This is (un-)likely to take very long.

(on-)waarschijnlijk

He preferred to live abroad.

in ‘t buitenland

We have abundant proof of his guilt.

overvloedig

I don’t have access to that information.

toegang

This collection of paintings is not accessible to the public.

toegankelijk

This is a real achievement.

prestatie

He devotes his time to the acquisition of knowledge.

verwerving

This vase is his latest acquisition.

verwerving

The additional charges were quite high.

toegevoegd

He has only one aim in life - to make his fortune before he is fifty.

doel

My ancestors lived in this castle.

voorouders

The manager received 20 applications for the position.

sollicitaties

Not everybody was pleased with his appointment.

benoeming

I can’t come, I have an appointment at five.

afspraak

All the approaches to the Palace were guarded.

toegangswegen

He used a different approach each time.

benadering

He stood there in a threatening attitude.

houding

There were no tickets available for Friday’s performance.

beschikbaar

She didn’t realize their awareness of these problems.

bewustzijn

We barely had time to catch the train.

nauwelijks / amper

Who will accept this challenge

uitdaging

There’s a fierce competition between those two firms.

concurrentie

The concept that Christianity is superior to other religions has caused a lot of problems.

idee

The people concerned were desperate.

waar ‘t om ging

He gave a boring speech concerning the latest proposals.

over / betreft

This is a contemporary record of events.

eigentijds (bijv.nmw.)

He has shown nothing but contempt for the law until now.

minachting

The conviction of the accused man surprised us.

veroordeling

Do you always act up to your convictions?

overtuigingen

The RSPCA is the Royal Society for the preventionof cruelty to animals.

wreedheid

To his relief the police revealed the deception.

bedrog

The decline of the Roman Empire.

achteruitgang / verval

She was a descendant of the Prince of Orange.

afstammeling

The policeman could not detect any traces of burglary.

ontdekken

The train is due to arrive at 4.30.

moet (bij afspraak)

The accident was due to careless driving.

te wijten aan

He lifted the big rock without effort.

inspanning

he players failed in their effort to win the match.

poging

The emphasis is on the first paragraph.

nadruk

He carried a great variety of equipment.

uitrusting

The iceman was better equipped than the men who found him.

uitgerust / toegerust

There wasn’t enough evidence to prove him guilty.

bewijs(materiaal)

It was evident that he spoke the truth.

duidelijk

If you use cowdung the soil will become more fertile.

vruchtbaar

We must be patient for the sake of peace.

omwille van

He was a kind and generous man.

royaal

He wasn’t hungry but just greedy.

gulzig / hebzuchtig

I hardly know her.

nauwelijks / amper

Smoking poses a hazard to your health.

gevaar

Eventually the hostage was released.

gegijzelde

He, however, preferred to live abroad.

echter

Shall I pay in advance?

vooruit

She drove too fast; in consequence she had an accident

dus / zodoende

He voted in favour of the plan.

ten gunste van

He told me incidentally he was going abroad.

toevallig

He will, inevitably, find out about this.

onvermijdelijk

This inheritance enabled me to buy a car.

erfenis

They only interview male candidates today.

mannelijk

That was a typically masculine thing to do.

mannelijke manier van doen

An inch is a measure of length.

maat

They took strong measures against dangerous drivers.

maatregelen

A writer of great narrative power.

ertellend

This is an interesting narrative.

vertelling

This man is very popular as a narrator of adventure stories.

verteller

After the negotiations had been concluded,

onderhandelingen

the treaty was signed.

verdrag

I’m afraid I have no option.

keuze

When his parents died, he became an orphan.

wees

The firm (under-)overestimated their clients’ loyalty, once their crimes had been exposed by the med

(onder-)overschatten

Read the first paragraph.

alinea

This painting is particularly beautiful.

bijzonder

The passion of love can be very strong.

hartstocht

The passion of Christ.

‘t lijden

This phrase is very well-chosen.

zin / uitdrukking

Honesty is the best policy.

beleid

The preceding years have been difficult.

voorafgaand

Most people have a prejudice towards modern jazz.

vooroordeel

He had seen her the previous day.

vorig

Is there any proof that the accused was at the scene of the crime

bewijs

This latest proposal would certainly be good for

both our economies.

At that time people lived in great prosperity.

welvaart

After the war he had a prosperous business.

welvarend / bloeiend

His qualifications were inferior to hers.

diploma’s

This shop sells cotton fabrics in a wide range.

reeks / rij / collectie

He was always surrounded by reliable servants.

betrouwbaar

To his relief the police revealed the deception.

opluchting

What’s the reward for this?

beloning / prijs

That man was very rude to me.

grof / bot

I scarcely knew what to to.

nauwelijks, amper

... We really need to broaden the scope of our songs ...

... omvang/ strekking ...

That is the only sensible thing I’ve heard you say today.

verstandig

This sentence is grammatically incorrect.

zin

The judge passed a sentence of three years’ imprisonment.

straf

He instructed us to dress similarly.

gelijk / net zo

Learning a foreign language is a question of learning new skills.

vaardigheden

There is a great demand for skilled workmen.

geschoold

He is not very skillful with his chopsticks.

vaardig

Where does the Rhine have its source?

bron

The news comes from a reliable source.

bron

First he wanted to make a statement.

verklaring / bewering

Will ten pounds be sufficient for the expenses of your journey

voldoende

...She aimed at the target. ...

... doel ...

Business is showing a tendency to improve.

neiging

This is the last but one puppy from the nest.

de een na laatste

He uttered some threats against me.

dreigementen

She had to alter that dress.

veranderen

It wasn’t easy for him to express his feelings.

uitdrukken

Your complexion is wonderful. Don’t try to improve upon nature.

verbeteren

This inheritance enabled me to buy a car.

erfenis

I would like to inquire of you the reason for this behaviour.

vragen / informeren (naar)

Don’t become involved!

erbij betrokken

She forgot to mention her name.

vermelden / noemen

This will be difficult to prove.

bewijzen

You will fail unless you work harder.

tenzij

This list will be of great value to you.

waarde

Does that price include VAT?

BTW

The villain of the play was caught in the end.

schurk

The room was virtually dark.

nagenoeg

Are these lessons voluntary?

vrijwillig

Some people are quite vulnerable to criticism.

wetsbaar

Some people like fat meat, whereas others hate it.

terwijl / daarentegen

I don’t agree with regard to your remark about this issue.

wat betreft

I can’t tell you anything with respect to that subject.

wat betreft

In my youth I was very unhappy.

jeugd

A couple of youths were standing at the corner.

jongelui

These clothes are (un)suitable for cold weather.

(on)geschikt

He read a quotation from Shakespeare.

citaat

The schoolbuilding wasn’t big enough to accommodate all the students.

onderbrengen

Smoking affects the heart and lungs.

beïnvloeden

He needs that amount of money to survive.

hoeveelheid

Are these subjects compulsory?

verplicht

The study demonstrated a direct link between being too fat and being unhealthy.

aantonen

If you use fertilizer, your plants will grow better.

kunstmest