moeten

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.

• IPA^(key): /ˈmutə(n)/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -utən

moeten

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

   Synonyms: verplicht zijn te, hebben 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!

• 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 implies that the obligation was from the past. This is similar to gaan.

• Afrikaans: moet
• Berbice Creole Dutch: mu, muti
• Negerhollands: moet, moe, mo, mut
• → Sranan Tongo: moe

From Old Dutch muotan.

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

This verb needs an inflection-table template.

• Dutch: moeten
  • Afrikaans: moet
  • Berbice Creole Dutch: mu, muti
  • Negerhollands: moet, moe, mo, mut
  • → Sranan Tongo: moe
• Limburgish: mótte

From Old Dutch *muoten, from Proto-West Germanic *mōtijan.

moeten

1. to meet, to come upon
2. to meet with hostility

This verb needs an inflection-table template.

• Limburgish: mote

• “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