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verb -ing if subject is omitted

Posted: Thu Mar 06, 2025 8:43 pm
by Swiss
If you want to remove the subject but you don't want to make your sentence looks like imperative. You can use -ing

For example:
I hear song from my bedroom and I walk to my bedroom
Hearing song from my bedroom, I walk to my bedroom

I see her and I'm surprised
Seeing her and being surprised

How do I do that in Dutch?

Re: verb -ing if subject is omitted

Posted: Tue Mar 11, 2025 8:38 am
by Swiss
I try to search more and it's called "-ing clause" in English. But I wonder how to make -ing clause in Dutch

Re: verb -ing if subject is omitted

Posted: Mon Mar 17, 2025 8:49 am
by Bieneke
The Dutch present participle is formed by 'infinitive + d': 'zingend', 'horend'.

It is mainly used for adjectives, e.g., 'a singing roommate', 'a hearing person' ('een zingende huisgenoot', 'een horend persoon').

The -ing clause you refer to is not commonly used in Dutch. We could translate 'hearing a song' to 'een lied horend'; that would not be incorrect, just very uncommon.

In Dutch, the first option is the most common:
1. "I hear a song from my bedroom and I walk to my bedroom"
2. "Hearing a song from my bedroom, I walk to my bedroom"