Huilende

Huilende is the present participle adjective in Dutch formed from the verb huilen (to cry). It denotes the act or state of crying and is used to describe someone or something that is producing tears or is associated with crying. In ordinary use it functions as an attributive adjective before a noun, for example de huilende moeder (the crying mother) or huilende ogen (crying eyes). Predicative use is less common; speakers typically say the subject is crying: de baby huilt, or de baby is aan het huilen, rather than de baby is huilende.

The form is created by adding the suffix -ende to the stem huil-, in line with standard Dutch present-participle formation. The attributive form does not vary for gender; in practice you will see phrases like een huilende baby, de huilende kinderen, de huilende vrouw.

Etymology: huilende comes from huilen 'to cry'. The stem huil- is a basic Dutch root related to crying or weeping in Germanic cognates.

Usage notes: In everyday Dutch, huilende refers to literal crying. In literary or rhetorical contexts it can be used metaphorically, as in een huilende economie, to describe distress or decline, though this is more figurative and less common in casual speech.

See also: huilen; present participle; Dutch grammar; adjectives.