---
title: "Aan het + infinitive: I am doing it right now"
level: A2
chapter: "Verbs now"
canonical: https://www.dutchfluency.com/grammar/progressive
updated: 2026-10-09
author: Dutch Fluency
license: CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
---

# Aan het + infinitive: I am doing it right now

To say that you are busy doing something right now, Dutch uses a form of _zijn_ + _aan het_ + an infinitive (the basic form of a verb, like _koken_): _Ik ben aan het koken_, I'm cooking. To also show how your body is positioned, use _zitten_, _staan_, _liggen_ or _lopen_ + _te_ + infinitive: _Ik zit te lezen_, I'm sitting reading. For most other English -ing sentences, the plain present tense is enough.

## The pattern

> Stress an action in progress with _zijn_ + _aan het_ + infinitive. Add the body position with _zitten_, _staan_, _liggen_ or _lopen_ + _te_ + infinitive.

- _Zijn_ changes with the subject: _ik ben_, _jij bent_, _ze is_, _we zijn_. The infinitive usually comes last.
- An object such as _een boek_ or _de soep_ goes before _aan het_: _Ik ben een boek aan het lezen._
- With a posture verb, the object goes before _te_: _Mei zit een mail te schrijven._
- Separable verbs stay in one piece after _aan het_ (_aan het opruimen_), but _te_ splits them (_af te wassen_). See [separable verbs](https://www.dutchfluency.com/grammar/separable-verbs).
- Verbs for states rather than activities, such as _weten_, _kennen_ and _houden van_, normally stay in the plain present.

## Examples

| Ik ben **aan het koken**, kun je straks terugbellen? | I'm cooking, can you call back later? |
| Daan is zijn fiets **aan het repareren**. | Daan is repairing his bike. |
| We zijn **aan het verhuizen**, dus het is hier een chaos. | We're moving house, so it's chaos here. |
| Fatima **zit** in de trein **te lezen**. | Fatima is reading on the train. |
| Joris **staat** bij de bushalte **te wachten**. | Joris is waiting at the bus stop. |
| Mijn zoon **ligt** nog **te slapen**. | My son is still sleeping. |
| Carlos **loopt** de hele dag **te zingen**. | Carlos goes around singing all day. |
| Priya **staat** in de keuken **af te wassen**. | Priya is doing the dishes in the kitchen. |
| Wat **doe** je vanavond? | What are you doing tonight? |
| Ik **werk** vandaag thuis. | I'm working from home today. |

## Why it works this way

_Het koken_ is a verb used as a noun: the cooking. So _Ik ben aan het koken_ is literally "I am at the cooking": you are in the middle of it and your hands are busy. German speakers know the same idea as "am Kochen".

The Dutch present tense already covers "now": _Ik kook_ can mean I cook or I'm cooking. That is why _aan het_ is optional most of the time. Speakers add it when the busy-right-now part matters, for example to explain why they can't answer the door. More on the basic form in [the present tense](https://www.dutchfluency.com/grammar/present-tense).

Compare:

- _Ik werk in Utrecht._ My job is in Utrecht.
- _Ik ben aan het werken._ I'm busy working right now.
- _Bas leest de krant._ Bas reads the paper, or is reading it.
- _Bas zit de krant te lezen._ Bas is sitting there reading the paper.

The posture verbs reflect a Dutch habit of saying how someone is positioned. _Zitten_ is the most common one. _Lopen_ often suggests that someone keeps doing something, sometimes annoyingly, even without much walking: _Hij loopt altijd te klagen._

Remember: _aan het_ is "at the": you are at the cooking, at the cleaning. If your body position is part of the picture, swap in _zit_, _sta_, _lig_ or _loop_ and add _te_.

## Watch out

- Not: _Ik ben aan koken._ Say: _Ik ben aan het koken._ (the _het_ is part of the pattern; German "am" tempts you to drop it)
- Not: _Ik ben aan het lezen een boek._ Say: _Ik ben een boek aan het lezen._ (the object goes before _aan het_)
- Not: _Ik zit lezen._ Say: _Ik zit te lezen._ (a posture verb needs _te_ here)
- Not: _Ik ben aan het te koken._ Say: _Ik ben aan het koken._ (_aan het_ takes the bare infinitive; _te_ goes with _zit_, _sta_, _lig_ and _loop_)

## Quick check

1. Fix the word order: _Daan is aan het maken de pizza._
2. Fill in one word: _Yara zit op de bank een serie ... kijken._
3. Emma has the flu and is in bed. Choose _zit_, _staat_ or _ligt_: _Emma ... te slapen._
4. Put the verb _opruimen_ in the gap: _Lotte staat in de keuken ... ._

## Answers

1. _Daan is de pizza aan het maken._ (the object goes before _aan het_)
2. _te_ (posture verb + _te_ + infinitive)
3. _ligt_ (she is lying in bed)
4. _op te ruimen_ (_te_ splits a separable verb after a posture verb)

## Use it today

The next time someone calls or texts you, answer with what you are doing at that moment, such as _Ik ben aan het koken_ or _Ik lig op de bank te lezen_. On the train, describe two fellow passengers to yourself: _Die man staat te bellen._

## Questions learners ask

**How do you say "I am cooking" in Dutch?**

Say "Ik ben aan het koken" when you want to stress that you are busy cooking right now. In many situations the simple "Ik kook" also works, because the Dutch present tense can mean both "I cook" and "I'm cooking".

**What is the difference between "ik zit te lezen" and "ik ben aan het lezen"?**

Both mean you are reading right now. "Ik zit te lezen" also tells that you are sitting, just as staan, liggen and lopen with te tell that you are standing, lying or walking around.

**Does Dutch have a continuous tense like English?**

Not as a separate tense: the normal present tense covers most English -ing sentences, such as "Ik werk vandaag thuis" (I'm working from home today). Dutch adds aan het plus an infinitive mainly when you want to stress that an action is in progress.

From the Dutch Fluency Grammar: https://www.dutchfluency.com/grammar. Shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.