Vertrekt

Vertrekt is the third-person singular present tense form of the Dutch verb vertrekken, meaning to depart or to leave. It is used to indicate that someone or something is leaving a place or beginning a journey. The verb is intransitive and generally does not take a direct object.

Usage and examples

Common in everyday language as well as in travel and timetable contexts. Examples: De trein vertrekt om acht uur. (The train departs at eight o’clock.) Zij vertrekt morgen naar Brussel. (She departs tomorrow for Brussels.)

Conjugation and related forms

In present tense, the full conjugation of vertrekken is: ik vertrek, jij vertrekt, hij/zij/het vertrekt, wij vertrekken, jullie vertrekken, zij vertrekken. The past tense is vertrok (singular) and vertrokken (plural). The perfect tense uses the auxiliary hebben or zijn form, typically zijn: ik ben vertrokken. The noun vertrek (departure) is a related form with a related meaning but stands on its own as a noun.

Etymology and nuances

Vertrekken comes from a combination of ver- (a prefix with various meanings) and trek(k) (to pull or draw), historically conveying the sense of setting out or moving away. In modern Dutch, vertrekken is used for both people and vehicles that leave a location, and it frequently appears in schedules, announcements, and narrative descriptions of travel.

Related terms

Vertrek, a noun meaning departure or exit, is closely related and often appears in phrases such as vertrek- en aankomsttijden (departure and arrival times). The term is cognate with similar forms in related Germanic languages.