moeten
See also: möten
Dutch
Etymology
From Middle Dutch moeten, from Old Dutch muotan, from Proto-West Germanic *mōtan, from Proto-Germanic *mōtaną. Cognate with English mote (“may, might”).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈmutə(n)/
Audio (file) - Rhymes: -utən
Verb
moeten
- (intransitive) to be necessary, to be required
- (auxiliary) to have to, must
- Hij moet gaan. ― He has to / must go.
- Moest je nog werken vanavond? ― Did you have to work tonight?
- Synonym: verplicht zijn te
- Antonym: niet hoeven
- (auxiliary) should, be meant to, be supposed to
- Het moet hier zijn, maar het is gestolen. ― It is meant to be here, but it was stolen. / It should be here, but it was stolen.
- Dat moet je echt niet doen. ― You really should not do that.
- De nieuwe wet moet op 1 januari in werking treden. ― The new law is supposed to come into force on 1 January.
- Synonyms: zou moeten, horen
- (intransitive) to have to go, to need to go, must go
- Ik moet nog naar de supermarkt vandaag.
- I still need to go to the supermarket today.
- Antonym: niet hoeven
- (intransitive, informal) to need to go to the toilet
- Ik moet heel nodig! ― I really need to go!
Usage notes
- The past tense moest can be used in the present. In Dutch, one can ask "Moest je nog werken vanavond?" which can mean both "did you have to work tonight?" and "do you have to work tonight?". This is similar to gaan.
Inflection
Inflection of moeten (preterite-present) | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
infinitive | moeten | |||
past singular | moest | |||
past participle | gemoeten | |||
infinitive | moeten | |||
gerund | moeten n | |||
present tense | past tense | |||
1st person singular | moet | moest | ||
2nd person sing. (jij) | moet | moest | ||
2nd person sing. (u) | moet | moest | ||
2nd person sing. (gij) | moet | moest | ||
3rd person singular | moet | moest | ||
plural | moeten | moesten | ||
subjunctive sing.1 | moete | moeste | ||
subjunctive plur.1 | moeten | moesten | ||
imperative sing. | moet | |||
imperative plur.1 | moet | |||
participles | moetend | gemoeten | ||
1) Archaic. |
Descendants
- Afrikaans: moet
- Berbice Creole Dutch: mu, muti
- Negerhollands: moet, moe, mo, mut
- → Sranan Tongo: moe
Middle Dutch
Etymology 1
From Old Dutch muotan.
Verb
moeten
- (auxiliary) to have to, must, to be obliged to
- (auxiliary) to be allowed to, to have permission to
- (auxiliary) will, shall
Inflection
This verb needs an inflection-table template.
Descendants
- Dutch: moeten
- Afrikaans: moet
- Berbice Creole Dutch: mu, muti
- Negerhollands: moet, moe, mo, mut
- → Sranan Tongo: moe
- Limburgish: mótte
Etymology 2
From Old Dutch *muoten, from Proto-West Germanic *mōtijan.
Verb
moeten
- to meet, to come upon
- to meet with hostility
Inflection
This verb needs an inflection-table template.
Descendants
- Limburgish: mote
Further reading
- “moeten”, in Vroegmiddelnederlands Woordenboek, 2000
- Verwijs, E.; Verdam, J. (1885–1929), “moeten (I)”, in Middelnederlandsch Woordenboek, The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff, →ISBN, page I
- Verwijs, E.; Verdam, J. (1885–1929), “moeten (II)”, in Middelnederlandsch Woordenboek, The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff, →ISBN, page II