Dutch A2.13 Listening Practice: Soften the Request
Listen to a A2 Dutch dialogue about soften the request, with audio, transcript, and grammar notes for language learning.
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Level
A2.13
Audio
Segmented audio
Transcript
16 segments
A short Dutch listening chapter with transcript.
Ask a familiar person tactfully to help you or telephone a known man.
Read while you listen.
1. Marieke · Teacher
Welcome back! I'm Marieke, and today we're learning how to soften requests in Dutch so you sound polite and natural.
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2. Daan · Student
Hi everyone, I'm Daan! So instead of sounding too direct, how do we ask for favors gently?
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3. Marieke · Teacher
We use the polite frame 'zou je ... kunnen' with an action at the end. Listen to Lotte and Bram at work in this five-sentence dialogue.
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4. Lotte · Native Speaker 2
Het is vandaag erg druk op kantoor.
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5. Lotte · Native Speaker 2
Bram, zou je me kunnen helpen?
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6. Bram · Native Speaker 1
Ja natuurlijk, Lotte! Wat kan ik voor je doen?
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7. Lotte · Native Speaker 2
We moeten de klant spreken; zou je hem kunnen opbellen?
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8. Bram · Native Speaker 1
Geen probleem, ik ga hem meteen bellen.
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9. Marieke · Teacher
Let me break down those important request sentences.
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10. Marieke · Teacher
First, Lotte asked: 'Bram, zou je me kunnen helpen?'. This means: 'Bram, could you help me?'. We wrap the person and action inside 'zou je ... kunnen'.
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11. Daan · Student
So 'zou je ... kunnen' works just like 'could you' in English to make any request polite?
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12. Marieke · Teacher
Exactly! You don't need a complex grammar system; just treat 'zou je ... kunnen' as a set polite phrase.
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13. Marieke · Teacher
Next, Lotte asked: 'Zou je hem kunnen opbellen?'. This means: 'Could you call him?'. Here, 'kunnen' and 'opbellen' stay together at the end of the question.
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14. Daan · Student
What if I hear someone say 'Zou je hem op kunnen bellen?' with 'op' before 'kunnen'?
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15. Marieke · Teacher
That's also standard Dutch, but keeping 'kunnen opbellen' together at the end is the easiest pattern to use when speaking.
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16. Marieke · Teacher
Try using these frames next time you ask for a favor in Dutch. Happy practicing!
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