# let op en pas op



## Hitchhiker

Years ago I had a Flemish teacher tell me that there is a real difference between "let op" and "pas op". She never did explain the difference. I know pas op is watch out (for) or to watch after (children) or beware and let op is given as be careful or to attend or pay attention. I've since studied Afrikaans (Zuid-Afrikaans) for 8 year and I think I now understand the difference but I've never had anybody explain the difference to me.

In English we can yell "Watch out!!!" and we can watch out for something specific. We use be careful usually before any danger and it can be non-specific but we can also yeall "Be careful!!" in times of danger or perhaps less serious that "Watch out!!!"

Can somebody explain the differences between *oppassen and opletten?*

I might be missing something but I might finally have a handle these words.


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## Lopes

Hmmmm, I've never thought of this before, but I would say that *opletten *is just paying attention. To a lesson, to a movie, to music, or to you children that are walking around the street. 

*Oppassen* is used to be careful, and I think there is also some specific danger around. (It also means babysitting but we'll ignore that now). 

You say *pas op! *when something bad is about to happen. *Let op! *kan be used as well, but it implies that something bad will happen because the person you're saying it to is being careless. 
You also say *let op* when for example you are a teacher and a student is not listening. 

Another way of saying _watch out! _is *Kijk uit! *which seems to be the literal translation of _watch out_. 

Did I forget something?


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## Arrius

My impression is that *pas op* is usually a more urgent warning than *let op*. I remember a notice in the street outside a construction site in Amsterdam which said _Let op oliespatten!_ which meant you should pay attention in case there is dripping oil, whereas if someone shouts _pas op_ you get out of the way or duck.
By the way the loan word _pasopu_ has gone into Chilapalapa, the lingua franca of the mines in southern Africa and thence into many Bantu languages.


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## Hitchhiker

Thanks, I think I have a better understanding of them now. In English we also have the expression to "watch after children" which pretty much the same as babysit. I'm trying to remember the signs above stairs or escalators in Belgium. I think they may have said "let op" (voor..) Now I understand the be careful part of opletten for when a person is being careless. I think oppassen fits well as beware. I forget what the Dutch signs say for "beware of the dog". It's been a long time and I seem to remember they had a different expression from what I would expect but I don't remember what is they say.


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## Lopes

Hitchhiker said:


> I forget what the Dutch signs say for "beware of the dog". It's been a long time and I seem to remember they had a different expression from what I would expect but I don't remember what is they say.



PAS OP DE HOND

Als de hond komt: plat op de grond gaan liggen en om hulp roepen. 
Als er geen hulp komt: sterkte


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## Hitchhiker

Arrius said:


> My impression is that *pas op* is usually a more urgent warning than *let op*. I remember a notice in the street outside a construction site in Amsterdam which said _Let op oliespatten!_ which meant you should pay attention in case there is dripping oil, whereas if someone shouts _pas op_ you get out of the way or duck.
> By the way the loan word _pasopu_ has gone into Chilapalapa, the lingua franca of the mines in southern Africa and thence into many Bantu languages.




In South Africa there are road signs that say "Pasop vir Bobbejane" or people might say Pasop vir die bobbejane". Which is beware of baboons or beware of the baboons.


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## Hitchhiker

I did think of another English word that both could sometimes be translated. The word "mind" can be used to mind children which is babysit and would be oppassen and the London Underground has mind the gap which I think would opletten but might be oppassen but I think it falls in to pay attention for the gap so opletten might be best here.


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## Joannes

Lopes said:


> You say *pas op! *when something bad is about to happen. *Let op! *kan be used as well, but it implies that something bad will happen because the person you're saying it to is being careless.


Good point and goes for *opgepast!* vs. *opgelet!* as well (perhaps not surprisingly).



Lopes said:


> PAS OP DE HOND


Echt zo of *pas op voor de hond*?


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## Lopes

Joannes said:


> Echt zo of *pas op voor de hond*?



Oeps, *pas op voor de hond* natuurlijk. *Pas op de hond* betekent iets anders (kan jij even op mijn hond passen?)


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## Hitchhiker

Lopes said:


> Oeps, *pas op voor de hond* natuurlijk. *Pas op de hond* betekent iets anders (kan jij even op mijn hond passen?)



Oh I see now. "Beware of the dog" and "take care of the dog".


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## ThomasK

I thought that it would be best to present the different meanings/ uses in this way:

(1) *Let op*/ *Pas op!* (Phrasal verb/ scheidbaar V) [VARIANTS/...: _Oppassen/ opletten!  --- Opgelet/ Opgepast_!]

(1b)* Let op voor *de hond/ *Pas op voor* de hond! (id. but with prep. "voor")

(2) *Let *jij even *op* de kinderen/ *Pas* jij even *op* de kinderen? (V + prep.!)
      NOUNS: XXXX/ de oppas (service, person)

(2a - of is het 1c?)) *Let niet op* de wanorde/ XXXX/ Sla geen acht op de wanorde. (V NEG op)

Do you agree? _BTW: don't you think that "fixed" (vaste) prepositions should be listed as part of the lemma? The verb in (1b) is of course related with the one in (1), but still... And especially: verb (2) in my view is "letten op", not just "letten"..._

I pasted these in a document, but added some synonyms (or near synonyms). I found "waken" in one such list, but "waken bij" is a very specific meaning of (2), isn't it? "Zich wachten voor" is like (1b) but do we still use it???


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## Pocahontas van Merteuil

"Let op" also means being attentive, in the sense of paying attention (e.g. during a class)


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## Renevanhezewijk

Hitchhiker said:


> Years ago I had a Flemish teacher tell me that there is a real difference between "let op" and "pas op". She never did explain the difference. I know pas op is watch out (for) or to watch after (children) or beware and let op is given as be careful or to attend or pay attention. I've since studied Afrikaans (Zuid-Afrikaans) for 8 year and I think I now understand the difference but I've never had anybody explain the difference to me.
> 
> In English we can yell "Watch out!!!" and we can watch out for something specific. We use be careful usually before any danger and it can be non-specific but we can also yeall "Be careful!!" in times of danger or perhaps less serious that "Watch out!!!"
> 
> Can somebody explain the differences between *oppassen and opletten?*
> 
> I might be missing something but I might finally have a handle these words.



Attention! In Dutch in the Netherlands 'pas op' means 'look out' e.g. 'for the bus' (look right, look left, look right, etc.). And it means look after the children. In Flanders it is used as a kind of expletive as well. So I heard some one say, "maar pas op, het was mooi weer toen ik met de auto giing". A 'Netherdutch' would use it this way, while a 'Flemdutch' would use it perhaps every other sentence.


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## Pocahontas van Merteuil

Dutch people would also use it when narrating a story, just like in your example Rnevanhezewijk, though it ain't common.


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