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”). Unrelated to -moeten in ontmoeten.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmutə(n)/

• Audio

  (file)

• Rhymes: -utən

Verb

moeten

1. (intransitive) to be necessary, to be required
2. (auxiliary) to have to, must

   Synonym: verplicht zijn te

   Antonym: niet hoeven

   Hij moet gaan. ― He has to / must go.

   Moest je nog werken vanavond? ― Did you have to work tonight?

3. (auxiliary) should, be meant to, be supposed to

   Synonyms: zou moeten, horen

   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.

4. (intransitive) to have to go, to need to go, must go

   Antonym: niet hoeven

   Ik moet nog naar de supermarkt vandaag.

   I still need to go to the supermarket today.

5. (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

1. (auxiliary) to have to, must, to be obliged to
2. (auxiliary) to be allowed to, to have permission to
3. (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

1. to meet, to come upon
2. 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