Vertraagde

Vertraagde is a Dutch term meaning delayed or slowed, and it functions as both a past participle of the verb vertragen and as an adjective. In everyday language it describes something that has experienced a delay, most often in transportation or scheduling contexts.

Morphology and usage

As a verb form, vertraagde is the simple past tense of vertragen: Ik vertraging? No—ik vertraagde, hij vertraagde, etc. More commonly, however, it is used as a past participle in combination with have or be, as in the passive or perfect constructions: De trein is vertraagd; De vlucht is vertraagd. In attributive position before a noun, the form vertraagde is inflected for gender and number after definite articles, yielding phrases such as de vertraagde trein (the delayed train) or de vertraagde vlucht. The predicative form is typically vertragen used in present or past contexts: De trein is vertraagd. In practice, the noun form vertraging is used to denote the concept of a delay.

Examples

- De trein is vertraagd door een technische storing.

- De vertraagde trein vertrok tien minuten later.

- Een vertraagde vlucht werd vanmorgen aangekondigd.

Related terms

Vertraging (delay) is the corresponding noun, while vertragen is the verb meaning to delay. Uitstellen (to postpone) is a related term used in contexts where delays are planned rather than incidental. Vertraagde is most common in transport, event planning, and media scheduling.

Notes on nuance

Vertraagde is used when describing a specific, already occurring delay, whereas vertraging refers to the general concept of delay. The word appears frequently in news updates and timetable notices.