zingen

Zingen is a Dutch verb meaning to sing. It denotes the act of producing vocal music with melody and lyrics, either solo or with others. The verb is used both transitively, as in ik zing een lied (I sing a song), and intransitively, as in ze zingt. It is a strong verb with a vowel change between its present and past forms and uses a past participle gezongen.

Etymology and cognates: Zingen traces to Old Dutch and is cognate with related Germanic forms such as German singen and English sing. The root forms across Dutchic languages show a common pattern of vowel alternation that characterizes many Germanic strong verbs.

Conjugation overview: In the present tense, the forms are ik zing, jij zingt, u zingt, hij/zij/het zingt, wij zingen, jullie zingen, zij zingen. In the simple past, ik zong, jij zong, u zong, hij/zij/het zong, wij zongen, jullie zongen, zij zongen. The past participle is gezongen, used with have in perfect tenses (ik heb gezongen). The present participle is zingend, used adjectivally or in constructions like zingend publiek (singing audience). Imperatives are zing! (sing, singular), zingt! (sing, plural or formal), and laten we zingen (let us sing).

Usage notes: Zingen covers both the act of singing and songs themselves, and it can describe vocal performance in music, worship, or casual singing. The related noun for the act is het zingen; indescribable acts or performances are typically referred to with the verb or with more specific nouns such as zanger (singer) or koor (choir).