Participle Clauses

Level 5

The deelwoordconstructie (participle clause) is a formal written structure that replaces a full subclause (like those starting with terwijl or omdat) with a participle phrase. It describes simultaneous actions or the circumstances surrounding the main action.

How It Works

In high-level Dutch, the deelwoordconstructie is used to make writing more concise and elegant. It is categorized as a beknopte bijzin (abbreviated clause). A defining characteristic of this construction is that it contains no finite verb (persoonsvorm).

1. Present Participle (Onvoltooid Deelwoord)
Formed by adding -d to the infinitive (e.g., lopen → lopend). It indicates an action happening at the same time as the main verb, or it can express a reason or cause (e.g., Niet wetende... meaning 'Because he didn't know...').
Example: Lachend liep hij de kamer uit. (Laughing, he walked out of the room.)

2. Past Participle (Voltooid Deelwoord)
This uses the regular past participle or the strong verb past participle. Note that verbs with inseparable prefixes (be-, er-, ge-, her-, ont-, ver-) follow the participle without ge- rule. Prefixes like over-, onder-, om-, and achter- can be either separable or inseparable; only the inseparable versions omit the ge-. The meaning depends on the verb type: transitive verbs result in a passive meaning (e.g., gekozen), while intransitive verbs of motion or change of state result in an active meaning (e.g., vertrokken).
Example: In Amsterdam aangekomen, zocht hij direct een hotel. (Having arrived in Amsterdam, he immediately looked for a hotel.)

3. The Subject Rule and Punctuation
The subject of the participle is 'borrowed' from the main clause; this is known as the verzwegen onderwerp (silent subject). In Dutch, the silent subject must be identical to the subject of the main clause. If the participle refers to an element not present in the main clause, or to an object rather than the subject, it is considered a foutieve beknopte bijzin (dangling participle). Regarding punctuation, a comma is generally used to separate the construction from the main clause for clarity, though it is often omitted in very short phrases. Exception: Fixed idiomatic phrases like gezien de omstandigheden (given the circumstances) are lexicalized and do not require matching subjects.

4. Register
This construction is rare in spoken Dutch. To become proficient in natural speech, prefer using terwijl (while), omdat (because), or nadat (after) to express the same relationship between actions.

Examples (5)

  1. Al peinzend over het probleem vond zij plotseling de oplossing.

    While pondering the problem, she suddenly found the solution.

    Word by Word: Already pondering over the problem found she suddenly the solution.

    The present participle 'peinzend' describes an action happening simultaneously with finding the solution.

  2. Eenmaal in Amsterdam aangekomen, zochten we direct een hotel.

    Once arrived in Amsterdam, we immediately looked for a hotel.

    Word by Word: Once in Amsterdam arrived, sought we directly a hotel.

    The past participle 'aangekomen' indicates a completed action that preceded the search for a hotel.

  3. Gezien de omstandigheden is dit het best haalbare resultaat.

    Given the circumstances, this is the best achievable result.

    Word by Word: Seen the circumstances is this the best achievable result.

    'Gezien' is a fixed participle construction often used in professional contexts to mean 'considering' or 'given'.

  4. Niet wetende wat te doen, bleef hij roerloos staan.

    Not knowing what to do, he remained standing motionless.

    Word by Word: Not knowing what to do, stayed he motionless stand.

    The present participle 'wetende' (an older form of wetend) functions as a causal clause (Because he didn't know...).

  5. De brief gelezen hebbende, legde ik hem op tafel.

    Having read the letter, I put it on the table.

    Word by Word: The letter read having, laid I him on table.

    This construction uses a perfect participle to show that the reading was completed before the next action.

Common Mistakes

  • Using a 'dangling participle' where the subjects do not match.

    Lopend naar huis begon het te regenen.
    Toen ik naar huis liep, begon het te regenen.

    In the incorrect version, the subject of 'begon' is 'het' (the rain), implying the rain was walking home. You must use a full clause if the subjects differ.

  • Overusing the construction in casual conversation.

    Different MeaningZingend onder de douche ben ik blij.
    Ik ben blij als ik onder de douche zing.

    While grammatically correct, the participle construction sounds overly formal for a casual statement about singing in the shower.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

Participle ClausesLevel 5

Learn This First

To learn participle clauses (deelwoordconstructies), you must first be comfortable forming both past and present participles. Additionally, because these clauses often function as a fronted sentence element, you need to understand how Dutch word order shifts (inversion) when a sentence starts with something other than the subject.