Breakdown of Hijgend rent de hond naar het park.
de hond
the dog
naar
to
rennen
to run
het park
the park
hijgen
to pant
Questions & Answers about Hijgend rent de hond naar het park.
How is hijgend formed, and what does it do in this sentence?
Hijgend is a present participle, which often translates to an -ing word in English (panting). You form it by taking the full infinitive verb hijgen (to pant) and adding a -d. In this sentence, it acts as an adverb to describe exactly how the dog is running.
Why is the word order rent de hond instead of de hond rent?
This is because of the Dutch V2 rule, where the working verb is always the second piece of information in a main clause. Since the sentence starts with the adverb Hijgend, the verb (rent) must come immediately after it, pushing the subject (de hond) to the third spot.
If hijgend relates to the dog, why doesn't it have an -e at the end like an adjective?
Because hijgend is describing the action of running, it acts as an adverb, and adverbs don't get an extra -e. If you wanted to use it as an adjective right in front of the noun (the panting dog), you would add the -e to make de hijgende hond.
Is using a present participle like this common in everyday Dutch?
It is less common in everyday spoken Dutch than in English. In conversation, Dutch speakers often prefer using a linking word like terwijl (while), for example: Terwijl de hond hijgt, rent hij naar het park (While the dog pants, he runs to the park). However, using the present participle as an adverb is very normal in written Dutch and storytelling.
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