gebeld

Gebeld is the past participle of bellen, the Dutch verb meaning to call by telephone or to ring a doorbell. It is used to form perfect tenses with the auxiliary hebben (Ik heb gebeld; Je hebt gebeld) and can appear in passive constructions with zijn (Er is gebeld) in some contexts.

Etymology and form: Bellen is of Germanic origin. The ge- prefix is a common marker for the past participle in Dutch, and bel- is the stem; adding -d yields gebeld. The simple past tense of bellen is belde.

Usage and examples: Ik heb gisteren met hem gebeld. Zij heeft mij teruggebeld. We wachten op een terugbelverzoek or: er is nog niet gebeld. Gebeld wordt vaak gebruikt when referring to a completed phone call, while bellen (in present) and zal bellen (future) describe ongoing or planned actions. In compounds, terugbellen means to call back, en door iemand gebeld signifiest that the person has been called.

Related forms and notes: The infinitive bellen, the simple past belde, and the past participle gebeld are part of common Dutch verb conjugation. Gebeld is not typically used as a standalone noun; instead, the noun for the act of calling is a belletje or een telefoongesprek, while bel refers to the device (the bell or doorbell). See also opbellen and terugbellen as related verbs.

Pronunciation: gebeld is pronounced with the emphasis on the second syllable, roughly ge-BELD.