bereid

Bereid is a Dutch adjective meaning prepared or ready, and it is also the past participle of the verb bereiden, which means to prepare. In everyday use, bereidt expresses readiness or willingness to act, as in the phrase bereid zijn om te helpen (to be willing to help). It can also describe a state resulting from preparation, such as a meal that has been prepared.

In cooking, the passive sense is common: het eten is bereid translates to the meal has been prepared. This sense parallels the broader meaning of ready or completed through preparation. The term is closely related to German bereit and to the English word ready, all tracing back to a common Proto-Germanic root.

Bereid is typically used predicatively, accompanying a form of zijn (to be) or another linking verb, and it can pair with om te to introduce an infinitive: "Ik ben bereid om te vertrekken" (I am prepared to depart). The compound adjective bereiwwilligheid is rare; more common is the separate noun vormen bereidtheid meaning willingness or readiness.

Related forms include berei(d)willig, meaning willing, and bereidheid, the noun for willingness or readiness. In contrast to the adjective klaar, which emphasizes being finished or ready in a concrete sense, bereid emphasizes a disposition or state of willingness to take action.

See also: bereit (German), ready (English cognates), bereidheid (willingness).