Dutch Verbs: A Continuous - Smartphone Page

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Dutch Verbs: A Continuous - Smartphones Page

Introduction		The Auxiliary Verbs

	Examples:		Simple Tenses - Zitten - Liggen - Staan - Lopen		Perfect Tenses - Zitten - Lopen

Another Common Use of the 'Continuous Verbs'

Another Continuous

English fairly often uses a construction called the Continuous or Progressive of 'to be' with a present participle (verb-ing) - for instance 'I am reading.' It usually indicates a temporary event happening at a certain time (but many activites are like that, isn't it?) I often translate the Dutch simple present as a continuous in English, like below:
De zon schijnt The sun [shines] is shining 't Regent 2 3 4 It is raining Ik typ I'm typing
Ik zoek een kamer 2 I'm looking for a room (to rent) Ik loop in 't bos 2 3 I'm walking in the forest

Dutch does have ways to indicate ongoing activity, but they're not as common as the English continuous. They can only be used for people, occasionally for animals. One way to say in Dutch that an activity is ongoing is the verbs
'zitten' (to sit, to be seated),
'liggen' 2 (to lie, be lying down),
'staan' (to stand, to be standing) or
'lopen' 2 (to walk)
with te and a verb infinitive. (This is one of the few places where Dutch uses 'te' with a verb in the sense of English 'to.')
(de) duurvorm 2

ik lig te lezen

I'm reading

There is not always an activity involved like the zitten etc. verbs indicate. For instance, I don't have to be sitting down when I say:
Ik zit te denken aan een cadeau ('I'm thinking of a present.') This Dutch continuous is almost only used for people, occasionally for animals.

in de weg 2 'in de way' - usually making access difficult or impossible, but also said of people blocking plans or schemes in de weg zitten 2 3 to be in the way 't Zit in de weg 2 3 4 It's in the way Ik wil je niet in de weg zitten 2 3
Ik wil je niet in de weg lopen 2 I don't want to be in your way Dan zit ik je niet in de weg 2 Then I'm not in your way

The Auxiliary Verbs

zitten		to sit, be sitting, be seated
ik zit		I sit
wij zitten		we sit
ik zat		I sat
wij zaten		we sat
ik heb gezeten		I have sat
		- more

liggen		to lie down
ik lig		I'm lying down
wij liggen		we lie down
ik lag		I lay down
wij lagen		we lay down
ik heb gelegen		I have lain down
		- more

staan		to stand, be standing
ik sta		I stand
wij staan		we stand
ik stond		I stood
wij stonden		we stood
ik heb gestaan		I have stood
2		- more

lopen		to walk
ik loop		I walk
wij lopen		we walk
ik liep		I walked
wij liepen		we walked
ik ben gelopen ik heb gelopen		I have walked
2		- more

(For the continuous, only the 'hebben' perfect is used)

Examples: The Simple Tenses

Ik zat te denken aan ... I was thinking of ... Ik zit te denken aan een cadeau I'm thinking of a present

Ik zat te wachten op ... I was waiting for ... Ik zat te wachten op een telefoontje I was waiting for a phone call Ze zit erop te wachten 2 3 She's sitting around waiting for it - she expects or needs it soon

We zitten te wachten 2 We're waiting

We zitten te eten [We're eating] - We're having [food] dinner (or lunch)

We zitten te luisteren 2 3 We are listening We zaten te luisteren 2 3 We were listening

We zaten gezellig te praten 2 We were having a pleasant conversation, a nice chat

(herinneringen ophalen 2 to reminisce, bringing up memories) We zaten gezellig herinneringen op te halen 2 We were reminiscing pleasantly, we were having a good time chatting about the past

Hij zit te zwammen. He's talking nonsense.

Hij zit te zeuren. 2 He is nagging, talking about irrelevant things in a very annoying way. Zit niet zo te zeuren! 2 Now stop that nagging! (de) zeurpiet nagging person

Hij zit niet goed op te letten 2 3 He's not paying close attention

Ik zit te vernikkelen. 2 I'm freezing, I'm cold.

niksen 2 3 'doing nothing,' lazing about, no useful activity Hij zit te niksen 2 3 He's doing nothing, idling, he's lazing about suffen 2 3 not being entirely awake and alert, not paying attention // woolgathering Ik zit te suffen 2 3 I'm not paying attention, I'm absent-minded - when my Dad said "Ik zit te suffen" (with a different intonation than above) he meant he was thinking, letting ideas flow and associate

(borderline)
D'r zit een hond te blaffen 2 3 4 A dog is barking Wat zit die vogel te piepen! 2 3 How that bird is tweeting!

Ik lig te lezen I'm reading Hij ligt te lezen. He's reading. (Probably lying down doing that.) Lekker lui liggen lezen Enjoying a lazy read

Ze lagen te slapen They were sleeping

Hij ligt te etteren. 2 He's engaging in provocative, useless talk or actions, making a nuisance of himself - obnoxious, being a pest (probably not lying down while doing that)

Hij stond te praten met ... He was talking to ... Hij stond te praten met Piet He was talking to Piet

We staan te wachten op een taxi. 2 3 We're waiting for a taxi.

Ik sta te trillen op m'n benen 2 ['I'm shaking on my legs'] - 'I'm trembling with fear or from exhaustion'

Ik sta nergens meer van te kijken 2 Nothing [is surprising] surprises me anymore

Dat staat ons ook te wachten 2 That is waiting for us too, we can expect that too

Er staat iemand bijbels uit te delen 2
There's a guy handing out bibles

Hij loopt te schelden He is swearing, cursing out

Er loopt een dronken man te schreeuwen 2 There's a drunk guy shouting

We liepen naar de vogels te luisteren 2 We were listening to the birds

Examples: The Perfect Tense

The Dutch 'continuous' is not often used in the perfect tense - but when it does there is not the past participle but the infinitive.

ik heb liggen ... 2 3		I was, I have been ...
ik heb zitten ... 2 3		I was, I have been ...
ik heb staan ... 2 3		I was, I have been ...
ik heb lopen ... 2 3		I was, I have been ...

I usually leave out the 'te' for the other verb, but it isn't wrong to keep it like in the imperfect (simple) tenses.

Hij heeft de hele middag zitten typen. 2 He has been typing all afternoon. (Hij heeft de hele middag zitten te typen. 2 He has been typing all afternoon.)

We hadden zitten kaarten 2 3
We hadden zitten te kaarten 2 We had been playing cards

We hebben zitten luisteren 2 3
(We hebben zitten te luisteren 2 3 4) We were listening

Hij heeft er een uur over zitten nadenken 2 3
Hij heeft er een uur over zitten na te denken 2 He's been thinking about it for an hour

Hij heeft de hele week lopen klagen. 2 He's been complaining all week.
(Hij heeft de hele dag lopen te klagen. He's been complaining all day.)

We hebben lopen demonstreren.
(We hebbe lope demonstrere 2 3) We have been in a protest march.

Compare with non-continuous use, not combined with other verbs - where the past participle is used:

Ik heb een uur gelopen 2 I (have) walked for an hour Ik ben naar Amsterdam gelopen 2 I have walked to Amsterdam
Ik ben naar huis gelopen 2 I (have) walked home

Ik heb de hele dag gelopen 2 3 I walked all day, I've been walking all day

Ik heb de hele nacht wakker gelegen 2 I've lain awake all night

Another Common Use of the Continuous Verbs

Dutch often uses the verbs zitten, staan, liggen and lopen to indicate the location of the subject or 'in relation to' something else (as my dictionary has it) - but I can't give you good rules for this use. English usually has 'to be' in this kind of lines.

Er zit een gat in 't dak 2 There's a hole in the roof Hij zit in de tweede klas 2 He's in second grade Ze zit in een rolstoel 2 3 She's in a wheelchair

Er loopt een kat in de tuin 2 There's a cat in the yard

"Mijn deur staat altijd open" 2 3 'My door [stands] is always open' (you can come in and talk to me anytime)

ik probeer om tien uur in bed te liggen 2 I try to [lie] be in bed by 10 o'clock

More examples: zitten - staan - lopen - liggen

Another Continuous

There is another, less common way to indicate an ongoing activity with 'zijn'

('to be' ->>) and "aan 't"

2 with a verb infinitive - maybe related to English 'a' in forms like 'asleep,' and 'awake.' ("I'm gonna be a-wed.")
You'll see this figure used, but I do not recommend its use by students. To me, it only sounds right in very specific situations but I can't think of rules for its use. My feeling is that it's mostly used for I and we and physical-activites verbs.

subject	zijn (to be)	aan 't	verb infinitive

Ik ben aan 't koken. I'm preparing dinner (or other hot food)

Ik ben een brood aan 't bakken. 2 I'm baking bread.

Wat ben je aan 't doen? What are you doing, what are you working on, busy with? Wat ik aan 't doen ben 2 3 What I'm doing, what I'm busy with, what I'm working on

Ik ben aan 't opnemen 2 3 I am recording (sound)

Ik ben aan 't winkelen 2 'I am shopping'
Ik was aan 't winkelen 'I was shopping'

aan 't schrijven 2 3 writing

Dan heb je de poppen aan het dansen 2 3 (saying) - ['Then you'll have the puppets dancing' - the show will start] - 'then the fat is in the fire, all hell will break loose'

When used with a noun, "aan 't" just takes the literal meaning 'at the'

Ze zijn aan het goede adres. 2 They came to the right address, they're at the right place (usually figuratively)

"Aan 't werk" 2 3 4 means 'let's get working' - To work! Let's get started! Let's start working!

Laten we aan 't werk gaan. 2 3 Let's get to work, start working.
Aan de slag! 2 To work! Let's get started! Let's start working!

zitten - liggen - staan - lopen

Actually there is a Dutch Continuous of zijn ('to be') with a present participle - but it's old-fashioned, I think it's only found in these two standard phrases:
Wat is er gaande? 2 What's going on? Hij was druk doende He was busy (doing) - busy with something

<< the passive voice - reflexive verbs >>

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