verven

Verven is a Dutch verb meaning to apply paint to a surface or to color materials by dyeing them. In everyday language it covers both painting (for example walls, furniture, or vehicles) and dyeing textiles or other materials. In the painting sense, verven is used with tools such as brushes, rollers, or spray devices; in textiles it refers to staining fibers with pigments or dyes to achieve a specific color.

Examples of usage include Ik verf de muur (I am painting the wall) and De deur wordt geverfd (The door is being painted). In the textile sense one might say Stoffen worden geverfd in verschillende kleuren (Fabrics are dyed in various colors).

Verven is a regular Dutch verb. In the present tense the forms are: ik verf, jij verft, hij verft, wij verven, jullie verven, zij verven. The past participle is geverfd and is used with hebben in perfect tenses, for example Ik heb de muur geverfd.

Etymology and related terms: verven is formed from the noun verf (paint) with the prefix ver-, a productive pattern in Dutch to indicate applying or affecting a surface. Related terms include verf (paint), verver (dyer), ververij (dyery), and vernis (varnish); in art contexts one may refer to acrylverf (acrylic paint) or waterverf (watercolor).