denkend

Denkend is the Dutch present participle of denken, the verb meaning to think. It describes an ongoing mental action and functions as an adjective or as part of participial phrases. The form is created from the verb stem denken by adding the suffix -end, yielding denkend.

In usage, denkend can modify a noun or appear in participial phrases to express continuous thinking or contemplation. It is more common in literary or formal Dutch, where non-finite participles are employed for descriptive effect. A frequent sense is “thinking of” something, as in denkend aan or similar constructions, used to indicate the object of thought. In everyday speech, speakers more often convey ongoing thought with periphrastic forms such as aan het denken zijn or simply denken.

Etymology and related forms: den kend comes from denken with the Dutch present-participle suffix -end. It shares roots with equivalent Germanic forms in other languages, such as English thinking and German denkend, reflecting a common Germanic pattern for non-finite verb forms that express ongoing action.

Notes for learners: While denkend exists as a participle, Dutch frequently relies on finite verb forms or periphrastic constructions to express ongoing thinking, especially in contemporary conversation. Denkend is more likely to appear in written, formal, or literary contexts and in certain fixed expressions.

See also: denken, Dutch grammar, present participles, participle constructions in Dutch.