toekennen

Toekennen is a Dutch verb meaning to grant, award, or allocate something to someone, typically by an official body or authority. It is used in formal decision-making contexts such as awarding subsidies, licenses, diplomas, prizes, or privileges. In many cases the thing that is granted is the direct object, and the recipient is introduced with the preposition aan (to).

In sentence construction, the thing being granted is the object and the recipient follows the preposition aan. For example: “De commissie kent de prijs toe aan de winnaar.” In the perfect tense this action is described as “toegekend,” as in: “De commissie heeft de prijs toegekend aan de winnaar.” The act is commonly associated with government, academia, and organizations when a decision is made to confer a benefit or entitlement.

A related noun is toekenning, meaning the act of granting or the grant itself. The term is often used with contexts such as subsidies, licences, or diplomas. The past participle toegekend is used in passive or perfect constructions (e.g., “de subsidie is toegekend”). While toekennen is the standard term for official granting, it can be contrasted with verlenen (to grant or confer, with a slightly broader or more general sense) and toewijzen (to allocate or assign, emphasizing distribution or assignment).

In summary, toekennen denotes a formal act of granting by an authority, typically involving a recipient and a specific award, subsidy, or entitlement.