The pattern
Put even, maar or eens early in the sentence, usually after the verb and any short pronouns. Even says "just quickly", maar says "go ahead" and eens says "try this".
- even: a small favour or a short action. Wacht even. In text messages people often write ff: Ben ff weg.
- maar: permission or encouragement. Ga maar zitten. Zeg het maar.
- eens: an invitation to look, taste or try. Proef eens. In speech it often shrinks to 's: Kijk 's.
- A short pronoun such as me, je or het usually comes before the particle: Kun je me even helpen?
- The particle comes before an infinitive (the full verb form, like zitten) and before the second part of a separable verb: Ga maar zitten, Kom maar binnen.
- They work in commands and in questions: Kom maar. Mag ik even langs? With u it sounds like this: Gaat u maar zitten.
Examples
| Kun je me even helpen met deze doos? | Could you help me with this box for a second? |
| Wacht even, ik pak mijn fiets. | Hang on a moment, I'm getting my bike. |
| Mag ik even langs? | Could I just get past? |
| Kom maar binnen, Sanne. | Come on in, Sanne. |
| Gaat u maar zitten, de huisarts komt zo. | Please take a seat, the GP will be with you shortly. |
| Zeg het maar. | Go ahead, what can I get you? |
| Kijk eens, het sneeuwt! | Look, it's snowing! |
| Proef eens, Priya heeft deze soep gemaakt. | Have a taste, Priya made this soup. |
| Vraag het eens aan Joris. | Why don't you ask Joris? |
Why it works this way
The imperative, the command form of a verb, is very bare in Dutch: Kom. Ga zitten. Help me. English speakers soften commands with "please", "could you" or "just". Dutch speakers do that too, but very often they simply drop in a particle: a small word that adds tone rather than content. Compare:
- Ga zitten. sounds like an instruction to a class. Ga maar zitten. means "feel free to sit down".
- Help me. sounds urgent, almost like an emergency. Kun je me even helpen? asks for a small favour.
- Kijk naar het bord. is an order. Kijk eens naar die hond. means "have a look at that dog".
Even keeps its "short and quick" meaning outside requests too: Ik ga even naar de supermarkt means "I'm just popping to the supermarket". Tone matters, especially with maar: it can also sound like "fine, then", as in Zoek het maar uit ("sort it out yourself"). If you speak German, even and eens often do the job of "mal".
Remember: think of three hand gestures. Even is one raised finger: "one second". Maar is an open palm: "go ahead". Eens is a pointing finger: "look at this, try this".
Once these feel natural, you can stack them, as in Kom maar even kijken. That is the topic of particle combinations. The next set of small words, toch, wel, hoor, nou and gewoon, adds even more colour.
Watch out
NotKun je even me helpen?
SayKun je me even helpen?
the short pronoun me goes before the particle
NotKom binnen maar.
SayKom maar binnen.
the particle comes before binnen, not at the end like English "then"
NotMag ik maar het zout?
SayMag ik even het zout?
when you ask for something, use even; maar gives permission
NotEven Bas heeft gedanst.
SayZelfs Bas heeft gedanst.
English "even" in this sense is zelfs
Quick check
- On a busy train you want to get past someone. Fill in even, maar or eens: Mag ik ... langs?
- Daan asks: Mag ik de laatste stroopwafel? You say yes, go ahead. Fill in even, maar or eens: Ja, neem ...!
- Put the words in the right order to make a question: helpen / me / even / je / kun
- Fix the sentence: Ga zitten maar, de dokter komt zo.
Show the answers
- even: you are asking for something small and quick.
- maar: you are giving permission.
- Kun je me even helpen? The short pronoun me comes before even.
- Ga maar zitten, de dokter komt zo. The particle comes before the infinitive zitten.
Use it today
Use each word once today: ask a colleague Kun je even kijken?, let someone go first at the supermarket checkout with Ga maar voor, and show a friend something on your phone with Kijk eens.