to watch/see/look [verb] [keek, gekeken; ‘kij-kun’]

The use of ‘kijken’ is best illustrated with a few examples (see below). Also, many so-called ‘samengestelde werkwoorden’ ("composed verbs") exist with ‘kijken’ as the main verb, see ‘Related words’.

Examples:
1. "De jeugd van tegenwoordig kijkt te veel televisie."
("Today’s youth watch too much television.")

2. "We zullen kijken wat we er aan kunnen doen!"
("We will see what we can do about it!")

3. "Kijk wie er daar aan komt lopen!"
("Look who’s coming there!" The construction ‘komen aanlopen’ in this context means ‘to arrive walking’ or ‘to walk in the direction of the speaker’.)

4. "Kijk uit!"
("Watch out!")

5. "Kijk me aan als ik tegen je praat!"
("Look at me when I’m talking to you!")

6. "Die man kijkt alsof hij water ziet branden!"
("That guy looks as if he sees water burn!")

7. "Kan ik u helpen?" – "Nee, ik kijk even rond."
(<in a shop:>"Can I help you?" – "No, I’m just browsing.")

Expressions:
1. "Kijken, kijken, niet kopen!".
Literally "looking, looking, not buying", often used to say to Dutch people when abroad, mocking the Dutch conservative spending pattern 🙂

2. "Kijk maar!"
Something like "just see", indicating you leave it up to the other to decide on what to do or how to progress.

3. "Even kijken…"
"Let me see…" Often the word ‘even’ becomes ‘effe’, which is very informal.

4. "De kat uit de boom kijken."
"Wait to see which way the wind blows / which way the cat jumps", literally: "To look the cat out of the tree". This expression appeared earlier in 66. Boom.

Related words:
1. "Bekijken": to look with the objective to inspect or to study.

Examples:
a. "Heb jij het menu al bekeken?"
("Have you looked at the menu yet?")

b. "Ik moet het nog even bekijken."
("I have to look into it yet.")

c. "Bekijk het maar!"
Figurative use meaning "to hell with it", "sod it" or equivalent. This expression is however very acceptable to use.

2. "Rondkijken": to browse (in a shop), to look around.
3. "Uitkijken": to watch out, to look out for, to be on the look-out.
4. "Aankijken": to look at (somebody), to wait and see (before deciding).

Example:
"Ik kijk het nog even aan…"
("I’ll wait and see…")

5. "Verrekijker": binoculars (literally: far lookers).