-suh influence; say

medarbejder noun

MEH-thah-BYE-thuh employee medarbejderne

mislykkes verb

mis-LUHK-uhs fail

politik noun

poh-lee-TEEG policy Politikker

praktisk adj

PRAHG-disg practical praktiske

påtvunget verb

paw-TVOONG-uhd imposed

tendens noun

ten-DENS tendency

tilbøjelig adj

til-BUR-yuh-lee likely tilbøjelige

tilpasse sig verb

til-PASS-uh sigh adjust; adapt oneself

ændring noun

EN-dring change ændringerne

Quiz

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

tendency

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tendens

policy

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Politikker

fail

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mislykkes

change

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ændringerne