Toebehoort

Toebehoort is a Dutch verb form meaning belongs to or pertains to. It is commonly seen in the present tense, indicating possession or attribution, and is often used in more formal or juridical language. In everyday Dutch, the equivalent expression is usually gevormd with the verb horen in combination with the particle toe, as in het behoort toe aan iemand, or the more general phrase dit behoort tot zijn bezittingen. The form toebehoort is sometimes encountered in older, legal, or set phrases, but the preferred contemporary construction is behoort toe.

The infinitive of the verb is toebehoren, sometimes written as toebehoeren in older spellings. The noun form toebehoor refers to belongings, property, or assets that belong to someone or something. In legal or estate contexts, toebehoren can denote appurtenances or items that accompany a main object, such as land, buildings, or movable property that are considered part of an ownership package.

Etymology traces to toe-, a Dutch prefix meaning “to” or “toward,” combined with behoren, an older form meaning “to belong” or “to befit.” The semantic core is possession or belonging, refined in legal Dutch to distinguish main property from its toebehoren or appurtenances. Related terms include bezitten (to possess), eigendom (property), and bewaarder of a similar sense in ownership statements.

In summary, toebehoort denotes the act or state of belonging in formal Dutch usage, with the more common modern expression être showed as behoort toe or, more broadly, behoort tot. The noun toebehoor covers the concept of belongings or property that belong to someone.