Ongoing Actions with Posture Verbs
English uses "to be" + "-ing" for ongoing actions (like "I am waiting"). Dutch commonly expresses this by mentioning the subject's physical posture.
Combine a conjugated posture verb with te and an infinitive:
- zitten (to sit)
- staan (to stand)
- liggen (to lie down)
- lopen (to walk)
| The tourist is photographing the statue. | De toerist staat het standbeeld te fotograferen. |
The posture verb takes the second position, while te + the infinitive go at the very end of the sentence. Other details, like locations or objects, go in between.
| We are sitting on the terrace drinking coffee. | Wij zitten op het terras koffie te drinken. |
Choosing the Right Posture Verb
Choose the posture verb based on the subject's physical position.
For sitting:
| The man is sitting and feeding the pigeon. | De man zit de duif te voeren. |
| The artist is sitting and painting the tree. | De kunstenaar zit de boom te schilderen. |
For standing:
| The musician is standing and playing the guitar. | De muzikant staat gitaar te spelen. |
For lying down:
| The dog is sleeping next to the fountain. | De hond ligt naast de fontein te slapen. |
For walking or moving around. Lopen is also used for continuous, often annoying habits (even if the person isn't literally walking):
| Why are you walking around complaining? | Waarom lopen jullie te klagen? |
Asking Questions
In questions, the subject and the posture verb invert as usual. The te + infinitive stays at the end.
| Why is the tourist pointing at the building? | Waarom staat de toerist naar het gebouw te wijzen? |
| Why are you photographing the fountain? | Waarom sta je de fontein te fotograferen? |
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