Participles Used as Adjectives

In Dutch, participles are versatile tools that function just like regular adjectives when placed before a noun.

1. The Present Participle (Tegenwoordig deelwoord)
Formed by adding -d to the infinitive (e.g., slapen → slapend). However, monosyllabic infinitives ending in -n (like doen, gaan, staan, slaan, and zien) add -de instead (e.g., gaande, ziende). It has an active meaning, describing something currently doing the action.

• De huilende baby (The crying baby)

2. The Past Participle (Voltooid deelwoord)
Describes a state resulting from a finished action. It follows the regular or strong formation rules.

Important: Verbs with inseparable prefixes (be-, ge-, er-, ont-, ver-) do not take the ge- prefix (e.g., betalen → betaald).

• De gebroken ruit (The broken window)
• De betaalde rekening (The paid bill)

3. Inflection Rules
Participles follow standard adjective inflection rules. Pay close attention to spelling rules:

• Weak participles (ending in -d/-t): Double the consonant to keep a short vowel (gezet → de gezette koffie) or drop a vowel to keep a long vowel in an open syllable (vergroot → de vergrote foto).
• Strong participles (ending in -en): These do not take a visible extra -e. Strong participles ending in unstressed -en retain that ending here; many material adjectives behave similarly. It remains de gesloten deur.
• The Indefinite Neuter Exception: Like all adjectives, participles take no -e ending when describing a singular, indefinite het-word. Compare: het huilende kind (definite) vs. een huilend kind (indefinite).

4. The 'Te' + Infinitive Construction
In formal or business Dutch, you can use te + infinitive to indicate necessity or a future requirement. It functions as a passive construction.

• De te betalen prijs (The price to be paid / The price that must be paid)
• De te nemen maatregelen (The measures to be taken)

5. The 'Hebben vs. Zijn' Usage
Not all past participles can describe a person or object in the same way:

• Transitive verbs: Describe the object of the action (De gemaakte fout - The made mistake).
• Intransitive 'zijn'-verbs: Describe the subject that underwent the change (De vertrokken trein - The departed train).
• Intransitive 'hebben'-verbs: These cannot describe the person doing the action (not de gewerkte man), but they can describe the result or duration (De gewerkte uren - The worked hours).
• Reflexive verbs: Even though they take hebben, reflexive verbs cannot be used as attributive past participles. You cannot say de zich gewassen man. Instead, use a relative clause: de man die zich gewassen heeft (the man who has washed himself).

6. Adverbial and Substantivized Use
Participles can also function as other parts of speech:

• Adverbial use: The present participle can describe the manner of an action, similar to an adverb. For example: Hij kwam lachend de kamer binnen (He entered the room laughing).
• Substantivized nouns: A nominalized adjective can be formed from a participle to refer to people. For example: de gevangene (the prisoner) or de overledene (the deceased).
• Special Case: Zijnde: The irregular present participle of zijn is zijnde. It is used in formal participial phrases (e.g., Vader zijnde...) but is not used as an attributive adjective before a noun.

7. Usage Note
The present participle is primarily used in formal or written Dutch and can sound quite literary. In daily speech, Dutch speakers often prefer a relative clause using die or dat over long participial phrases.

Compare the Forms:
Betalend is a present participle, while te betalen contains the infinitive betalen. The prefix her- has several participle patterns and should not be included in an exception-free list of verbs without ge-.