{"id":3081,"date":"2017-11-02T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2017-11-01T23:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/nllanguagep-bali.savviihq.com\/blog\/uncategorized\/learn-dutch-small-words-little-meaning\/"},"modified":"2025-06-17T13:48:44","modified_gmt":"2025-06-17T11:48:44","slug":"learn-dutch-small-words-little-meaning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/languagepartners.nl\/en\/blog\/dutch-as-a-second-language\/learn-dutch-small-words-little-meaning\/","title":{"rendered":"Learn Dutch: Small words, little meaning?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Small words. The <a href=\"https:\/\/languagepartners.nl\/en\/language-courses\/nt2-course\/\">Dutch language<\/a> is riddled with them and often they can be omitted without drastically changing the meaning of the sentence, in which they occur. It makes you wonder then, whether we really need these words; personally I think we do. In this blog I will look at some of these words and the reasons why they\u2019re not so disposable after all.<!--more--><\/p>\n<h2>\u2018Chameleons\u2019: \u2018toch\u2019 and \u2018nog\u2019<\/h2>\n<p>Some words can have more than one meaning. The word \u2018bark\u2019 for instance can refer to both the outer layer of a tree and the sound a dog makes. \u2018Chameleon words\u2019 are like that and yet they are not quite the same. They partially derive their meaning from context and they can be combined with other words. In Dutch, \u2018toch\u2019 and \u2018nog\u2019 are such words, as you will see in the examples below:<\/p>\n<h4>Toch<\/h4>\n<p>\u2018Jij komt vanavond ook, <strong>toch<\/strong>?\u2019 \u2013 \u2018You will also be there tonight, <strong>right<\/strong>?\u2019<br \/>\n\u2018Ik ben moe, <strong>maar<\/strong> ik kom <strong>toch<\/strong>.\u2019 \u2013 \u2018I\u2019m tired, <strong>but<\/strong> I\u2019ll <strong>still<\/strong> be there.\u2019<\/p>\n<h4>Nog<\/h4>\n<p>\u2018Ik heb <strong>nog<\/strong> vijf minuten om de bus te halen.\u2019 \u2013 \u2018I <strong>still<\/strong> have five minutes to catch the bus.\u2019<br \/>\n\u2018Ik heb <strong>nog<\/strong> <strong>niet<\/strong> gegeten.\u2019 \u2013 \u2018I haven\u2019t eaten <strong>yet<\/strong>.\u2019<br \/>\n\u2018Kun je dat <strong>nog<\/strong> <strong>een keer<\/strong> doen?\u2019 \u2013 \u2018Can you do that <strong>one more time<\/strong>?\u2019<\/p>\n<h2>\u2018Softeners\u2019: \u2018maar\u2019, \u2018eens\u2019, \u2018even\u2019<\/h2>\n<p>If there\u2019s one bit of language that does need toning down (or softening) then it\u2019s the imperative form. Whether you like it or not , when you use the imperative form you are giving someone else an order, so you should try to do it in the nicest way possible. That\u2019s why, in Dutch, the words \u2018maar\u2019, \u2018eens\u2019 and \u2018even\u2019 come in handy: they make your imperative form sound more like a suggestion\/invitation and less like a direct command. For instance, \u2018kom hier\u2019 is something that you would say to a dog, whereas it is perfectly acceptable to say to another person \u2018kom eens hier\u2019. You can also combine these words in several ways for added politeness.<\/p>\n<h2>\u2018Tone modifiers\u2019: \u2018wel\u2019 and \u2018eigenlijk\u2019<\/h2>\n<p>There are also words that can change the tone of what you\u2019re saying. In Dutch, the words \u2018wel\u2019 and \u2018eigenlijk\u2019 are used in this way. \u2018Eigenlijk\u2019 literally means \u2018actually\u2019 or \u2018in fact\u2019, but just like its English counterpart it isn\u2019t always used literally. Sometimes it\u2019s added to a sentence to make it sound more informal, or to create a warm atmosphere. In the following example, the word \u2018eigenlijk\u2019 makes it sound like an exception has been made just for you, whereas without it, it would sound more matter-of-fact: \u2018Ik heb (eigenlijk) geen tijd, maar ik kan je straks helpen.\u2019 (\u2018I don\u2019t have time, but I can help you later.\u2019)<\/p>\n<p>The word \u2018wel\u2019 is a bit more difficult to grasp. It has no real meaning of its own, but is often used to add emphasis or to make a sentence sound more friendly. Please take a look at the examples below:<\/p>\n<p>\u2018Ik heb tijd.\u2019 \u2013 \u2018I have time.\u2019<br \/>\n\u2018Ik heb wel tijd.\u2019 \u2013 \u2018I DO have time.\u2019 (Or simply \u2018I have time.\u2019 pronounced in a cheerful way.)<\/p>\n<p>These were just a few examples of \u2018small words\u2019 in Dutch that add nuance and subtlety to the language. Hopefully this blog has sparked your curiosity into finding out what else these words can \u2018do\u2019, and that the next time you see them you will be tempted to try to figure out how they are used.<\/p>\n<p><em>If you need any help with doing that, please contact Language Partners on 088 \u2013 0288000 or fill out our <a href=\"https:\/\/languagepartners.nl\/en\/contact\/\">contact form<\/a>. Our project coordinators will gladly advise you on a <a href=\"https:\/\/languagepartners.nl\/en\/language-courses\/nt2-course\/\">Dutch<\/a> or any other <a href=\"https:\/\/languagepartners.nl\/en\/language-courses\/\">language course<\/a> tailored to suit your needs.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Small words. The Dutch language is riddled with them and often they can be omitted without drastically changing the meaning of the sentence, in which they occur. It makes you wonder then, whether we really need these words; personally I think we do. In this blog I will look at&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":3025,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[190],"tags":[164],"class_list":["post-3081","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-dutch-as-a-second-language","tag-nt2taaltip-nederlands-en"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Learn Dutch: Small words, little meaning? - Language Partners<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/languagepartners.nl\/en\/blog\/dutch-as-a-second-language\/learn-dutch-small-words-little-meaning\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Learn Dutch: Small words, little meaning? - Language Partners\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Small words. 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