verlopen

Verlopen is a Dutch word with several closely related meanings connected to time passing or to something becoming invalid. It functions as a verb in two main senses and also as an adjective.

As a verb, verlopen means to elapse or to pass, usually referring to time or a period. It is used intransitively and also in phrases about progress: bijvoorbeeld, De tijd verloopt snel, Het project verloopt volgens planning. A common construction is “de tijd is verlopen” or “de termijn is verlopen,” indicating that a deadline or period has ended. In another sense, verloopt can describe how something proceeds or unfolds, as in “Hoe verloopt het proces?” meaning “How is the process progressing?”

As an adjective, verlopen describes something that is expired or no longer valid. This is frequently applied to documents, offers, contracts, or products: een verlopen paspoort, een verlopen contract, een verlopen vervaldatum. In this usage it is predicative or attributive, and conveys that the item cannot be used because its validity has ended.

Etymology and nuance: verloopen comes from ver- plus lopen, with ver- contributing a sense of change of state. The term is related to aflopen (to run out) and verstreken (past, elapsed). While both verloopt and verstreken express time passing, verloopt emphasizes the process or expiry, whereas aflopen often centers on the end of a defined period.

In everyday Dutch and Flemish, verloopen is common in administrative, legal, and logistical contexts, and is generally understood as either “to elapse” or “to be expired” depending on the sentence.

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