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Questions & Answers about Wij recyclen papier.
Why is the verb recyclen spelled with a y?
Because recyclen is a loanword from English recycle. Dutch keeps the y to mirror the original spelling and pronunciation.
How do you conjugate recyclen in the present tense?
It’s a regular weak verb. Present‐tense forms are:
- ik recycle
- jij recycle(t)*
- hij/zij/het recycle(t)
- wij/we recyclen
- jullie recyclen
- zij recyclen
Note: *jij takes -t when it follows the verb (e.g. Recycle jij papier?) but not when it precedes (e.g. Jij recycle papier.).
Why isn’t it wij recycleren instead of wij recyclen?
Dutch infinitives normally end in -en, not -eren, even for borrowed verbs. So the base form is recyclen, and all conjugations follow from that.
Why is there no article before papier?
Here papier is an uncountable noun used in a general sense (“paper in general”). For specific paper you would say Wij recyclen het papier (“We recycle the paper”).
Can I use we instead of wij, or even drop the pronoun entirely?
Yes. We recyclen papier is perfectly natural in informal speech. You can also omit the subject if context is clear: Recyclen we papier? (“Do we recycle paper?”) in a question.
How do you make this sentence negative?
Use geen before the uncountable noun:
Wij recyclen geen papier. (“We don’t recycle paper.”)
What’s the difference between recyclen and hergebruiken?
- Recyclen = processing waste (e.g. paper) into raw material for new products.
- Hergebruiken = using the same item again without breaking it down (e.g. refilling a bottle).
Where does the stress fall in recyclen?
On the second syllable: re-CY-clen.