smeerden

Smeerden is the imperfect past tense form of the Dutch verb smeren, meaning to spread, smear, or apply a coating of a substance. It is used for actions in the past and can refer to literal spreading as well as figurative uses.

Etymology: Smeren comes from Old Dutch smeren, related to German smeeren and English smear, reflecting a common Germanic root for applying a layer.

Grammar: In the imperfect (onvoltooid verleden tijd), forms include ik smeerde, jij smeerde, hij/zij smeerde, wij smeerden, jullie smeerden, zij smeerden. The form smeerde is singular; smeerden is plural.

Usage: Common everyday use describes spreading butter on bread: "Wij smeerden boter op het brood." The past tense "smeerden" can also appear in narrative descriptions of past actions. The verb covers a range of coatings, including boter, olie, verf, zalf, en dergelijke, and can be used in both literal and metaphorical contexts.

See also: smeren, smeer.