blijven + Infinitive

Level 3

The Dutch construction blijven + infinitive is the equivalent of the English "to keep doing" or "to continue to." It emphasizes that an action persists over time or doesn't stop when expected.

How It Works

The verb blijven (to stay/remain) functions as an aspectual auxiliary in Dutch. When followed by another verb's infinitive, it indicates that the subject persists in that action.

1. Sentence Structure:
In the present and past tense, blijven is conjugated and placed in the second position, while the other verb goes to the very end of the sentence in its infinitive form.
Example: Zij blijft de hele dag lezen. (She keeps reading all day.)

2. No 'te':
One of the most important rules is that you do not use te between blijven and the following verb. This makes it similar to modal verbs like kunnen or moeten.

3. The Perfect Tense (IPP):
When using the perfect tense, blijven always uses zijn as its auxiliary verb. Furthermore, it triggers the Infinitivus Pro Participio (IPP) effect: instead of the past participle gebleven, you must use the infinitive blijven when another verb follows.
Example: Wij zijn tot laat blijven praten. (We kept talking until late.)

4. Usage with States:
While often used with actions, it also works with states of being, such as blijven hopen (to keep hoping) or blijven geloven (to keep believing).

Examples (5)

  1. De baby blijft huilen.

    The baby keeps crying.

    Word by Word: The baby stays cry.

    Here, 'blijft' indicates the crying hasn't stopped.

  2. Ondanks de regen bleven de kinderen buiten spelen.

    Despite the rain, the children kept playing outside.

    Word by Word: Despite the rain stayed the children outside play.

    In the past tense (bleven), it shows the persistence of the play despite the weather.

  3. Ik ben gisteren de hele middag in bed blijven liggen.

    I stayed lying in bed all afternoon yesterday.

    Word by Word: I am yesterday the whole afternoon in bed stay lie.

    This shows the perfect tense usage: 'ben' (zijn) is the auxiliary, and 'blijven' is used instead of 'gebleven' (IPP).

  4. Je moet altijd blijven proberen.

    You must always keep trying.

    Word by Word: You must always stay try.

    Blijven can be combined with modal verbs like 'moeten'.

  5. Hij blijft maar vragen stellen.

    He just keeps asking questions.

    Word by Word: He stays but questions ask.

    The word 'maar' is often added for emphasis to show that the continuation is repetitive or slightly annoying.

Common Mistakes

  • Adding 'te' before the infinitive.

    Hij blijft te praten.
    Hij blijft praten.

    Unlike 'zitten te' or 'proberen te', 'blijven' is a bare auxiliary and never takes 'te' in this aspectual construction.

  • Using 'hebben' in the perfect tense.

    Ik heb blijven werken.
    Ik ben blijven werken.

    'Blijven' normally forms its perfect with 'zijn', so 'Ik ben blijven werken' is the usual form, even though 'werken' itself takes 'hebben'.

  • Using the past participle 'gebleven' in a verb chain.

    Zij is gebleven slapen.
    Zij is blijven slapen.

    When 'blijven' is followed by another infinitive in the perfect tense, you must use the infinitive form (IPP) rather than the participle.

How It Connects

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blijven + InfinitiveLevel 3

Learn This First

To use 'blijven + infinitive', you need to know how to conjugate 'blijven' as the main verb and understand that the second verb appears in its infinitive form without 'te'. Additionally, you should be familiar with how Dutch handles clusters of verbs in a sentence.

Words in This Pattern

blijven