Small Words, Big Frequency
These ten words are everywhere in spoken Dutch. Most are tiny; none translate perfectly; all of them you will meet every single day.
mee — along
Mee means "along (with)". It is the word behind separable verbs like meewerken, and it stands on its own after gaan and komen.
| Are you coming along to the city? | Ga je mee naar de stad? |
| My brother is coming along too. | Mijn broer komt ook mee. |
af — finished, off
When work is done, it is af.
| The work is finished. | Het werk is af. |
| The homework is almost finished. | Het huiswerk is bijna af. |
toe — go on
Toe points toward something; alone, toe maar encourages: go ahead!
| Go on, take a cookie! | Toe maar, neem een koekje! |
Together, af en toe means "now and then":
| Now and then I eat a cake. | Af en toe eet ik een taart. |
vast and gewoon
Vast says you are sure: "definitely". Gewoon plays it down: "just, simply" — or as an adjective, "ordinary".
| That is definitely fine. | Dat is vast goed. |
| I am just tired. | Ik ben gewoon moe. |
| That is very ordinary. | Dat is heel gewoon. |
ander, allemaal, iedereen, zelfs
Ander is "other"; allemaal is "all of them"; iedereen is "everyone"; zelfs is "even".
| I want another book. | Ik wil een ander boek. |
| We are all tired. | Wij zijn allemaal moe. |
| Everyone is welcome at the party. | Iedereen is welkom op het feest. |
| He even works on the weekend. | Hij werkt zelfs in het weekend. |
eigen — own
| I have my own room. | Ik heb een eigen kamer. |
| She has her own bicycle. | Zij heeft haar eigen fiets. |
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