The Dutch present participle: lopend, slapend, volgend

Lopend, slapend, volgend: the Dutch present participle looks like the English "-ing" form, and it sometimes translates as one. But the two forms don't do the same jobs. English uses "-ing" everywhere: "I am reading", "I like swimming", "after eating". Dutch uses its -end form much less, mainly as an adjective and as an adverb that describes how someone does something. This guide covers how to form it, where it's used, and what to say instead when English uses "-ing".

How to form it

The rule is simple: infinitive + d.

A few points to notice:

• One-syllable verbs (gaan, staan, doen, zien, slaan) follow the same rule: just add -d.
• Zijn is the exception. Its participle is zijnde, always with -e, and you'll mostly meet it in formal or legal writing.
• There's no spelling change: you don't have to think about doubling or dropping vowels, because the infinitive stays exactly as it is.

So it's one of the most regular forms in Dutch. The hard part is knowing when to use it.

As an adjective before a noun

The most common use is as an adjective in front of a noun. It then follows the normal adjective endings: add -e, except after een, geen or no article with a singular het word.

• de lopende band — the conveyor belt (literally "the running belt")
• een slapend kind — a sleeping child
• het slapende kind — the sleeping child
• de volgende keer — next time
• volgende week — next week
• een spelende hond — a playing dog
• het groeiende aantal studenten — the growing number of students
• stromend water — running water

Tip: Volgend is a very common example. Say volgende week and volgende maand, but volgend jaar, because jaar is a het word without an article. Het volgende jaar (the following year) does get the -e.

After the verb

After zijn, worden or lijken, a present participle gets no ending, just like any adjective. This is mostly limited to participles that have become normal adjectives:

• Die film is erg spannend. — That film is very exciting.
• Het resultaat is teleurstellend. — The result is disappointing.
• Zijn verhaal was overtuigend. — His story was convincing.

You can't do this with just any verb. Wrong: Hij is lopend. For "he is walking", see the section on English "-ing" below.

As an adverb: how someone does something

The second big use is as an adverb that describes what someone is doing at the same time as the main action. English often uses "-ing" for this too, but Dutch keeps it short: usually just the participle, often at the start of the sentence.

• Lachend vertelde hij het verhaal. — He told the story, laughing.
• Ze kwam huilend thuis. — She came home in tears.
• Hij liep fluitend door de straat. — He walked down the street whistling.
• De kinderen gingen zingend naar school. — The children went to school singing.
• We gaan lopend naar het station. — We're walking to the station (going on foot).
• Ze keek me glimlachend aan. — She looked at me with a smile.

Notice the word order in the first example: when the participle starts the sentence, the verb comes straight after it, then the subject (Lachend vertelde hij). That's the normal inversion you get with any first element.

A few fixed phrases use al + participle: Al doende leert men. — You learn by doing. You'll also see al lopend (while walking) and al pratend (while talking).

Fixed words you should just learn

Many present participles have become ordinary adjectives or adverbs with their own meaning. You'll use these all the time without thinking of them as verb forms.

Some are used as nouns too, with -e (plural -en): een overlevende (a survivor), de overlevenden (the survivors), een stervende (a dying person).

Not the same as English "-ing"

This is where English speakers go wrong. Most English "-ing" forms are not translated with -end.

"I am reading": the progressive

Dutch doesn't need a continuous form at all. The simple present tense covers "I read" and "I am reading". If you want to stress that something is in progress, use aan het + infinitive, or a positional verb + te + infinitive.

• Ik lees een boek. — I'm reading a book.
• Ik ben een boek aan het lezen. — I'm (busy) reading a book.
• Ze zit te lezen. — She's sitting reading.
• Hij staat te koken. — He's (standing there) cooking.
• Wrong: Ik ben lezend.

Other "-ing" forms

So the "-ing" in English can be an infinitive used as a noun (zwemmen), a te-infinitive (zonder … te zeggen), a plain infinitive after verbs like zien and horen, or a relative clause (die daar zit). Only when "-ing" is a real adjective (a sleeping child) or describes how someone does something (he left laughing) is -end the right choice.

Tip: Don't confuse the present participle with te + infinitive before a noun: het te betalen bedrag means "the amount to be paid", not "the paying amount". It has a passive, "must be done" meaning.

Quick summary

• Form: infinitive + -d: lopend, gaand, doend. Exception: zijnde.
• Before a noun it follows the normal adjective endings: de lopende band, een slapend kind, volgende week, volgend jaar.
• As an adverb it describes a simultaneous action: Lachend vertelde hij het verhaal.
• Many have become everyday words: dringend, doorlopend, spannend, voldoende, aanstaande.
• It is not used for "I am doing": say Ik doe, Ik ben aan het doen or Ik zit/sta/lig te doen.

Practise it

Learn the adjective uses in Participles as adjectives, use lachend and huilend to bring stories to life in Telling a story, and see how Dutch builds words from verbs in Building words. For the past participle used as an adjective (een gekookt ei), read participles as adjectives.