Editing Dutch grammar (section)

====Present participle====

The present participle is always progressive in meaning, and indicates that something is performing the action as the subject. It is usually used as an attributive adjective, and inflects as such as well.

* {{lang|nl|Ik heb een '''vallende''' ster gezien.}} ("I saw a '''falling''' star.")
* {{lang|nl|'''Blaffende''' honden bijten niet.}} ("'''Barking''' dogs don't bite.")
* {{lang|nl|Het nieuws verspreidt zich als een '''lopend''' vuurtje.}} ("The news spreads like wildfire." — literally "like a '''running''' fire")

It can also be used as an adverb, meaning "while ...ing". Either the uninflected or inflected form can be used, although the uninflected form is more common outside set phrases.

* {{lang|nl|Al '''doende''' leert men.}} ("One learns '''while doing'''.")
* {{lang|nl|Dit werk is zo makkelijk, ik word '''slapend''' rijk.}} ("This work is so easy, I'm getting rich '''while sleeping'''.")
* {{lang|nl|'''Huilend''' vertelde de jongen wat er die dag gebeurd was.}} ("'''Crying''', the boy told what had happened that day.")

Rarely, the present participle is used as a [[Predicate (grammar)|predicate]], to indicate progressive actions as in English, such as {{lang|nl|De bal was '''rollende'''.}} ("The ball was '''rolling'''."). This is usually associated with a stilted or overly formal style. It is more usual to use {{lang|nl|aan het}} plus the infinitive.

The present participle of a transitive verb can be preceded by an object or an adverb. Often, the space between the two words is replaced with a hyphen or removed altogether, creating a compound adjective.
* {{lang|nl|Ik zat vast in '''langzaam rijdend''' verkeer.}} ("I was stuck in '''slow-moving''' traffic.")
* {{lang|nl|Het hondje slaakte een '''hartverscheurende''' kreet.}} ("The little dog let out a '''heart-rending''' cry.")
* {{lang|nl|'''Stenengooiende''' jongeren zijn een steeds ernstiger probleem.}} ("'''Rock-throwing''' youths are an increasingly severe problem.")