Inschenken

Inschenken is a Dutch verb meaning to pour a beverage into a glass, typically to serve someone. It is used when offering drinks at meals, gatherings, or other hospitality contexts. The expression iemand een drankje inschenken is common, and the action can refer to pouring wine, water, coffee, tea, or other drinks.

The word is formed from in- plus schenken (to pour or to give). In modern Dutch inschenken is a separable verb: in many sentences the prefix can appear at the end, for example Ik schenk hem een glas wijn in. Present tense forms include ik schenk (hem) een glas in and jij schenkt (hem) een glas in. The simple past is schonk (hem) een glas in, and the past participle is ingeschonken, used with hebben to form the perfect: ik heb ingeschonken or ik heb hem ingeschonken.

Usage notes emphasize that inschenken highlights the act of filling a glass for someone, whereas schenken can have a broader sense of pouring or, in a different sense, donating as a gift. The term is common in Dutch-language hospitality contexts and everyday speech in the Netherlands and Flanders; regional preferences may vary. In formal writing, it may appear in instructions or descriptions of service, while in casual speech it is a natural everyday verb.