In Dutch, we have another way for forming the continuous. A formal term probably does exist, but we will simply call it the 'te-continuous'.
Using this type of continuous, you express the physical situation of the subject. We use the verbs [liggen](#/lesson/Verbs.Ir03) (lie), [zitten](#/lesson/Verbs.Ir03) (sit), [staan](#/lesson/Verbs.Ir09) (stand), and [lopen](#/lesson/Verbs.Ir03) (walk) as auxiliary verbs. We also use [hangen](#/lesson/Verbs.Ir03) (to hang) sometimes but this is less common.
The te-continuous is formed by:
\+ te + infinitive
You can translate "Ik zit te denken", to "I am thinking while sitting down". If you asked me what I was doing while sitting right in front of me, it would probably be not necessary to tell you that I am sitting since you probably noticed that already. Yet, in Dutch, we often add this irrelevant bit of information.
Examples:
Hij ligt te slapen. | He is sleeping (while he is lying)
Ik zit te lezen. | I am reading (while sitting)
Hij staat te koken. | He is cooking (while standing)
Ik loop te zingen. | I am singing (while walking)
Ze hangen maar te nietsen. | They are not doing anything (while hanging around)
The perfect tense of the te-continuous
The perfect tense of the te-continuous is similar to the perfect 'aan het'-continuous:: We omit the preposition (te) and we use an infinitive instead of a past participle.
hebben
\+ infinitive of hangen / liggen / lopen / staan / zitten
\+ infinitive
The perfect te continuous is more common than the perfect aan het continuous. However, in Dutch, we use the 'normal' (non-continuous) perfect much more often than the continuous perfect.
Hij heeft liggen slapen. | He has been sleeping
Ik heb zitten lezen. | I have been reading
Hij heeft staan koken. | He has been cooking
Ik heb lopen zingen. | I have been singing
De was heeft hangen drogen. | The laundry has been drying
As you can see, the perfect tense does not get a past participle (see [auxiliary verbs and the past participle](#/lesson/Verbs.Au03)). Instead, _hebben_ is followed by an infinitive of _liggen, staan, lopen, zitten,_ or _hangen_.