halen

Halen is a Dutch verb with several related senses centered on bringing something toward the speaker, retrieving, or pulling. It can also mean to achieve or obtain something, especially in the context of completing a task or passing a test. The core ideas often involve motion toward the speaker or toward a goal, whether physical or metaphorical.

Conjugation and usage: In the present tense the forms are ik haal, jij haalt, hij haalt, wij halen, jullie halen, zij halen. The imperfect (past) tense is ik haalde, jij haalde, hij haalde, wij haalden, jullie haalden, zij haalden. The past participle is gehaald, used with have to form the perfect and pluperfect: ik heb gehaald, je hebt gehaald, hij heeft gehaald, etc. Examples: Ik haal de bus. (I catch the bus.) Zij heeft haar rijbewijs gehaald. (She passed her driving test.) We hebben het project gehaald. (We completed/achieved the project.)

Common compound verbs: Many verbs combine halen with prefixes to form separable verbs. For example, ophalen means to pick up or fetch up, and terughalen means to bring back or recall. In sentences, the prefix often separates in the finite verb form: Ik haal het morgen op. (I will pick it up tomorrow.) We hebben het verhaal teruggehaald. (We have recalled/retrieved the story.)

Notes: halen appears across various contexts, from everyday actions like fetching groceries to idiomatic uses meaning to achieve a goal (een examen halen). It is related to similar Germanic verbs in other languages and forms part of numerous phrasal verbs in Dutch.