vague, unclear, indefinite [adjective/adverb] [‘vaag‘]

The use of "vaag" is similar to the English "vague". In informal speech, however, you might hear "vaag" being used when the Dutch express they find something, well, vague, strange or unclear! See the Examples.

Examples:
– "Heb je gehoord dat Frank zomaar ontslagen is?" – "Echt? Vaag!!"
("Did you hear about Frank being fired just like that?" – "Really? Weird/bizar!!")

– "Hoe is nu de situatie met je ex?" – "Nou, nog steeds een beetje vaag…"
("So how is the current situation with your ex?" – "Well, still a bit indefinite…")

– "Ik kan me vaag herinneren dat we vandaag een afspraak hadden, maar ik weet het dus niet zeker!"
("I can vaguely remember that we have an appointment today, but I’m clearly not sure!" Be sure not to use "afspraakje" when you mean an "afspraak"!)

– "Hoe was je examen?" – "Nou, ik vond de vragen nogal vaag!"
("How did your exam go?" – "Well, I thought the questions were rather vague.")

Expressions:
– "Een vaag vermoeden hebben dat…": To have a sneaking suspicion that…
– "In een vaag verleden…": A long time ago… So long ago that you only vaguely remember… Literally: "in a vague past…"

Example:
– "In een vaag verleden heb ik wel eens gesquasht…"
("A long time ago I used to play squash now and then…")

Related words:
– "Duidelijk": clear.
– "Wazig": vague, blurry.