Disambiguation: Many common words can have more than one meaning, with different translations

List of Prepositions and Other 'Little Words' — Pages: - Aan - Achter - Af - Al - Als - Binnen/Buiten - Daar - Dan - Dat - Door - Eens - Er - Erg - Even - Haast - Het - In - Laat - Maar - Na - Naar - Net - Nog - Of - Om - Onder/Boven - Op - Over - Toen - Uit - Van - Voor - Vroeg - Waar - Wat - Weg - Zo - more

'Af' = Off, Away From, Finished, and Much More

'Af' = Off

van me af 2 3 away from me naar me toe 2 3 towards me

van nu af aan 2 from now on, starting now, in the future ... also:  voortaan from now on, in the future Doe voortaan de deur op slot 2 3 4 From now on, lock the door

The Dutch phrase at the start of races is:
Klaar ... af! ~ Ready ... set ... go!
Maybe it's related to, somewhat like 'We're off'

As I've mentioned before, 'to cut' is said in Dutch as different verbs depending on the tools - 2 used:
snijden 2 'to cut (with a knife)' ‑>>
(het) mes 2 3 knife knippen 'to cut (with scissors)' ‑>>
(de) schaar scissors zagen 2 3 'to saw, cut (with a saw)' ‑>>
(de) zaag 2 saw afsnijden 2 to cut off (with a knife) - and also figuratively afknippen 2 3 to cut off (with scissors) afzagen 2 3 to saw off, cut off (with a saw) afgezaagd 2 3 4 1. (past participle) cut off, sawed off
2. stale, boring, not new, 'annoyingly unoriginal' Ik heb de plank te kort afgezaagd 2 I cut (off) the board too short

Zetten 'to put, place, move to' (and other)
afzetten 2 1. to drop off
2. overcharge, rip off (have customers pay too much)
3. to depose (king, president etc.) Kun je me bij 't station afzetten? 2 3 Could you please drop me off at the station? (de) afzetter 2 3 swindler, shopkeeper who ask too much for his goods We zijn afgezet 2 3 We have paid way too much, we were cheated

zetten		to 'put'
ik zet		I'm putting
wij zetten		we're putting
ik zette		I put
wij zetten		we put
ik heb gezet		I have put
2 3

stoom afblazen 2 to blow off steam (relieve pressure, also figuratively)

Vallen 'to fall' ‑>>
laten vallen 2 '[to let fall] to drop' ‑>>
afvallen 2 to lose, drop weight Ik wil drie kilo afvallen I want to drop 3 kilos (6 pounds) Ik ben vijf kilo afgevallen 2 I dropped 5 kilos (11 pounds) Je bent goed afgevallen 2 Your weight loss is going well but: (het) afval 2 waste, refuse, trash, scraps, garbage (de) afvalbak garbage can, trashcan aankomen 2 1. to arrive ‑>>
2. to gain weight Ik ben met de Kerst vijf pond aangekomen 2 I gained 5 pounds over the Christmas holiday

'Af' = 'finished'

Zijn 'to be' ‑>>
af zijn 2 to be ready, finished with, be done with Is 't af? 2 3 4 Is it finished? Is it ready? Are you done with it? Mijn werk is nooit af 2 3 4 My work is never done, never finished

ergens vanaf zijn 2 3 be done with something, be rid of something, no longer bothered by something ‑>> Om van 't gezeur af te zijn 2 To put an end to, to be done with the nagging, to get rid of the hassle, the pointless, annoying comments Dan zijn we van de problemen af 2 3 4 5 slow Then we'll be done with the problems (that will solve the problems, then the problems will be solved) Als ik ergens vanaf zou willen zijn zijn het die migraines 2 3 4 If there is [something] one thing I'd like to be rid of it's those migraines
- it's a bit formal.
More colloquial is: Als ik ergens vanaf zou willen zijn het die migraines 2 3 If there is [something] one thing I'd like to be rid of it's those migraines af willen van 2 wanting, desiring to be rid of Ik wil er vanaf 2 3 I want to be rid of it, I want it gone

Hebben 'to have' ‑>>
af hebben 2 3 to be finished with, have something ready Heb je 't af? 2 3 Are you finished with it? Is it done? Is it ready?

lopen 2 'to walk' and other ‑>>
For the coming to an end of sequences of events like stories or reporting, Dutch often uses the noun (de) afloop 2 and the verb aflopen
't Is een aflopende zaak 2 a business or an endeavor heading downhill, on its last legs Hoe zal 't aflopen? How is it going to end? Hoe is 't afgelopen? How did it end? 't Loopt niet goed af 2 It's not going to end well Ik wil weten hoe 't afloopt 2 I want to know how it (usually a story) will end Ik ben benieuwd hoe 't afloopt 2 3 I'm curious how it's going to end Ik ben blij dat het goed is afgelopen I'm glad it ended well Ik had kunnen weten dat 't slecht zou aflopen 2 3 I could have known that it would end badly Lang nadat de oorlog was afgelopen 2 3 Long after the war had ended 't Moet afgelopen zijn! 2 3 It has to stop! It can't go on 'Afgelopen' 2 - the the past participle of 'aflopen' is usually translated as 'last' or 'past.'
afgelopen woensdag 2 last wednesday in de afgelopen dagen 2 3 in the past days (de) aflopende rand 2 sloping edge, a 'bevel'

maken 'to make' and other ‑>>
afmaken 2 1. to finish (a job, work, a creation)
2. to murder (in a gruesome way) - to 'off'? Maak eerst je huiswerk af First, finish your homework onafgemaakt 2 3 unfinished - German: 'unvollendet' voltooien 2 3 4 to finish, comlplete (something big) (de) voltooiïng 2 completion, finish, perfection
onvoltooid 2 3 4 5 unfinished - German: 'unvollendet' (De) Onvoltooid Tegenwoordige Tijd 2 The Simple Present Tense
(De) Onvoltooid Verleden Tijd 2 The Simple Past Tense
(De) Voltooide Tijd 2 3 The Perfect Tense
(De) Voltooid Tegenwoordige Tijd 2 The Perfect Present Tense
(De) Voltooid Verleden Tijd 2 The Perfect Past Tense
All about the Verb Tenses

afgelasten		to cancel
ik gelast af		I'm canceling
ik gelastte af		I canceled
ik heb afgelast		I have canceled
2 3

Zeggen 2 3 'to say' ‑>>
afzeggen 2 to cancel (an appointment or a trip) Ik heb de reis moeten afzeggen 2 3 I had to cancel the trip

Leren 'to learn // to teach' ‑>> - 2
afleren 2 to unlearn, 'break the habit'
Om 't af te leren 2 3 'to unlearn it' - said in jest when taking one more drink or unwholesome snack - 'to break the habit'

'Afzien' 2 3 by itself means making a great and exhausting effort, like in sports or exercise
The more common afzien van 2 means 'to give up, abandon, renounce, forego'
Dat was afzien! 2 3 That was quite an effort! I'm exhausted afzien van vlees 2 3 4 giving up meat, become a vegetarian We zagen af van betaling 2 3 4 We decided not to ask for payment -or- we decided not to pay (for a very bad job) Ik zie er vanaf 2 3 I'm dropping this, I'll abandon it, I'm not pursuing it further

Other Verbs with 'Af'

Vragen 2 'to ask' ‑>>
zich afvragen to wonder, to ask yourself Ik vraag me af of ... 2 I wonder if ... Ik vraag me wel eens af ... 2 (3 4) Sometimes I wonder ... Ik vraag me wel eens af of ... Sometimes I wonder if ... Ik vraag me af hoe 't komt 2 I wonder [how it comes] what's causing it, why it is Ik vraag me af waar dat goed voor is 2 3 4 I wonder what that [is good for] what the use of that is, why that is, what the point of it is Vraag niet wat Nederland voor jou kan doen, maar vraag je af wat jij voor Nederland kunt doen 2 3 Do not ask what Holland can do for you, but ask yourself what you can do for Holland (naar president Kennedy 2 after president Kennedy) Vraag niet wat Nederland voor je kan doen, maar vraag je af wat je voor Nederland kunt doen 2 3
The 'various forms' line is better Dutch, but the 'all-je'  line is not wrong

leiden 2 3 'to lead' ‑>>
afleiden 2 3 4 1. [to lead away] - to distract
2. [to reason from] - to deduce, draw conclusions by reasoning from Ik werd afgeleid 2 I was distracted Daaruit leid ik af ... 2 3 From that I deduce, draw the conclusion ... (logically) also:  Daaruit maak ik op ... From that [I make out ...] I conclude ... (it gives me the impression) (de) bliksemafleider 2 3 4 lightning rod, lightning conductor (de) afleiding 2 3 distraction
Je hebt afleiding nodig 2 You need distraction, you need a break

afruimen 2 to clear, clear away (usually said about stuff on tables) de tafel afruimen 2 to clear the table Kun je de tafel afruimen? 2 Could you please clear the table? Wie ruimt de tafel af? 2 Who'll clear the table?

halen 2 'to get, collect, obtain, acquire' ‑>>
afhalen 2 1. to pick up, collect
2. to strip off, remove covers (beds, vegetables) Kun je je bed afhalen? 2 3 4 Could you please remove the sheets from your bed?
Ik ga vandaag lakens wassen 2 I'm going to wash bedsheets today

afhalen		to pick up
ik haalde af		I collected
ik heb afgehaald		I have collected

Hangen 'to hang up, to hang'
ophangen 'to hang' (stuff) / 'to hang up' (criminals)
afhangen van 2 3 to depend (on) 't Hangt er vanaf 2 3 It depends ... 't Hangt van de temperatuur af 2 3
't Hangt af van de temperatuur 2 3 It depends on the temperature also: 't Heeft met de temperatuur te maken 2 It has to do with the temperature ('has to do' - the temperature is just one of the factors) Laat 't daarvan afhangen 2 3 Let it depend on that, take a decision, proceed based on that afhankelijk ( afhankelijke ) dependent onafhankelijk independent
onafhankelijkheid independence
onafhankelijkheidsverklaring 2 declaration of independence

Wachten 'to wait' ‑>>
afwachten 2 3 to wait for, ~'wait and see'

afwachten		to wait for
ik wachtte af		I waited for
ik heb afgewacht		I have waited for

afronden 2 3 to 'round' a number - replacing a complicated number by a nearby more convenient number ‑>>
naar boven afronden 2 3 4 to round up (a number) naar beneden afronden 2 3 4 to round down (a number)

afdingen 2 3 to bargain (for a lower price or for concessions, compromise)

afdingen		to bargain
ik ding af		I'm bargaining
ik dong af		I bargained
ik heb afgedongen		I have bargained
2

even afkloppen! 2 3 ['taking a moment to'] knock on wood! ‑>>

afblijven 2 3 4 stay away from, do not touch, do not take Blijf eraf! 2 3
Blijf er vanaf! 2 3 Stay away from it, do not touch it Je moet er afblijven 2 3
Je moet er vanaf blijven 2 3 You have to stay away from it, do not touch it (Opinions differ on what should be written as one word above, 'er vanaf'  or 'ervan af'  - I put the space where I pause a moment, at the 'vocal stop.')
aanraken 2 to touch ‑>>

afvegen 2 3 to wipe

More Words with 'Af'

af en toe slow from time to time, occasionally Je moet er af en toe in roeren 2 3 4 You need to stir [in] it occasionally, from time to time Je moet er af en toe naar kijken You need to look into it occasionally, check it from time to time Het lijkt wel alsof iemand (heel) ver weg af en toe op een trommel slaat - dat zal m'n hartslag zijn slow 2 3 It's like someone far in the distance from time to time hits a drum - that's probably my heartbeat - Slow Dutch

af en aan 2 on and on, a continuous stream Vrachtwagens reden af en aan 2 3 On and on, trucks kept driving up (there was a continuous stream of trucks delivering stuff)

vanaf 2 3 off, away from; from, starting ...
also split up as:  van ... af 2 3
vanaf morgen 2 3 from tomorrow, starting tomorrow, as of tomorrow Er kan geen lachje vanaf 2 3 ['There is no room for even a [small laugh] smile' - 'They can't even spare a [little laugh] smile'] - They are extremely serious and very focused raken 2 to touch; to hit a target
af raken van:  (3 words)
af raken 2 van 2 to move away from, get off, to stray from (also figuratively) De auto raakte van de weg af 2 3 4 The car got off the road, drifted off the road Van 't rechte pad af raken 2 3 Straying from [the straight path] the straight and narrow (the morally upstanding life - Dutch 'recht' 2 is both 'straight' and (slightly old-fashioned) 'right, correct' ‑>>)
op de slechte weg brengen 2 3 [to bring to the bad way, put on the wrong track] - Making you stray from the straight and narrow En Kees Ploeger praat van die rare kerels die 'm op de slechte weg brachten And Kees Ploeger talks of those peculiar guys that put him on the wrong track - Nescio

links left (not right)
linksaf 2 3 to the left, leftward, left rechts right (not left)
Neem de tweede weg links en dan de derde weg rechts take the second road to the left
and then the third road to the right ‑>> rechtsaf 2 to the right, rightward, right ga linksaf go left, go to the left, make a left turn ga rechtsaf go right, go to the right, make a right turn Aan het eind van de straat gaan we rechtsaf At the end of the street we'll turn to the right

Sla linksaf op 't kruispunt 2 Go left on the intersection slaan to hit, slap ‑>>
afslaan 2 3 1. to turn, change direction
2. to turn down, decline
3. to repulse, drive back (by force) Kijk even achterom voordat je afslaat 2 [Look back for a moment ...] Quickly look backward before you make a turn Sla 't niet af! 2 3 Don't turn it down! (Take up the offer)

(de) berg mountain ‑>>
bergaf 2 downhill

(het) baken beacon
De bakens verzetten 2 (saying) '[moving the beacons] - setting a new course' - figuratively: change to a new policy (de) afbakenening 2 demarcation, outlining of an area, ~staking out

(de) afstand distance
(de) afstandsbediening remote control
op loopafstand within walking distance
lopen 2 'to walk' ‑>> Houd afstand 2 keep distance, don't come too close

(de) afwas dishes etc. to be washed afwasborstels dish brushes, dishwashing brushes
(de) afwasteil dishwashing tub ‑>>
afwassen 2 3 1. to 'do' (clean) the dishes
2. to wash off (remove by washing or wet-rubbing) (de) afwasmachine 2 dishwasher (machine)
Zet je je bord in de afwasmachine? 2 3 4 [Will you ...] Please put your plate in the dishwasher de afwasmachine leeghalen 2 to [empty] unpack the dishwasher Kun je de afwasmachine leeghalen? 2 3 4 Could you please unpack the dishwasher?

op de rand van de afgrond 2 on the edge of the precipice

(het) afscheid [leave-taking] goodbye
afscheid nemen 2 taking leave, saying goodbye Hij nam afscheid 2 3 1. he said goodbye, he took leave
2. he retired (with some ceremony) Hij nam afscheid van ons 2 3 he said goodbye to us, he took leave of us
Tot ziens! 2 See you!
Vaarwel! Farewell! scheiden 2 to separate; to divorce
t Kaf van 't koren scheiden ['Separating the chaff from the wheat'] - Separating the useful from the useless, the men from the boys, the sheep from the goats (de) scheiding 2 separation; divorce ‑>>
de afscheiding 2 3 4 1. separation, secession, schism
2. dividing line, fence, fencing
3. secretion, discharge scheikunde chemistry ‑>>

(de) spraak 2 speech, the speaking
(de) toespraak 2 speech, address, presentation
spreken to speak ‑>>
(de) afspraak appointment - also: agreement Ik heb een afspraak om acht uur 2 3 I have an 8 o'clock appointment Kan ik de afspraak verzetten? 2 Can I (move) reschedule the appointment? Ik herinnerde hem aan de afspraak I reminded him that there was an agreement (het) afspraakje 2 (romantic) date afspreken 2 1. setting up an appointment
2. reaching an (informal) agreement

afleveren 2 3 to deliver
(de) aflevering 2 3 episode of a TV show or installment of a serial de volgende aflevering 2 3 the next episode

komen 'to come' ‑>>
(de) afkomst 2 / (de) komaf 2 descent, origin, parentage, heritage afstammelingen descendants ‑>>

afbreken 2 3 1. to break down, take down, demolish, destroy
2. to break off, interrupt (de) afbraak 2 demolition

nemen 'to take' ‑>>
afnemen 2 1. to take away
2. to decrease, become less (de) afname 2 3 decrease, lessening (de) toename 2 increase, growth
toenemen 2 to increase, grow, become larger or more numerous

Van uitstel komt afstel 2 3 'Postponement leads to cancellation'

Laat 't afkoelen 2 Let it cool down

(de) afgevaardigde 2 representative, delegate, elected official plural: afgevaardigden 2 ‑>>

(de) afkeer 2 (strong) dislike, distaste
(de) afschuw 2 loathing, horror, (strong) disgust afschuwelijk 2 horrible, horrifying, shocking, awful

wisselen to exchange
afwisselen 2 to alternate, take turns, vary (de) afwisseling 2 3 change, variety
voor de afwisseling 2 3 for change, to have some variety

afzonderlijk (afzonderlijke 2) separate, special, apart

(de) afvoer 2 drain, water outlet in sink (het) afdruiprek dishes rack (water dripping off)

trekken 2 3 to pull ('drag') ‑>> aftrekken 2 to subtract ‑>>

meten to measure, take measurements ‑>>
afmetingen 2 measurements, dimensions, 'size'

wegen 2 to weigh ‑>>
(de) afweging consideration (weighing, comparing options)

zenden 2 to send
(de) afzender sender (mail)

gaan 'to go' ‑>>
(de) afgang 2 embarrassing failure

(de) afdeling 2 department, division, section (de) afdruk 2 print
afgepeigerd exhausted, dead-tired ‑>>
afwijken to deviate, diverge, differ
de Afsluitdijk 2 'the Closing Dike' ‑>>

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Don't be a dief (thief) / dievegge (female thief) - diefstal (theft) - stelen (to steal) - heler (dealer in stolen goods) - hear Dutch - 2