Strijden

Strijden is a Dutch verb meaning to fight, to struggle, or to strive. It can refer to physical combat, to competing in a contest, or to a figurative effort to achieve a goal. The verb is transitive and is commonly used with tegen (against) or om (for, to obtain). For example, zij strijden tegen onrecht (they fight against injustice) or de teams strijden om de titel (the teams contend for the title).

Grammatical notes: Present tense forms are ik strijd, jij strijdt, hij strijdt; wij strijden; jullie strijden; zij strijden. The simple past forms are ik streed, jij streed, hij streed; wij streden; jullie streden; zij streden. The past participle is gestreden, and the present perfect is formed with hebben gestreden (bijvoorbeeld: Wij hebben gestreden). The future tense is created with zal strijden (they will fight/strive).

Origins and related terms: Strijden originates from Old Dutch and has cognates in other Germanic languages, such as German streiten. The related noun strijd means battle or struggle.

Usage notes: Strijden can denote physical combat, competitive sports, political or social advocacy, and personal effort toward a goal. It appears in idiomatic expressions such as in de strijd (in the struggle), strijd leveren (to wage a battle), and strijd aangaan (to enter into a struggle). The nuance ranges from literal fighting to persistent effort or competition.

See also: strijd (noun).