Verb Tenses

This chapter is about how to use verbs. Read about spelling details in the document Verb
Conjugation. In this chapter, easy examples are found.
The verb list shows Dutch verbs, one table per verb.
Introduction to Verbs
A verb often specifies a action.

werken - to work
lopen - to walk
rennen - to run
Other verbs talk about a situation, like hebben (to have).

Ik heb een jas. - I have a coat.
Ik heb de schroevendraaier. - I have the screwdriver.
Most verbs in Dutch have an en ending. The dictionary will show verbs like:

voelen - to feel
werken - to work
hebben - to have
komen - to come
opbellen - to call (by telephone)
zeggen - to say
Many other verbs have an n ending.

zijn - to be
staan - to stand
gaan - to go
opstaan - to rise
overslaan - to skip
Words like staan, werken, and hebben we call infinitives of a verb.
Tenses
Without a verb, a sentence is not complete. A verb informs you about something that happens
now, in the past, or in the future. The verb also shows if the action is completed or not.
In the next table, six ways in which a verb is used are shown. Each of this applications is called a
tense. When we talk about now, we use the present tense. When we talk about the past, we use
the past tense.
Six tenses of the verb to walk are shown here.
action goes on action completed
now I walk I have walked
past I walked I had walked
It will happen in the future I will walk I will have walked
This time, the names of the tenses are placed in the six records.
action goes on action completed
now simple present present perfect
past simple past past perfect
It will happen in the future simple future future perfect

Simple Present
The simple present of a verb talks about now.

Je bent de eerste. - You are the first.
Ja, ik werk zonder zaag. - Yes, I work without a saw.
We hebben een boot. - We have a boat.
If you have something now, use the present tense of hebben. If you work now, use the present
tense of werken.
The verb voelen (to feel) is shown in the table below. The appearance of the verb changes in six
ways. It depends on the person we talk about.
You can see that voel is used everywhere. The word voel is the base word to add letters to. We
call it the stem of the verb. In the present tense, you can add t or en to the stem, or nothing at all.
Not every verb is made so easily, because the stem of some verbs must be adapted a little before
use.
singular plural
ik voel I feel we voelen we feel
je voelt you feel jullie voelen you feel
hij voelt he feels ze voelen they feel
Word order matters
When je (or jij) is the subject, the word order influences the spelling of the verb. The letter t of
voelt is dropped, when voel precedes je. Then we get voel je. Otherwise we get je voelt. This
can only happen in the present tense. In occurs in every regular verb.
je voelt - you feel
voel je - you feel
voel je - do you feel

Examples:
Je voelt de wind waaien. - You feel the wind is blowing.
Voel je de wind waaien? - Do you feel the wind is blowing?
Als je hier staat, dan voel je de wind waaien. - If you stand over here, then you feel the wind is
blowing.

But for the other persons (ik, hij, we, etc.) the word order doesnt matter. The word u means you
and is formal.

Examples:
Hij voelt de wind waaien. - He feels the wind is blowing.
Voelt hij de wind ook waaien? - Does he also feel the wind is blowing?
U voelt de wind waaien. - You feel the wind is blowing.
Meneer, voelt u de wind waaien? - Sir, do you feel the wind is blowing?
Conclusion: the word order only influences the spelling of a verb when je or jij is involved. It is
very important to remember, because this inversion (the change of the word order) occurs in
questions, and many questions have je (or jij) as a subject. This change only takes place in the
present tense.
Ben je wakker? - Are you awake?
Je bent wakker. - You are awake.
Heb jij geld? - Do you have money?
Jij hebt geld. - You have money.
Adding more persons to the table
We have talked about the personal pronouns ik, je, hij, we, jullie, and ze. But there are more
personal pronouns.
the word hij (he) can be replaced by ze (she) or het (it). Dont forget these words do not mean
the same, although they share a record in the table.
the word je (you) can be replaced by u (you), a formal word.
The pronunciation of e in the words je, we and ze, is like u in hurtle. Replace them by jij
(you), wij (we) and zij (she, they) if you want to stress the word.
you can say u to a group of people. Then u is the formal way to say jullie.
These persons are shown in the table below.
voelen (to feel) - simple present
singular
ik voel I feel
je voelt
jij voelt
u voelt
you feel
you feel
you feel
hij voelt
ze voelt
zij voelt
het voelt
he feels
she feels
she feels
it feels
plural
we voelen
wij voelen
we feel
we feel
jullie voelen
u voelt
you feel
you feel
ze voelen
zij voelen
they feel
they feel

Examples:
Zij voelt de grip van het stuur. - She feels the grip of the steering wheel.
Jullie voelen de warmte. - You feel the warmth.
We just talked about a regular verb, which means it behaves predictable. The verb in the next
example is also regular.

Examples:
Zij bedoelt de grip van het stuur. - She means the grip of the steering wheel.
Jullie bedoelen de warmte. - You mean the warmth.
Zijn (to be) is an irregular verb. It is not an example on how to make verbs, but the verb is
important enough to show here.
zijn (to be) - simple present
singular plural
ik ben I am we zijn we are
je bent you are jullie zijn you are
hij is he is ze zijn they are
Information about ben je is left out, because it can be concluded from what is shown.

Examples:
Ik ben hier - I am here.
Ben je hier? - Are you here?
Je bent hier. - You are here.
De tafel is groen. - The table is green.
The verb hebben (to have) is an irregular verb. It is not an example on how to make verbs, but
the verb is important enough to show here anyway.
hebben (to have) - simple present
singular plural
ik heb I have we hebben we have
je hebt you have jullie hebben you have
hij heeft he has ze hebben they have

Examples:
Ik heb groene laarzen. - I have green boots.
Heeft hij een rijbewijs? - Does he have a driving license?
Strong verbs look like weak verbs in the present tense. There is no visible difference here.
Hij zingt. - He sings.
Zing jij? - Do you sing?
Je zingt. - You sing.
Simple Past
Use the past tense of a verb to talk about the past. Many novels are written in the past tense, but
childrens books are often written in the present tense. In conversation, the simple past is used
less often than the present perfect.
In the next sentence, te is added to wacht to make the simple past.

Ik wachtte. Het werd donker. - I waited. It got dark.
In the present tense this would be:

Ik wacht. Het wordt donker. - Im waiting. It is getting dark.
The table of wachten is shown right here. Look at the syllables that are added to wacht. These
syllables are te and ten.
wachten (to wait) - simple past
singular plural
ik wachtte I waited we wachtten we waited
je wachtte you waited jullie wachtten you waited
hij wachtte he waited ze wachtten they waited
Lets look at the past tense of the verb voelen (to feel). This is a regular verb too. We make the
stem voel by removing en. We add de or den to the stem voel. The table is shown here.
voelen (to feel) - simple past
singular plural
ik voelde I felt we voelden we felt
je voelde you felt jullie voelden you felt
hij voelde he felt ze voelden they felt
hebben is an irregular verb. We get in the past tense:
hebben (to have) - simple past
singular plural
ik had I had we hadden we had
je had you had jullie hadden you had
hij had he had ze hadden they had
zijn is an irregular verb. In the past tense, it looks a little like the English verb to be.
zijn (to be) - simple past
singular plural
ik was I was we waren we were
je was you was jullie waren you were
hij was he was ze waren they were

The verb zingen (to sing) is strong. It has a regular strong pattern. In the plural en is added to
zong, not to zing. In the singular nothing is added.
zingen (to sing) - simple past
singular plural
ik zong I sang we zongen we sang
je zong you sang jullie zongen you sang
hij zong he sang ze zongen they sang
Present Perfect
The present perfect is important in Dutch. The English simple past is very often translated to the
Dutch present perfect. In other words: The Dutch people use the present perfect very often.
The verb to have means to have, but not always. The verb can be used quite differently. It can be
used as an auxiliary verb. Auxiliary verbs are only there to help the verb they must help. In this
example wachten is accompanied by the word heb (have) from the verb hebben (to have).

Examples:
wachten - to wait
Ik heb gewacht. - I have waited.
Ik heb een kwartier gewacht. - I have waited for a quarter of an hour.
Ik heb op de bus gewacht. - I have waited for the bus.
Ik heb een kwartier op de bus gewacht. - I have waited for the bus for a quarter of an hour.
Notice that the word heb in Ik heb gewacht does not mean at all that I possess (have)
something. This is also true in English.
Lets compare the new tense (the present perfect) with the other tenses we talked about earlier.

present
Ik wacht. Kom naar buiten. - Im waiting. Come outside.
past
Ik wachtte. Ondertussen werd het donker. - I waited. In the meantime it got dark.
present perfect
Ik heb gewacht, maar je kwam niet. Ik ben toen naar huis gegaan. - I have waited, but you
didnt come. Then I went home.
Jij hebt gewacht, maar ik ook. - You have waited, but I did too.
Heb jij ook gewacht? Waar? - Have you waited too? Where?
The table of wachten in the present perfect is shown below. It is based on the table of the simple
present of hebben. The only difference is, that the word gewacht (waited) is added everywhere.
Every verb has just one past participle, and the past participle of wachten is gewacht.
wachten (to wait) - present perfect
singular plural
ik heb gewacht I have waited we hebben gewacht we have waited
je hebt gewacht you have waited jullie hebben gewacht you have waited
hij heeft gewacht he has waited ze hebben gewacht they have waited
Note: ze (she) and het (it) are done exactly like hij (he).
Past Perfect
The past perfect is one step deeper into the past than the simple past.
The past perfect is used to show that some action was completed before some other event
happened. In this case, the waiting was completed, just before I went home.

Ik had lang gewacht. Ik stond op en ging naar huis. - I had waited for a long time. I rose and
went home.
Ik had gewacht. - I had waited.
The table of wachten in the past perfect is shown below. It is based on the table of the simple
past of hebben. The only difference is, that the word gewacht is added everywhere. The word
gewacht is the past participle of wachten.
wachten (to wait) - past perfect
singular plural
ik had gewacht I had waited we hadden gewacht we had waited
je had gewacht you had waited jullie hadden gewacht you had waited
hij had gewacht he had waited ze hadden gewacht they had waited
Note: ze (she) and het (it) are done exactly like hij (he).
Perfect Tense in General
Auxiliary verbs
A verb is an auxiliary verb when it is used to assist another verb. Normal use (not as an
auxiliary) of such a verb is shown in the next two examples. Normal use of zijn (to be) and
hebben (to have) is:
Ik ben Peter. - I am Peter.
Ik heb een lichte koffer. - I have a light suitcase.
These verbs can be used as auxiliary verbs. For instance, this way:
Ik heb het gezien. - I have seen it. (or: I saw it.)
Ik ben gekomen. - I have come. (or: I came.)
Ik ben gevonden. - I have been found. (or: I am found.)
Ze hebben me gevonden. - They have found me.
Zijn (to be) and hebben (to have) are static verbs, but worden (to become) is a dynamic verb. It
describes a process, or a change in a situation.
Ik word oud. - I am getting old.
In addition, the verb worden is an auxiliary verb in the passive voice. It is translated by to be
then.
Ik word gedragen tot ik ergens kan zitten. - I am carried, until I can sit down somewhere.
Hij wordt goed behandeld. - He is treated well.
When the Dutch verb zijn is an auxiliary verb, it is not always translated by the English verb to
be. Examples of this are:
Ik ben gekomen. - I have come.
Jij bent gekomen. - You have come.
Conclusion: when verbs like to be or to have are used as auxiliary verbs, they lose their original
meanings. English and Dutch both have verbs that lose their original meanings when used as
auxiliary verbs.
Auxiliary verbs: travelling and movement
The auxiliary verb zijn is also used in connection to travelling, in the active voice. The active
voice means that the person is active. When something is done to him, he is passive. That is not
the subject of this paragraph. We are talking about a person who does something and we use a
verb that normally takes hebben as an auxiliary. Nevertheless, the auxiliary verb zijn is used.
The conjugations of the verb zijn are underlined in the following sentences, to help you not to
miss the point.
Use the verb hebben when you dont know anything about the start and finish of a journey. Use
zijn when you know the start or finish of a journey.
Ik heb gefietst. - I have cycled.
Ik ben naar huis gefietst. - I have cycled home.
Ik heb gereden. - I have driven.
Ik ben naar het winkelcentrum gereden. - I have driven to the shopping center.
Replace hebben by zijn when necessary:
Ik heb gevlogen. - I flew.
Ik ben naar Singapore gevlogen. - I flew to Singapore.
Ik heb gelopen. - I have walked.
Ik heb rondgelopen. - I have walked around.
Ik ben weggelopen. - I have walked away.
Ik heb op een racefiets gereden. - I rode a racing bike.
Hij is op zijn reservefiets naar Parijs gereden. - He rode to Paris on this spare bike.
Active Voice and Passive Voice
When the subject of the sentence does something, the sentence is in the active voice. If
something happens to that person, we use the passive voice.
In the passive voice the Dutch verb worden is translated by to be.
Ze worden door brandweerlieden gedragen. - They are carried by fire fighters.
De motor moet uitgezet worden. - The engine has to be turned off.
In the passive voice it is correct to omit the participle geworden (translated by been) . At the end
of the next Dutch sentences, geworden is left out, while the English translations do include been.
Ze zijn door brandweerlieden gedragen. - They have been carried by fire fighters. (or: They
were carried by fire fighters.)
Ze waren door brandweerlieden gedragen. - They had been carried by fire fighters.
If we take a sentence and simply replace the auxiliary verb hebben by zijn or worden, this often
results in the passive voice. The verb dragen (to carry) is in the active voice:
Ik heb gedragen. - I have carried.
Ik had gedragen. - I had carried.
And in the passive voice:
Ik word gedragen. - I am carried.
Ik werd gedragen. - I was carried.
Ik ben gedragen. - I have been carried. (or: I was carried)
Ik was gedragen. - I had been carried.
Examples of the passive voice of vinden (to find) are:
Ik word door Peter gevonden. - I am found by Peter.
Ik word door Peter gevonden als hij goed zoekt. - I will be found by Peter if he searches well.
Ik ben door Peter gevonden. - I have been found by Peter. (or: I was found by Peter.)
Ik was door Peter gevonden. - I had been found by Peter.
These four things can be said in the active voice:
Peter vindt mij. - Peter finds me.
Peter zal mij vinden als hij goed zoekt. - Peter will find me if he searches well.
Peter heeft mij gevonden. - Peter has found me.
Peter had mij gevonden. - Peter had found me.
The following example is a pair of sentences, which have about the same meaning. This first is
in the passive voice.
Mijn zus wordt door Peter gestuurd. - My sister is sent by Peter.
Peter stuurt mijn zus. - Peter is sending my sister.
Note: when zijn shows up in the Dutch passive voice, this is because zijn is the auxiliary verb of
worden, just as to have is the auxiliary of to be.
The Verb Zullen
The verb zullen (shall, will) is important. The simple future tense and the future perfect tense are
both build on this verb. They need the simple present tense of zullen. The conditional mood
needs the simple past tense of zullen.
zullen (shall, will) - simple present
singular plural
ik zal I will we zullen we will
je zult you will jullie zullen you will
hij zal he will ze zullen they will
This is the verb zullen in the simple past tense.
zullen (shall, will) - simple past
singular plural
ik zou I would we zouden we would
je zou you would jullie zouden you would
hij zou he would ze zouden they would
Simple Future
When you talk about something that will happen in the future, you can use the simple future
tense. You need to know:
The verb zullen (shall, will) in the present tense.
The infinitive of the verb you need, like vinden (to find) or lopen (to walk). This infinitive is
found in the dictionary.
If you want to make a table of the simple future of vinden, then write down the simple present of
zullen first. When you have done that, add the verb vinden to every sentence. This is the result:
vinden (to find) - simple future
singular plural
ik zal vinden I will find we zullen vinden we will find
je zult vinden you will find jullie zullen vinden you will find
hij zal vinden he will find ze zullen vinden they will find
The simple future tense of the verb hebben (to have) is made the same way.
hebben (to have) - simple future
singular plural
ik zal hebben I will have we zullen hebben we will have
je zult hebben you will have jullie zullen hebben you will have
hij zal hebben he will have ze zullen hebben they will have

Future Perfect
When you talk about some action that will be completed in the future, you can use the future
perfect. It is rarely used in Dutch.
This is the verb wachten in the future perfect. It is based on the verb hebben (to have) of the
simple future. The word gewacht (waited) is added to it.
wachten (to wait) - future perfect
singular plural
ik zal hebben gewacht I will have waited we zullen hebben gewacht we will have waited
je zult hebben
gewacht
you will have
waited
jullie zullen hebben
gewacht
you will have waited
hij zal hebben
gewacht
he will have waited ze zullen hebben gewacht
they will have
waited

Conditional
When you want to say that something will happen if certain conditions are met, you can use the
conditional mood. We have two. The first (simply called conditional) uses the simple past of the
verb zullen.
You need to know:
The verb zullen (shall, will) in the simple past tense.
The infinitive of the verb you need, like vinden (to find) or lopen (to walk). This infinitive is
found in the dictionary.
If you want to make a table of the conditional mood of vinden, then write down the simple past
of zullen first. When you have done that, add the verb vinden to every sentence. This is the
result:
vinden (to find) - conditional mood
singular plural
ik zou vinden I would find we zouden vinden we would find
je zou vinden you would find jullie zouden vinden you would find
hij zou vinden he would find ze zouden vinden they would find
The word als (if) is important in the following examples, because the conditional mood speaks
about conditions to be met.
Ik zou het vinden als ik mijn bril op had. - I would find it if I had my glasses on.
Ik zou het kopen als ik jou was. - I would buy it if I were you.
Hij zou terugkomen als hij dat wist. - He would come back if he knew that.
You can also use the conditional mood to ask some polite questions.
Zou u naar binnen willen gaan? - Would you go inside?
Zou u mijn pen willen teruggeven, alstublieft? - Would you return my pen, please?
Zou u mij iets willen uitleggen? - Would you explain something to me?
The verb hebben (to have) is in the conditional:
hebben (to have) - conditional mood
singular plural
ik zou hebben I would have we zouden hebben we would have
je zou hebben you would have jullie zouden hebben you would have
hij zou hebben he would have ze zouden hebben they would have
Conditional Perfect
If an action would have been completed in the past, when certain conditions would have been
met, we use the conditional mood and the perfect tense.
To make the conditional perfect you need to know:
the verb zijn (to be), hebben (to have) or worden (to become) in the conditional.
The past participle of the verb you need.
The verb wachten in the conditional mood combined with the perfect tense is shown below. It is
based on the conditional mood of the verb hebben (to have).
wachten (to wait) - conditional perfect
singular plural
ik zou hebben
gewacht
I would have waited
we zouden hebben
gewacht
we would have
waited
je zou hebben
gewacht
you would have
waited
jullie zouden hebben
gewacht
you would have
waited
hij zou hebben
gewacht
he would have
waited
ze zouden hebben gewacht
they would have
waited

The word als (if) is important in the following examples. The conditional perfect talks about
conditions that should have been met.
Ik zou het hebben gevonden als ik een landkaart had gebruikt. - I would have found it if I had
used a map.
Ik zou hebben gewacht als ik jou was. - I would have waited if I were you.
Mijn tas zou zijn gevonden als hij ons had geholpen. - My bag would have been found if he
would have helped us.
The conditional perfect is also used to express doubt. This is done by the press, when avoiding to
make a statement about something they dont know. Hij zou hebben gefraudeerd. means
something like He is accused of practicing fraud.
Imperative
The imperative is used to give an order. Sometimes it looks like a question, because the sentence
starts with a verb. You can see that is not true, because there is no question mark in imperative
sentences.
The imperative is written as if the word ik (I), precedes the verb. But the subject (when not
mentioned) is always you.
Ga naar binnen. - Go inside.
Blijf binnen. - Stay inside.
Ga naar huis. Ik ga ook naar huis - Go home. I will go home too.
These examples can be made more polite by adding a softening word like maar, a word that
normally means but.
Ga maar naar binnen. - I suggest you go inside.
Blijf maar binnen. - I suggest you stay inside.
Ga maar naar huis. Ik ga ook naar huis - I suggest you to go home. I will go home too.
But when time is short, short sentences are polite enough.
Kijk, een wespennest. - Look, a wasps nest.
Loop door. Kijk uit. - Walk on. Watch out.
Pas op. - Be alert. (Watch out.)
Struikel niet over die steen. - Dont stumble over that brick.
You can add alsjeblieft (please) if you like (or alstublieft, which is a formal word).
Ga mee, alsjeblieft. - Come with me, please.
Ga mee, alstublieft. - Come with me, please.
Most of the time questions are better than imperative remarks. These four questions are
alternatives to the imperative.
Wil je met me meegaan, alsjeblieft? - Do you want to come with me, please?
Wilt u de deur dicht doen? - Do you want to close the door?
Zou je met me mee willen gaan, alsjeblieft? - Would you come with me, please?
Zou u met me mee willen gaan, alstublieft? - Would you come with me, please?
The formal way to use the imperative is shown below. The subject is u (you, formal). These
sentences look like questions very much, but they are not.
Gaat u zitten, mevrouw. - Sit down, madam.
Gaat u zitten, alstublieft. - Sit down, please.
The next sentence is in the imperative. The sentence after that is a question. They look alike very
much. The pitch of the speakers voice or a question mark shows the difference.
Gaat u zitten, meneer. Ik kom zo terug. - (Please) sit down, sir. Ill be back in a moment.
Gaat u zitten, meneer? Waarom? - Are you sitting down, sir? Why?
In the following sentences maar is used to soften the tone of the order that is given. It shows
some indifference in a small or large degree.
Gaat u maar zitten, mevrouw. - (I suggest you) sit down, madam.
Ga maar naar binnen. - (I suggest you) go inside.
Neem maar een andere pen. - (I suggest you) take another pen.
Kom maar wanneer u dat het beste uitkomt. - Just come when it suits you best.
The infinitive of a verb is the verb as you can find it in the dictionary. You can use it as an
imperative. This can be useful sometimes.
Doorlopen. We staan in de weg. - Walk on. We are in the way.
Lopen. - Walk.
Rennen. - Run.
Uitkijken. De weg is glad. - Watch out. The road is icy.
Opletten. - Watch out. (or: Attention, in a classroom)
Volhouden. Je bent er bijna. - Hold on. Youre almost there.
A we-imperative also occurs.
Laten we opschieten. - Lets hurry.
Laten we gaan. - Lets go.
Laten we gaan voetballen. - Lets play soccer.
Example Verb: Sturen
This overview of Dutch tenses uses the verb sturen (to send). Very rare phrases are in [ ]
brackets.
Verb: sturen (to send, to steer)
Infinitive: sturen
Present participle: sturend
Past participle: gestuurd
Imperative: Stuur!
active voice (I send, and seven other tenses)

imperfect
- action goes on -
perfect
- action completed -
present ik stuur ik heb gestuurd
past ik stuurde ik had gestuurd
future ik zal sturen [ik zal hebben gestuurd]
It happens under certain conditions ik zou sturen ik zou hebben gestuurd
passive voice (Im send, and seven other tenses)
imperfect perfect
- action goes on - - action completed -
present ik word gestuurd ik ben gestuurd
past ik werd gestuurd ik was gestuurd
future ik zal worden gestuurd [ik zal zijn gestuurd]
It happens under certain conditions ik zou worden gestuurd ik zou zijn gestuurd
An example for every tense follows. Very rare phrases are in [ ] brackets.
Example sentences:
active:
Ik stuur een brief. - I send a letter.
Ik heb een brief gestuurd. - I have sent a letter.
Ik stuurde een e-mail. - I sent an email.
Ik had de brief al gestuurd, toen ik die spelfout ontdekte. - I had sent the letter already, when I
discovered that spelling error.
Ik zal een factuur sturen. - I will sent an invoice.
[Voor je teruggekomen bent, zal ik alles hebben gestuurd.] - [Before you have returned, I will
have sent everything.]
Ik zou een factuur sturen. - I would sent an invoice.
Ik zou een factuur hebben gestuurd. - I would have sent an invoice.
passive:
Ik word vandaag naar Parijs gestuurd. - Today, Im sent to Paris.
Ik ben door hem gestuurd. - Im sent by him.
Ik werd niet alleen gestuurd. - I was not sent alone.
Ik was de verkeerde kant op gestuurd. Toen ik dat merkte, kwam ik terug. - I was sent in the
wrong direction. When I noticed, I came back.
Ik zal wel naar Berlijn worden gestuurd. - Ill be sent to Berlin, I suppose.
[Dan zal ik al naar Berlijn zijn gestuurd.] - [Then Ill be sent to Berlin already.]
Ik zou worden gestuurd, maar ze stuurden iemand anders. - I would have been sent, but they
sent someone else.
Ik zou zijn gestuurd als ik meer ervaring had gehad. - I would have been sent, if I had had
more experience.
The next examples explain the use of the infinitive, the present participle, the past participle and
the imperative.
Infinitive
Ga je die brief vandaag sturen? - Are you going to send that letter today?
Present Participle
Voorzichtig sturend, testte hij de auto die hij wilde kopen. - Steering carefully, he tested the car
he wanted to buy.
Past Participle
Ik heb gestuurd. - I have sent (or: I have steered.)
Imperative: a command
Stuur hem naar me toe. - Send him to me.
Conjunctive
The conjunctive is used rarely in Dutch. It has few possible meanings. It is an expression of
a wish
uncertainty.
indifference, whether or not something is a fact, or not.
The word tenzij (although) is used frequently. The syllable zij is recognizable as an old
conjunctive.
Ik ga surfen, tenzij het windstil is. - Im going to surf, unless there is no wind.
Dankzij is used to mention the cause of something, in a positive way. The old conjunctive is seen
here too.
Dankzij jou is het gelukt. - May thanks be to you, it succeeded. (Thanks to you, it succeeded.)
The following sentences express a wish.
Dat moge duidelijk zijn. - May that be obvious. (That is obvious.)
We zeiden: Lang leve de koningin. - We said: May the Queen live long. (Long live the
Queen.)
Op die munt staat: God zij met ons. - That coin states: May God be with us.
The following expression shows some indifference.
Ben ik tweede geworden in deze wedstrijd? Het zij zo. - Am I second in this contest? So be it.
The word zij in these examples is derived from the verb zijn (to be). Normally zij means she or
they.
The word leve comes from leven (to live), and the word moge from mogen (may). The
conjunctive is used rarely.
Intransitive and Transitive Verbs
Intransitive verbs
If an action by the subject does not affect other persons or things, the verb is intransitive. The
subject of the first sentence is ik (I).
Ik zit. - I sit.
Ze rent. - She runs.
Ze loopt door het park naar huis. - She walks home through the park.
Some verbs, like zitten (to sit), are always used intransitive.
Transitive Verbs
If an action by the subject affects other persons or things, the verb is transitive. In the next
example een portemonnee (a purse) is influenced by what happens.
Ik vind een portemonnee. - I find a purse.
Some Dutch verbs are only used as transitive verbs, while their English translations are used as
transitive or intransitive verbs. The Dutch verbs below have to be used as transitive verbs
always. This is accomplished here by adding het (it) to the sentence.
Ik begrijp het. - I understand.
Ik kan het. - I can.
Ik hoop het. - I hope so.
Ik weet het. - I know.
Ik weet het. - I know that.
A verb is used transitive when a direct object is involved. The direct object is the thing or person
that is directly affected by the action. The direct objects (het for instance) are in bold font here.
Ik weet het. - I know it.
Dat weet ik. - I know that.
Ik doe de was. - I do the laundry.
Verbs like doen (to do) are always transitive in Dutch, so you have to mention what is done. If
you dont want to be specific, use het (it).
Ik doe het morgen. - Ill do it tomorrow.
Dutch and English Tenses - Resemblances
Dutch applies tenses in a different way than the English language does. Lets look at the
resemblances first.
The Dutch simple present often is applied like the English simple present. These translations are
literal, but correct.
Ik ben hier. - I am here.
Jij hebt een potlood. - You have a pencil.
In novels, literal translation is often correct. Simple past = simple past. Past perfect = past
perfect. This little story is an example of this.
Ik kwam thuis. Ik had andere stoelen gekocht. Ik zette ze in de keuken. - I came home. I had
bought other chairs. I put them in the kitchen.
Translating the present continuous tense
Only when emphasizing that an action is continuing, the Dutch language uses some phrases that
look like the present continuous tense.
The first method is using aan het.
Ze zijn aan het boren en dat maakt veel lawaai. - They are drilling, and it makes a lot of noise.
Ze zijn uren aan het heien. - They are driving piles for hours.
Ik ben aan het lezen. - I am reading.
Ik ben aan het werken. Kom straks maar terug. - Im working. Just come back later.
The second method is using te in some special way.
Ik zit te werken. Kom straks maar terug. - Im (sitting and) working. Just come back later.
Hij zit te lezen. - He is (sitting and) reading.
We staan te wachten. - We are (standing and) waiting.
The third method is using the present participle, which is a verb + d.
Hij rende zwaaiend weg. - He ran off waving.
Hij reed zingend naar huis. - He drove home singing.
Wat een verrassing, zei ze glimlachend. - What a surprise, she said, smiling.
Dutch and English Tenses - Differences
Dutch applies tenses in a different way than the English language does. Lets look at some
differences.
Simple Present Tense instead of Continuous Tense
The next examples show how the English present continuous tense is translated by the Dutch
simple present tense. This occurs as good as always.
Ik loop door het park. - I am walking in the park.
Ik wacht. Ondertussen wordt het donker. - Im waiting. In the meantime it is getting dark.
Simple Present Tense instead of Future Tense
In the next examples Dutch applies the simple present tense, while English uses the future tense.
This occurs quite often. The future tense is not used very often in Dutch.
De trein komt om twee uur aan. - The train will arrive at two oclock.
De trein komt over vijf minuten. - The train will arrive in five minutes.
Ik ben er morgen ook. - I will be here tomorrow too.
Ik werk vandaag tot drie uur. - Today I will work till three.
Ik spreek hem morgen wel. - I will talk to him tomorrow.
Ik bel je morgen. - I will call you tomorrow.
The last sentence is in the future tense: Ik zal je morgen bellen. The translation is also: I will
call you tomorrow.
Present Perfect instead of Simple Past
Dutch prefers the present perfect, when English prefers the simple past. Here are the examples.
This is very common in spoken language also.
Wie heeft het gedaan? - Who did it?
Ik heb een uur gezwommen. - I swam for an hour.
Heb je het licht aangedaan? - Did you turn on the light?
Heb je gegeten? - Did you eat?
Past Perfect as a Conditional
In Dutch the past perfect can be used as a conditional mood. When you want to make clear you
would have done something differently, you can say:
Je bent ongeduldig. Ik had langer gewacht. - You are impatient. I would have waited longer.
Another example of this is shown below. When we want to translate the Dutch sentence to
English, the context makes clear that a literal translation had bought cannot be correct.
Wat zijn dit zware stoelen. Ik had andere stoelen gekocht. - These chairs are heavy indeed. I
would have bought other chairs.
But the translation had bought is often correct, like in the example below. The paragraph
about resemblances shows this sentence too, because this is a resemblance.
Ik kwam thuis. Ik had andere stoelen gekocht. Ik zette ze in de keuken. - I came home. I had
bought other chairs. I put them in the kitchen.
Passive Voice
The auxilary verbs in the passive voice are worth noticing, because worden is translated by the
English verb to be in the passive voice.
Hij wordt door brandweerlieden gedragen. - He is carried by fire fighters.
Hij moest door brandweerlieden gedragen worden. - He had to be carried by fire fighters.
The participle geworden is omitted, which is correct in Dutch, but only when in the passive voice
is concerned. In the passive voice, the English equivalent to geworden is been.
Hij is door brandweerlieden gedragen. - He has been carried by fire fighters. (or: He was
carried by fire fighters.)
Hij was door brandweerlieden gedragen. - He had been carried by fire fighters.
Spelling Summary
This chapter is also part of the document Verb Conjugation.
Simple Present Tense - weak and strong verbs
To make the present tense conjugation for ik (I, the first person)
remove en of the infinitive. The crude stem is the result. We will start to work with that.
Rule 1. If the crude stem ends with a z, remove z and add s.
Rule 2. If the crude stem ends with a v, remove v and add f.
Rule 3. If the last two letters of the crude stem are two identical consonants (tt, kk, etc.),
remove one of the two.
Rule 4. When the last syllable of the crude stem is closed (a consonant at the end), and the
corresponding vowel of the infinitive is part of an open syllable (when the vowel is at the end of
a syllable there), we have caused an unwanted pronunciation change. We can only solve this by
making an extra adaptation to the crude stem. We must change the vowel of the crude stem. This
can only be from a to aa, e to ee, o to oo, and from u to uu.
Example: The crude stem of lopen is lop. The vowel in lop does not sound the same as the
corresponding vowel in lopen. Therefore the crude stem lop is changed to loop to solve this.
The final result of applying these rules is the conjugation for ik (I). We call this result the
stem.
kiezen - ik kies - we kiezen - to choose - I choose - we choose
leven - ik leef - hij leeft - we leven - to live - I live - he lives - we live
bakken - ik bak - we bakken - to bake - I bake - we bake
lopen - ik loop - we lopen - to walk - I walk - we walk
voelen - ik voel - ze voelt - we voelen - to feel - she feels - we feel
To make the present tense conjugation for the other persons in the singular:
Take the stem.
Add t, except when the verb precedes je or jij
To make the present tense conjugation for the plural:
Take the infinitive and use it.
Note for all persons (singular and plural): If the verb has a separable prefix
remove that prefix.
add it to the end of the phrase. It is not a part of the verb anymore, but a separate word.
doorlopen - to walk on
We lopen door. - We walk on.
Loop je door? - Do you walk on?
aankomen - to arrive
we komen aan - we arrive
Simple Present Tense - irregular verbs
For irregular verbs, you need more information to conjugate the simple present tense.
Simple Past Tense - weak verbs
For weak verbs, take the same stem you have made when you worked on the 1st person present
tense. Some extra letters are added to this stem to make the past tense of weak verbs. When the
sound of the last letter of the crude stem is f, ch, s, t, k, or p, we add te in the singular and ten in
the plural. In all the other cases we add de in the singular and den in the plural.
voelen - we voelden - to feel - we felt
bakken - hij bakte - to bake - we baked
You can remember the six sounds by for instance memorising the phrase:
Four Chinese speakers train kind people
Spelling adaptations apply to the singular and the plural.
Rule 1. If the crude stem ends with a z, remove z and add s.
Rule 2. If the crude stem ends with a v, remove v and add f.
Rule 3. If the last two letters of the crude stem are two identical consonants (tt, kk, etc.),
remove one of the two.
Rule 4. When the last syllable of the crude stem is closed (a consonant at the end), and the
corresponding vowel of the infinitive is part of an open syllable (the vowel at the end of the
syllable), we must change the vowel of the crude stem from a to aa, e to ee, o to oo, or from u to
uu.
Simple Past Tense - strong and irregular verbs
For strong and irregular verbs, you need more information to conjugate the simple past tense.
Weak Past Participles
When you know a verb is weak, you can find out what the past participle is.
make the crude stem of the verb by removing en.
Look at the last letter of the crude stem.
Six sounds take t-suffixes: f, ch, s, t, k, and p.
If the last letter of the crude stem is one of them, it must be a T-verb. The past participle will
be: ge + stem + t.
Otherwise, it is a D-verb. Then the past participle will be: ge + stem + d.
If a double t ending occurs, remove one t.
voelen - ik heb gevoeld - to feel - I have felt
wachten - ik heb gewacht - to wait - I have waited
You can remember the six sounds by for instance memorising the phrase:
Four Chinese speakers train kind people
Note: compound verbs are conjugated differently.
Strong Past Participles
To conjugate strong past participles you need more information about the verb involved. The
ending is en.