Slaan

Slaan is a Dutch verb meaning to strike, hit, or beat. It covers physical actions such as striking with a fist or a tool, and figurative uses such as defeating an opponent or making a decisive move. The verb appears in a variety of common expressions, for example op de deur slaan (to bang on the door), iemand in elkaar slaan (to beat someone up), and de klok slaan (to strike the clock, i.e., to bell the hour). The idiom de slag slaan means to take decisive action or to gain the upper hand.

Slaan is a strong, irregular verb. In the present tense it forms as ik sla, jij slaat, hij slaat, wij slaan, jullie slaan, zij slaan. The past tense is irregular as well: ik sloeg, jij sloeg, hij sloeg; wij sloegen, jullie sloegen, zij sloegen. The past participle is geslagen, and the usual auxiliary for perfect tenses is hebben, as in ik heb geslagen. The imperative forms are sla (informal singular) and slaat u (formal).

Etymology and relatives: slaan derives from Old Dutch slāan, traced to Proto-Germanic roots meaning “to strike” and is cognate with German schlagen. The Dutch verb has a wide range of figurative uses in addition to its physical sense, reflecting the broader notion of delivering a blow, a hit, or a decisive action.