Disambiguation: Dutch 'Laat' - Multiple Meanings and Related Words

Laat	'late, not in/on time' /or/ 'at the end of a time frame' - "late at night" let, allow - "let it be"

1. laat = late, not in time		later = later - laatste = last

	vroeg = early		op tijd = in time, on time

2. laat = 'let,' allow

1. 'laat' = 'late, not in/on time' /or/ 'at the end of a time frame.'

'Laat'

can be an adjective or adverb meaning 'late, not in/on time' (Dutch doesn't differentiate between 'in time' and 'on time') or it can mean 'at the end of a time frame,' for instance 'late afternoon' - after 4 or 5 PM. When used as an adjective, it often gets an -E ending: late

- laat/late

2 >>
'Too late,' past the right time, is 'te laat'

- note that Dutch sometimes says 'te laat' where English just says 'late'

's avonds laat 2	late in the evening, late at night
laat op de avond 2	late in the evening, late at night
Hij is laat 2	He is late, not in time
't Wordt laat 2	It's getting late
't Is laat geworden 2 3 4	It's gottten late
Beter laat dan nooit	Better late than never
Is het te laat?	Is it too late?
Het is te laat	It is too late
Ik denk dat het te laat is	I think it's too late
Het is eigenlijk al te laat	It's actually already too late
't Is al te laat om onder te duiken 2	It's already too late to go into hiding
't Is nog niet te laat 2 3	It's not too late (yet)
Nou is het te laat 2	Now it's too late
Zij waren te laat	They were too late
Niet te laat opstaan	Don't get up (too) late, don't sleep in
Maak 't niet te laat 2	Don't make it late (get back home or finish the job in time)
Hij komt bijvoorbeeld nooit te laat 2	He is for instance never late
laatbloeier 2 3	late-flowering plant - also said of people who only reach their full potential later in life
een late bezoeker 2	a late visitor
van de vroege morgen tot de late avond 2 3	from the early morning till [the late night] late at night

Compare:
Als 't niet te laat is 2	If it's not too late
Als 't nog niet te laat is 2 3	If it's not too late yet
Als 't nog maar niet te laat is	If only it's not too late (I hope it's not too late)

Synomyms, Alternates and Related Words

English 'the late' meaning 'deceased,' a person passed away, is wijlen

Dutch 'later'

is English 'later'
- and Dutch laatste

2 is English 'last' and sometimes 'latest' - more

vroeger of later	['earlier or later'] - 'sooner or later'
een paar jaar later	a few years later
later dat jaar 2	Later that year
later op die dag	later that day
later op de dag	later in the day, usually end-of-afternoon
in een later stadium 2	at a later stage
't Werd steeds later 2 3	It became later and later - said when for instance something is not finished in time but delayed several times
Iets waar ik pas later aan dacht 2	Something I only thought of later, an afterthought
Iets wat ik pas later begreep 2	Something I only understood later
Wat ik pas later begreep	Which I only later understood
't Is van later zorg 2 3 4	It's something to worry about later - we'll worry about it later

Wat wil je later worden?	What do you want to be when you grow up?

Laatste ronde! 2	Last call! - last round of ordering before closing time
de laatste mode 2	the latest fashion

The opposite of 'laat' ('late') is 'vroeg' ('early') - more

's morgens vroeg

2 3

early in the morning

Op tijd 2 3 'in time /or/ on time.' English 'on time' and 'in time' do not mean exactly the same, but Dutch uses op tijd for both meanings.

Precies op tijd 2	Exactly in/on time
Op tijd naar bed	Get to bed in time (a resolution)
Ben je op tijd thuis? 2	Will you be home in time? (usually: not late, before your regular bedtime)
De trein is meestal op tijd 2	The train is usually on time (on schedule)
Ik hoop dat 't op tijd is	I hope it's in time
We waren net op tijd 2	We were just in time - see also: 'net'
Zorg dat je op tijd bent 2 3 4	Take care to be in time
Alles op z'n tijd 2 3	[Everything in its (good) time] - There's a time for everything

2. 'laat' = 'let, allow'

'Laat'

can also be a verb form - the simple present tense singular or the imperative of 'laten'

meaning something like 'let, allow.'
'Laten' is a strong verb with a vowel change for the past tense: laten / liet / gelaten

laten
to 'let, allow'

ik laat
I 'let, allow'

wij laten
we 'let, allow'

ik liet
I 'let, allowed'

wij lieten
we 'let, allowed'

(ik heb gelaten)
I have 'let, allowed'

‑>>

ik heb laten

~I have ...
'Laten' may be a bit hard to translate. It means something like 'to let, to allow' and it's often found in verb phrases like 'laten vallen'

2 'to let fall' - that is: 'to drop' - ‑>>

met rust laten	['to leave in peace'] to leave alone, 'don't bother'
Laat 'm met rust 2	Leave him alone, don't bother him

Laat me! 2	Let me be, let me do my own thing
Lies is lastig en laat alles liggen	Lies is troublesome and [lets everything lie] doesn't put things back, doesn't clean up

Laat ik dat eerst even doen 2	Let me do that first, before all other things
Laat het twintig minuten koken 2 3	(let it boil) boil it for 20 minutes
Laat je thee niet koud worden 2 3	Don't let your tea get cold
Hij laat er geen gras over groeien	['He doesn't allow grass growing over it'] - He's taking action immediately
Hij laat alles vallen 2 3	['He drops everything'] - everything falls from his hands, he doesn't have a good grip

Laat maar	Let it be, don't bother, no need for action
Als je dat maar laat! 2 3	['Just leave that out!'] Don't do that!
Laat maar zitten! 2 3	['Let it stay'] - 'Keep the change' (when you give a tip) - or in another context: 'don't bother'
Laat me niet lachen! 2	[Dont make me laugh] - That's ridiculous!
Laat de boel de boel	'Let things be, leave things as they are' - stop worrying, take a break
Leven en laten leven 2	Live and let live

- more about the verb 'laten'

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