Breakdown of Ik zie hem knikkend weggaan.
ik
I
zien
to see
weggaan
to leave / to go away (casual, from a place)
hem
him
knikken
to nod
Questions & Answers about Ik zie hem knikkend weggaan.
How do we make the word knikkend (nodding) from the verb knikken?
To make the present participle (words often ending in "-ing" in English that describe an ongoing action), you just take the full infinitive of the verb and add -d. So, knikken (to nod) becomes knikkend (nodding). Here, it acts as an adverb to describe how he is walking away.
Why is it knikkend and not knikkende?
In this sentence, knikkend is used as an adverb because it describes the verb weggaan (how he is leaving). When present participles are used as adverbs, they never get an -e at the end. You only add the -e when it's an adjective placed directly in front of a noun (like de knikkende man - the nodding man).
Why is the verb weggaan at the very end of the sentence?
When you use a verb of the senses like zien (to see) or horen (to hear) alongside another action, that second action gets pushed to the end of the sentence as a full infinitive. This is very similar to English, where we say "I see him walk away" instead of "I see him walks away".
Isn't weggaan a separable verb? Why aren't weg and gaan separated here?
You are right, weggaan (to go away / to leave) is a separable verb! However, separable verbs only split when they are the active, conjugated verb in the sentence (for example: Hij gaat weg). Because zie is the conjugated verb in this sentence, weggaan stays whole and un-split in its infinitive form.
Learn Ik zie hem knikkend weggaan and more in Dutch
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free