Je Mening Geven op je Amsterdamse Werk

Je vertelde me dat je grote doel is: 'Ik hoop dat ik heel goed Nederlands kan spreken.' En omdat je als professional in Amsterdam werkt, betekent dat ook dat je je ideeën en enthousiasme moet kunnen delen op de werkvloer.

You mentioned before that you are really enthusiastic about learning specific words, so today we are going to focus on exactly that: expressing your enthusiasm and your ideas in a Dutch work environment.

In the Netherlands, and especially in Amsterdam, work culture is very flat.

Dat betekent dat we heel veel overleggen.

Overleggen means to consult or discuss things together.

It's a huge part of the Dutch professional day.

During these meetings, everyone is expected to share their mening, their opinion.

It doesn't matter if you are the boss or the newest employee; your mening matters.

When you are enthousiast, enthusiastic, about a new project, you might want to present a voorstel.

A voorstel is a proposal or a suggestion.

But be prepared: your Dutch colleagues will definitely ask you to explain your standpunt.

Your standpunt is your point of view or position.

They will want to know exactly why you think your voorstel is a good idea.

Now, you might have noticed that Amsterdammers can be quite direct in these situations.

We call this recht voor z'n raap.

Literally, it translates to 'straight to the turnip', meaning straight to the point without any fluff.

For English speakers, this can sometimes feel a bit blunt.

You might be used to using a lot of words to politely disagree.

But in Dutch, people actually waarderen, they appreciate, it when you are also clear and honest.

Ze waarderen eerlijkheid.

But how do you give your opinion professionally without feeling like you are being too aggressive?

This is where our grammar trick for today comes in: using the word 'zouden'.

Zouden means 'would' or 'should', and it is the perfect tool to make your sentences polite and professional at the B1 level.

Instead of saying 'We moeten dit doen', which means 'We must do this' and sounds very demanding, you can say: 'We zouden dit kunnen doen' (We could do this).

Or if you want to share your view on a project, you say: 'Ik zou voorstellen om...' (I would propose to...).

It softens your statement while still showing that you are confident about your standpunt.

You can also use it to give your opinion gently: 'Ik zou zeggen dat dit een goed idee is' (I would say that this is a good idea).

Morgen op je werk in Amsterdam, I want you to try this.

When someone asks for your mening, don't hold back.

Use 'Ik zou zeggen dat...' and share your thoughts.

Je kunt dit, succes!