gezegde

Gezegde is a Dutch term with two main meanings that are related to language. In grammar, it refers to the predicate of a sentence—the part that says something about the subject. In everyday language, it also denotes a proverb or fixed saying, a conventional expression whose meaning is often not derived from the individual words.

In the grammatical sense, het gezegde is the verb phrase that expresses action or a state. It can be a verbal predicate, consisting of a finite verb and, if present, auxiliary verbs and non-finite parts linked to it. For example, in “Zij heeft het boek gelezen,” the verbal predicate is “heeft gelezen.” Dutch grammar distinguishes between het werkwoordelijk gezegde (the verbal predicate, including auxiliaries and main verbs) and het naamwoordelijk gezegde (the predicative part with a linking verb and a predicative complement), as in “Zij is moe” where “is moe” is the predicative. Another example is “Zij zal morgen vertrekken,” where “zal vertrekken” forms the verbal predicate.

In the proverb sense, gezegde means a proverb or saying, a fixed expression that conveys a piece of traditional wisdom or common sense. Examples include “Wie het kleine niet eert, is het grote niet weerd” and “Zoals het klokje thuis tikt, tikt het nergens.” Such gezegdes are typically metaphorical and used in speech or writing to condense meaning and cultural knowledge.

Etymologically, the term is linked to the verb zeggen (to say) and literally refers to something that is said. The distinction between the grammatical and proverbial senses is clear in usage: one concerns sentence structure, the other cultural and linguistic fixed expressions.