spijten

From Middle Dutch spiten, equivalent to spijt +‎ -en

• IPA^(key): /ˈspɛi̯tən/

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• Rhymes: -ɛi̯tən
• Hyphenation: spij‧ten

spijten

1. (transitive) to cause regret to, to cause to be sorry

   Zijn daden speten hem.

   He regretted his deeds. (His deeds caused him regret.)

2. (impersonal) to regret, to be sorry

   Het spijt me.

   I regret it.

Usually, no explicit subject is given, and the verb is used impersonally with the dummy pronoun het, in the sense that something is "being the regret to one" or "it is one's regret", which could be rendered in English as "It is my regret...".

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