weghalen

Weghalen is a Dutch verb meaning to remove, take away, or pull away. It is transitive and typically used with a direct object, describing the act of removing something from a location, from a list or from view. It can refer to physical removal as well as to removing items or information in more figurative senses.

Grammatical notes: Weghalen is a separable compound verb formed from halen (to fetch) with the prefix weg- meaning "away." In present tense the prefix is often separated: ik haal het weg, jij haalt het weg, hij haalt het weg, wij halen het weg. The imperative is haal het weg. The simple past is haalde weg (ik haalde het weg), and the past participle is weggehaald, used in perfect tense: ik heb het weggehaald. The passive form is er wordt weggehaald (something is being removed).

Usage and nuance: Weghalen covers both literal removal (removing a chair from a room, clearing a backlog) and figurative removal (removing a name from a list, removing a comment from a document). In formal writing and in computing contexts, synonyms such as verwijderen or wissen are often used; weghalen tends to be common in everyday speech and in mixed or practical contexts. The choice between weghalen and verwijderen can depend on register and the nature of the removal.

Origin: The word is formed from weg ("away") and halen ("to fetch"), and it is widely used in both the Netherlands and Belgium (Flanders). It is a standard part of contemporary Dutch and appears in everyday language as well as in written texts.