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Dutch Verb Kijken ('to look') - Smartphones Page

'To See' and 'To Look'
Sample Sentences
Related Words
Kijken click to hear 'to look' is a strong verb:
kijken
to look
- keek
looked
- gekeken
looked
click to hear

kijken to look
ik kijk I am looking
wij kijken we are lookingy
ik keek I looked
wij keken we looked
ik heb gekeken I have looked
click to hear
auxiliary verb for the perfect tenses hebben

Zien and Kijken
English and Dutch have 'to see' - zien click to
 hear ‑>> meaning something like 'observing with, using the eye' - usually with an object (the thing seen) or its 'placeholder' het click to hear 2 3 / 'it.'
Next to 'to see' 'zien'  English and Dutch have 'to look' - kijken click to hear - meaning something like 'having the eyes pointed in a direction' - often combined with naar click to hear 'at' and the object observed or its placeholder. 'To watch' is sometimes a better translation of kijken.
It's not a problem for English-speakers, but not all languages follow the system of these two verbs with close equivalents.
In a similar way, there are two verbs for the ear: 'to hear' 'horen' click to hear 2 ‑>> and 'to listen' 'luisteren' click to hear - ‑>>

Ik zag de vogels click to hear 2 3 I saw the birds Ik keek naar de vogels click to hear 2 3 I was looking at the birds Ik hoorde de vogels click to hear 2 3 I heard the birds Ik luisterde naar de vogels click to hear 2 3 I was listening to the birds

Sample Sentences

Kijk eens in de spiegel! click to hear 2 Look in the mirror! En wat zie je dan? click to hear 2 3 And what do you see?

Ik kijk wat rond click to hear 2 3 I'm just looking around, "just browsing" (in a store)

Als je goed kijkt ... click to hear 2 When you look [well] sharp ...

Waar je ook kijkt, overal water click to hear Wherever you look, water everywhere

Ik bleef staan kijken click to hear I stayed [standing around] to watch Ik bleef erbij staan kijken click to hear 2 3 I stayed [standing around] to watch (it)

Hij was te klein om over de schutting te kijken click to hear 2 He was too small to look over the fence (he was not tall enough to look over ...)

Kijk vooruit, niet achteruit click to hear Look forward, not backward

Kijk even achterom voordat je afslaat click to hear 2 Look backward for a moment before you make a turn (traffic)

Kijk mij eens! click to hear 2 Look at me! (showing something special)

kijken naar click to hear 2 3 to look at

Ze keken naar de wolken click to hear They were looking at the clouds

Ik keek naar de vogels click to hear 2 3 I was looking at the birds We kijken naar de vogels click to hear 2 3 We're looking at the birds vogeltjes kijken click to hear 2 3 [little birds] bird watching (jocular or pejorative)

Ik kijk er naar click to hear 2 3 4 I'm looking at it ‑>> Ik stond erbij en ik keek ernaar click to hear 2 3 'I was standing nearby and looking [at it] on' Kijk er eens goed naar click to hear 2 3 Look at it [well] sharply, inspect it closely Ik hoop er gauw naar te kunnen kijken click to hear 2 3 I hope to [be able to] look at it soon, I hope I can look at it soon

Je mag er alleen maar naar kijken click to hear 2 3 [You're only allowed to look at it] - You can only look at it (don't touch!)

aankijken click to hear 2 3 4 1. looking a person in the eye
2.
Een oude man kijkt me aan in de spiegel click to hear 2 3 4 5 In the mirror, an old man looks me in the eye Ik kijk 't even aan click to hear 2 3 I'll wait and see, I'll keep track of how the situation develops, I'm not taking action right away

Ze kijken op ons neer click to hear They look down on us neerkijken op click to hear 2 to look down on, to view with contempt, disdain, despise uit de hoogte click to hear 2 3 4 5 [from a height] - arrogantly, feeling superior, 'haughty' hooghartig click to hear 2 arrogant, 'haughty'
Ze voelen zich verheven click to hear 2 They feel they are raised, have ascended, they feel superior Weg met betweters! click to hear 2 3 4 Throw out the know-it-alls! (de) minachting click to hear 2 3 contempt, disdain
(het) respect click to hear respect

klok kijken click to hear 2 [looking at the clock] telling time >>

TV kijken click to hear 2 watching television kijkers click to hear 2 (TV) viewers, the television audience

koffiedik kijken click to hear 2 3 [looking at coffee dregs, wet coffee grounds] - 'reading tea leaves' - to foretell, predicting the future

Uitkijken click to hear watch out, look out, look out for Kijk uit! click to hear 2 3 4 Look out! Watch out! (be careful) Kijkuit click to hear 2 Lookout ('place with a nice view' - a mansion in Upstate New York) Je moet beter uitkijken click to hear 2 You should pay more attention

Ik ben erop uitgekeken click to hear 2 3 [I'm done looking at it] - I'm no longer interested in it, I don't care for it anymore

Uitkijken click to hear voor click to hear 2 beware of, watch out for, look out for Kijk uit voor namaak! click to hear 2 3 Watch out for fakes, beware of imitations

uitkijken naar click to hear 2 looking forward to Ik kijk uit naar de Kerstdagen click to hear I'm looking forward to the Christmas Holiday Ik kijk uit naar de feestdagen click to hear I'm looking forward to the holidays Iets om naar uit te kijken click to hear 2 Something to look forward to

Kijk om je heen! click to hear 2 Look around you!

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

Sayings, Standard Phrases

Hij keek z'n ogen uit click to hear 2 3 He really enjoyed seeing something unexpected

Ik sta nergens meer van te kijken click to hear 2 [I'm surprised by nothing anymore'] - 'Nothing surprises me anymore' opkijken van click to hear 2 [to look up for] to be surprised, impressed by Daar kijkt niemand meer van op click to hear 2 3 Nobody is surprised, impressed by that anymore

De kat uit de boom kijken click to hear 2 ['looking the cat out of the tree'] - like a dog not climbing a tree after a cat, 'waiting to see how things develop, taking no action'

Kijk eens aan! click to hear 2 3 4 Look at that now! Well, well, well! Something unexpected happened or came up

'To look like' - commenting on an appearance, noting a similarity or giving an impression is said in various ways in Dutch. See and hear the Zien page.

Related Words

(het) oog click to hear eye
ogen click to hear eyes
[binoculars]
(de) verrekijker click to hear ['far-looker']

The noun 'look' is (de) blik click to hear - a look by a person, a glance, a gaze
- but (het) blik click to hear is 'tin, can, tin can'
- usually in the diminutive (het) blikje click to hear 2

[a few cans of food]
blikjes click to
  hear
[can openers]
blikopeners click to hear
singular: (de) blikopener click to hear

een blikje cola click to hear a can of coke een blikje bonen click to hear 2 3 a (small) can of beans (de) blikvergiftiging click to hear 2 3 ['tin can poisoning'] - when you leave food in an opened can metals dissolve into the food

(het) ogenblik click to hear 2 ['blink of an eye'] moment (het) ogenblikje click to hear 2 a short moment "een ogenblikje" click to hear "just a moment" "een ogenblikje alstublieft" click to hear "just a moment please"

also: (het) moment click to hear moment
"momentje" click to hear 2 "just a moment"
"een momentje alstublieft" click to hear "just a moment please"

blik op oneindig click to hear 2 3 ['eye focus set to infinity'] ~the thousand-mile stare

Een blik in de toekomst click to hear 2 A look into the future, a view of the future

Als blikken konden doden ... click to hear 2 If looks could kill ...

Zonder blikken of blozen click to hear 2 ['without batting an eyelid or any blushing'] - shamelessly doing something questionable

Zien
to see
- Horen
to hear
- Kijken
to look

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Gij zult niet stelen click to hear 'Thou shalt not steal'