overnachtende

Overnachtende is the present participle form of the Dutch verb overnachten, meaning to stay overnight. In usage it functions as an adjective or as part of a descriptive noun phrase to denote someone or something that stays the night. The most common use is attributive before a noun, for example, overnachtende reizigers or overnachtende gasten, to describe travelers or guests who stay overnight. It can also occur in a predicative sense in written Dutch, as in constructions that emphasize the act of staying the night, though in everyday speech many speakers prefer phrasing such as “die reizigers overnachten” rather than using the participle form.

Etymology and form: overnachten combines over- (over, across) and nacht (night). The present participle adds the suffix -ende, producing overnacht- + -ende, yielding overnachtende when placed before a noun. In plural noun phrases the form remains overnachtende, followed by the plural noun (de overnachtende reizigers).

Usage notes: The term is relatively formal and more likely to appear in travel writing, hotel and tourism descriptions, or formal schedules. In ordinary conversation, speakers may opt for simpler constructions such as “blijven overnachten” (to stay overnight) or “die reizigers overnachten” rather than using the attributive participle. For the noun notion “overnight guests,” Dutch tends to use terms like overnachters or gasten die blijven, depending on style and register.

See also: overnachten, overnachting, nachtverblijf, overnight stay.