vastgezeten

Vastgezeten is the past participle of the Dutch verb vastzitten and is used to describe something or someone that has been immobilized or stuck. It can function as part of a finite verb in tenses such as the present perfect, or as an adjective describing a state resulting from being unable to move.

Etymology and meaning: The word combines vast, meaning fixed or firm, with zitten, to sit. The combination conveys a state of being held in place or unable to move. In everyday Dutch, vastgezeten is most commonly used to talk about objects or people that are physically stuck, as well as to describe figurative situations where progress is blocked.

Usage: Physically stuck examples include: De auto is vastgezeten in de modder (The car has been stuck in the mud). In a more general sense: Het project heeft jaren vastgezeten door tegenstrijdige regelgeving (The project has been stuck for years due to conflicting regulations). In speech, perfective forms align with the auxiliary zijn: De auto is vastgezeten; Het heeft vastgezeten.

Variants and related forms: Vastzetten is the corresponding verb meaning to immobilize or secure something, while vastzitten is the infinitive meaning to be stuck. Vastgezeten can appear in various tenses and as an adjective describing a fixed state, and it is used in both standard Dutch in the Netherlands and Flemish Dutch in Belgium.

See also: vastzetten, vastzitten.

Notes: The term is common in everyday and semi-formal Dutch, across physical and figurative contexts. It is less typical in very formal writing, where the simpler forms (vastzitten, vastzitten in de bureaucratie, etc.) may be preferred.