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I collected some lines and phrases about taking action as examples for when you students want or need to talk about that.
The Small Change of Conversation™
I found the phrase in a book by Henry James. It's a useful concept for students of foreign languages. The pages in this series (and my website in general) will help you speak with Dutch people.
I hope you have the passive vocabulary to understand what people say or write to you - to comment on that, learn the phrases on this page that look useful to you, make them part of your active vocabulary.

Talking about Taking Action

Doe iets! 2 3 4 5 6 7 Do something! Take action! We moeten iets doen 2 3 We have to do something Maar wat? 2 3 But what? Wat kunnen we doen? 2 3 What can we do? Wat moet ik doen? 2 3 What should I do? Wat ga je doen? 2 3 What are you going to do? What will you do?

doorgaan 2 to continue, go on
't Kan niet zo doorgaan 2 3 4
't Kan zo niet doorgaan 2 It can't go on like this We kunnen niet zo doorgaan 2 3 4 We can't go on like this
But also:
We moeten doorgaan 2 We have to push on We moeten doorgaan tot 't klaar is 2 We'll have to, we need to continue until it's finished

We moeten er wat aan doen 2 We have to do something about it Je moet er wat aan doen 2 3 4 You need to do something about it met alle mogelijke middelen 2 with all possible means Kun je er wat aan doen? 2 3 Can you do something about it? Wat kun je d'r aan doen? 2 3 4 What can you do about it? Wat kan ik doen om 't te voorkomen? 2 What can I do to prevent it?

Er moet iets veranderen 2 Something has got to change Ik zou willen dat 't anders was 2 3 I wish it was different, not like this

Kom in actie! 2 3 4 Come into action! Get active! Laat je handjes maar een wapperen 2 (saying) ['Make your (little) hands wave frantically, snap'] - Get active! Get cracking!

(de) beslissing / (het) besluit decision
beslissen 2 3 / besluiten 2 to decide
besluiten 2 'to decide' is a strong verb:
besluiten – besloot – besloten 2
to decide – decided – decided
wij besloten 2 we decided
ik heb besloten 2 3 I have decided
besluiteloos 2 3 4 indecisive, unable to make decisions (de) besluiteloosheid 2 3 4 indecisiveness, inability to make a decision Mijn besluit staat vast 2 3 [My decision is firm] - I've made up my mind beslissingen nemen 2 3 [taking] making decisions
Neem 'n beslissing 2 3 [Take] Make a decision

Wat hebben we al niet willen opknappen 2 We had big plans to fix things  from: Nescio: Titaantjes ‑>> Wat we eigenlijk doen zouden is ons nooit duidelijk geweest. Iets  zouden we doen. (2) What the thing was we were going to do was never clear to us. But we were going to accomplish  'something.'   (Nescio) Iets te gaan doen echter lijkt nog steeds een goed idee 2 3 But to go out and do something, to take action still looks like a good idea

Eerst denken, dan doen 2 First think, then act - Think before you act Bezint eer ge begint 2 3 (saying) Think before you [begin] act

't Enige dat we moeten veranderen 2 The only thing we have to, need to change

De druppel die de emmer deed overlopen 2 3 (saying) '[The drop that caused the bucket to spill over]
- The straw that broke the camel's back'

Laten we niet te hard van stapel lopen 2 (saying) [Let's not launch too early] - Let's not rush into it

Hoe doe je dat?	How do you do that?
Hoe heb je dat gedaan?	How did you do that?
Doe dat nou niet! 2 3 4	Don't do that!
Zó doe je dat 2 3	That's the way to do it
Ik kan er niks aan doen	['I can't do anything about it'] 1. 'I can't help it' - 2. I can't fix it
Doe-het-zelf	Do-it-yourself (DIY)
also:  Wat ben je aan het doen?	What are you [doing] working on, busy with?
Ik doe 't wel 2 3 4	I'll do it, I'll take care of it (volunteering for a task)

Ik weet niet wat ik moet doen 2 I don't know what I should do, I don't know what to do

Moet je niet doen! You shouldn't do that, don't do that, not a good idea to do that Je hoeft 't niet te doen 2 You don't have to do it, you can leave it alone Dat hoef ik niet te doen I don't have to do that, there is no obligation

Moet kunnen! 2 It should be possible! There shouldn't be a problem with it Waarom doe je dat? 2 3 Why do you do that? Why are you doing that? Wat ben ik aan het doen? 2 3 What am I doing? (questioning, is it wrong or mistaken?)

Daar kun je niks aan doen 2 3 [You can do nothing about it] - You can't do [anything] a thing about it

Ik vind 't niet nodig 2 3 [I don't find it necessary] - I don't think it's necessary, I think there's no need for it

We hebben lopen demonstreren
(We hebbe lope demonstrere 2 3) We were in a protest march ‑>>

More Formal

ingrijpen 2 3 to intervene, take action ingrijpende gevolgen 2 3 far-reaching consequences Het leger greep in 2 The army (the military) intervened, took action

inzetten 2 3 to deploy, put into action // to start, launch // to stake, bet, gamble De marechaussee werd ingezet 2 3 4 The military police was deployed, put into action

'strijden'   'to fight, do battle.' - (formal) ‑>>
Strijden voor gelijkheid 2 3 Fighting for equality strijden tegen onrecht 2 3 fighting injustice

'Vechten'   2 to fight - usually formal - or very informal like fistfights ‑>>
Vechten tegen onrecht Fighting injustice Vechten voor vrijheid 2 3 Fighting for freedom, fighting to be free

'Zich verzetten' 2 3 'to resist,' often violently - sometimes 'to oppose' ‑>> Hij verzette zich tegen het plan 2 He opposed the plan (het) verzet resistance
Het verzet tegen de maatregelen 2 3 The resistance against the measures, rules

What's Going On?

Wat is er gebeurd? 2 3 What happened? Ik wil precies weten wat er gebeurd is 2 3
Ik wil precies weten wat er is gebeurd 2 3 I want to know exactly what happened Ik wil weten wat er precies gebeurd is 2 3 I want to know what exactly happened

Weet je al wanneer? 2 Do you already know when? Weet je al wanneer 't gaat gebeuren? 2 3 Do you already know when it's going to happen?

't Is tijd 2	It's time (for action)
't Wordt tijd 2 3 4	It's about time (we've been waiting too long)

Success or Failure

The Dutch verb lukken 2 means 'to succeed' (in something) or 'be successful' (in something) = 'to manage'
Zou 't lukken? Is it going to work out? "Lukt 't een beetje?" 2 3 [Are you somewhat succeeding?] - How is it going? (inquiring with doubts about how a job is going) Dat lukt je nooit 2 You'll never succeed in that, you'll never be able to do that, you'll never pull that off Dat lukt me nooit I'll never succeed in that, I'll never be able to do that, I'll never pull that off Zou 't lukken? 2 Is it going to work out? 't Wil maar niet lukken 2 3 I can't get it right (said after many failed attempts) 't Is mislukt 2 3 It failed, it didn't succeed (de) mislukking 2 failure
(het) ongeluk 2 accident ‑>>
(het) succes 2 success, 'results'
Is 't gelukt? 2 Did it work out? 't Is gelukt 2 It worked, it went through Ik had geluk 2 I was lucky 't Is niet gelukt 2 3 It failed

We slaagden er niet in 2
We zijn er niet in geslaagd 2 3 4 We did not succeed (in it) - we were not successful, we failed ‑>> We konden 't niet doen We were not able to do it, we failed We hebben 't niet kunnen doen 2 3 We have not been able to do it, we have failed

(de) mislukking 2 failure
Alles gaat mis 2 3 Everything is going wrong Sommige dagen gaat alles mis 2 On some days everything goes wrong Sommige dagen gaat er van alles mis On some days all kinds of things go wrong Er gaat altijd zoveel mis 2 There's always so much that goes wrong Waarom gaat altijd alles mis? 2 3 4 Why does everything always go wrong? Er ging iets helemaal mis 2 3 4 5 Something went completely wrong Dat gaat 'n keer mis 2 3 That [goes] will go wrong sometime Wat er allemaal mis kan gaan 2 3 4 5 6 All the things that can go wrong

Hesitation and Doubt

Is 't echt nodig? 2 3 Is it really necessary? Is het echt zo erg? 2 3 4 5 Is it really that bad? Is 't erger geworden? 2 Did it [become] get worse?

Ik kijk 't even aan 2 3 [I'll just observe for the moment] - I'll wait and see, I'll keep track of how the situation develops, I'm not taking action right away Ik wil er nog een nachtje over slapen 2 'I'd like to sleep on it' - I don't want to make a decision, take action or give a statement right away

Als je twijfelt, doe het dan niet 2 3 When [you are] in doubt don't do it, don't act

't Is hopeloos 2 3 It's hopeless, there is no possible good outcome ‑>> 't Heeft toch geen enkele zin 2 3 It's no use [at all anyway] (Whatever you do ...) Er is toch niks aan te doen 2 3 Nothing can be done about it anyway Dat wordt toch niks 2 3 4 [That's not going to be anything ever] That's never going to work

Dat is haast niet te doen 2 3 That's almost impossible (to do) - it's going to be a very difficult job Dat is niet te doen 2 3 That can't be done, it's not possible to do that onbegonnen werk 2 ["unbegun work"] - a job so big, difficult or hopeless it's impossible to get started

Je kunt 't wel 2 3 You can do it (encouraging, 'I have confidence in you')

Bereiken 2 3 is literally 'to reach,' like the destination of a journey, but it's most often used figuratively, 'reaching goals, getting results.' ‑>>
Hij heeft niks bereikt 2 3 4 [He has achieved nothing] - He has not achieved anything, he didn't get results, 'he got nowhere' Daar bereik je niks mee 2 3 4 5 'That will get you nowhere,' that's no use, it does not help you to succeed Wat wil je ermee bereiken? 2 3 What is the result you want [with it]? Wat hoop je ermee te bereiken? 2 3 4 What is the result you hope for [with it]?

(de) moeite 2 'effort, exertion' and also 'bother, trouble'
Doe geen moeite [No need to make an effort] - Don't bother Kleine moeite! [Small effort] - You're welcome, don't mention it niet de moeite waard 2 not worth the effort, not worth the trouble Het is niet de moeite waard 2 It's not worth [the effort] your time and money also as: Het is niet de moeite 2 It's not worth [the effort] your time and money zonder veel moeite 2 3 4 5 without much effort, without much trouble (de) vergeefse moeite 2 3 wasted trouble, effort without results Al die moeite voor niks 2 All that effort [for nothing] wasted, in vain, without result - lamenting wasted energy 't Was allemaal voor niks 2 3 [All of it was for nothing] - All that effort for nothing, all that trouble for zero result, wasted effort

Dat had ik veel eerder moeten doen 2 I should have done that [much earlier] long ago Dàt had ik moeten doen 2 3 That's what I should have done (a late realization) Dàt had ik moeten zeggen 2 3 Thàt's what I should have said (finding the right phrase too late) Dat had ik niet moeten zeggen 2 I should not have said that (an apology or recognition of a mistake) Ik had moeten weten dat ... I should have known that ... (something I forgot to think of)

een goede oplossing 2 a good solution (to a problem) Is er niet een betere oplossing? 2 3 Is there not a better solution? Is er geen betere oplossing? 2 3 Is there no better solution? Ik wou dat er een betere oplossing was I wish there was a better solution veruit de beste oplossing 2 by far the best solution
goed / beter / best good / better / best ‑>> - 2 Is er niet een andere oplossing? 2 3 Is there not another solution? Er is nog geen oplossing There is no solution yet de verkeerde oplossing 2 the wrong solution een rechtvaardige oplossing 2 a just solution Er is maar één oplossing 2 There's only one solution Iemand zal een oplosing moeten vinden Someone will have to find a solution Tegen die tijd is er wel een oplossing 2 3 By that time there will (sure) be a solution Ik zag op het nieuws dat er geen oplossing gevonden is I saw on the news that no solution has been found

Daar moet je iets op vinden 2 3 [You'll have to find something for that] - You'll have to find a solution to that problem

English 'way' can also be a way of doing something, a procedure, a manner. The Dutch word for that way is: (de) manier 2
Ik wou dat er een betere manier was 2 3 I wish there was a better way (to do something) Er moet een betere manier zijn 2 3 There has to be a better way (to do something) Als 't niet anders kan 2 3 If there's no other way 't Kan niet anders 2 3 There is no other way (to do it) - it cannot be done differently Wat is de beste manier? 2 What is the best way? (to do something) op welke manier dan ook in whatever way possible, in any manner ... op die fiets 2 3 ... oh, in thàt way (colloquial)
(de) fiets 2 3 bicycle ‑>> Waar een wil is, is een weg 2 3 Where there's a will, there's a way

'Bezig' 2 is 'busy with, working on.' As you could guess, it's from the same root as English 'busy.'
bezigheden 2 3 'activities' - work, pursuits, chores
Waar ben je mee bezig? 2 What are you working on, busy with? Ik ben met iets anders bezig 2 3 I'm working on, busy with something else Ik ben net zo lekker bezig 2 3 (4 5) [I'm delightfully busy, I feel good about and enjoy what I'm doing, and it's going well] - I'm on a roll

lui (luie ) is usually an adjective meaning 'lazy,' but as a noun, lui means means 'people, folks' (now slightly unfavorable) see also: Plurals

rare lui 2	strange, weird people
de) luiaard 2 3	1. sloth 2. lazy person
(de) luilak	(very) lazy person
luie stoel	[lazy] easy chair
'je ouwelui' 2	['your old folks'] -your parents
Mannen die lui worden 2 3	'Men [becoming] getting lazy'

Allerlei 2 Miscellaneous

't Had erger kunnen zijn 2	It could have been worse
zonder veel gevaar	without much danger
We waren net op tijd 2 3	We were just in time
net te laat 2 3	a moment too late
Er is geen tijd voor 2	There is no time (for it)
Is er nog genoeg tijd?	Is there still enough time?
Er is genoeg tijd	There is enough time
Er is niet genoeg tijd	There's not enough time
Het is begonnen	It has started
Ik ben begonnen 2	I have started
't Einde is nabij 2 slow	The end is near
goed voorbereid 2	well-prepared (for future events)
Op alles voorbereid 2	prepared, ready for anything
Op het ergste voorbereid 2	prepared, ready for the worst
de nodige voorbereidingen 2 3	the necessary preparations
(de) voorzorgsmaatregelen	precautions - Emergency Preparedness
uit voorzorg 2 3	as a precaution, 'to be prepared'
Hoe doe je dat?	How do you do that?
Hoe heb je dat gedaan?	How did you do that?
Er moet nog hard gewerkt worden	It still needs a lot of [hard working] work
(de) chaos chaos — chaotisch 2 chaotic
Zoals 't leven zelf 2 3	Like life itself

Waarom ben je nu hier? Why are you here now, at this moment? Wat beweegt die mensen? 2 3 [What 'moves' those people?] - What is their motivation? (to do something commonly considered unpleasant, horrible) Wat bezielt die mensen om dat te doen? 2 3 'What drives those people to do those (horrible) things?'

More 'Conversation Templates' pages like this:
Meet and Greet
Commenting on Statements and Opinions
Why? - Because - The Reason - Cause & Effect
Ziek - Talking about Not Feeling Well
Talking about Time
Chance, Luck, Outcomes and Risk
Expectations and What Happens

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