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Disambiguation: Many common Dutch words have more than one meaning.
Disambiguation Home - 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
Maar![]() |
|
1. maar = but | |
echter = however, nevertheless, but, yet | |
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2. maar = just, only, etc. | |
maar = only, just | |
maar = only, no more than |
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|
maar = just (continuation) | |
maar = just (warning or encouragement) | |
maar = just |
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|
maar (with verb) = if only ..., I wish ... | |
zomaar = suddenly without cause or reason | |
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3. maar - pragmatic marker | |
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Raar maar waar
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Strange but true |
Langzaam maar zeker
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Slow but steady |
Rijk maar geen geld
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Rich, but no money / Rich without money |
Eenzaam maar niet alleen
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Lonely but not alone |
Geen woorden maar daden!
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Not words but actions! No words but action! |
Hij was eerlijk, maar beleefd
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He was honest, but polite |
Ouder, maar niet wijzer
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Older, but not wiser |
Ik had schrijver willen worden,
maar ik ben spreker geworden
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I wanted to be a writer, but I've become a speaker |
We zouden gaan fietsen,
maar 't begon te regenen
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We were going to ride our bikes, but it started to rain |
Ik krijg wel eens honger op straat,
maar ik eet altijd thuis
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I get hungry in the street sometimes, but I always eat at home |
De geest is gewillig,
maar 't vlees is zwak
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The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak (Matthew 26:41) |
Ik werd niet door
een wesp gestoken, maar door een bij
![]() |
I was not stung by a wasp, but by a bee |
Ik ben wel oud, maar toch niet zò oud
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I may be old, but I'm not that old |
De wind is gaan liggen,
maar we zitten nog steeds in het water
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The wind has died down, but we're still [in the water] flooded |
Nederlands is een mooie taal ...
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Dutch is a beautiful language ... |
... maar misschien niet om te zingen
![]() ![]() |
... but maybe not for singing |
Geld maakt niet gelukkig ...
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Money doesn't make you happy, money does not create happiness ... |
... maar 't is wel (ge)makkelijk
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... but it is convenient, it makes life easier |
't Is niet vies ...
![]() |
It doesn't taste bad ... |
- maar 't had lekkerder kunnen zijn
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- but it could have been better |
- maar 't was ook niet geweldig
![]() |
- but it wasn't great either |
- maar 't is ook niet bijzonder
![]() |
- but it's not special either
(talking about experiments in cooking) |
't Is niet fout ...
![]() |
It's not wrong ... |
- maar 't is niet mooi
![]() |
- but it's not pretty |
- maar je kunt het eenvoudiger zeggen
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- but there's a simpler way to say it |
Ik heb een paar jaar pianoles gehad ...
![]() |
I've had a few years of piano lessons ... |
... maar ik had beter gitaar kunnen leren spelen
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... but it would have been better if I'd learned to play the guitar |
We zijn er bijna ...
![]() |
We're almost there ... |
... maar nog niet helemaal
![]() |
... but not [yet entirely] quite |
M'n vrouw zegt
dat de bal niet in het doel wordt geschopt maar geschoten ![]() |
My wife says that the ball is not kicked but shot into the goal (soccer; English usage may be different) |
Velen worden geroepen,
maar weinigen worden uitgekozen
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Many are called, but (only a) few are chosen |
Ja, maar ...
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Yes, but ...(voicing objections) |
Maar jazeker!
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But certainly! |
Maar gaat U verder
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But please continue (with what you were saying) |
Maar niet heus
![]() |
But not really - "Not!" |
Maar wij
zitten met de gebakken peren
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(expression) But we are left with [the baked pears] an unwanted responsibility |
Maar vandaag
voel ik me gelukkig weer een stuk beter
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But today luckily I feel a whole lot better |
Er zijn speciale molentjes voor
maar ik heb er geen
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There are specialized 'little mills' for it but I don't have one (talking about kitchen gadgets like a Romano beans slicer) |
'Echter'
2
3
is a somewhat bookish, formal word meaning 'however, nevertheless,
but, yet.' The more common though not entirely synonymous words are
maar
and toch
2
‑>>
'Echter'
2
3 can also be
the comparative degree of echt
2
3
(echt/echte
2)
'real' - so: 'more real.' Also a bit unusual.
Er is echter geen ander woord
2
There is however not another word
Er is echter geen ander woord voor
2
But there is no other word for it
Iets te gaan doen echter lijkt nog steeds een goed
idee
2
3
But to go out and do something,
to take action still looks like a good idea
'Maren' is a verb almost exclusively found in the phrase:
"Niks te maren!"
![]() |
['Don't say but'] - 'No ifs or buts' |
'Doch' is a very old-fashioned
word for 'but' giving a contrast. It's in a famous phrase in the
Tom Poes
2
books by Dutch master cartoonist
Marten Toonder
2
Een eenvoudige
doch voedzame maaltijd
![]() | A simple but nutritious meal |
'Maar' = only, just | |
---|---|
't Lijkt maar zo
![]() |
It only looks that way |
Misschien lijkt 't maar zo
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Maybe it only looks that way |
We wonen nog maar kort hier
![]() |
We've only lived here for a short while |
Dat ging maar net goed
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That only just went well (it could easily have gone wrong) |
Door de tegenwind
kwamen we maar met moeite vooruit
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Because we had the wind against us, we only progressed [with difficulty] slowly |
Door de tegenwind
kwamen we met moeite vooruit
![]() |
Because we had the wind against us, we progressed [with difficulty] slowly |
Ik wil alleen maar
bij deze lieve mevrouw blijven
![]() |
[I only want ...] - All I want is to stay with this kind lady (from 'Miracle on 34th Street') |
'Maar' = only, no more than | |
't Duurde maar tien minuten
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It lasted only ten minutes |
't Kostte maar vijf minuten
![]() |
It [did cost] took only 5 minutes |
Er is maar één oplossing
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There's only one solution |
't Gebeurt maar eens in je leven
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It happens only once in your life |
't Is maar een verhaaltje
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It's just a story |
't Is maar een schrammetje
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It's only a scratch |
Hij is nog maar een baby
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He's [still] just a baby |
één keer maar
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just one time, one time only |
"Dat is maar bijzaak"
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'That is only a side issue, that's not the important thing |
Dutch people don't use the equivalent slechts ('just, only') in the spoken language, it's only written | |
'Maar' = just (continuation) | |
't Water blijft stijgen
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The water keeps rising |
't Water blijft maar stijgen
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The water just keeps rising |
't Blijft maar regenen
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It just keeps raining, the rain just doesn't let up |
't Houdt maar niet op
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It just doesn't stop, it just never stops |
't Gaat maar door
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It just goes on and on, it never stops (like waves breaking on a beach) |
Ik heb 't maar zo gelaten
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I just left it like that - I didn't take (further) action |
'Maar' = just (warning or encouragement) | |
Laat je handjes
maar eens wapperen
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['Just make your (little) hands wave frantically, snap']- Get active! Get cracking! |
Als je dat maar laat!
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['If only you don't do that'] - Leave it out, don't do that |
Als je dat maar weet
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[If only you know that] - Be sure to keep that in mind |
Als je haar maar goed zit!
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[If only your hair 'sits well'] - The most important thing is that your hair looks OK |
Zeg 't niet tegen Piet
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Don't [mention it to] tell Piet |
Zeg 't maar niet tegen Piet
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[Just] Please don't tell Piet, It would be better not to tell Piet |
Zeg maar niks tegen Piet
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[Just] Please [say nothing] don't say anything about it to Piet |
'Maar' = just | |
Doe maar normaal,
dan doe je al gek genoeg
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Just do like you always do, that's enough craziness already |
't Is maar wat je gewend bent
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It's just what you're used to |
't Wil maar niet lukken
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[It's indeed not succeeding] - It just isn't working out |
Hij doet maar wat
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["He just does something random"] - (He's not serious, not making an effort) |
Hij zegt maar wat
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[He's just saying something at random] - He's not serious, what he says is of no value |
Combining with a verb, 'maar' can express a wish: 'if only ...,' 'I wish ...'
Was ik maar ...
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I wish I was ..., I wish I had ...
(Dutch can use either 'zijn' (to be) or hebben ('to have') for the perfect tense) |
Was ik er
maar nooit aan begonnen
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I wish I had never started (on) it, gotten into it |
Was ik maar
bij moeder thuis gebleven
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I wish I had stayed with my mom (at my parents' house - "Mama told me not to come") |
Was ik maar in Den Haag!
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I wish I was in The Hague. Things would be better if I was in The Hague. |
Had ik maar ...
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I wish I had ..., If only I had ... |
Had ik maar een boel geld
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I wish I had a lot of money |
Lag ik maar aan het strand
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I wish I was lying (lazing?) on the beach |
Kon ik nog maar even blijven liggen!
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['If only I could remain lying down a moment longer '] - I wish I could stay in bed a little longer |
Compare: | |
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Als 't niet te laat is
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If it's not too late |
Als 't nog niet te laat is
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If it's not too late yet |
Als 't nog maar niet te laat is
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If only it's not too late (I hope it's not too late) |
Hij begon zomaar te huilen
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He just started to cry, I don't know why |
't Hield zomaar op
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It suddenly stopped, I don't know why |
geen bijzondere reden
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(for) no special reason |
Zeg 't niet tegen Piet
![]() |
Don't tell Piet (about it) |
Zeg 't maar niet tegen Piet
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Better not tell Piet, Just don't tell Piet |
Zeg maar niks tegen Piet
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Better [tell Piet nothing] not tell Piet anything (about it) |
Maar wij zitten met de gebakken peren
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(saying) ['But we are left with the baked pears'] But we are the ones that have to pick up the pieces, or more precisely: we are left with an unwanted responsibility |
Wij zitten ermee
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We are left holding the bag ‑>> |
Wij zitten er maar mee
![]() |
We are left holding the bag (and we're not happy with it and we deserve sympathy) |
Hij doet ook maar
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He just does as he pleases |
Die mensen doen ook maar
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Those people just do as they please |
'Maar' ~just - a polite or friendly encouragement, like 'feel free' or 'you may'
Laat maar
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Let it be, never mind, don't bother (no need for action) |
Laat maar zitten
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['No need to 'move,' just leave it be'] - Keep the change (offering the change as tip) |
Zeg 't maar
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You can say it, Feel free to speak up |
Zeg maar
wat je zou willen hebben van Sinterklaas
![]() |
Just say what you'd like to have from Santa
(from 'Miracle on 34th Street') |
Doe 't maar
![]() |
Go ahead, do it |
Geef maar hier
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You may hand it to me (I'll take care of it) |
Let maar niet op mij
![]() |
Now don't pay attention to me |
Rustig maar
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There, there (comforting an upset person) |
Gelukkig maar!
![]() |
Lucky indeed! We're lucky |
Je bent er maar druk mee
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[You're quite busy with it.] It's taking a lot of your time. |
't Zal je kind maar wezen
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Just imagine that it would be your child |
Ho maar!
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Stop it! That's enough. |
Nederlands ho maar!
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Dutch [just stop] - not so much! (said when an outrageous statement is made in bad Dutch) |
Zo zie je maar ...
![]() |
So, this way you see ..., this shows ... |
Zo zie je maar wie echt je vrienden zijn
![]() |
This shows who your real friends are |
Dutch Vocabulary Overview - Dutch Grammar Overview - Listen to and Read Dutch
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hear Dutch -
2