verbvorm

Verbvorm, in Dutch grammar, is any concrete form a verb can take to express grammatical information. Verbvorms encode tense, aspect, mood, voice, person and number, and sometimes other relations between the verb and its sentence. Grammars typically distinguish finite (conjugated) verbforms from non-finite forms, such as infinitives and participles.

Finite forms: Finite verbforms are inflected for person and number and indicate tense. In Dutch, present tense forms include ik loop, jij loopt, hij loopt; past tense forms include ik liep, jij liep, hij liep; wij liepen. Finite forms participate in compound tenses with auxiliaries, e.g., ik heb gelopen (I have walked) or wij zijn gegaan (we have gone). The imperative, as in Loop!, is another finite form used for commands.

Non-finite forms: The infinitive (lopen) is the base form. The present participle (lopend) may function as an adjective or adverbial modifier. The past participle (gelopen) is used with auxiliary verbs to form perfect tenses and can also function adjectivally (de gelopen route). Dutch uses infinitival clauses with te: om te lopen.

Overview: The study of verbvormen is central to morphology and syntax. Beyond Dutch, verb forms across languages show similar distinctions between finite and non-finite forms and may include strong/weak conjugation, stem changes, and different marker systems for tense, aspect, and mood.