Dear anyone,
Your duolingo forum registration isn't automaticaly transferred to duome forum so in order to join duome forums you need to register with your existing or any other username and email; in any case it's advised that you choose a new password for the forum.
~ Duome Team

[ARCHIVE] Grammar: The Continuous Aspect

Moderator: Basler Biker

User avatar
Fnirk1
Sweden

[ARCHIVE] Grammar: The Continuous Aspect

Post by Fnirk1 »

Originally posted by: xMerrie https://forum.duolingo.com/comment/25006809

Present Continuous
You might have noticed that when a Dutch sentence is in the present tense, the English one is either in the present tense or in the present continuous. Both are accepted, because the present continuous is far more used in English, than it is in Dutch. Even so, it is still fairly common in Dutch.
There are six ways of making a continuous. In this post we will go through all of them, starting with the most common.

1. Zijn + aan het + gerund
The most common way is to start with a form of zijn, followed by aan and then a gerund (verb used as a noun). This way of creating the continuous tense is known as the “aan het continuous”. “He is writing” becomes Hij is aan het schrijven in Dutch.

2. Liggen/Lopen/Staan/Zitten + te + infinitive
Another common way to express that you or someone is doing something now, is using a verb expressing a physical position, followed by the infinitive. This means that another way of saying “He is writing”, is Hij zit te schrijven. Now you have specified that he is sitting down while writing. If you want to say that he is standing while writing, you would say Hij staat te schrijven.

3. Zijn + infinitive
There is a special form to describe the subject is away to do the activity. It is made with a form of zijn followed by the infinitive. So if you want to imply that he has gone away to write, you can say Hij is schrijven.

4. Zijn + bezig met + gerund
A not so common method is using a form of zijn, followed by bezig met and the gerund. With 'He is writing', this creates Hij is bezig met schrijven. The more literal English translation of this sentence would be “He is busy writing”.

5. Zijn + bezig te + infinitive
A very uncommon method is similar to the above, but instead of met followed by the gerund, you use the full infinitive starting with te. So, for “He is writing” we now get Hij is bezig te schrijven.

6. Zijn + present participle
Finally. a dramatic, very uncommon way is to use a form of zijn with the present participle. So to dramatically say “He is writing", you could say Hij is schrijvende.

Past Continuous
For creating the simple past continuous in Dutch, you use the same methods as you do for creating the present continuous. However, instead of using the present tense of the verb zijn (or, in method 2, of the verb liggen, lopen, staan or zitten), you now use the simple past.

  • Hij was aan het schrijven. - “He was writing.”

  • Hij zat te schrijven. - “He was (sitting and) writing.”

  • Hij was schrijven. - “He was (away) writing.”

  • Hij was bezig met schrijven. - “He was (busy) writing.”

  • Hij was bezig te schrijven. - “He was (busy) writing.”

  • Hij was schrijvende. - “He was writing.”

Perfect Continuous
Dutch does not use the present continuous very often, but the perfect continuous is used even less. The perfect continuous is used, as the name suggests, to describe a completed portion of a continuing action or temporary state. Rather than using the perfect continuous, in Dutch, we simply opt for the “normal” present perfect. So, where an Englishman would say "he has been working all day", a Dutchman usually says "he has worked all day".
Though not used very often, there is a way to form the perfect continuous. This is done by using a conjugation of the the verb zijn, wezen and the infinitive. So, “He has been writing” becomes Hij is wezen schrijven (and not Hij is geweest schrijven!). The same way, “He had been writing” becomes Hij was wezen schrijven.
Wezen
So, where does this word come from? Wezen is the old form of zijn! You can still recognise it in some conjugations of zijn, for example geweest and the imperative wees.
External sources

:sweden: N :gb: C1 :ru: B2 :fr: :es:B1 :de: :it: :netherlands: A1

User avatar
SweNedGuy
Belgium

Re: [ARCHIVE] Grammar: The Continuous Aspect

Post by SweNedGuy »

Fnirk1 wrote: Mon Feb 14, 2022 12:14 pm

Originally posted by: xMerrie https://forum.duolingo.com/comment/25006809

Present Continuous
You might have noticed that when a Dutch sentence is in the present tense, the English one is either in the present tense or in the present continuous. Both are accepted, because the present continuous is far more used in English, than it is in Dutch. Even so, it is still fairly common in Dutch.
There are six ways of making a continuous. In this post we will go through all of them, starting with the most common.

1. Zijn + aan het + gerund
The most common way is to start with a form of zijn, followed by aan and then a gerund (verb used as a noun). This way of creating the continuous tense is known as the “aan het continuous”. “He is writing” becomes Hij is aan het schrijven in Dutch.

2. Liggen/Lopen/Staan/Zitten + te + infinitive
Another common way to express that you or someone is doing something now, is using a verb expressing a physical position, followed by the infinitive. This means that another way of saying “He is writing”, is Hij zit te schrijven. Now you have specified that he is sitting down while writing. If you want to say that he is standing while writing, you would say Hij staat te schrijven.

3. Zijn + infinitive
There is a special form to describe the subject is away to do the activity. It is made with a form of zijn followed by the infinitive. So if you want to imply that he has gone away to write, you can say Hij is schrijven.

4. Zijn + bezig met + gerund
A not so common method is using a form of zijn, followed by bezig met and the gerund. With 'He is writing', this creates Hij is bezig met schrijven. The more literal English translation of this sentence would be “He is busy writing”.

5. Zijn + bezig te + infinitive
A very uncommon method is similar to the above, but instead of met followed by the gerund, you use the full infinitive starting with te. So, for “He is writing” we now get Hij is bezig te schrijven.

6. Zijn + present participle
Finally. a dramatic, very uncommon way is to use a form of zijn with the present participle. So to dramatically say “He is writing", you could say Hij is schrijvende.

Past Continuous
For creating the simple past continuous in Dutch, you use the same methods as you do for creating the present continuous. However, instead of using the present tense of the verb zijn (or, in method 2, of the verb liggen, lopen, staan or zitten), you now use the simple past.

  • Hij was aan het schrijven. - “He was writing.”

  • Hij zat te schrijven. - “He was (sitting and) writing.”

  • Hij was schrijven. - “He was (away) writing.”

  • Hij was bezig met schrijven. - “He was (busy) writing.”

  • Hij was bezig te schrijven. - “He was (busy) writing.”

  • Hij was schrijvende. - “He was writing.”

Perfect Continuous
Dutch does not use the present continuous very often, but the perfect continuous is used even less. The perfect continuous is used, as the name suggests, to describe a completed portion of a continuing action or temporary state. Rather than using the perfect continuous, in Dutch, we simply opt for the “normal” present perfect. So, where an Englishman would say "he has been working all day", a Dutchman usually says "he has worked all day".
Though not used very often, there is a way to form the perfect continuous. This is done by using a conjugation of the the verb zijn, wezen and the infinitive. So, “He has been writing” becomes Hij is wezen schrijven (and not Hij is geweest schrijven!). The same way, “He had been writing” becomes Hij was wezen schrijven.
Wezen
So, where does this word come from? Wezen is the old form of zijn! You can still recognise it in some conjugations of zijn, for example geweest and the imperative wees.
External sources

A few of the above 'continuous' forms are very uncommon or either wrong. 'Hij was schrijvende' sounds hilarious. This is how Dutch speakers may imitate an English speaker trying to speak Dutch.

Past Continuous (I kept only the commonly accepted phrases)
For creating the simple past continuous in Dutch, you use the same methods as you do for creating the present continuous. However, instead of using the present tense of the verb zijn (or, in method 2, of the verb liggen, lopen, staan or zitten), you now use the simple past.

  • Hij was aan het schrijven. - “He was writing.”

  • Hij zat te schrijven. - “He was (sitting and) writing.”

  • Hij was bezig met schrijven. - “He was (busy) writing.”

Speaking :netherlands: :fr: :uk: :es: Learning :de:(B2-) :it:(B1) Image :sweden: :portugal: Image (A)

Post Reply

Return to “Dutch”