maar (Softener)

Maar as a Softener

Level 3

Kom maar in. (Go ahead, come in.) Ek sal maar wag. (I'll just wait.) Inside a sentence, maar softens.

How It Works

1. Two different maars. At the start of a clause, maar means but. Inside a sentence, it is a particle that changes the tone.

2. Friendly permission. In a command, maar means "go ahead, feel free":

3. Calm acceptance. Maar can show that you accept a situation:

4. Only, just. Maar can make something seem small: Dit was maar 'n klein foutjie. (It was only a small mistake.)

5. Where it goes. Put maar after the verb and before a separable prefix or the end of the sentence: Kom maar in.

Tip: maar often joins other particles, as in maar net. See stacking particles.

Kom maar in.
Come on in.
Word by Word: Come MAAR in.
Maar turns the command into friendly permission.
Ek sal maar wag.
I'll just wait.
Word by Word: I shall MAAR wait.
Dis maar hoe dit is.
That's just how it is.
Word by Word: It's MAAR how it is.
Sit maar jou tas hier neer.
Just put your bag down here.
Word by Word: Put MAAR your bag here down.
Jy kan maar gaan.
You can go now.
Word by Word: You can MAAR go.
Dit was maar 'n klein foutjie.
It was only a small mistake.
Word by Word: It was MAAR a small mistake.

Putting maar first when you mean "go ahead".
Maar kom in!
Kom maar in!
At the start, maar means but. To give friendly permission, put maar after the verb.
Putting maar after the separable prefix.
Kom in maar.
Kom maar in.
Maar goes before the separable prefix in, which stays at the end.

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

maar (Softener)Level 3Maar as a Softener

Maar can also soften a command or statement.

maar

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