Dutch Verb Doen ('to Do') - Smartphones Page

Conjugation

doen to do

deed did

gedaan done

doen		to do
ik doe		I do
wij doen		we do
ik deed		I did
wij deden		we did
ik heb gedaan		I have done
2

doen		to do
ik doe		I do
jij doet		you (singular, informal you) do
hij doet		he does
wij doen		we do
jullie doen		you (plural, informal you) do
zij doen		they do
U doet		you (polite you) do

The Simple Past Tense:

(doen)		to do
ik deed		I did
jij deed		you did
hij deed		he did
wij deden		we did
jullie deden		y'all did
zij deden		they did
U deed		you did

The Perfect Tense:
ik heb gedaan I have done - hebben
auxiliary verb hebben

When in the perfect tense combined with other verbs, doen is not in the form of the past participle but as an infinitive:
ik heb doen ... 2 3 4 I have made ... ik heb doen inzien ... 2 3 I have made see, I have created an understanding ... Ik heb de mensen doen inzien ... 2 3 I have made the people see, understand

'Doen' and 'to Do' - Dutch and English Use

Heb je hoofdpijn? 2	Do you have a headache?
Heeft Jan een auto? 2	Does John have a car?
Weet jij wie hij is?	Do you know who he is?
Vraag niet waarom	Do not ask why
Niet storen 2	Do not disturb

Weet jij hoe laat het is? 2 Do you know what time it is?

In the next examples, this use of 'to do' as an auxiliary verb in English may be confusing when comparing with Dutch translations.

Hoe doe je dat?	How do you do that?
Hoe heb je dat gedaan?	How did you do that?
Doe dat nou niet! 2 3 4	Don't do that!

Doe voortaan de deur op slot! 2 3 4 From now on, do lock the door - see also below

Sample Sentences

Hoe heb je dat gedaan?	'How did you do that?'
Zó doe je dat 2 3	That's the way to do it
Doe-het-zelf	Do-it-yourself (DIY)

Waarom doe je dat? 2 3 Why do you do that? Why are you doing that?

Ze weten niet wat ze doen 2 3 They don't know what they're doing (like in Luke 23:34)

Doe je best! 2 [Do your best] - Give it your best!

Ze doen hun best 2 3 They do their best, they do what they can

Doe 't maar 2 [Just do it] - Go ahead, do it

Wat ben ik aan het doen? 2 3 What am I doing? (questioning, is it wrong or mistaken?)

Wat ben je aan 't doen? What are you doing? What are you busy with?

Heb je wat leuks gedaan in het weekend? Did you do something nice in the weekend? Wat doe je met Pasen? 2 3 What are you doing at Easter? Any plans for the Easter holiday?

Dat deed ik vroeger ook 2 3 [I also did that in the past] - I used to do that too

Ze deden alles samen They did everything together

Als je 't nu niet doet, wanneer dan wel? 2 [If you don't do it now, when are you?] - If not now, when?

Wat doe je, als je dingen ziet die niemand ooit heeft gezien? 2 What do you do, when you see things no-one has ever seen before? >>

Wat kan ik voor U doen? 2 [What can I do for you?] - 'How can I help you?'

Ik heb 't niet gedaan	'I [have] did not do it'
Ik heb 't gedaan 2	I have done it

Jong geleerd, oud gedaan 2 3 4 ['Learned young, still doing it at old age'] - what's learned young will still be easy at old age

Graag gedaan [a pleasure to have done] - You're welcome, my pleasure

Dan is 't gedaan met de pret 2 3 'Then the fun is [done] over'

Al de domme dingen die ik gedaan heb 2 3 All the stupid things I've done Wat heb ik gedaan? 2 3 What have I done? (realizing you've made a terrible mistake)

Er moet nog zoveel gedaan worden! 2 Thers is still so much that needs to be done!

April doet wat-ie wil 2 ['April does [what] as [he] it likes'] - April weather is unpredictable

Hij doet ook maar 2 3 4 5 [He just does something] - He does as he pleases
Die mensen doen ook maar 2 [Those people just do whatever] - They just do whatever comes to mind

Hij doet maar wat 2 3 [He just does ... something] - He's not making a serious effort, he's not doing what's expected of him

Hoe doen je kinderen 't op school? 'how are your kids doing in school?'

Dat zou je ook kunnen doen 2 3 You could do that too
Zou je dat nou wel doen? 2 3 Should you do that? Are you sure it's a good idea? Moet je niet doen! Don't do that! Not a good idea to do that Al de domme dingen die ik gedaan heb 2 3 All the stupid things I've done Doe geen domme dingen! 2 3 [Don't do stupid things!] - Don't do anything stupid!

Dat had ik veel eerder moeten doen 2 I should have done that long ago Dat heb ik nog nooit gedaan 2 3 I've never done that yet

Ik weet niet wat ik moet doen 2 I don't know what I should do, I don't know what to do

Hij doet toch wat-ie wil 2 He does as he likes anyway

Ik heb wel wat beters te doen 2 3 I have something better to do
Er is nog veel te doen 2 There is still much to do
Er is nog zo veel te doen 2 3 There is still so much to do
Doe iets! 2 3 4 5 6 7 Do something! Take action! We moeten iets doen 2 3 We have to do something Je hoeft 't niet te doen 2 You don't have to do it, you can leave it alone
Ik wil 't goed doen 2 3 I want to do it well

We konden 't niet doen We were not able to do it, we failed We hebben 't niet kunnen doen 2 3 We have not been able to do it, we failed
Laat ik dat eerst even doen 2 Let me do that first

Al die dingen doen dat nou 2 3 4 [All those things do that now] - All those gadgets now have that feature

Heb je niks beters te doen? 2 3 [Have you nothing ...] - Don't you have something better to do?

Ik heb toch niks te doen 2 3 4 I have nothing to do anyway (I have time)

doen aan 2 to 'do,' engage in, go in for We doen niet aan liefdadigheid 2 3 We don't do charity

iets doen aan to do something about something, to take action to remedy ergens iets aan doen 2 3 to do something about something, to take action to remedy Je moet er wat aan doen 2 3 4 You have to do something about it We moeten er wat aan doen 2 We should do something about it

Er is niks aan te doen ['there is nothing to be done (about it)'] - 'nothing can be done about it, it can't be helped' short: Niks aan te doen! 2 3
Daar kun je niks aan doen 2 3 [You can do nothing ...] You can't do anything about that Ik kan er niks aan doen ['I can't do anything about it']
1. 'I can't help it,'
2. I can't fix it

Kun je er wat aan doen? 2 3 Can you do something about it? Wat kun je d'r aan doen? 2 3 4 What can you do about it? "Die achterop doet er niks aan!" 2 3 The one in back is not helping (a common call to tandem bicycle riders)

Sometimes Dutch 'doen' is translated in English by other verbs like 'to behave, act (like)'

Doe normaal! 2

Act normally! Behave!

Doe maar normaal, dan doe je al gek genoeg 2 Just do like you always do, that's enough craziness already

Doe even serieus! 2 3 Be serious (for a moment) - stop the joking around, it's no joke, it's a serious matter

Doe niet zo raar! 2	Don't be weird!
Doe niet zo stoer!	Don't pretend to be brave

Niet moeilijk doen! 2 3 Don't be difficult! Doe niet zo moeilijk! 2 3 4 Don't make it difficult, don't make it complicated

Het is zo voorspelbaar wat-ie doet [It is so predictable what he does] - his behavior is so predictable

Hoe kan iemand zoiets doen? How can someone do a thing like that?
Wat bezielt die mensen om dat te doen? 2 3 What's in those people's minds doing that? What drives those people to do those (horrible) things?

Dat is haast niet te doen 2 3 That's almost impossible (to do) - it's going to be a very difficult job Dat is niet te doen 2 3 That can't be done, it's not possible to do that

Translated by Other Verbs

Doe het in een zakje 2 3 Put it in a (small) bag
Doe de aardappels in de pan 2 3 Put the potatoes in the pan
Doe het brood in de diepvries 2 3 Put the bread in the freezer
Hij deed talk in de band 2 He put baby powder in the tire. (Obsolete procedure! Not recommended!)
Doe er een postzegel op 2 3 Put a stamp on it (mail)
Water bij de wijn doen 2 3 [Put water with the wine] - Dilute wine with water, expression meaning 'to compromise'

Het deed me denken aan een boek ... 2 It made me think of a book ... 't Doet me denken aan een boek van Mulisch 2 It makes me think of a book by Mulisch
De druppel die de emmer deed overlopen 2 3 ['The drop that made the bucket spill over'] - 'The straw that broke the camel's back'
Hoop doet leven ['Hope makes you live'] - Hope fuels life
Verandering van spijs doet eten 2 [Change of food makes people eat] - Food variety helps the appetite ‑>>
(de) spijs is an old-fashioned word for 'food' ‑>>

"Je mag drie wensen doen" 2 3 You can (may?) make 3 wishes

't Heeft me doen nadenken 2 3 It has made me think (about ...) 't Heeft me doen inzien 2 3 it has made me understand, it gave me the insight

De motor doet het weer! The engine is running again!

... and vice versa:

Hoe maakt U het? How are you? How do you do?

Ik wil er niks mee te maken hebben 2 3 [I want nothing ...] - I don't want to have anything to do with it

Usually, Dutch 'maken' means 'to make, to prepare' ‑>>

Compound 'Doen' Verbs

voordoen		to demonstrate
ik doe voor		I demonstrate
ik deed voor		I demonstrated
ik heb voorgedaan		I have demonstrated
		more

Compound verbs often have a variety of meanings. Find below a few 'doen' examples with their most common meanings:

'Voordoen' 2 means 'to show, to demonstrate something'

De sergeant deed het schoonmaken voor 2 3 The sergeant showed the cleaning procedure

'Nadoen' 2 3 ['to do after'] means to imitate, usually in parody

Hij deed the president na 2 3 He was imitating the president

'Aandoen' 2 can be 'to turn on' lights or mechanisms, and also 'to put on' clothes, footwear and things like that.

Doe 't licht aan 2 3

Turn on the light

Toen ik het licht aandeed sloegen de stoppen door When I turned on the light the fuses blew

Doe de verwarming aan 2 (de) centrale verwarming	Turn on the heater central heating
Doe laarzen aan 2 3	Put on boots

Another common meaning of 'aandoen' is 'to cause grief or trouble.'

Wat doe je me aan! 2 You're causing me much grief

Dat kun je me niet aandoen! 2 3 You can't do that to me! (You're going to hurt my feelings)

aandoenlijk 2 'touching,' endearing, affecting een aandoenlijke vertelling 2 3 an affecting narrative, a moving, gripping story

The opposite 'uitdoen' 2 3 means 'turning off' lights and mechanisms etc., and also 'taking off' clothes etc.
Doe het licht uit 2 Turn off the light Doe je het licht uit als je weggaat? Please turn off the light when you leave We waren vergeten 't uit te doen We had forgotten to turn it off

Doe je jas uit 2 3

Take off your coat

As you could guess, 'opendoen' means 'to open.'

Doe de deur open 2

Open the door

Ik heb het raam opengedaan I've opened the window

The opposite is 'dichtdoen' 2 3 - 'to close'

Doe alsjeblieft de deur dicht! 2 Please close the door! (more annoyed than polite)

Ik heb geen oog dichtgedaan 2 3 ['I have not closed an eye'] - I didn't get any sleep, I didn't get any shut-eye

'Meedoen' is something like 'to join in' or 'do something together.'

Wie doet er mee?	Who'll join us? Who's in?
Doe je mee?	Are you taking part? Are you in?

'Mee' and the somewhat old-fashioned 'mede' 2 probably are variations of met ('with') - but 'mee' and 'mede' are not interchangeable - see also

(het) medelijden	[co-suffering] pity
(de) medewerking 2	cooperation
(de) medemens	fellow man
meewerken 2	to co-operate

wind mee 2 3 the wind in your back (on a bike) - tailwind (de) tegenwind wind-against, headwind
Ga je mee? Are you coming with us?
Als jullie niet willen meewerken ... 2 If you guys don't want to cooperate ...
Willen jullie meezingen? Would y'all like to sing along?

'Terugdoen' means 'to put back.'
Doe 't terug in de doos 2 3 Put it back in the box

'Overdoen' 2 means 'to do again, to repeat'

een klas overdoen to repeat a grade (in school) blijven zitten [to stay put] - failing to advance to the next grade

English 'to overdo,' meaning 'to exaggerate, do too much, too much effort' is 'overdrijven' 2 - a strong, compound verb from the root verb drijven: drijven/dreef/gedreven 2

Je moet niet overdrijven 2 You shouldn't exaggerate 't Is zo overdreven! 2 It's so exaggerated, over the top Dat is schromelijk overdreven! 2 3 That's grossly exaggerated

Other Combinations

boodschappen doen 2 to shop (for groceries) ->>
Ik ga boodschappen doen 2 I'm going to do shopping

op slot doen 2 to lock
Doe voortaan de deur op slot! 2 3 4 From now on, in the future, lock the door

pijn doen	to hurt (both 'to be in pain' and 'to hurt someone')
Doet 't pijn? 2	Does it hurt?
Waar doet 't pijn?	Where does it hurt? ->>
slikken doet pijn 2	swallowing hurts
Doet 't zeer? 2	Does it hurt?

een stap doen	'to [do] take a step'
op de bus doen	to mail (put in mailbox) ->>

een dutje doen	to nap, take a nap
(het) dutje 2	(a) nap
Ik ga een dutje doen 2 3	I'm going to take a nap
Ik deed een dutje 2	I was napping
(het) middagdutje 2	afternoon nap
dutten 2	to nap

'Er toe doen' 2 3 4 is 'to matter,' something is important

't Doet er niet toe 2 Wat doet 't er toe?

It doesn't matter What does it matter?

duur doen 2 [to act expensively] showing off, to act as if you're rich (or important)

Wat Doe Ik Hier? Rumination

Wat doe ik hier? 2 3 4 5 What am I doing here? Waarom zijn we hier? 2 Why are we here?

Sometimes doen  means take meaningful action, do important things, accomplish something.
Wat we eigenlijk doen zouden is ons nooit duidelijk geweest. Iets zouden we doen. (2) What the thing was we were going to do was never clear to us. But we were going to accomplish something - Nescio Iets te gaan doen echter lijkt nog steeds een goed idee 2 3 But to go out and do something, to take action still looks like a good idea ‑>>

Related Words

Veel gedoe om niks

'Much ado about nothing'

Dat is teveel gedoe 2 'That's too much [ado] trouble, too much hassle' Teveel gedoe! Too much hassle! Wat een stom gedoe! 2 3 Such stupidity!

'Doende' 2 3 is an old-fashioned form still found in expressions and standard phrases. It means something like 'doing.'
Al doende leert men 2 3 While doing, in the doing you learn - 'Practice makes perfect' Hij was druk doende He was busy (doing) - busy with something

[(het)] onvoldoende 2 3 insufficient // failing grade
[(het)] voldoende 2 3 sufficient // passing grade

In Dutch, a word like 'doer' (do-er) is only found in compound words:

(de) dikdoener [(fat) big-doer, person pretending to be important] - big-mouth (de) weldoener 2 [well-doer] - benefactor (de) dooddoener 2 3 4 [death-doer] - remark that stops the discussion

ondoenlijk 2 3 ['undoable,' 'cannot be done'] - said about an impossible task or job

An obviously related word: (de) 'daad' ['deed'] - act, action, activity

Geen woorden maar daden!' 2 ['Not words but actions'] - We want action, not words

(de) dader 2	perpetrator, offender
(de) misdaad	crime
(de) misdadiger	criminal
(het) geweld 2	violence
met geweld 2 3 4 5	[with violence] violently
gewelddadig gewelddadige 2	violent
(de) dadendrang 2	urge to (personal) action
inderdaad 2 3 4	indeed, you're right

Er is inderdaad geen goede vertaling 2 There is indeed no good translation (You're right, there is no good translation)

Geweldig can mean 'very large, tremendous,' but also 'great!' - "I'm happy about that!"
't Is niet vies ... 2 3 It doesn't taste bad ... Maar 't had lekkerder kunnen zijn 2 But it could have been better (-tasting) Maar 't was ook niet geweldig 2 3 But is isn't great either

The common slang 'goodbye' 'doei' or 'doe-ie' are probably not related to 'doen.'

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