zaak

Meaning

1. (feminine) a thing, matter (general term with for a concept other than animate beings)
2. (feminine) a matter, affair, business
3. (feminine) a business, commercial enterprise, store, shop
4. (feminine) a court case, law suit

Gender

♀️ Feminine

Pronounced as (IPA)

/zaːk/

Etymology

From Middle Dutch sāke, from Old Dutch *saka, from Proto-West Germanic *saku, from Proto-Germanic *sakō.
Cognate with English sake, West Frisian saak (“cause; business”), Low German Saak, German Sache (“thing; matter; cause; legal cause”), Yiddish זאַך (zakh), Danish sag, Swedish and Norwegian sak, Gothic 𐍃𐌰𐌺𐌾𐍉 (sakjō, “dispute, argument”).

Sentences

De zaak is heel belangrijk .

The issue is a very important one.

Ben je volkomen zeker van je zaak ?

Are you absolutely sure?

Ik zal dit onderzoeken , maar dit is geen persoonlijke zaak .

I shall look into the matter.

Dan nu de kern van de zaak .

I want to come back to the heart of the matter, however.

Daarom zou ik van dergelijke kwesties niet zo’n persoonlijke zaak willen maken .

I would therefore not make such a personal case of it.

Dan nu over de zaak zelf: ik wil bij het laatste punt beginnen .

As regards the matter at hand, I would like to begin with the last point.

Het is dan ook vooral zaak dat wij duidelijke grenzen stellen aan de arbeidstijd.

It is therefore especially important for us to set clear limits for working time.

Een aantal paragrafen in het verslag is aan deze zaak gewijd .

A number of paragraphs in the report have been devoted to this matter.