_Ook_ means also or too, _alleen_ means only, _zelfs_ means even, and _maar_, which you know as but, can mean only before an amount: _Het kost maar vijf euro_ (it only costs five euros). These are focus words: small words that point at one part of a sentence, and they usually stand right before that part. Move the word and you change the meaning: _Alleen Anna weet het_ (only Anna knows) is very different from _Anna weet het alleen niet_ (Anna just doesn't know).
The pattern
A focus word usually goes directly before the part of the sentence it is about. If that pair starts the sentence, the verb still comes second.
- _ook_ (also, too) adds something: _Ik wil ook een stuk taart_. With a negative it means either: _ook niet_, _ook geen_. When it is about the subject, it usually comes after the verb: _Priya komt ook_.
- _alleen_ (only) shuts out everyone and everything else: _Alleen Anna weet het_. It can also mean just, adding one snag (_Anna weet het alleen niet_), or alone (_Ik woon alleen_).
- _maar_ (only) makes a number or amount sound small: _Het kost maar vijf euro_.
- _zelfs_ (even) marks the surprising part: _Zelfs de trein was op tijd_.
- If the part comes later in the sentence, the focus word sits later too, right before that part: _Ik werk alleen op maandag thuis_.
Examples
| Alleen Fatima heeft een sleutel van het kantoor. | Only Fatima has a key to the office. |
|---|---|
| Anna wil graag helpen. Ze weet alleen niet hoe. | Anna would like to help. She just doesn't know how. |
| Ik werk alleen op maandag thuis. | I only work from home on Mondays. |
| Een parkeervergunning kost hier maar vijftig euro per jaar. | A parking permit only costs fifty euros a year here. |
| Zelfs de trein was vandaag op tijd. | Even the train was on time today. |
| Mei spreekt zelfs een beetje Fries. | Mei even speaks a bit of Frisian. |
| Priya komt ook naar de verjaardag van Lotte. | Priya is coming to Lotte's birthday too. |
| Ik heb geen auto en Ahmed heeft ook geen auto. | I don't have a car and Ahmed doesn't have one either. |
Why it works this way
Picture a focus word as a pointing finger: it usually points at what comes right after it. In _Alleen Anna weet het_ it points at Anna, so nobody else knows. _Alleen_ also has a second, softer job. In _Anna weet het alleen niet_ it means just or the only thing is: it does not shut anyone out, it adds one snag to something positive.
When a focus word stands directly before a part of the sentence, the two can often take the first place together. In a main clause (a sentence that can stand alone), the verb that changes with the person stays in second place ([Verb second](#/lesson/verb-second)), so in _Zelfs de trein was op tijd_ the group _Zelfs de trein_ fills the first slot and _was_ follows. In a sentence like I also work, English puts also before the main verb. Dutch puts the verb second, so _ook_ comes after it: _Ik werk ook_.
A focus word does not always stand next to its part. When _ook_ is about the subject (the person doing the action), everyday Dutch usually says _Priya komt ook_. _Ook Priya komt_ is also correct and puts extra weight on Priya as one more guest. In the middle of a sentence, your voice does the pointing: _Ik heb ook een fiets_ can mean I have a bike too (like you) or I also have a bike (as well as a car).
_Alleen_ excludes: _Ik drink alleen thee_ (no coffee, no wine). _Maar_ shrinks: _Ik drink maar één kopje thee per dag_. Before numbers and amounts, _maar_ is the usual everyday choice. You also know _maar_ as but ([En, maar, of, want, dus](#/lesson/coordinating-conjunctions)) and as a softener ([Even, maar, eens](#/lesson/softening-particles)); before an amount, it usually means only.
Remember: _ook_ adds, _alleen_ excludes, _maar_ shrinks, _zelfs_ surprises.
Watch out
- Not: _Ik neem een cappuccino ook._ Say: _Ik neem ook een cappuccino._ (_ook_ goes before the part it adds, not after it like too)
- Not: _Ik ook werk in Utrecht._ Say: _Ik werk ook in Utrecht._ (the verb stays in second place, so _ook_ follows it)
- Not: _Even mijn opa heeft een smartphone._ Say: _Zelfs mijn opa heeft een smartphone._ (_even_ means for a moment; the Dutch for even is _zelfs_)
- Not: _Dit is mijn alleen kans._ Say: _Dit is mijn enige kans._ (before a noun, only in the sense of the one and only is _enige_)
Quick check
- Choose _maar_ or _zelfs_: _Het zwembad is lekker goedkoop: een kaartje kost ... vier euro._
- Fill in the focus word: _Ik heb geen tijd en Yara heeft ... geen tijd._ (Yara doesn't have time either.)
- Fix the sentence and keep _Daan_ at the start: _Daan zelfs fietst naar Amsterdam._ (Daan even cycles to Amsterdam.)
- Choose _Alleen_ or _Zelfs_: _... Bas heeft een sleutel van de fietsenstalling, dus iedereen moet op hem wachten._
Answers
- _maar_: before an amount, it means only and makes the price sound small.
- _ook_: with _geen_ or _niet_, _ook_ means either.
- _Daan fietst zelfs naar Amsterdam._ The verb stays second, and _zelfs_ points at the surprising part.
- _Alleen_: Bas is the only one with a key, so the others have to wait.
Use it today
Send a friend or colleague a short message about your weekend in three sentences: one with _ook_, one with _alleen_ and one with _zelfs_, such as _Ik heb zelfs de ramen gelapt_. Before you press send, check that each focus word stands right before the part you mean.