Gestolen

Gestolen is the past participle of the Dutch verb stelen, meaning to steal. It is used in two main ways: as part of verb tenses formed with hebben (to have stolen) and as an adjective describing something that has been taken illegally. In everyday language it often appears in phrases describing theft or possession of illicitly taken items, such as a stolen car or stolen goods.

As a verb form, gestolen appears in perfect tenses and the passive voice. For example, "De auto is gestolen" translates to "The car has been stolen," and "Hij heeft de wagen gestolen" means "He has stolen the car." As an adjective, gestolen modifies a noun to indicate illegitimate possession, as in "een gestolen telefoon" (a stolen phone) or "gestolen goederen" (stolen goods). In these uses the word functions similarly to the English adjective “stolen.”

Etymologically, gestolen is formed with the prefix ge- plus the past participle of stelen. The verb stelen belongs to the Germanic family and is cognate with the English verb steal. In Dutch grammar, the past participle can act as a predicate adjective (the car is gestolen) or as part of a periphrastic tense with have (hij heeft gestolen) or appear in the passive (het is gestolen).

In contemporary Dutch, gestolen commonly appears in news reports, legal contexts, and crime-related discourse, as well as in everyday descriptions of objects that have been taken without authorization. The term is also used as a title or motif in Dutch-language media to evoke themes of theft or loss, though specific works vary by region and era.

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