Setting the Scene with Met
To vividly describe a person's posture, expression, or physical state while they perform an action, Dutch uses absolute constructions with the preposition met (with). There are three common ways to build these descriptive phrases.
1. Met + Participle + Noun
You can use a past or present participle as an adjective, placing it directly before the noun. Following standard Dutch adjective rules, the participle usually takes an -e ending.
| With crossed arms she leans against the wall. | Met gekruiste armen leunt ze tegen de muur. |
| He frowns and looks at me with clenched fists. | Hij fronst en kijkt naar mij met gebalde vuisten. |
You can also string these together, mixing adjectives and participles to create a detailed picture:
| With a sad gaze and trembling lips, the child stands there. | Met een verdrietige blik en trillende lippen staat het kind daar. |
2. Met + Noun + Participle
Alternatively, you can place the noun directly after met (usually with a definite article like de or het), and put the participle at the end of the phrase. Because the participle comes after the noun in this structure, it does not get an -e ending.
| In the morning he always sits at the table with his arms crossed. | 's Morgens zit hij altijd met de armen gekruist aan tafel. |
| With his forehead wrinkled and lips closed, he reads the letter. | Met het voorhoofd gefronst en de lippen gesloten leest hij de brief. |
3. Met + Noun + Prepositional Phrase
Instead of using a participle, you can describe a physical circumstance by following the noun with a prepositional phrase showing location or direction.
| With his gaze downwards, the man leans over the table. | Met de blik naar beneden leunt de man over de tafel. |
| With sweat on his forehead, the player runs across the field. | Met het zweet op het voorhoofd rent de speler over het veld. |