gewaarschuwd

Gewaarschuwd is the past participle of the Dutch verb waarschuwen, meaning to warn or caution someone about potential danger or risk. It is used to form perfect tenses with the auxiliary hebben, as in Ik heb gewaarschuwd, Wij hebben u gewaarschuwd, and in passive constructions with worden, as in De reizigers zijn gewaarschuwd.

Grammatical notes and forms: The infinitive waarschuwen yields the past tense waarschuwde/waarschuwden, while the past participle is gewaarschuwd and is used with ge- to form the perfect and passive voice (gewaarschuwd). In adjectival use, gewaarschuwd can describe a person or situation that has received a warning, e.g., een gewaarschuwd slachtoffer, though more common phrasing often centers on the noun waarschuwing.

Usage and nuance: Gevaarschuwd is widely employed in safety communications, travel advisories, law enforcement, and journalism. It denotes that a warning has been given or received, rather than implying the warning itself. It can be accompanied by by-phrases to indicate the source of the warning (door de politie gewaarschuwd) and appears in both formal and informal registers.

Related terms: The verb waarschuwen (to warn) and the noun waarschuwing (warning) are closely related. Phrases such as een waarschuwing afgeven (to issue a warning) and mensen waarschuwen tegen iets are common alternatives in Dutch.

See also: Waarschuwen, Waarschuwing. In English, gewaarschuwd translates to “warned.”