paaien

Dutch

Etymology

The sense "to coax, sweet-talk" is inherited from Middle Dutch payen, which derives from Old French paiier (“to pay; to satisfy”). The sense "to spawn" is probably etymologically identical, but the details are uncertain.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈpaːi̯ə(n)/
  • Audio:(file)
  • Hyphenation: paai‧en
  • Rhymes: -aːi̯ən

Verb

paaien

  1. (intransitive, of fish) to spawn
    Haringen paaien in de nazomer en herfst. ― Herrings spawn during late summer and fall.
  2. (transitive) to sweet-talk, coax, placate
    Hij paait klanten met mooie praatjes voordat hij ze naait. ― He coaxes clients with smooth talk before screwing them over.

Conjugation

Conjugation of paaien (weak)
infinitive paaien
past singular paaide
past participle gepaaid
infinitive paaien
gerund paaien n
present tense past tense
1st person singular paai paaide
2nd person sing. (jij) paait, paai2 paaide
2nd person sing. (u) paait paaide
2nd person sing. (gij) paait paaide
3rd person singular paait paaide
plural paaien paaiden
subjunctive sing.1 paaie paaide
subjunctive plur.1 paaien paaiden
imperative sing. paai
imperative plur.1 paait
participles paaiend gepaaid
1) Archaic. 2) In case of inversion.

Derived terms

  • paaigrond
  • paaitijd

Further reading

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