hoeven

See also: Hoeven

Dutch

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɦuvə(n)/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: hoe‧ven
• Rhymes: -uvən

Etymology 1

Unclear. Cognates are attested much more sparsely, and later, than those of the prefixed form behoeven. It therefore appears that hoeven is a back-formation from behoeven.

Verb

hoeven

1. (intransitive) To be necessary.
2. (auxiliary, with te) To need to, to have to.

   Je hoeft niet ver te zoeken.

   You don't have to seek far.

   Je hoeft het maar te vragen.

   You only need to ask it.

3. (transitive, with maar) To need.

   Ik hoef er maar twee.

   I only need two (of them).

4. (intransitive, euphemistic) To need to urinate or defecate, to need to go

Usage notes

Whenever a finite form of hoeven introduces a verb phrase, te is inserted before the first verb in the verb phrase.

As an auxiliary verb, hoeven is almost always negated (by niet (“not”) or geen (“no”)), or belittled (by adverbs such as nauwelijks (“barely”) or zelden (“seldom”)).

Inflection

Conjugation of hoeven (weak with strong past participle)
infinitive	hoeven
past singular	hoefde
past participle	gehoeven
infinitive	hoeven
gerund	hoeven n
	present tense	past tense
1st person singular	hoef	hoefde
2nd person sing. (jij)	hoeft	hoefde
2nd person sing. (u)	hoeft	hoefde
2nd person sing. (gij)	hoeft	hoefde
3rd person singular	hoeft	hoefde
plural	hoeven	hoefden
subjunctive sing.1	hoeve	hoefde
subjunctive plur.1	hoeven	hoefden
imperative sing.	hoef
imperative plur.1	hoeft
participles	hoevend	gehoeven
1) Archaic.

Synonyms

• moeten
• behoeven
• nodig hebben

Descendants

• Javindo: hoef

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Noun

hoeven

1. plural of hoef

Etymology 3

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Noun

hoeven

1. plural of hoeve