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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

Dutch 'Na' = After

Dutch 'voor' click to hear 2 can mean 'before' (in time, timewise) or 'in front of' (place) - but in its opposite Dutch uses two words:
'na' click to hear ('after' - time) and
'achter' click to hear ('behind, back' - place ‑>> - German hinter)
This page is a major expansion of the 'Na'  paragraphs on the Disambiguation: 'Voor'  page. On that page you can also find the opposites of some of the 'na-' words on this page.

'De Oorlog' click to hear
'The War'
... 1939 1940-45 1946 ...
voor de oorlog
click to hear
before the war
tijdens de oorlog
click to hear   ‑>>
during the war
na de oorlog
click to hear
after the war

Na = After
Na in Combinations
Similar and Lookalike But Unrelated Words

Na = After

'Na' click to hear usually means 'after' - after a point in time, after an event, after a period of time (also: 'later')

na 't eten click to hear 2 after [the] a meal Als mosterd na de maaltijd click to hear 2 (saying) 'Like mustard after a meal' - something that comes in too late and is now useless na de lunch click to hear after lunch na de oorlog click to hear after the war 't Nederland van na de oorlog click to hear [The Netherlands (of) after the war] - postwar Holland lang na de oorlog click to hear 2 3 long after the war lang nadat de oorlog was afgelopen click to hear 2 3 long after the war had ended 'Na' click to hear is used with just a noun or a short phrase - when there is a subsentence with a subject and a noun, Dutchmen usually say nadat click to hear 2 3
Lang nadat we verhuisd waren click to hear 2 Long after we had moved See also: >voordat click to hear 2 3 'before' ‑>>

na vijf uur click to hear 2 after 5 o'clock // after 5 hours, 5 hours later na vijven click to hear 2 after 5 o'clock na vijf uur / na vijven click to hear
na acht uur click to hear after 8 o'clock // after 8 hours, 8 hours later na acht uur / na achten click to hear
after 8 o'clock In stating a full hour with a preposition, Dutchmen sometimes leave out the hour ('uur' click to hear) and give the number an -EN ending (the old, inflected form)
na achten click to hear 2 after 8 o'clock
na tienen click to hear after 10 o'clock
na twaalven click to hear 2 after 12 o'clock

na twee dagen click to hear 2 3 after 2 days, 2 days later na een tijdje click to hear 2 3 [after a little time] - after a while op de dag na Kerstmis click to hear 2 On the day after Christmas ‑>>

't leven na de dood click to hear 2 3 the life after death 't hiernamaals click to hear 2 3 the hereafter ‑>>

Als de zon doorkomt na een regenbui ... click to hear 2 3 When the sun comes [through] out after a shower ... Na regen komt zonneschijn click to hear 2 3 4 [After rain the sun will come out] Bad things don't last - more Weather

"na U" click to hear 2 "after you" (suggesting that someone goes in front of or takes a turn before you) Na mij de zondvloed click to hear 2 3 After me the deluge (when I'm gone things will go badly) - Louis XIV

meteen na de douche click to hear 2 immediately, right after the shower
direct na de douche click to hear 2 3 immediately, right after the shower
onmiddelijk na de douche click to hear 2 immediately, right after the shower
vlak na de douche click to hear 2 3 just, shortly after the shower
more 'immediately'

Iets waar ik pas later aan dacht click to hear 2 Something I only thought of later, an afterthought

Na in Combinations

Het boek erna click to hear 2 The book after it Daarna ben jij aan de beurt click to hear 2 3 4 5 After that it's your turn

Op click to hear ... na click to hear means 'except, except for'
op sterven na dood click to hear 2 3 4 5 'dead except for the dying' - feeling very tired or very sick op één na de beste click to hear 2 3 4 [the best, the winner except for one] number 2 (after #1) See also: 'behalve' click to hear 'except (for), but for' ‑>>
and (de) uitzondering click to hear 2 'exception' ‑>>

(de) nadruk click to hear 2 emphasis, stress // reprinting de nadruk leggen op click to hear 2 3 4 to emphasize, prioritize, give special importance to Hij legde de nadruk op gelijkheid click to hear 2 3 4 He emphasized equality de nadruk ligt op ... click to hear 2 3 the emphasis is on ... See also: liggen/leggen

(de) zorg click to hear 2 'care, support' ‑>>
(de) nazorg click to hear 2 3 [after-care] follow-up

nabestaanden click to hear 2 3 surviving next-of-kin
(het) bestaan click to hear 2 3 'existence' - the verb bestaan click to hear 2 3 means 'to exist,' sometimes translated as 'to be' ‑>>

(de) smaak click to hear 2 taste ‑>> - 2
(de) nasmaak click to hear aftertaste

(het) gerecht click to hear is an old-fashioned word for 'dish, food item' ‑>> but it can also mean the courts, the justice system ‑>>
(het) nagerecht click to hear is an old-fashioned word for 'dessert.' More common words: (het) dessert (French) click to hear 2 and (het) toetje click to
    hear

maken click to hear 'to make' (create, manufacture) ‑>>
namaak click to hear 2 fake, counterfeit, imitation

(de) wee click to hear contraction (baby delivery
plural: weeën click to hear ‑>>
naweeën click to hear 2 3 'contractions after a birth' - but usually figuratively: 'later effects of an event, aftermath'

(het) woord click to hear word ‑>>
(het) nawoord click to hear 2 afterword

(het) nadeel click to hear disadvantage
(het) voordeel click to hear advantage

nabootsen click to hear 2 3 to imitate (seriously) ik boots na click to hear 2 I'm imitating doen click to hear 2 3 'to do' ‑>>
nadoen click to hear 2 3 to imitate (humorously) Hij doet de president na click to hear 2 He's imitating the president Hij deed de president na click to hear 2 He imitated the president (de) aap click to hear 2 monkey
naäpen click to hear 2 3 to ape, mimic, imitate

denken click to hear 2 'to think' ‑>>
nadenken click to hear 2 3 (4) to think over, considering something carefully - this is the real 'denken' to think - use the brain denk na! click to hear 2 3 think!
zonder nadenken click to hear 2 unthinkingly, without carefully thinking it over automatisch, zonder erover na te denken click to hear 2 3 4 automatically, without thinking Daar heb ik niet over nagedacht click to hear 2 I have not thought it over 't Heeft me doen nadenken click to hear 2 3 It made me think things over Ik wil er nog even over nadenken click to hear 2 3 I'd like some more time, I need more time to think it over Ik heb er niet goed over nagedacht click to hear 2 3 4 I have not thought it out well Hij heeft er een uur over zitten na te denken click to hear 2
Hij heeft er een uur over zitten nadenken click to hear 2 3 He's been thinking about it for an hour Hij dacht er niet lang over na click to hear 2 3 4 He didn't think for long about it Hij heeft er niet lang over nagedacht click to hear 2 He didn't think for long about it (de) gedachte click to hear thought
(de) nagedachtenis click to hear 2 3 memory, honoring the deceased

kijken click to hear 'to look' ‑>>
nakijken click to hear 2 3 1. teacher checking and grading homework or tests
2. to look up, check
Ik kijk 't na click to hear 2 3 1. I'm grading it (students' homework)
2. I'm looking it up, checking it
There's also a saying:
Wij hebben 't nakijken click to hear 2 3 [All we had was looking at it disappearing] - we are the losers

lezen click to hear 'to read' ‑>>
nalezen click to hear 2 to read up, go through, read again

laten click to hear 'to let, allow' ‑>>
'Nalaten' click to hear 2 meaning 'failing to do, refraining from' is a bit old-fashioned - but it can also mean 'to leave behind, to bequeath' (when you die.)
(de) nalatenschap click to hear 2 what a person leaves behind: legacy, inheritance The more common word for a deceased person's worldly goods left behind is (de) erfenis click to hear 2 and the 'will' instructions on what to do with the inheritance is (het) testament click to hear 2

komen click to hear 'to come' ‑>>
(het) nakomertje click to hear late child
nakomelingen click to hear descendants ‑>>
voor het nageslacht click to hear 2 [for the descendants] - for the next generations

(de) zomer click to hear Summer ‑>>
(de) nazomer click to hear 2 the last weeks of Summer

(het) jaar click to hear year ‑>>
(het) najaar click to hear 2 Autumn, Fall

tijdens click to hear 2 during, in
tijdens de oorlog click to hear during the war We hadden goed opgelet tijdens de les click to hear 2 We had paid close attention during the lesson tijdens zijn leven click to hear 2
tijdens z'n leven click to hear 2 during his life, in his lifetime

Similar and Lookalike But Unrelated Words

nabij click to hear 2 (nabij/nabije click to hear 2) 'near, close by' (in time) and
dichtbij (dicht bij) click to hear 'close by, close to' (location) ‑>>
are probably not related to 'na'
't Einde is nabij click to hear 2 3 The end is near ('nigh') de verre toekomst en de nabije toekomst click to hear the far future and the near future We zijn dicht bij de grens click to hear We're close to the border

Bijna click to hear 2 'almost, nearly, barely' ->>
Ik viel bijna click to hear 2 I almost fell, I came close to falling We zijn er bijna click to hear We're almost there Het is bijna klaar click to hear It's almost ready De minuutwijzer beweegt bijna niet meer click to hear slow The minutes hand hardly moves anymore ‑>> Also: haast click to hear 'almost, nearly' ‑>>
and nauwelijks click to hear 2 'barely,' 'almost no,' "narrowly" ‑>>
and ternauwernood click to hear
Er is nauwelijks verschil click to hear 2 3 4 There is hardly any difference

nader click to hear 2 nearer, closer to
bij nader inzien click to hear upon [nearer] closer inspection, now that I've thought about it 't Huilen stond 'm nader dan 't lachen click to hear 2 He [stood] was closer to [crying] tears than [laughing] laughter nader tot U click to hear 2 3 nearer to Thee (my God)

naderen click to hear 2 3 to approach, come nearer het naderend onheil click to hear 2 the approaching disaster, the impending doom

naast click to hear 2 'next to' ‑>>
De mensen die naast ons wonen click to hear [The people who live next to us] the people next door de auto ernaast click to hear 2 the car next to it naaste familie click to hear 2 3 near relatives, next-of-kin ‑>>

de naaste click to hear 2 3 is the 'neighbor, fellow man' of the bible - other neighbors
"Heb Uw naaste lief als uzelf" click to hear 2 'Love your neighbor like yourself' ‑>> (de) naastenliefde click to hear ['love of the neighbor'] - charity

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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