Doe Normaalzitten / staan / liggen + te
How do you say 'I'm busy doing something' in Dutch?
Meaning
- stond risotto te koken
- was (busy) cooking risotto'Staan/zitten/liggen + te' = to be busy doing something.
- zit … te glimlachen
- has been smiling'Zitten/staan/liggen + te' = to be busy doing something.
Dutch has no '-ing', but when you want to say someone is busy doing something, you use their position: zitten (sit), staan (stand) or liggen (lie) + te + verb.
Ik zit te werken = I'm (sitting here) working. Hij staat te koken = he's cooking. Ze ligt te slapen = she's asleep. Pick the position that fits, and the sentence sounds instantly natural.
Examples
Ik zit te werken.
I'm working.
Hij stond te koken toen ik binnenkwam.
He was cooking when I came in.
Ze ligt nog te slapen.
She's still asleep.