To describe an ongoing action as a characteristic of a noun (like "the flowing river"), you can turn a verb into a present participle.
In Dutch, you form the present participle by adding -d to the full infinitive of the verb. When you use it directly before a noun (attributively), it acts just like a regular adjective. This means it almost always gets an extra -e ending based on the normal Dutch adjective rules.
For example, stromen (to flow) becomes stromend, which is written as stromende before a noun.
| Do you see the flowing river in that landscape? | Zie je de stromende rivier in dat landschap? |
| We are admiring the radiant sunset. | Wij bewonderen de stralende zonsondergang. |
Bringing Art to Life
Participles are excellent for describing vivid, active scenes on a canvas (het doek). Whether it is a burning lamp or a radiant girl in a portrait, the present participle captures the action as if it is happening right now.
| There is a burning lamp on the canvas. | Er staat een brandende lamp op het doek. |
| The radiant girl in the portrait is very famous. | Het stralende meisje op het portret is heel beroemd. |
Lively Landscapes
You can use present participles to paint a rich picture of a landscape (het landschap) or to describe what you are admiring at an exhibition (de tentoonstelling). Everyday verbs like lachen (to laugh), zingen (to sing), slapen (to sleep), and bloeien (to bloom) easily become descriptive adjectives.
| I see the laughing artist paint the landscape. | Ik zie de lachende kunstenaar het landschap schilderen. |
| There are singing birds flying through the landscape. | Er vliegen zingende vogels door het landschap. |
| The sleeping dog lies in the shadow of the blooming plant. | De slapende hond ligt in de schaduw van de bloeiende plant. |