Grammatica - loco

11
Verbs
252
Although there is the possibility of expressing the English present participle
literally in Dutch on occasions, this is rarely done in colloquial speech
and such forms are reserved for literary or more formal style (see 11.15.4).
The present participle is usually avoided in Dutch. It is generally necessary
to paraphrase an English sentence containing an ‘-ing’ construction in
order to translate it into natural sounding Dutch. The following are the
most common ways of doing so. (When seeking the appropriate translation,
skim the phrases in italics for the construction which most resembles the
one you have to put into Dutch.)
11.16.1
With the infinitive plus te:
It is lovely being here.
Het is heerlijk hier te zijn.
I succeeded in seeing the queen.
Het lukte mij de koningin te zien.
I like staying at home.
Ik hou ervan thuis te blijven. (also: Ik blijf graag thuis, see
11.16.11)
He left without saying a word.
Hij vertrok zonder een woord te zeggen. (see 11.16.3)
He remained seated instead of standing up.
Hij bleef zitten in plaats van op te staan. (see 11.16.3 and also
12.5.1.4)
11.16.2
English ‘-ing’ clauses introduced by ‘by’ or ‘from’ are rendered in Dutch
by infinitive clauses introduced by door or van (see 12.5):
I’m trying to lose weight by eating less.
Ik probeer af te vallen door minder te eten.
By doing that you’ll achieve nothing.
Door dat te doen zul je niets bereiken.
You get tired from reading so much.
Je wordt erg moe van zo veel te lezen.