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

Waar	where? - what place? - "Where is the exit?" where - the place that - "Where Jesus was born" what - the thing that - "What you should think of" true - 'real' - "Every word was true"

1. waar? = where?		waar vandaan? = from where?

	heen and naar toe		more toe		hier = here - daar = there

2. waar = where (the place that)

3. waar (with preposition) = what, the thing that		waarom = why

4. waar = true, real		leugens = lies		eerlijk = honest, fair

	(de) waarde = value		(de) waar = merchandise, 'wares'

	other words		trouw = 'true' - faithful, loyal

1. 'Waar' = 'Where?'

'Where?' is 'waar?'

- like in English, asking for a location ('where is?')

waar is ...? 2	where is ...?
waar is de ...? 2	where is the ...?
waar zijn ...?	where are ...?
waar zijn de ...? 2	where are the ...?
Waar is de uitgang?	Where is the exit?
Waar is de sleutel? 2 3	Where is the key?
Waar is je boek? 2	Where is your book?
Waar is 't gebleven? 2 3	Where did it go? (Something is lost, cannot be found)
Waar ben je? 2	Where are you?
Waar was je? 2	Where were you?
Waar ben je geweest? 2 3	Where have you been? ‑>>
Waar is het station? 2	Where is the station?
Waar heb je gegeten? 2	Where have you eaten?
Waar heeft U die tas gekocht? 2	Where did you buy that bag? (polite 'you')
Waar zijn jullie fietsen? 2	Where are your bicycles? (plural 'you')
Waar doet 't pijn?	Where does it hurt?

Waar is de dankbaarheid? 2 3	Where is the gratitude?
Waar is je fatsoen? 2	Where are your good manners?

When talking about an origin, English says 'from,' Dutch has vandaan 2

waar vandaan? 2 3	where from? from where?
Waar kom je vandaan? 2 3	Where are you (coming) from? (either country of origin or recent travel)
Waar komt die rotzooi toch vandaan? 2 3	Where in the world does all that garbage come from?

For 'where' asking about a destination, Dutch always adds heen or naar toe 2
English says 'Where are you going?' but 'Waar ga je?' is not good Dutch

Waar ga je heen? 2 3	Where are you going?
Waarheen? 2	Where to?
Hierheen! 2 3	This way!
Daarheen! 2 3	That way!
op de heenweg 2	on the way there
op de terugweg 2 3	on the way back
heen en terug 2 3	there and back (again)
ver heen 2	far gone (figuratively, 'almost out of reach, almost beyond recovery')
heen en weer	'up and down, back and forth, to and fro'
compare: op en neer 2	up and down (repeatedly, like for instance a seesaw, physical exercise or stocks)
Waar gaan jullie heen op vakantie?	Where are you guys going on vacation?
but also:
ver heen 2	far gone (figuratively, 'almost out of reach, almost beyond recovery')
door de jaren heen 2	through the years, in the course of the years

Waar moet dat heen, hoe zal dat gaan, waar komt die rotzooi toch vandaan? 2 3 4 ~ Where [can it possibly go] is it going, how will it go, where in heaven's name does all that garbage come from?

More 'Toe'
Waar ga je naar toe? 2 3	Where are you going?
Waar naar toe? 2 3	Where to?

naar me toe 2 3	towards me
tot nog toe 2	up until now, as yet, not yet
also: tot nu toe	up until now, as yet
Er is tot nog toe geen beter alternatief 2 3	There is up till now no better alternative
't Beste dat er tot nog toe is 2 3	The best there is up till now

toe 2	1. (encouraging) come on, please, do 2. you must be exaggerating
Toe maar! 2	1. Go ahead! 2. (amazed) You don't say! You're exaggerating
Toe nou!	Come on!

(het) toetje	dessert (informal)
Wil je iets toe? 2 3	Would you like dessert?

Het drinken van alcohol is toegestaan	'Drinking alcohol is permitted'

toevoegen 2	to add (things)
(de) toevoeging 2	addition, something added
't voegt niks toe 2	It doesn't add anything (it doesn't make it better, more interesting etc.)
optellen 2	to add (numbers) ‑>>

er toe doen 2 3 4	to 'matter,' be important, make a difference
't Doet er niet toe 2 3 4	It doesn't matter, it's not important, it doesn't make a difference
Wat doet 't er toe?	What does it matter? (It doesn't matter)

toepassen 2 3	to apply, put into practice
Ik ken de regels ... 2	I know the rules ...
.. maar ik heb er moeite mee ... 2 3 4	... but I have difficulty ...
... ze toe te passen 2 3	... applying them

(de) toestemming	permission
Wie zwijgt stemt toe 2 3	Those who remain silent give consent, are complicit

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

toegeven 2	to admit
het moeten toegeven van fouten	(the) having to admit to mistakes
het moeten toegeven fouten gemaakt te hebben 2 3	(the) having to admit to having made mistakes
Ik moest toegeven fouten te hebben gemaakt 2 3	I had to admit to having made mistakes
toegeven 2 aan	giving in to
toegeven aan verleiding 2 3	giving in to temptation
But also: (de) toegift 2	encore (at a concert)

'Toe zijn aan'	can have several meanings about situations:
Dat is nog tot daaraan toe 2 3	~that's borderline acceptable (but the next or other thing really goes too far)
'Ergens aan toe zijn' 2 3 4	is said when people are not happy or feel they cannot continue much longer in the present situation and are looking forward to a specific change
Hij is aan z'n pensioen toe 2 3 4 5	'He's sick and tired of work and is ready to retire
Ik ben er nog niet aan toe 2	I have no great need of it yet, I'm not ready for it yet // I have not reached that point yet
Ik ben aan vakantie toe 2 3	I need a break like a vacation from work (or school)
Ik ben er hard aan toe 2	I really, urgently want that (break)
But: 'weten waar je aan toe bent' 2 3	means 'to know "where you stand," what to expect'
Dan weet je waar je aan toe bent 2	Then you'll know 'where you stand,' what you can expect
And: 'er slecht aan toe zijn' 2 3	means 'not doing well, to be in a bad state medically'
Hij is er slecht aan toe 2 3 4	He's not doing well, he's in a bad shape medically

(het) toedoen	doing, actions, agency
Door toedoen van de koning	By the actions of the king, because of the king's intervention

(de) toeslag 2 3	surcharge, extra payment
een toeslag op privé-vliegtuigen 2 3	a surcharge on, an extra payment for private planes

(de) toevoer 2	supply, input, 'flow'
de toevoer van groente en fruit 2 3	the supply, incoming transports of produce

toelaten 2	to allow // to allow entry
niet toelaten 2	not allowing // not allowing entry
toestaan 2	to allow, permit
niet toestaan	not allowing

(de) toestand	situation; bad situation - more examples
Wat een toestand! 2 3	Such a situation! What a mess!

de ware toedracht 2 3	[The real sequence of events] what actually happened

(de) toename 2	increase, growth
toenemen 2	to increase, grow, become larger or more numerous<

(de) toegang 2 3	entry, access
verboden toegang	['entry forbidden'] - no admittance, no trespassing, stay out!

(het) toeval	chance, coincidence, random event ‑>>
toevallig 2	random, by accident, not planned

de toekomst	the future ‑>>
de toekomende tijd 2	the future tense ->>

toeschouwers 2	spectators, audience
(de) toespraak 2	speech, address, presentation

English 'toe' is (de) teen

- plural: tenen

('toes') ‑>> 2
(de) grote teen

'big toe'

Synomyms, Alternates and Related Words

'Here' is hier

>> and 'there' is daar

hier en daar	here and there
Hier is 't warm, daar is 't koud	Here it's warm, over there it's cold

2. 'Waar' = 'Where' - the place that, indicate a location

Waar Jezus geboren is	Where Jesus was born ->>
De plaats waar ik vandaan kom 2	The [place] town where I'm from - My Home Town
Hij vroeg waar het station was 2	He asked where the station was
Weet jij waar de sleutel is? 2	Do you know where the key is?
Ik kan niet zien waar het lekt	I cannot see where [it's leaking] the leak is
Hij weet waar Abraham de mosterd haalt 2	'He knows where Abraham gets mustard' - said of a knowledgeable person, but it can also be said ironically of a not-too-bright person
Waar dan ook 2 3 4 5	Wherever
Waar je ook bent 2 also: Waar je ook maar bent	Wherever you are

3. 'Waar' = 'What' - 'placeholder'

In Dutch, English 'what' with a preposition is often translated as 'waar'

and not as the 'wat' you'd expect.

Waar denk je aan?	What are you thinking of? (about?)
Waar hou(d) je van?	What do you like?
Waar wacht je op? 2 3	What are you waiting for? (Often meaning: Take action!)
Hij weet waar-(d)ie het over heeft 2	He knows what he's talking about
Waarin een klein land groot kan zijn	[In what a small country can be big] - Big things a small country can do
Waaraan heb ik dit te danken? 2	What do I have to thank for this? What did I do to deserve this? (angrily lamenting misfortune)
Waaraan heb ik dit verdiend? 2	What did I do to deserve this? (angrily lamenting misfortune)
Dat is niet waar 't om gaat 2	That is not what it's about, that is not the important thing
Waar gaat 't om? 2 3	What is it about? What is the important thing?
Waar gaat 't over? 2 3	What is it about? What is the subject?
Waar ben je mee bezig? 2	[What are you busy with?] What are you doing? What are you working on? What are you up to?

waarom 2	[What for?] Why? - see also: Disambiguation 'Om'
Waarom? Daarom!	Why? Because!
Waarom ben je boos?	Why are you angry?
Waarom zijn de bananen krom? 2 3	Why are the bananas not straight? (said when someone poses an unanswerable question)
Waarom doe je dat? 2 3	Why are you doing that?
Waarom is dat? 2	Why is that? Why is it like that?
Waarom is dat zo? 2 3	Why is that so? Why is it that way?
Vraag niet waarom	Do not ask why, Don't ask me why
Ik begrijp niet waarom 2 3	I don't understand why
Nou begrijp ik waarom 2 3 4	Now I understand why
Waarom zijn we hier? 2	Why are we here? ‑>>
Waarom duurt 't zo lang? 2	Why does it take so long?
Waarom gaat altijd alles mis? 2 3 4	Why does everything always go wrong?

Like placeholder 'what' not being translated as 'wat' but as 'waar' when a preposition is involved, 'it' with a preposition is not translated as 'het' but as 'er' ->> and 'that' with a preposition is not translated as 'dat' but as daar ->> See also common problems.

4. 'Waar' = 'True' - 'real'

'Waar'

can also mean 'true' or 'real' (waar/ware

2) like in (de) waarheid

2 ('truth.')

de waarheid	the truth
twee halve waarheden	two half-truths - irregular plural
Vertel me de waarheid 2	Tell me the truth, tell me what really happened
Elk woord was waar	Every word was true
Ik weet niet wat er van waar is 2	['I don't know what of it is true'] - I'm not sure in how far it's true
onwaar	false, untrue ↓↓
Ze hebben gelogen 2	They [have] lied ↓↓
(de) waarzegster 2	['truth-sayer'] fortune teller (female)
echt waar 2	'really true'
Is het waar dat ...?	Is it true that ...
't Kan wel waar zijn 2	It may be true (but ...)
't Schijnt niet waar te zijn 2 3	It seems not to be true
't Kan best wel waar zijn 2 3	It may well be true, it's possible that that is the truth
Wat is er van waar? 2 3 4	What (part) of it is true? How much of it is true?
Raar maar waar 2 3	Strange but true
de ware toedracht 2 3	The real sequence of events, the real cause, what really happened, the facts of the matter
Te mooi om waar te zijn 2 3	Too [beautiful] good to be true
Te vies om waar te zijn 2 3	[Too dirty to be true] - Impossibly dirty
(de) ware Jacob 2	[True, real Jacob] Mr Right
weliswaar	although ['but it is true that ...']
... nietwaar? 2 3	[... isn't it true?] ... isn't it?

"We benne op de wereld om mekaar te hellepe niewaar?"

2 (slang) We are in this world to help each other out, isn't it?

In the next two examples, the meaning depends on context and intonation, the way it's said:

Het is niet waar	It's not true!
Het is niet waar	(ironic:) It's not true, I don't believe you - like: "You don't say!"

(de) leugen	lie, untruth
leugens 2	lies
(de) leugenaar 2	liar
onwaar	false, untrue
onwaarheden	'untruths,' lies

Al is de leugen nog zo snel, de waarheid achterhaalt haar wel

2 3 4 (saying) ['However quick a lie may be, the truth will overtake it'] - Lies won't last, truth will come out eventually (one hopes) Als ik ergens een hekel aan heb is het aan leugens

2 3 If there is [something] one thing that I hate it is lies Ze hebben jullie onwaarheden verteld

2 They have told you guys [untruths] lies, they lied to you

liegen
to lie (say what's not)

ik lieg
I'm lying

wij liegen
we're lying

ik loog
I lied

wij logen
we lied

ik heb gelogen
I have lied

- see also

Ze hebben gelogen 2	They have lied, they lied
Hij loog tegen mij 2	He lied to me
't Was dus allemaal gelogen 2	So all of it it [was lied] were lies, it turned out to be all lies
één van beide is dan gelogen 2	And then one of the two [has been lied] is a lie
Wanneer mag je liegen? 2 3 4	[When are you ...] Under which circumstances is it allowed to lie, tell untruths?

Als ik ergens een hekel aan heb is het aan mensen die liegen

2 If there is [something] one thing that I hate it is people that tell lies

eerlijk	honest, fair
eerlijk delen 2	to share fairly
Eerlijk zullen we alles delen 2	We'll share everything fairly
Hij was eerlijk, maar beleefd	He was honest but polite
't Is niet eerlijk 2	It's not fair

Synomyms, Alternates and Related Words

Dutch also has the noun (de) waarde

('value,' "worth") found for instance in:

waardevol 2	valuable
waardeloos 2	"worthless," - without value, useless, not interesting
(de) waardering 2	'valuation' - or usually: 'appreciation'
Ik ben gaan waarderen 2 3	I've come to appreciate
Ik wil graag helpen 2 3	I want to help, I really want to help people
... maar soms wordt 't niet op prijs gesteld	... but sometimes it's not appreciated
... maar 't wordt soms niet op prijs gesteld	... but sometimes it's not appreciated
't Wordt niet op prijs gesteld 2 3	It's not appreciated
(het) gevoel van eigenwaarde	['sense of your own worth'] - 'self-esteem'

Similar to English 'wares,' Dutch has '(de) waar' meaning 'merchandise, commercial goods,' or by extension, 'good stuff,' "value"
occasional plural: (de) waren 2

(de) koopwaar	merchandise, commercial goods
(de) handelswaar	merchandise, commercial goods
(het) warenhuis	storehouse, commercial goods storage
vleeswaren 2	deli meat (for sandwiches)
Waar voor je geld	[Good stuff, value for (your) money] - a good buy

Dutch also has a not uncommon adjective and adverb 'waard' meaning 'worth, having (a) value.'
't Is niet de moeite waard 2 It's not worth the trouble niet de moeite waard 2 not worth the effort, not worth the trouble Is 't 't waard? 2 Is it worth it? (cost/value analysis) Is 't 't geld waard? 2 3 Is it worth the money?

The noun '(de) waard' is a bit old-fashioned. It can mean 'innkeeper' and also 'an area enclosed by rivers' - in that last meaning it's still found in geographical names, for instance 'De Hoekse Waard' (near Rotterdam.)
Uiterwaarden ['outer ~banks'] - the meadows between a river and the river dikes that may flood from time to time

I'm not sure all the following words are really related:

waardig 2	['deserving'] 1. worthy, worth 2. dignified
waarschijnlijk 2	['true-seeming'] - probably ‑>>
(de) waarneming 2	['truth-taking'] - observation
(de) waarschuwing 2 3	warning
(de) voorwaarde	condition (precondition)
de enige voorwaarde	the only condition ('just one condition')
(de) voedingswaarde 2	nutritional value(s) ->>

English 'true' is related to Dutch trouw 2 'faithful, loyal' - and the noun (de) trouw 'faithfulness, loyalty'
"trouwe vriend" 2 'faithful, trusted friend'
"trouwe makker" 2 'faithful, trusted comrade'

betrouwbaar 2 ['can be trusted'] - 'trustworthy, reliable, dependable'
(het) vertrouwen 2 'trust, belief, confidence'
vertrouwen 2 'to trust'
vertrouwd 2 3 'trusted // familiar'
(het) zelfvertrouwen 2 'self-confidence'
[(het)] wantrouwen 2 3 1. 'mistrust' 2. 'to mistrust, to distrust'

Ik vertrouw 't niet helemaal 2	I do not [completely] fully trust it, I'm a bit suspicious
Ik heb er geen vertrouwen in 2 3	'I'm not confident, I do not trust it, I don't think it's going to work or end well
Wie kun je nog vertrouwen? 2 3	Who can you still trust?
Kunnen we die mensen vertrouwen?	Can we trust those people?
Kun je ze vertrouwen? 2	Can you trust them?
vertrouwen 2 op	to trust, have faith in
Ik vertrouw op het gezond verstand 2 3	I trust the [healthy thinking] common sense
Ik vertrouw op het gezond verstand van de mensen 2	I have faith in the people's common sense
Hij is allesbehalve betrouwbaar 2 3	He is [everything except reliable] certainly not to be trusted
Ik verbaas me over het zelfvertrouwen 2	I'm amazed at the self-confidence

trouwens 2 3 - by the way ..., as a matter of fact
Hij is trouwens familie van me 2 3
He is a relative, by the way / He happens to be a relative

The obviously related 'trouwen' 2 3 is 'to marry' more marriage

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