zeggen

• IPA^(key): /ˈzɛɣə(n)/

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• Hyphenation: zeg‧gen
• Rhymes: -ɛɣən

From Middle Dutch seggen, from Old Dutch seggen, from Proto-West Germanic *saggjan. The irregular past tense is a common Ingvaeonic development of the northern dialects, seen also in brein and zeil. (In an unrelated, later development the same also happened in Middle High German sagen.)

zeggen

1. (transitive) to say, tell

   Als je niets beters te zeggen hebt, zeg dan niets.

   If you have nothing better to say, then say nothing.

   Ik zei het je toch!

   I told you so!

   Ik heb het tegen hem gezegd.

   I told him.

The irregular past tense is used in the Netherlands, while the weak past forms are used primarily in Flanders.

• Afrikaans: sê
• Javindo: seg, seggen, sèè
• Jersey Dutch: sääxxe
• Petjo: sehhen

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

zeggen

1. plural of zegge