bleven

Bleven is a Dutch verb meaning to stay or remain. It functions as the past tense form of the intransitive verb blijven, used to describe continued or past states. In everyday usage, blijven is highly common and appears in a wide range of expressions and idioms.

Etymology and usage

Bleven derives from the older forms of Dutch and is related to German bleiben and other Germanic cognates. It shares a common semantic core with English remain and stay, reflecting the idea of continuing to exist in a state or position. The verb is intransitive and typically requires no direct object. It often appears in phrases that describe physical or figurative persistence, such as staying in a place, continuing in a situation, or persisting with a course of action.

Conjugation

The present tense forms are: ik blijf, jij blijft, hij blijft, wij blijven, jullie blijven, zij blijven. The simple past (preterite) forms are: ik bleef, jij bleef, hij bleef, wij bleven, jullie bleven, zij bleven. The past participle is gebleven, used with auxiliary avoir/been equivalents to form the perfect tense in Dutch. For example: Ik ben gebleven (I have remained). The verb can pair with future constructions using zullen blijven (will stay/remain). The present participle or verbal adjective can be blijvend (as in blijvende aandacht, meaning ongoing or lasting attention).

Usage notes

Bleven is versatile in both literal and figurative contexts, including staying put, remaining in effect, or continuing a stated position. It appears in many common idioms and collocations, such as blijven zitten (to stay seated or stuck) and blijven liggen (to remain lying down).

See also

blijven, blijven in Dutch grammar, German bleiben, English remain/stay.