vroeg

Vroeg is a Dutch word with several related meanings and grammatical functions. As an adjective and adverb, it means "early" and is used to describe times or actions that occur sooner than usual. It appears in phrases such as vroeg in de ochtend (early in the morning) or vroeg opstaan (to wake up early). In everyday use it can modify both verbs and nouns, and it is common in both spoken and written Dutch.

In addition, vroeg functions as the simple past tense of the verb vragen, meaning "to ask." For example, ik vroeg om hulp means "I asked for help," and hij vroeg naar de locatie means "he asked about the location." The past participle of vragen is gevraagd, which is used in compound tenses, such as ik heb gevraagd (I have asked).

Etymologically, vroeg derives from Old Dutch and Middle Dutch and is related to cognate forms in other Germanic languages that convey the sense of early or preceding. The related form vroeger or vroeger tijd means "earlier" or "formerly," and is commonly used to indicate something in the past relative to another reference point.

Usage notes: hoewel vroeg most often means “early,” its meaning can be clarified by context, especially when paired with time expressions. The word is commonly combined with other terms to form everyday phrases, and it should not be confused with potential proper-noun uses, which are uncommon in standard Dutch. Overall, vroeg is a versatile term anchored in both temporal description and grammatical tense.