Word of the Week: ÜBERHAUPT

This week's pick is one of my absolute favorites, simply because it is so widely used. Dutch speakers use it all the time - it has become an integral part of their language. And what I like about it most is that they usually don't even realize that überhaupt is German, despite the telltale dots on the u. Without them, it would be pronounced exactly the same way in Dutch, so one wonders why they are still there. In German, überhaupt is a word that carries many nuances. It can be translated into English as "in general", "at all", and a variety of other things when combined with other words. The caption on the poster above reads "Be glad you are getting some help at all", and this is by far the most dominant use of überhaupt in Dutch. 

The picture is from utrecht.sp.nl.