Dutch Expressions of Time: Beyond Days and Months

Duration expressions: gedurende (during/throughout — formal), tijdens (during), al (already/for — used with duration: Ik woon hier al drie jaar — I have been living here for three years), al drie jaar lang (for three years already), nog (still/yet — Ik woon er nog — I still live there), niet meer (no longer — Ik woon er niet meer — I no longer live there), pas (only/just — Ik ben er pas aangekomen — I only just arrived).

Frequency expressions: altijd (always), nooit (never), soms (sometimes), vaak (often), regelmatig (regularly), zelden (seldom/rarely), af en toe (now and then/occasionally), van tijd tot tijd (from time to time), dagelijks (daily), wekelijks (weekly), maandelijks (monthly), jaarlijks (annually). Frequency adverbs normally come after the conjugated verb in a main clause: Ik ga soms naar het museum (I sometimes go to the museum).

Sequence and vague time: eerder (earlier/before), later (later), daarna (after that/then), daarvoor (before that), intussen (meanwhile/in the meantime), ondertussen (meanwhile), al snel (soon/before long), straks (in a little while/later — Dutch straks is notoriously vague), zo meteen (in a moment), net (just now), zojuist (just now — more formal), over een tijdje (in a while — vague), binnenkort (soon), ooit (ever/once upon a time — in the future or past). The Dutch use of straks is particularly confusing for learners as it can mean in five minutes or this evening.

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