the end is in sight, we’re almost there
[Dutch phrase of the week]
[het ein-de is in zicht] 
The phrase ‘het einde is in zicht’ is used when a long-lasting activity, or task of relatively long duration, is finally coming to an end. The phrase can also be used literally, where the ‘end’ is physically represented (e.g. a finish line, an empty van), but I think one would still be emphasizing the end of the corresponding activity (e.g. running, unloading a van).
Examples:
– “Jongens, het einde is in zicht, nog twee uurtjes rijden en dan zijn we in Marseille.”
(“Guys, the end is in sight, two more hours to go and then we’ll be in Marseille.”)
– “Het einde is in zicht: het huis is leeggeruimd en aanstaande woensdag wordt de koopakte getekend. Hè hè, ik dacht dat er geen einde aan zou komen!”
(“The end is in sight: the house has been cleared out and this Wednesday the deed of purchase is signed. Pff, I thought it would never end!” Note the typical Dutch ‘hè hè’ to express that something has taken too long.)
– “Wanneer kom je naar huis, het is al laat!” – “Ja sorry, de vergadering loopt uit, maar het einde is in zicht dus ik denk dat ik met een uurtje wel thuis ben!”
(“When are you coming home, it’s already late!” – “Yeah I apologize, the meeting is running late, but we’re almost finished so I think I’ll be home in an hour!” Note the use of ‘met’ in ‘met een uurtje [end result] ‘: it will take approximately an hour (before [end result] is achieved).”)
– “Is het nog ver lopen naar de stad?” – “Ik denk dat het einde zo in zicht is, als het goed is kunnen we dadelijk de kerktoren al zien!”
(“Do we still have to walk far before we have reached the city centre?” – “I think we’re almost getting there, if I’m not mistaken we will soon be able to see the church tower.”)
Expressions:
– “De laatste loodjes”: the home stretch, the last few tasks to complete.
Example:
– “De laatste loodjes zeker?” – “Nou… was het maar waar! Ik moet nog zeker een jaar studeren voordat ik mijn diploma krijg!”
(“You have reached the home stretch I presume?” – “Well… if only that were true! I have at least one year of college left before I’ll get my diploma!”)
Related words:
– Eind(e): end [noun] [het eind(e), de einden].
– Zicht: sight, view [noun] [het zicht, <no plural>].
– Af: finished, completed [adjective].
– Klaar: ready, finished, completed [adjective/adverb].
Example:
– “Hebben jullie het al af?” – “Nee, we zijn nog lang niet klaar!”
(“Have you completed it yet?” – “No, we are nowhere near completion!”)
It helps to learn a language when one of its properties is order as opposed to chaos. It helps even more when the translation is exactly the same as the original! But I guess we have to thank the Greeks for that 🙂 .
‘Afwachten’ can be used as an alternative for ‘wachten op’ but typically only when it regards a moment in time (that you are waiting for to arrive). Its usage usually implies that you will wait for that moment ‘patiently’ and that you are not anxious (the latter may be the case when using ‘wachten op’). When you are, however, waiting for an outcome of an event and there is some uncertainty around the outcome, or you are postponing another decision until the outcome of the event is known, it is more common to use ‘afwachten’ instead of ‘wachten op’.