1. dishes [noun] [de afwas, <no plural>] ['af-was']

"Afwas" can refer either to the dishes that are washed, or the activity of washing the dishes / washing up, see 2.

Examples:
- "Liefie, wil jij de afwas even naar de keuken dragen?"
("Sweetie, will you just carry the dishes into the kitchen?")

- "Dat is een heel grote afwas, zeker van een hele week!"
("That’s a lot of dishes, must be from an entire week!" Lit.: "…certainly from an entire week!" Note the use of "heel" and "hele": the first is an adverb, the second an adjective. Very often Dutch people will use "hele" in both cases, but this is wrong .)

Related words:
- "Vaat": synonym for "afwas": dishes.
- "Afwasmachine": dishwasher.
- "Vaatwasser": dishwasher.
- "Afwasborstel": dishwashing brush.
- "Theedoek": tea towel, dishtowel.

2. doing/washing the dishes [noun] [de afwas, <no plural>] ['af-was']

Note that this translation can only be used when referring to the activity. For the actual activity we either say "de afwas doen", or "afwassen", see Related Words.

Examples:
- "Geen zin in de afwas? Blijf dan maar lekker liggen op de bank, scheetje van me. Ik doe het vanavond wel."
("Don’t feel like doing the dishes / washing up? Just keep lying on the couch/sofa, my (little) darling. I will do it tonight.")

Related words:
- "Afwassen": verb, synonymous to "de afwas doen": doing the dishes, to wash up.
- "Afdrogen": to dry (up) (the dishes).