zagen

Zagen is a Dutch word with several related meanings that depend on context. As an infinitive, zagen means to saw or to cut with a saw, and it is used to describe the act of cutting material such as wood. For example, "hout zagen" means to saw wood, and a sentence like "De timmerman gaat hout zagen" describes the action of sawing performed by a carpenter.

Zagen also appears as the past tense form of the verb zien (to see), but only for plural subjects. In this use, it means "they saw" or "you (plural) saw." For singular subjects, the past tense is "zag." An example is: "Gisteren zagen ze een vallende ster" meaning "Yesterday they saw a shooting star."

As a noun, zaag is the word for a saw, and zagen is the plural form meaning "saws." For instance: "De zagen liggen op de werkbank" translates to "The saws are lying on the workbench." The spelling is identical to the verbal forms, so context is needed to determine the meaning.

In summary, the word zagen functions as: the infinitive verb to saw; the past tense plural of zien (to see); and the plural noun saws. Context and sentence structure usually clarify which meaning is intended.