Voorkomende

Voorkomende is the present participle of the Dutch verb voorkomen. In this form it functions primarily as an adjective meaning “occurring,” “happening,” or “present,” and is used to describe events, conditions, or phenomena that exist or take place. In ordinary text you will encounter phrases such as de meest voorkomende aandoening (the most common condition) or voorkomende symptomen (occurring symptoms).

Dutch has a separate sense of voorkomen meaning “to prevent.” The present participle for that sense is voorkomend, as in voorkomend gedrag (preventive behavior) or om te voorkomen (in order to prevent). Although both senses share the same root, voorkomende describes what occurs, while voorkomend is used in contexts related to prevention.

Etymology: voorkomende derives from voor- meaning “before” and komen meaning “to come.” The combination historically contributed to both senses: something that comes before in time (to happen) and the notion of preventing something by acting beforehand. The dual meaning is preserved in modern usage, though they are distinguished by their context and by related forms such as voorkomen (to occur) and voorkomen (to prevent) with their own participles.

Usage notes: Veelvoorkomende and meest voorkomende are common compounds that describe frequency or commonality, for example veelvoorkomende klachten (frequent complaints) or de meest voorkomende ziekte (the most common illness). Voorkomende is typically placed before the noun in attributive position and can also appear in predicative constructions, though careful distinction from the preventive sense is advised to avoid ambiguity.