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Disambiguation: Many common Dutch words have more than one meaning.

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

Net

click to hear
  1. just like - "just like before"
  2. barely, with little margin - "we were just in time"
    -or: a short time ago - "he just left"
  3. exactly - "just what I needed"
  4. neat, proper - "neat handwriting"
  5. (fishing etc.) net
1. net, net als, net zo ... als = just like
2. net = just: barely // a moment ago
3. net = just = exactly, precisely
precies = exactly
just a ..., only a ... = maar

just (continuing) = maar
juist, rechtvaardig = just, fair
4. net = neat, proper
keurig = neat, proper
5. net = fishing net etc.

1. 'net' = 'just like'

'Net' click to hear can mean 'just like' - often with 'als' click to hear or 'zo ... als' click to hear 2 to the combinations: 'net ... als' click to hear 2 or 'net zo ... als' click to hear 2
't Is net echt click to hear 2 [It's just like real] - It's almost real, it looks very real
Behalve hun hersens zijn mensen net dieren click to hear Except for their brains, people are just like animals
Net als vroeger click to hear 2 3 Just like before, just as in the past
Ik ben net als m'n moeder click to hear I'm just like my mom
M'n zoon is net zo mager als ik click to hear My son is just as skinny as I
Hij is net zo slim als z'n moeder click to hear 2 He's just as clever as his mom

2. 'net' = 'just' - 'barely // a moment ago'

'Net' can also be translated as 'just:' in the related meanings 'barely, with little margin' or 'only a moment ago, a short time ago in the past.'
We waren net op tijd click to hear 2 3 We were just in time
net te laat click to hear 2 3 a moment too late
We waren net op tijd voor de pont click to hear We were just in time for the ferry
De pont is net weg click to hear 2 The ferry just left, a moment ago
Net voordat 't begon te regenen click to hear 2 3 Just before it [started to rain] rained
Net voordat de voorstelling begon click to hear 2 Just before the performance started
Ik wilde net gaan hardlopen click to hear 2 I was just about to go running
We hebben de bus net gemist click to hear 2 3 4 We just (barely?) missed the bus
Net iets minder dan honderdduizend gulden click to hear 2 Just a little less than a 100.000 guilders
Net iets lekkerder click to hear 2 Just a little nicer (tastier, said of food)
Dat ging maar net goed click to hear 2 3 That only just went right (it could easily have gone wrong)
't Kan er net onderdoor click to hear 2 3 It can just pass [under it] through (with very little room to spare)
Hij is net thuis click to hear 2 He came home only a minute ago
Ik heb net een sinaasappel gegeten click to hear 2 I just [ate] had an orange
Ik heb net gegorgeld met citroensap click to hear I gargled with lemon juice a moment ago
Ik heb net m'n tanden gepoetst click to hear I have just brushed my teeth
Ik begin nog maar net click to hear 2 I'm [only] just getting started
't Is net gebeurd click to hear 2 3 It happened, came about just a moment ago

3. 'net' = 'just' - 'exactly, precisely'

English 'just' can also mean 'exactly, precisely' like in "just what I wanted" - in Dutch that can be 'net' but it is more often said as precies click to hear 2
Net wat ik zocht click to hear 2 Just what I was looking for
't Is net goed click to hear 2 3 4 It's exactly right (usually said of things like taste or temperature that are within a narrow range of good)
It can also mean 'they deserved that punishment'
Net goed! click to hear 2 Just right! (it can also be said in a vengeful mood: "the deserved punishment")
Very occasionally (and regionally) there may be a little confusion because in Frisian 'net'  means 'not.'
Precies wat ik wilde click to hear 2 Just what I wanted, Exactly what I wanted
slang: Krek wa'k wou click to hear 2 Just what I wanted, Exactly what I wanted
Precies wat ik nodig had click to hear 2 3 Just what I needed, Exactly what I needed, "Hit the spot"
Precies goed click to hear 2 Exactly right
Precies op tijd click to hear 2 3 Exactly on time
Om acht uur precies click to hear 2 At eight o'clock exactly, At eight sharp
't Past precies click to hear 2 3 It's a snug fit, it fits exactly
Hoe zeg je dat precies? click to hear 2 3 How exactly do you say that?
Ik wil precies weten wat er gebeurd is click to hear 2 3 I want to know exactly what happened
Wat studeer je precies? click to hear 2 What exactly are you studying? (asking for more details about a major)
Om precies te zijn ... click to hear 2 To be exact ...
niet helemaal precies hetzelfde click to hear 2 3 [not entirely exactly the same] - not completely identical
(de) precisie click to hear 2 precision
heel precies click to hear 2 3 very precise
nauwkeurig click to hear precise, accurate, careful
heel nauwkeurig click to hear 2 very precise, very accurate

'Just' is also found as 'just a ..., only a ...,' with something of a denial. This 'just' is translated as 'maar' click to hear - usually, 'maar' is 'but,' which indicates a contrast with a previous word or statement.
See also the 'Maar' Disambiguation Page

Raar maar waar click to hear 2 3 Strange but true
Hij is nog maar een baby click to hear 2 He's still just a baby, He's still only a baby
't Is maar een verhaaltje click to hear It's just a story, It's only a story
't Kostte maar vijf minuten click to hear 2 It just took five minutes, It only took five minutes
't Lijkt maar zo click to hear It just looks that way, It only looks that way
Misschien lijkt 't maar zo click to hear 2 3 4 Maybe that's just the way it looks, Maybe it only looks that way

English 'just' can also be used when the speaker is not happy or even frightened by a continuing development. Here, Dutch also uses 'maar' click to
  hear

't Blijft maar regenen click to hear 2 It just keeps on raining
't Houdt maar niet op click to hear 2 It just never stops
't Water blijft maar stijgen click to hear The water just keeps on rising
't Water blijft stijgen click to hear The water keeps on rising
You could say that both 'just' and 'maar' in the last two paragraphs are 'pragmatic markers,' words that indicate a person's feelings and that are often hard to translate.

Synomyms, Alternates and Related Words

English 'just' can mean many things. As an adjective, it means 'fair, according to a general sense of justice.' Dutch has the nice word rechtvaardig click to hear for that - (het) recht click to hear can mean 'justice' (among other things ‑>>.) Dutch also has the word juist click to hear which is related to English 'just' (both from Latin 'justus.') It can mean 'correct' and 'fair,' and also 'exactly, precisely' - but is not much used anymore, it's a bit old-fashioned.
Een rechtvaardige oplossing click to hear 2 A fair solution
een rechtvaardige verdeling click to hear a fair distribution
Zo is 't juist click to hear 2 3 (stress on 'zo' and 'juist') That way it's correct
Zo is 't juist click to hear 2 3 (stress on 'is') That's just how it is, that's how it is

4. 'net' = 'neat'

een net handschrift click to hear 2 neat handwriting
nette mensen click to hear proper people (somewhat negative)
netjes click to hear neat, proper, decent, according to etiquette rules
opgeruimd staat netjes click to hear ['things in their place, stored away -'] 'out of the way looks good'

Synomyms, Alternates and Related Words

Keurig click to hear (keurig/keurige click to hear) is the close-meaning 'neat, proper'
keurig Nederlands click to hear 2 3 proper, polished Dutch
een keurig meisje click to hear a proper girl
Nauwkeurig click to hear is 'precise' and willekeurig click to hear 2 (willekeurige click to hear 2) is 'arbitrary, random'
een willekeurige voorbijganger click to hear a random passer-by

5. '(het) net' = 'fishing net, safety net, network, dragnet'

Achter 't net vissen click to hear 2 ['Fishing behind the net'] - Not getting what you want, not being successful
(het) netvlies click to hear 2 ['netlike membrane'] - retina
(het) netwerk click to hear 2 network, web
(het) spinnenweb click to hear spiderweb

Synomyms, Alternates and Related Words

English 'net' like for instance in 'net worth' or 'net weight' is netto click to hear 2 3 - its opposite 'gross' is bruto click to hear 2 - 'gross, disgusting' is walgelijk click to hear 2

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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