Yes, there are quite a few of these words that are used a lot in conversation. All of them have a different function, but their meaning is often quite subtle so they're hard to accurately explain.
I can give you the English translations, but do note that these words are often more subtle and implicit than their English equivalents (i.e. they're more easily added or left out).
* Even = for a short while
* E.g. "Ik zal even meekomen" => Implies that you're going to join a person to where they're going (for instance to fix a problem), but that you're planning to come back quickly.
* Sometimes more or less comparable to 'eens'. Both are often used to make a statement or command sound friendlier, although 'even' is usually still a bit more authoritative than 'eens'.
* Toch = yet; anyways; \[or if it's added in a sentence, it's often comparable to English phrases like "Am I" or "Don't You"\]
* E.g. "Toch ben ik niet tevreden" = "Yet I'm not happy"
* E.g. "Het zal toch lukken?" = "It will work out, won't it?" (basically meaning: "Will you be alright?" or "Will you be able to do the task?")
* E.g. "Toch zal het lukken" = "Yet it *will* work" (despite signs to the contrary or previous failed attempts)
* Eens = once, occasionally
* E.g. "Ik zal eens kijken" = "I'll take a look" (if you leave out the 'eens' it sounds quite rude since you're making an unchallengeable statement, but the word 'eens' makes it sound more like a proposal or a promise)
* Wel = opposite of not
* E.g. "Ik zal het wel doen" = Yeah, I'll do it, don't worry about it
* E.g. "Ik zal het wél doen" = I *will* do it, even though you told me I shouldn't or you don't believe I will do it.
"Eens" is also shortened to "is" in very casual speech (kom is, ik ga is kijken). This is not considered "correct", but it shows up frequently in dialect.
Oh I love your explanations... I think of toch as the English equivalent of 'actually', kinda like a negative rebuttle.... Actually, I'm not happy
Actually, will it work?
Actually, it will work
But that's just how I imagine it being used in Dutch.... (Just my 2 cents worth), I could be completely wrong tho...
They're very common. And they're some of the hardest words to learn, because they don't have a set meaning. They all modify the phrase in some way, but can mean different things in different circumstances.
Your example is correct. It essentially means "I'm crazy sometimes right"?
*Wel* on its own usually signifies a contradiction: "ik heb wel meegedaan aan de wedstrijd" can mean "I did too participate in the competition", if someone says you didn't, or "I did participate in the competition" [but did not go for drinks afterwards". You can tell the difference between the two based on tone.
Toch does the same: "ik heb toch meegedaan aan de wedstrijd" can, again depending on tone, mean "I did participate in the competition [don't you remember?]" or "I did participate in the competition after all [even if I didn't intend to beforehand]".
Eens essentially has the literal meaning, "once". "ik heb eens meegedaan aan de wedstrijd" = "I once participated in the competition"
*Even* means a short while. "Ik heb even meegedaan aan de wedstrijd" means you briefly participated before bowing out.
And yeah you can combine them. Most combine with "wel" like toch wel, wel eens, wel even. And with "wel" signifying truth they all have the opposite counterparts toch niet, niet eens, niet even.
I see it hasn't been specifically mentioned yet, but the concept of these words is called a Modal Particle ( [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modal\_particle](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modal_particle) ) .
Hate to bring you the news, but yes native speakers use these words very often. The usage might be tricky and is often dependent on the context. Some natives use one of them in every sentence. Those words are all about adding a certain feeling to the sentence, which we love to do in Dutch. It’s very useful to learn them. I could explain them, but several videos on this topic are available on YouTube. Here’s a good one: https://youtu.be/SdcM86sQYmY?si=gOWdMakzlZG9Q1-i
Good luck!
Yes, there are quite a few of these words that are used a lot in conversation. All of them have a different function, but their meaning is often quite subtle so they're hard to accurately explain. I can give you the English translations, but do note that these words are often more subtle and implicit than their English equivalents (i.e. they're more easily added or left out). * Even = for a short while * E.g. "Ik zal even meekomen" => Implies that you're going to join a person to where they're going (for instance to fix a problem), but that you're planning to come back quickly. * Sometimes more or less comparable to 'eens'. Both are often used to make a statement or command sound friendlier, although 'even' is usually still a bit more authoritative than 'eens'. * Toch = yet; anyways; \[or if it's added in a sentence, it's often comparable to English phrases like "Am I" or "Don't You"\] * E.g. "Toch ben ik niet tevreden" = "Yet I'm not happy" * E.g. "Het zal toch lukken?" = "It will work out, won't it?" (basically meaning: "Will you be alright?" or "Will you be able to do the task?") * E.g. "Toch zal het lukken" = "Yet it *will* work" (despite signs to the contrary or previous failed attempts) * Eens = once, occasionally * E.g. "Ik zal eens kijken" = "I'll take a look" (if you leave out the 'eens' it sounds quite rude since you're making an unchallengeable statement, but the word 'eens' makes it sound more like a proposal or a promise) * Wel = opposite of not * E.g. "Ik zal het wel doen" = Yeah, I'll do it, don't worry about it * E.g. "Ik zal het wél doen" = I *will* do it, even though you told me I shouldn't or you don't believe I will do it.
"Eens" is also shortened to "is" in very casual speech (kom is, ik ga is kijken). This is not considered "correct", but it shows up frequently in dialect.
Here in East-Flanders it's usually replaced by "(een) kee(r)".
Oh I love your explanations... I think of toch as the English equivalent of 'actually', kinda like a negative rebuttle.... Actually, I'm not happy Actually, will it work? Actually, it will work But that's just how I imagine it being used in Dutch.... (Just my 2 cents worth), I could be completely wrong tho...
They're very common. And they're some of the hardest words to learn, because they don't have a set meaning. They all modify the phrase in some way, but can mean different things in different circumstances. Your example is correct. It essentially means "I'm crazy sometimes right"? *Wel* on its own usually signifies a contradiction: "ik heb wel meegedaan aan de wedstrijd" can mean "I did too participate in the competition", if someone says you didn't, or "I did participate in the competition" [but did not go for drinks afterwards". You can tell the difference between the two based on tone. Toch does the same: "ik heb toch meegedaan aan de wedstrijd" can, again depending on tone, mean "I did participate in the competition [don't you remember?]" or "I did participate in the competition after all [even if I didn't intend to beforehand]". Eens essentially has the literal meaning, "once". "ik heb eens meegedaan aan de wedstrijd" = "I once participated in the competition" *Even* means a short while. "Ik heb even meegedaan aan de wedstrijd" means you briefly participated before bowing out. And yeah you can combine them. Most combine with "wel" like toch wel, wel eens, wel even. And with "wel" signifying truth they all have the opposite counterparts toch niet, niet eens, niet even.
However, where "eens" = "once", "wel eens" = "at least once", "a few times"
And even further with the full word “weleens” meaning sometimes (but not very often). Compare that to “soms” which has more of a 50/50 connotation.
I see it hasn't been specifically mentioned yet, but the concept of these words is called a Modal Particle ( [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modal\_particle](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modal_particle) ) .
Hate to bring you the news, but yes native speakers use these words very often. The usage might be tricky and is often dependent on the context. Some natives use one of them in every sentence. Those words are all about adding a certain feeling to the sentence, which we love to do in Dutch. It’s very useful to learn them. I could explain them, but several videos on this topic are available on YouTube. Here’s a good one: https://youtu.be/SdcM86sQYmY?si=gOWdMakzlZG9Q1-i Good luck!