Learn Dutch: Mopperend veegde de man de vloer. - Grumbling, the man swept the floor.

Mopperend is the present participle of the verb mopperen (to grumble), formed by adding -d to the infinitive. Here, it functions as a shortened clause (beknopte bijzin) that describes an action happening at the exact same time as the main verb (veegde).

How does Dutch grammar ensure we know who is grumbling?

In a shortened clause like this, the implied subject of the participle must be the exact same as the subject of the main clause. Because de man is the subject of veegde, he is automatically the one who is mopperend. If someone else were grumbling, you would have to write out a full subordinate clause.

Why is the word order veegde de man instead of de man veegde?

This is the V2 (verb-second) rule in action. Because the sentence starts with the participial clause Mopperend in the first position, the main verb veegde must take the second position. The subject de man is then pushed to the third position, causing inversion.

How could you rewrite this sentence without using a present participle?

You can express the exact same simultaneous action using a conjunction like terwijl (while). The sentence would become: Terwijl de man mopperde, veegde hij de vloer. Using the participle mopperend is simply a more concise, slightly more literary way to phrase it.