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Present Participle (-end)

Level 4

The Dutch present participle (onvoltooid deelwoord) indicates an action happening at the same time as the main verb. It is formed by taking the infinitive + d (e.g., lopen → lopend), or infinitive + de for short verbs ending in -n (e.g., gaan → gaande).

How It Works

The present participle is a versatile tool in Dutch, but its usage is more restricted and formal than the English '-ing' form.

1. Formation
To create the present participle, follow these rules:

  • Standard verbs: Add -d to the full infinitive: werken → werkend, fietsen → fietsend.
  • Short verbs ending in -n: Monosyllabic verbs like gaan, staan, doen, zien, slaan, and the irregular zijn add -de: gaande, staande, doende, ziende, zijnde.

2. Adjectival Use & Word Order
When used before a noun, it follows adjective inflection rules. Crucially, any objects or modifiers must be placed before the participle:

  • De lachende vrouw (The laughing woman)
  • De naar muziek luisterende man (The man listening to music)
  • Een slapend kind (A sleeping child - no -e because 'kind' is a het-word)

3. Adverbial Use
It can describe the manner of the main action. Most participles do not take an extra -e here, but short verbs (gaande, doende) always retain their final -e.

  • Hij kwam zingend de kamer binnen. (He came into the room singing.)
  • Wat is er gaande? (What is going on?)

4. The 'Al' Construction
You can add al before a participle to emphasize that two actions are happening simultaneously, often translated as 'while' or 'by':

  • Al doende leert men. (One learns by doing.)

5. Fixed Forms and Prepositions
Some participles have become fixed as prepositions or specific descriptors:

  • Prepositions: Gedurende de dag (During the day), betreffende de brief (concerning the letter).
  • Fixed descriptors: De volgende dag (The following day), een uitstekend idee (an excellent idea).

6. Style Note
In daily speech, the present participle can sound literary or stiff. Dutch speakers often prefer a relative clause instead: De man die lacht instead of de lachende man. Do not use this to say 'I am doing something'; for that, use the aan het construction or position verbs.

Examples (5)

  1. Al doende leert men.

    One learns by doing.

    Word by Word: Already doing learns one.

    This is a common Dutch proverb where 'doende' (doing) acts as an adverbial participle.

  2. Zij liep huilend naar huis.

    She walked home crying.

    Word by Word: She walked crying to house.

    Here, 'huilend' describes the manner of walking, occurring simultaneously with the main verb 'liep'.

  3. De stakende arbeiders willen meer loon.

    The striking workers want higher wages.

    Word by Word: The striking workers want more wage.

    In this case, 'stakende' is an inflected adjective describing the noun 'arbeiders'.

  4. Het kokende water is erg heet.

    The boiling water is very hot.

    Word by Word: The boiling water is very hot.

    The participle 'kokende' describes the current state of the water.

  5. Hij keek me lachend aan.

    He looked at me laughing.

    Word by Word: He looked me laughing at.

    The participle 'lachend' shows that the laughing and looking happened at the same time.

Common Mistakes

  • Using 'werkend' to mean 'working right now'.

    Different MeaningIk ben werkend.
    Ik ben aan het werken.

    'Ik ben werkend' is correct Dutch, but 'werkend' here means 'employed'. For an action in progress, use 'aan het' or the simple present.

  • Using the participle as a noun (Gerund).

    Rokend is slecht voor je.
    Roken is slecht voor je.

    In Dutch, the infinitive (roken) is used as a verbal noun, not the present participle.

  • Forgetting the inflectional -e when used as an adjective.

    De huilend baby.
    De huilende baby.

    When the participle functions as an attributive adjective, it must follow standard Dutch adjective inflection rules.

How It Connects

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-endLevel 4Present Participle (-end)

Learn This First

To learn the present participle, you first need to know how to find the verb stem to which the '-end' suffix is attached. Additionally, since the present participle often acts as an adjective (e.g., 'een lachend kind'), you must understand how adjectives are placed and inflected in Dutch.

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