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"
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Waar
|
|
| 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 |
|---|
- 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 |
See also: Travel Words and Phrases and Names of Foreign Lands
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?
| Waar ga je naar toe?
2
3
|
Where are you going? |
| Waar naar toe?
2
3
|
Where to? |
| More 'Toe' | |
|---|---|
| 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 |
- plural: tenen
('toes') ‑>>
2
'big toe'
>>
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 |
| 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 |
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.
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? |
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 |
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? |
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 |
('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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