afdalen

Afdalen is a Dutch verb meaning to descend or go down. It describes moving downward in space, such as when a hiker descends a slope or a train travels to a lower level. It can also refer to a decline in altitude, temperature, prices, or intensity. The prefix af- attached to dalen signals downward movement; the construction is a separable prefix verb.

Grammar and forms. In present tense the prefix is separated: we dalen af, jij daalt af, zij dalen af. The simple past is formed with dalen as dalden: we daalden af. The perfect tense uses zijn: we zijn afgedaald. The past participle is afgedaald. The noun form for the act of descending on a slope is afdaling; for a general decline the noun daling is common.

Usage notes. Afdalen is frequent in contexts such as mountaineering, skiing, travel, and meteorology. It can describe a downward movement (we dalen af naar het dal) or a more general decline in measures (de temperatuur daalde; de prijs daalde). The term afdaling is especially common for downhill movement or descent on slopes, while daling is typically used for non-physical declines. Opposed to afdalen is klimmen (to climb) or omhoog gaan (to go up). The word blends a spatial sense of moving downward with broader figurative uses.