meepakken

Meepakken is a Dutch verb meaning to take something along with you, usually when you are going somewhere or making a plan. It conveys the idea of selecting or grabbing items to bring along, rather than merely transporting things you must have. The word is formed from mee (along/with) and pakken (to grab, take), and it is a separable verb, so the prefix mee can move within the sentence.

Usage and nuance: Meepakken is commonly used for practical, everyday actions such as packing items for a journey, a meeting, or an outing. It is closely related to the verb meenemen, but meepakken emphasizes the act of grabbing or deciding to take something with you rather than the more general notion of bringing it along. In many contexts they can be interchangeable, though meepakken often has a more informal, on-the-spot feel.

Conjugation notes: In the present tense you typically say ik pak wat mee, jij pakt wat mee, wij pakken wat mee. In the perfect tense the past participle is usually meegpakt, as in we hebben wat meegpakt. The related verb meenemen is more neutral and tends to be used for simply taking things along, whereas meepakken carries a sense of actively choosing or grabbing items during the moment.

Related terms: Meenemen, meaning to take along or to bring with, is the structurally similar, more general alternative. Both verbs share a common vocabulary space in Dutch for describing how people transport items when traveling or making plans.