lecteren

Lecteren is a Dutch verb with two primary senses. It can mean to read aloud from a text, for instance in a formal or ceremonial setting where a person explicitly reads passages to an audience. It can also mean to deliver a lecture or prepared speech, especially in more formal or learned contexts. In contemporary everyday speech, the sense of giving a lecture is often expressed with phrases like “een lezing houden” or “een college geven,” while lecteren may appear as a more literary, historical, or ecclesiastical usage.

Etymology and related terms: lecteren is derived from Latin lectio, meaning reading, and is related to the noun lectuur, meaning reading material. In religious contexts, the verb may describe the act of reading scripture aloud during a service; in secular contexts it can denote presenting a prepared discourse to an audience.

Usage and register: In modern Dutch, lecteren tends to be encountered more in formal, literary, or historical texts rather than in everyday conversation. It is sometimes used to convey a traditional or ceremonial tone. The more common verbs for everyday use are lezen (to read) and houden/geven van een lezing (to give a lecture). Related terms include voorlezen (to read aloud to an audience) and lezingen (lectures or talks).

Conjugation: lecteren is a regular -eren verb. In the present tense, it follows the standard pattern for -eren verbs, with forms such as ik lecteer and jij lecteert.