A small Dutch particle: what does "even" even mean?

Even means "a short amount of time" / "a short while". Look:

• A. Ik ga even naar de supermarkt.
• I am going to the supermarket for a while/for a bit.
• -------------------------------------------------------
• B. Hij is even op vakantie geweest.
• He has been on a vacation for a while.

Put the sentences above in Google Translate and translate them to English. You will notice something strange: even will be translated in sentence B, but not in sentence A. It will just be left out. Why? It's because Google Translate recognises it as a particle. A small word that adds a certain mood to a sentence.

The hidden meaning of "even" in Dutch

So, why doesn't Google Translate always translate even into "for a while"? It's because even can also be used as a particle instead of an indicator of time. Let's look a a few examples:

• Doe jij het raam even dicht?
• Ik ga even naar het toilet.
• Ik denk dat wij even moeten praten.

Why would you say that you are going to the bathroom "for a while"? And why would you ask someone to close the window "for a while"? The thing is, even is not used here to indicate how long an action will take, but to make the sentence nicer, more friendly. That's why you will see it a lot in orders or requests.

It will make the order or request sound less harsh. It's like it is not such a big deal!

• Kun jij me even helpen?
• Wil jij even boodschappen doen?
• Ga even zitten!

So, just throw even into a sentence to sound more friendly. Just try it!