Question
Updated on
6 May 2022
- English (US) Near fluent
-
Dutch
Question about Dutch
What is the difference between afwerken, afmaken and voltooien ?Feel free to just provide example sentences.
What is the difference between afwerken, afmaken and voltooien ?Feel free to just provide example sentences.
Please give me somes examples so i understand better! Thank you!
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- Dutch
According to Google, these words translate as finish up, finish off and complete. Suppose you want to make a closet. Finishing (off) means that the cabinet is assembled. You finish it (up) by painting it.
Afmaken and voltooien (complete) are nearly the same. You complete writing a book, you finnish doing your homework.
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- English (US) Near fluent
- Dutch
- English (UK) Near fluent
@derrickantoine afmaken means also to end someones life 😅
"Ik maak je af" (I end you)
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Afwerken:
1. To finish something up, to make it look neat and tidy, to add the finishing touches. It's usually with creative processes, or with something that has to look presentable. As such, you'd use it with things like cake or clothes you're making but not with homework. If you have an essay or PowerPoint (usually it's something visual, so I suppose a PPT would be more common) you could use afwerken for it, though, because it's a process. Afwerken literally means "To work (until something is) done"
- Ik ben bijna klaar met de bedrijfsopdracht, ik moet het alleen nog afwerken.
TL: I'm almost finished with the company assignment, I just have to add the finishing touches.
2. To finish something in a systematic manner or from a list (one by one).
- We moeten nog een aantal dingen afwerken die op de agenda staan.
* We still have to complete a few things that are left on the agenda.
- De boodschappenlijst afwerken.
* To (systematically) do (implied: buy things from) the grocery list.
- De overige projecten zal ik zo snel mogelijk afwerken.
* I will finish up the remaining projects as quickly as possible.
Afmaken
1. To complete/finish, the same as "voltooien" but it feels less formal and tends to be used more often. It literally means "to make (until something is) done".
* We moeten dit voor vandaag afmaken.
- We have to complete this before the end of today.
2. To finish up, doesn't have the nuance of making sure something is good/neat/tidy, it just purely means to finish up something you've started.
- Ik moet mijn huiswerk afmaken.
* I have to finish my homework.
3. To kill, can be used figuratively or literally
- Ik ga je afmaken!
* I'll kill you! (literally: I'll finish you!"
4. To judge something unfavorably, or to get a scolding. "To finish someone off" in a more figurative sense. It tends to be used in combination with "helemaal", so that it'll translate as "to annihilate completely".
- Ze werden helemaal afgemaakt in die wedstrijd.
* They got completely annihilated in that competition.
- Ze maakte die auteur helemaal af nadat de geruchten over zijn vader naar buiten kwamen.
* They completely annihilated (canceled) that author after the rumors about his father came to light.
- Ik werd helemaal afgemaakt door m'n leraar.
* I got completely annihilated (scolded) by my teacher.
- Die TV-serie werd natuurlijk helemaal afgemaakt.
* That TV show (series) got completely canceled (figuratively) of course.
5. To go to sleep. Only used by parents, guardians, adults, when telling children to stop what they're doing and go sleep. Simply like "Jullie moeten nu afmaken", it's the same as "Jullie moeten nu naar bed", but afmaken implies the kid is busy doing something. So it's like.. stop what you're doing and go sleep.
Voltooien has the same function as the 1st function of afmaken, and just means "to complete something". However, voltooien implies the work is done and no work is left. So it's not the same as "to finish up" it's just "to finish" or rather "to complete". For example, in a game when you've finished a level, it'd say "U heeft dit level voltooid" rather than "U heeft dit level afgewerkt" (wouldn't make sense) or "U heeft dit level afgemaakt" (also wouldn't make sense, because it's already completely over). It literally means "to decorate fully", it's like saying you've finished "afwerken", so now it's "voltooid" (completely decorated: perfect).
TLDR:
Afwerken: 1. To add finishing touches to something, usually a project or creative process. 2. To finish something systematically, one by one, like going down a list.
Afmaken: To finish something up, anything. Also has other meanings depending on the context—such as to kill (literally & figuratively) or critique harshly.
Voltooien: To complete something. Tends to be used in past tense only, most people don't say "Ik moet dit voltooien," it doesn't sound natural because voltooien implies everything is finished already so there's no work left.
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