Disambiguation: Many common Dutch words have more than one meaning.
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Disambiguation: Dutch 'Zo'
- Multiple Meanings and Related Words
zo
very, so Dat is zo ouderwets!
That's so old-fashioned!
2
I feel so full (I've eaten too much)
2
3
You [laugh] smile so sweetly
thàt niet zo vaak
2
3
not that often
2
3
It's not that expensive
2
3
4
5
It's not thàt expensive
such a, zo'n
2
3
= zo een
2
3 'such a'
2
such a beautiful day
He's such a good cook thee
2
3
['I have such a great desire for ...']
this way,
We kunnen niet zo doorgaan
2
3
4
We can't go on like this,
We can't go on this way
It only looks that way
2
3
Why is that so? Why is it that way?
Why is it like that? in a moment, Ik kom zo bij U
2
I'll [come to you] be with you in a moment
2
3
['Till in a moment'] - See you soon!
2
3
We'll [eat] have dinner (or lunch) in a
few minutes
Zo
'very, a high degree of'
'so' (very) - "that's so old-fashioned!"
'that' (very) - "it's not that expensive"
'such a' / 'a very' - "he's such a good cook"
'this/that way,' 'like this/that,' 'as'
- "say it ain't so!"
in a moment, soon - "we'll have dinner in a moment"
Ik heb geen keelpijn of zo maar m'n stem die kraakt zo
I don't have a sore throat or something like that
but my voice is croaking badly
1. 'zo'
= very, a high degree of: 'so' / 'that' / 'such a'
Notice that 'zo' is sometimes stressed for
emphasis. Exaggerated, the O of
'zo' can be stretched out to make it mean 'so
very:' zò
't Wordt zo vroeg donker
2
3
It gets dark so early Dat is zo ouderwets!
That's so old-fashioned! 't Is zo voorspelbaar wat-ie doet
It is so predictable what he does,
his behavior is so predictable Ik was zò ziek
2
3
I was so very sick Ik was zò kwaad
2
I was so very angry Ik kan me d'r zò kwaad over maken
2
It [can make] makes me so very angry Je lacht zo lief
2
3
You [laugh] smile so sweetly Ik vind 't zo zielig
2
3
[I think it's very pitiable] - I'm very sorry
(for them, about it) Ik ben zo duf
2
3
[I'm so very dense, dazed] - I don't feel very bright,
I'm not fully aware, 'I'm out of it' Ik zou zo graag ...
2
3
I would really like to ... (a great wish of
mine is ...) Ik voel me zo vol
2
I feel so full (having overeaten) Dat was niet zo leuk
2
3
That was not very funny, that was bad Je geeft 't slechte weer zo mooi weer
You [represent] depict the bad weather so beautifully
Je geeft 't goede weer zo goed weer
2
You [represent] portray the [good] beautiful
weather [so] very well 't Is niet zo overtuigend
2
It's not very convincing 't Is niet zo duur
2
3
It's not that expensive 't Is niet zò duur
2
3
4
5
It's not thàt expensive Is 't al zò laat?
2
Is it already that late? 't Komt niet zo nauw
2
It's not that [narrow] strict -
it's flexible, there's a lot of leeway Doe niet zo stoer!
[Don't act that bravely]
- Don't pretend to be (that) brave Doe niet zo raar!
2
[Don't act that weirdly]
- try to be a regular person Niet zo goed
Not that good (I'm feeling poorly) Niet zo vaak
2
3
Not that often Zit niet zo te zeuren
2
Now don't nag that much, Stop that horrible nagging
(pointless complaining)
Ik kan zo gauw
geen voorbeeld bedenken
2
3
I can't think of an example [that] quickly, in the
rush of things Toen ik z'n fiets optilde
begreep ik hoe hij zo hard kon rijden
2
3
4
When I lifted up his bike I understood
how he could ride that fast
->> Ik had me nog nooit zo ziek gevoeld
2
3
I had never felt that sick before
(literally: 'never yet'
translated as: 'never before'
->> ) Misschien was ik nooit zo slim
2
3
Maybe I never was that clever
This 'zo'
can also be found as
zo'n
2 - a contraction of
'zo een' ("zo 'n")
2 zo'n
sounds the same as zoon
('son') -
>>
but you can exaggerate and
insert a Dutch W:
zoown/zowun
2
3
4
zo'n mooie dag
2
such a beautiful day zo'n sombere zomer
such a dark, gloomy Summer Hij is zo'n goede kok
He's such a good cook
Ik heb zo'n zin in iets lekkers
2
I have (such) a great craving for something tasty,
something really nice (usually sweet)
Ik heb zo'n zin
in een kopje thee
2
3
['I have such a great desire for ...']
- What I'd really like now is a cup of tea 't Zal wel
niet zo'n vaart lopen
2
3
4
(saying) ['It's not going to pick up such a
speed']- It won't happen soon (don't worry about it)
'Zoveel'
2
3
4
(the stress can be either on 'veel' or on both 'zo'
and 'veel') is 'so much' or 'so many.'
It can be both an adjective or adverb and a noun ('so much, so many things')
Zoveel dingen om aan te denken
2
So many things to think about,
so many things to keep in mind Er is nog zoveel te doen
2
3
There is still so much to do Ik heb al zoveel
I already have so much
(so many things, so much stuff) Er gaat altijd zoveel mis
2
There are always so many things going wrong 't Had zoveel mooier
kunnen zijn
2
3
[It could have been so much more beautiful] -
usually said when something disappoints or doesn't work out ... omdat er zoveel te zien was
... because there was so much to see Er wordt al zoveel gezegd
2
So much is being said already Er is al zoveel gezegd
2
So much has been said already
->>
Synomyms,
Alternates and Related Words
'Such' by itself is
zulk
/ zulke
(zulk/zulke
)
Zulke dingen als vrijheid, en gelijkheid
Such things as freedom, and equality Zulke dingen als sterke drank
Such things as [strong drink] liquor Zulke grote voeten!
2
Such big feet! Zulke dingen gebeuren
Such things, things like that happen 't Is buiten zulk prachtig weer
It's such wonderful weather outside 't Is zulk mooi weer buiten
It's such nice weather outside,
It's so nice outside 't Is overdag zulk mooi weer
2
3
[It's such nice weather in the daytime]
- In the daytime the weather is so nice
2.
'zo' =
'(in) this/that way, like this/that'
We kunnen niet zo doorgaan
2
3
4
We can't go on like this,
We can't go on this way Er moet iets veranderen
2
Something gotta change Ga zo voort!
2
[Go on, continue like that] Carry on! Goed zo!
2
3
1. you're doing well, you've done well
serves them right! the right comeuppance Veel mensen denken zo
Many people think that way Zeg dat het niet zo is!
Say it ain't so! Waarom is dat zo?
2
3
Why is that so? Why is it that way? Why is it like that? Zo gaat 't altijd
2
3
4
[It always goes ...] - It's always like this Zo te zien
2
3
As I see it, From what I see,
From my observation Zo is 't echt
2
3
That's how it is in reality, It's really like that
Ik weet niet of dat zo is
2
[I don't know] I'm not sure (if)
it's like that Ik weet niet of dat echt zo is
[I don't know] I'm not sure (if) it's really like that 't Lijkt maar zo
It only looks that way,
the reality is different Dat is ook zo
2
3
[That what you're saying is also like that] -
it is like that, that is also true, "you are right" 't Mocht niet zo zijn
2
3
It was not to be
(something hoped-for sadly didn't happen) Zo doe je dat
2
3
That's the way to do [that] it Zo is 't nou eenmaal
2
3
That's how it is (you can't change it) Ik heb 't maar zo gelaten
2
I left it like that
(I didn't act to change or correct it)
Dat zeg je niet zo
2
3
You don't say (that) it that way
That's not the (correct) way to say it Als ik het zo hoor ...
2
Hearing this ... (I gather, understand) Dat is helemaal niet zo
2
3
[That] It isn't like that at all Is dat nog steeds zo?
2
3
Is [that] it still like that? Dat is zo
2
3
It's like that, That is true, There is that Dat is wel zo, maar ...
2
3
4
That is true, but ...
There is that, but ... Zo werkt dat niet
2
3
It doesn't 'work' that way Zo gaat 't ook
2
3
4
5
This works too, you can do it this way too zo-iets
2
3
such a thing, something like that zo-iemand
2
such a person, someone like that Hoe kan iemand zo-iets doen?
How can someone do something like that?
(it's beyond me) Heb je wel eens
zo-iets meegemaakt?
2
Have you ever experienced such a thing? Je kunt zo-iemand
niet serieus nemen
2
3
You can't take a person like that seriously
'Zo'
meaning 'that way' or 'like that' is also found in a word
like
zoals
2 zo ... als
2 net ... als
2 also the
'als ' and
'net '
disambiguation pages.
Zoals 't klokje thuis tikt, tikt het nergens
2
3
4
5
['There is no place where the clock ticks like at home']
'Home sweet home'
Zo oud als de weg naar Kralingen
2
3
As old as the [road to K.] hills
- Sayings
Zo dood als een pier
As dead as a [rainworm] doornail 't Is niet zo erg als 't lijkt
2
3
It's not as bad as it looks
Ik ben niet meer zo slim als ik ooit was
2
I'm no longer as clever [as I ever was]
as I was in the past, as I
used to be Hoe kan ik zo stom zijn?
2
3
How can I be that stupid?
(anger about a mistake) Zoals ik al zei ...
[Like] As I already said, As I said before ...
Mijn zoon is net zo mager als ik
My son is just as skinny as I am
Hij is net zo slim als z'n moeder
2
He's just as clever as his mom Dat is twee keer zo ver
2
3
4
That's twice as far
and the comparison item are left out) Zoals je weet
2
3
4
5
6
As you know ..., like you know ...
Another common phrase with
'zo' meaning 'as' is zo ... mogelijk
2
('as ... as possible') - but by itself, zo mogelijk ...
means 'if possible'
zo lang mogelijk
2
as long as possible zo spoedig mogelijk
2
as soon as possible zo weinig mogelijk
2
3
as little as possible
Old-fashioned words for this
'zo' meaning 'in this way' are
aldus
2 'alzo'
2
... en aldus geschiedde
2
3
... and that's what happened Leer ons alzo onze dagen tellen
So teach us to number our days (Ps 90:12)
- Teach us to count our days this way
Synomyms,
Alternates and Related Words
English 'also' / 'too' is
ook
Heeft U ook postzegels?
2
3
Do you [have] sell stamps too? Er is beneden ook een slaapkamer
There's also a bedroom downstairs,
there's also a downstairs bedroom Dat staat ons ook te wachten
2
That's also [waiting for, expected]
going to happen to us, here Dat is ook goed
2
That's also good, that's OK too Dat zou je ook kunnen doen
2
3
You could do that too, it's OK to do that instead Je kunt ook een blikje
opentrekken
2
3
4
You [can also] could [rip open] open a can - you could use
canned Denk je ook niet dat ...
2
3
Aren't you also thinking that ... Toen ik jouw leeftijd was had ik er ook
veel last van
2
3
When I was your age it also bothered me a lot, I
had a lot of trouble with it too De vochtigheid heeft er ook mee te maken
2
The humidity is also involved in it Ik weet 't ook niet
I also don't know (it) - I don't know either ... maar 't is ook niet bijzonder
2
... but it's also not very special
(less successful cooking, art) ... maar 't was ook niet geweldig
2
3
... but it was also not great, it wasn't great
either (less successful cooking, art) Misschien heeft 't daar
ook mee te maken
2
3
Maybe it has to do with that too Wat je ook doet ...
2
3
Whatever you do ...
(it doesn't make a difference, it's hopeless)
The combination with 'dan'
2 'dan ook'
2 'any'
- more
Disambiguation: 'Eens'
English 'so' can also mean drawing a
conclusion, something like 'I gather, I get the impression, in
conclusion, I understand.' This is said in Dutch as
dus
Dus je wilt Nederlands leren?
So you want to learn Dutch?
't Was dus allemaal gelogen
2
So it was all [lied] lies,
It turned out to be all lies Het is dus fout
2
So it is wrong,
I'm telling you it's wrong Ik denk dus ik besta
2
3
I think, [therefore I exist] so I am
Fietspad
- Dus niet brommen
Bike path - So no [small motorcyle riding] motorcycles
(De) bromfiets
2 is a small
(50cc engine) motorcycle - 'brommen'
2
2
said after making a somewhat controversial statement,
meaning 'it will turn out I was right about this'
(no motorcycles)
Occasionally, English 'so' is said as 'het' ('it') in Dutch:
2
3
4
Because I say [it] so
(an authoritarian statement)
2
3
[Even if I say so myself] - If I may say so
3. 'zo' =
'soon, in a moment'
Tot zo!
2
3
['Till in a moment'] - See you soon!
We gaan zo eten
2
3
We'll eat (have dinner or lunch) in a moment
Ik ben zo klaar
I'll be ready (done) in a moment Ik kom zo bij U
2
I'll [come to you] be with you in a minute Zullen we zo gaan?
2
3
Shall we go (leave) in a moment? Ik ga er zo mee beginnen
2
3
4
I'll start on it soon, in a moment (but also said
when endlessly postponing) Dat zie je zo
2
3
4
[You see that in an instant]
- You notice that right away
zodra
2
3
as soon as zodra we klaar zijn
as soon as we're ready, right away when we're ready zodra 't licht wordt
2
3
4
as soon as it gets light
See and Hear also:
Hurry, Haste and Urgency in the
Time Thesaurus
Dutch Vocabulary Overview
- Dutch Grammar Overview
- Listen to and Read Dutch
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2
![[bike path]](fiets/fietspadnietbrommen200.jpg)