ligt

Ligt is a form of the Dutch verb liggen, meaning to lie. It is the third-person singular present tense, used with hij, zij, or het. The meaning varies with context: it can describe lying in a horizontal position (to lie down) or being located somewhere (to be situated). For example, hij ligt op bed means he lies in bed, and het ligt bij de rivier means it is located by the river.

In Dutch, the present tense forms of liggen include ik lig, jij ligt, hij ligt, wij liggen, jullie liggen, zij liggen. The form ligt therefore appears in sentences referring to a single subject in the present tense. The phrase het ligt aan … is a common expression meaning “it’s due to …” or “the fault lies with …,” as in Het ligt aan de weersomstandigheden (It’s due to the weather conditions).

Etymology and cognates: the verb lig­gen/ligen/Liegend shares a common Germanic origin with other languages. Dutch ligt has cognates in German liegt, and in Nordic languages such as Norwegian ligger and Swedish ligger, all reflecting related meanings of lying or being located. These cognates illustrate how the concept of position or posture appears across the Germanic language family.

Usage notes: verschil between lying down and being located is often inferred from the surrounding words; add context with a prepositional phrase like op bed (on the bed) or bij de rivier (by the river). Ligt can also appear in idiomatic constructions, where the focus is on causation or attribution rather than physical position.