doorzetten

Doorzetten is a Dutch verb meaning to persist, to continue with an effort, or to push through obstacles. It conveys the idea of maintaining effort over time to achieve a goal, rather than giving up at the first sign of difficulty.

The term is formed from the preposition door (through) and zetten (to put or place), with the combination suggesting moving through barriers by sustained action.

Usage: Doorzetten is a separable verb in many contexts. In the present tense you often hear we zetten door or ik zet door to mean we continue or I push on. In compound tenses the past participle is doorgezet, as in We hebben doorgezet (we have persisted). It can take a direct object or be used with prepositional phrases, for example doorzetten met dit plan (to press on with this plan).

Nuance and scope: The term emphasizes perseverance in the face of adversity rather than short-term effort. It can apply in sports, academics, business, or personal life. It is closely related to but slightly different from volhouden (to endure) and volharding (perseverance), which can imply steadier persistence or long-term commitment.

Related terms include volhouden, vasthouden, and volharding.