Als het ware
Example: Hij is als het ware mijn tweede vader geworden.
Definition
"Als het ware" is a Dutch expression used to indicate that something is true in a figurative or metaphorical sense, similar to saying 'as it were' or 'so to speak' in English. It suggests an approximation or a non-literal comparison, as in 'He has become, as it were, my second father.'
Etymology
The phrase "als het ware" literally translates to 'as it were' in English. It comes from the Dutch words 'als' (as), 'het' (the), and 'ware' (were), where 'ware' is the past subjunctive form of 'zijn' (to be). It's a fixed expression used to convey metaphorical or hypothetical meaning, similar to its English counterpart.
Learn to use this expression actively
"Als het ware" appears in the Vocaplus list "Dutch - General - Idioms and Proverbs - (A1) - set 1", containing 109 commonly used expressions.
Would you like to not only understand these expressions, but also remember them and use them actively? Create a free account and select Dutch as the language you want to learn.
Create a free account
as it were