When talking about DIY projects or odd jobs (klussen), you'll often use alleen (alone) and zelf (yourself, myself, etc.).
Doing it Alone: Alleen
Use the adverb alleen to express that you are doing something unaccompanied, without the help or presence of other people.
| We aren't doing odd jobs alone today, because the neighbor is helping. | Wij klussen vandaag niet alleen, want de buurman helpt. |
| You must not use those dangerous tools alone. | Je moet dat gevaarlijke gereedschap niet alleen gebruiken. |
Doing it Yourself: Zelf
Use the emphatic pronoun zelf to emphasize that you are performing the action personally, rather than having someone else do it. For example, you might not be working alleen (because friends are helping), but you are still doing the work zelf instead of hiring a professional.
| No, we chose the new wallpaper ourselves. | Nee, we hebben het nieuwe behang zelf gekozen. |
| What are you drilling that hole with yourselves? | Waarmee boren jullie dat gat zelf? |
Adding Emphasis: Helemaal
To make your sentence even stronger, place helemaal (completely / entirely) in front of these words.
- Helemaal zelf means you did the work 100% personally.
- Helemaal alleen means you were completely by yourself.
| I bought the expensive tools entirely by myself. | Ik heb het dure gereedschap helemaal zelf gekocht. |
| She wants to hang the wooden shelf all by herself. | Zij wil de houten plank helemaal alleen ophangen. |
Your questions are stored by us to improve Elon.io