Zwijg

Zwijg is a Dutch verb form belonging to the verb zwijgen, which means to refrain from speaking or to be silent. In most uses, zwijg is the imperative form used to instruct someone to stop talking, effectively meaning “be quiet.” It is formed from the stem zwijg and is directed at a single person.

In ordinary present-tense conjugation, the verb zwijgen changes to ik zwijg, jij zwijgt, hij zwijgt, wij zwijgen, jullie zwijgen, zij zwijgen. The imperative zwijg, by contrast, is a command rather than a statement and is not used with the -t ending. For politeness or softening, Dutch speakers often add words such as alstublieft or alsjeblieft after the imperative: Zwijg alstublieft.

Etymologically, zwijgen descends from older Dutch forms related to staying silent and is cognate with similar Germanic roots found in German schweigen and English “to be silent.” The word has a long-standing role in Dutch literature, dialogue, and everyday speech as a direct instruction to stop speaking, sometimes used sharply, sometimes in a more measured or dramatic context.

Usage notes: zwijg is most common in direct address to a single person, such as in conversations, performances, or negotiations. It can appear in both spoken and written Dutch, including literature, scripts, and formal communications, though in formal settings speakers may prefer softer formulations.

See also: zwijgen, stilte, mond houden.