Opeten

Opeten is a Dutch verb meaning to eat up or to finish eating one’s meal. The verb is formed from eten with the prefix op-, which in this context signals completion or consumption of what remains. Opeten is a separable verb; in present tense clauses the prefix is placed at the end, for example: Het kind eet zijn bord op. In the infinitive and in perfect tenses the form remains opeten, with the past participle opgegeten when used with hebben, as in: Ik heb mijn eten opgegeten.

Common usages include phrases such as de rest opeten (to eat up the rest) or je bord opeten (to finish your plate). The expression is regularly employed in everyday speech and is often found in instructional or parental contexts encouraging children to finish their meals.

Etymology and related forms: The prefix op- derives from Dutch prefixes signaling completion or culmination, akin to German aufessen. The verb poises with other eten-combinations to convey consuming food entirely.

Usage notes: Opeten specifically implies that the food is eaten completely, rather than merely started or partially consumed. It is contrastive to broader verb eet or to phrases that indicate eating in general. The term applies to people and animals alike when describing the action of consuming the remaining food.