ploegen

Ploegen is a Dutch word with two predominant meanings that depend on context. As a noun, ploegen is the plural of ploeg, meaning a team or crew—often used for sports teams or work groups. As a verb, ploegen is the infinitive form meaning to plow or till soil.

Etymology and usage: The noun originally referred to a group of workers or animals that operated a plow; the sense expanded to denote any organized team or unit. The verb shares the same root and describes the act of tilling fields.

Examples and forms: In sports and competition contexts, ploegen refers to teams, e.g., many teams participate in a league. In agriculture, the verb is used: De boer ploegt het land. The present tense forms are ik ploeg, jij ploegt, hij ploegt, wij ploegen, jullie ploegen, zij ploegen.

Notes: The spelling is identical for the plural noun and the infinitive verb, which can create ambiguity without context. In written Dutch, capitalization is not used for the verb, while plural noun usage follows normal noun rules.