benadrukken

Benadrukken is a Dutch verb meaning to emphasize, to stress, or to highlight something. It is used in both spoken and written language to draw attention to a point, a claim, or a detail. In addition to rhetorical emphasis, the term can also refer to making text more noticeable, for example by typography, such as bolding or italicizing, although in practice this is often described with phrases like “de tekst benadrukken” rather than as a separate action.

Etymology and nuance: benedrukken comes from the prefix be- combined with drukken (to press). The sense evolved from a literal act of pressing something into prominence to a figurative sense of pressing a point in dialogue or text. The concept is closely related to the noun nadruk (the emphasis) and to phrases that indicate focus, such as “de nadruk leggen op” or “beklemtonen.”

Usage and grammar: benadrukken takes a direct object—the element that is emphasized. In the present tense: ik benadruk, jij benadrukt, hij benadrukt; wij benadrukken; jullie benadrukken; zij benadrukken. The past tense is benadrukte, and the perfect is formed with hebben: ik heb benadrukt. Passive usage is common in written Dutch: er wordt benadrukt.

Synonyms and related expressions include benadrukken, accenten leggen op, beklemtonen, en onderstrepen. De nadruk leggen op is a common collocation to convey the same idea with a slightly different nuance.

See also: nadruk, benadrukking, beklemtonen, accentueren.