Beginning Dutch Verbs 2

This page is a first introduction — you don't need to click the links — follow the links when you want to know more about the subject of the paragraph. At the bottom of the page are links to further study material

Beginning Dutch Verbs page 1

The Passive Voice

You can (as it were) turn the subject and object around, and then the former object, now the subject, is 'subjected' to some activity, something is 'done to' the subject:
Het huis wordt geverfd The house is painted, the house is being painted (right now, at the moment of speaking)

You can add the former object, now the active 'agent' with a preposition, 'by' in English, door in Dutch:
Het huis wordt door mij geverfd The house is painted by me
(other meanings of 'door')

The verb use in this kind of sentences is called 'the Passive Voice' in English, (de) lijdende vorm ['suffering form'] in Dutch.

English uses 'to be' as the auxiliary verb of the passive voice; Dutch uses worden 2
English and Dutch both use the past participle of the main verb

simple present tense (worden) to be ik word I am jij wordt you are hij wordt he is wij worden we are jullie worden y'all are zij worden they are U wordt you are (polite)		simple past tense (worden) to be ik werd I was jij werd you were hij werd he was wij werden we were jullie werden y'all were zij werden they were U werd you were

In Dutch, a D at the end of a word is pronounced as T, double vowels are pronounced the same as single vowels, and DT is pronounced as T.
'Word'  and 'wordt'  sound exactly the same:
ik word 2 / hij wordt 2
Dutchmen often make spelling mistakes with 'word'  and 'wordt,'  writing 'ik wordt'  or 'hij word.'

A few more examples:

Ik werd afgeleid 2 I was distracted Er wordt gebeld 2 ['There is a ring' / 'The bell is rung'] - There is someone at the door Wordt er regen verwacht? 2 Is rain expected? De bal wordt in het doel geschoten 2 The ball is shot into the goal Ik word geschopt door Jan I am kicked by Jan Ik word er elke dag aan herinnerd 2 3 I'm reminded of it every day Wordt er regen verwacht? 2 Is rain expected?

In the perfect tenses the Dutch passive voice leaves out the past participle of 'worden' :

the simple present tense:
Het huis wordt geverfd The house is painted (right this moment, now)

the perfect present tense:
Het huis is geverfd geworden The house was painted

Het huis wordt wit geverfd The house is painted white (right this moment, now)
Het huis is wit geverfd geworden The house was painted white

More examples:
Mijn fiets is gestolen geworden My bike was stolen 't Brood is gebakken geworden 'The bread has been baked' De aardappels zijn gekookt geworden 'The potatoes have been boiled'

English uses 'to be' for the passive voice, while some Dutch verbs use 'zijn'  (otherwise translated as 'to be') as auxiliary verb in the perfect tenses. This may be confusing for English-speakers.
Looking at the perfect tense examples above and below, it may look like Dutch uses the present tense in some lines, but that isn't so:

Er wordt al zoveel gezegd 2 So much is being said already Er is al zoveel gezegd geworden 2 So much has been said already

Hij wordt door een wesp gestoken! 'He is being stung by a wasp!' - right this moment Hij is door een wesp gestoken geworden 'He has been stung by a wasp' - some time ago

geboren worden 2 to be born
Hij werd geboren in Rotterdam 2 3 He was born in Rotterdam Ze is op Kerstdag geboren geworden 2 She [has been] was born on Christmas Day Ik ben in Nederland geboren geworden I [have been] was born in Holland

ik heb geholpen 2 I have helped, assisted ik ben geholpen geworden 2 I was helped, I have been helped, I was attended to

Ik heb gegeten I have eaten The ghost of a cow or pig could say:
Ik ben gegeten geworden I was eaten

'Worden'  as 'to Become'
Dutch 'worden 2 can also mean 'to become' - a development, turning into, or as my dictionary so nicely says: 'begin to be.' Colloquially, English sometimes says 'to get.'
In the 'to become' meaning, the past participle 'geworden' 2 is not dropped

Opeens werd 't stil Suddenly it became quiet Hij is leraar geworden 2 3 4 He's become a teacher Wat is er van hem geworden? [What] Whatever became of him? 't Wordt laat 2 It's getting late

Further reading, many more examples:
The Passive Voice - de Lijdende vorm
'Worden'  - 'to be' for the passive voice // to become

Describing Ongoing Activities

't Regent 2 3 4

De zon schijnt

Ik loop in het bos 2 3

It's not as common as the English continuous, but to describe an action in progress, Dutch can use the verbs:
'zitten' (to sit, to be seated),
'liggen' 2 (to lie, be lying down),
'staan' (to stand, to be standing) or
'lopen' 2 (to walk)
with te and a verb infinitive. (This is one of the few places where Dutch uses 'te' with a verb infinitive in the sense of English 'to.')

ik lig te lezen I'm reading

We zitten te eten We're eating, we're having [food] dinner (or lunch) Ze lagen te slapen They were sleeping We staan te wachten op een taxi 2 3 We're waiting for a taxi. Er loopt een dronken man te schreeuwen 2 There's a drunk guy shouting

There is not always an activity involved like the zitten etc. verbs usually indicate. For instance, I don't have to be sitting down when I say:
Ik zat te wachten op een telefoontje I was waiting for a phone call, I was expecting a phone call Or also:  Ze zit erop te wachten 2 3 She's waiting for it - she expects or needs it soon

Dutch has another continuous using 'zijn' ('to be') and "aan 't" 2 with a verb infinitive — but is only used for 'physical activities'
Ik ben een brood aan 't bakken 2 I'm baking bread. Wat ben je aan 't doen? What are you doing, what are you working on, busy with? Wat ik aan 't doen ben ... 2 3 What I'm doing, what I'm busy with, what I'm working on ...

Further reading, many more examples: A Dutch Continuous

Reflexive Verbs

In the infinitve of reflexive verbs Dutch uses the reflexive pronoun zich 'yourself, oneself' - or occasionally zichzelf 2

zich verdedigen 2 3 to defend oneself

zich verdedigen		to defend oneself
ik verdedig me		I defend myself
jij verdedigt je		you defend yourself
hij verdedigt zich		he defends himself
zij verdedigt zich		she defends herself
wij verdedigen ons		we defend ourselves
jullie verdedigen je		y'all defend yourselves
zij verdedigen zich		they defend themselves
U verdedigt zich		you defend yourself (polite)

Hij heeft zich goed verdedigd He [has] defended himself well

zichzelf zien 2 3 'to see yourself / oneself'

zichzelf zien		to see yourself
ik zie mezelf		I see myself
jij ziet jezelf		you see yourself
hij ziet zichzelf		he sees himself
zij ziet zichzelf		she sees herself
wij zien onszelf		we see ourselves
jullie zien jezelf		y'all see yourselves
zij zien zichzelf		they see themselves
U ziet Uzelf U ziet zichzelf		you see youself

Ik heb mezelf gezien 2 I have seen myself

The reflexive pronouns:

Nominative English / Dutch		Reflexive
I	ik	me mezelf
singular you	jij / je	je jezelf
he	hij	zich zichzelf
she	zij / ze	zich zichzelf
we	wij / we	ons onszelf
plural you	jullie	je jezelf
they	zij / ze	zich zichzelf
polite you	U	zich zichzelf Uzelf 2

Hoe voel je je? 2 How are you feeling? Ik voel me niet lekker I don't feel well, I'm sick - Medical Ik vraag me wel eens af ... 2 'Sometimes I wonder ...'

The verbs of the 'reflexive verbs' can often also be used without reflexive pronouns, occasionally with a very different meaning.

Hij hoefde zich niet te bewijzen He didn't have to prove himself. Ze konden 't niet bewijzen 2 They couldn't prove it

overgeven 2 to throw up, to vomit
zich overgeven 2 to surrender
Ik moest overgeven I had to throw up Ik moest me overgeven 2 3 I had to surrender

Further reading, many more examples:
Reflexive Verbs

Verb Combinations

ik heb geschreven 2	I have written
ik ben gevallen 2 3 4	I have fallen
De bal werd geschopt 2	The ball was kicked

zullen ('shall,

Ik zal schrijven 2

I will write (letters, 'stay in touch')

Other verbs can also be combined, the secondary verb will be in the infinitive, like with zullen.

Ik kan 't niet vinden 2 3 I can't find it Ik wil Nederlands leren 2 3 I want to learn Dutch Gaat 't morgen regenen? 2 Is it going to rain tomorrow?

As already mentioned in the 'Continuous' chapter above there is the little peculiarity that most verbs in these combinations put te before the infinitive of the secondary verb, like English 'to.'

Ik probeer Nederlands te leren I'm trying to learn Dutch Ik begin 't te begrijpen 2 I'm beginning to understand Net voordat 't begon te regenen 2 3 Just before it [started to reain] rained

A group of 'special verbs' don't use te  here — but the verbs in this group have a more important feature that when in the perfect tenses combined with other verbs they appear as infinitives, not as past participles.

Ik heb kunnen voorkomen ... 2 3 I was able to prevent ... 'regular' perfect tense:
Ik heb de vogels gehoord 2 3 I've heard the birds special:
Ik heb de vogels horen fluiten 2 3 I've heard the birds [whistle] sing 'regular' perfect tense, not special-group verb combination:
Ik heb geprobeerd te helpen 2 I have tried to help

The 'Special Verbs' that don't add 'te'  when combined with other verbs and that come as infinitives when combined with other verbs in the perfect tenses
zullen 'shall/will' (for the future tense)
kunnen 'can, being able to'
willen 2 'to want to, desire'
mogen 2 'may, be allowed to'
moeten 2 'must, have to'
laten 'to let, allow'
gaan 'to go, going to'
doen 2 3 'to do, make'
blijven 2 'to remain, stay, continue'
komen 'to come'
helpen 2 'to help, assist'
leren 'to learn' and 'to teach'
zien 'to see'
horen 2 'to hear'
voelen 2 'to feel'

Further study, many examples:
short version — long version

Irregular Verbs

zijn

hebben

simple present tense zijn to be ik ben I am jij bent you are hij is he is wij zijn we are jullie zijn y'all are zij zijn they are U bent you are

simple past tense (zijn) to be ik was I was jij was you were hij was he was wij waren we were jullie waren y'all were zij waren they were U was you were

Like most verbs with A in the simple past tense, those A's are 'short' in the singular but 'long' in the plural

ik ben geweest	I have been
ik was geweest 2	I had been

simple present tense hebben to have ik heb I have jij hebt you have hij heeft he has wij hebben we have jullie hebben y'all have zij hebben they have U heeft you have

simple past tense (hebben) to have ik had I had jij had you had hij had he had wij hadden we had jullie hadden y'all had zij hadden they had U had you had

Hebben: 'had/hadden'  is a rare exception to the A's 'short' in the singular and 'long' in the plural of the simple past tense. Brengen: bracht/brachten  is another example of that. You can tell from the spelling

ik heb gehad	I have had
ik had gehad 2	I had had

'Zullen' 'shall / will' is the auxiliary verb for the future tense in Dutch.

simple present tense
(zullen )		shall/will
ik zal		I will/shall
jij zult		you will (singular, informal you)
hij zal		he will
wij zullen		we will/shall
jullie zullen		you will (plural, informal you)
zij zullen		they will
U zult		you will (polite you)

hij zal 2 3

kunnen 'can,' to be able to, to be possible, to be allowed to

simple present tense
kunnen		'can,' 'to be able to'
ik kan		I can
jij kunt		you (singular, informal you) can
hij kan		he can
wij kunnen		we can
jullie kunnen		you (plural, informal you) can
zij kunnen		they can
U kunt		you (polite you) can

'Mogen' 2 ~ 'may,' 'to be allowed to'

simple present tense
mogen		'may,' to be allowed to
ik mag		'I may'
jij mag		'you may' (singular, informal you)
hij mag		'he may'
wij mogen		'we may'
jullie mogen		'you may' (plural, informal you)
zij mogen		'they may'
U mag		'you may' (polite you)

An A in the simple past tense of strong verbs is almost always 'short' in the singular, but 'long' in the plural. Komen 'to come' has that 'short'/'long' in the simple present tense:

simple present tense
(komen)		(to come)
ik kom		I come
jij komt		you come (singular, informal you)
hij komt		he comes
wij komen		we come
jullie komen		you come (plural, informal you)
zij komen		they come
U komt		you come (polite you)

Gaan 'to go,' staan 'to stand, to be standing' and doen 2 3 'to do' are irregular in that the verb stem is not exactly the infinitive without ‑EN:

simple present tense
gaan		to go
ik ga		I go
jij gaat		you go (singular, informal you)
hij gaat		he goes
wij gaan		we go
jullie gaan		you go (plural, informal you)
zij gaan		they go
U gaat		you go (polite you)
2

To keep the vowel 'long,' the second and third person singular need to double the A before the T.
Compare: (het) gat ('hole')
more gaan

simple present tense
(staan)		to stand, be standing
ik sta		I stand, I'm standing
jij staat		you stand (singular, informal you)
hij staat		he stands
wij staan		we stand
jullie staan		you stand (plural, informal you)
zij staan		they stand
U staat		you stand (polite you)

simple present tense
doen		to do
ik doe		I do
jij doet		you (singular, informal you) do
hij doet		he does
wij doen		we do
jullie doen		you (plural, informal you) do
zij doen		they do
U doet		you (polite you) do

simple present tense
zien		to see
ik zie		I see
jij ziet		you see (singular, informal you)
hij ziet		he sees
wij zien		we see
jullie zien		you see (plural, informal you)
zij zien		they see
U ziet		you see (polite you)

Willen 2 has the slight irregularity that the third person singular: hij ('he') - zij / ze ('she') - het / 't ('it') doesn't have the usual ‑T ending

willen		to want
ik wil		I want
jij wilt		you (singular, informal) want
hij wil		he wants
wij willen		we want
jullie willen		you (plural, informal) want
zij willen		they
U wilt		you (polite) want

hij wil 2 3

je wilt 2

Further reading: Irregular Verbs Refresher

Splitting Verbs

optillen 'to lift (up)' is a weak verb of the non-'t kofschip  type, with ‑D endings in the simple past tense and the past participle

overview
optillen		to lift (up)
ik til op		I lift
wij tillen op		we lift
ik tilde op		I lifted
wij tilden op		we lifted
ik heb opgetild		I have lifted

simple present tense
optillen		to lift
ik til op		I lift
jij tilt op		you lift (singular, informal you)
hij tilt op		he lifts
wij tillen op		we lift
jullie tillen op		y'all lift (plural, informal you)
zij tillen op		they lift
U tilt op		you lift (polite you)

simple past tense
(optillen)		to lift
ik tilde op		I lifted
jij tilde op		you lifted
hij tilde op		he lifted
wij tilden op		we lifted
jullie tilden op		y'all lifted
zij tilden op		they lifted
U tilde op		you lifted

present perfect tense
ik heb opgetild	I have lifted

In Dutch, words can be combined to form 'compound words.' Some compound verbs appear as one word in the infinitive and as the past participle, but split up in the simple present and simple past tense.
Past participles of splitting verbs do not split up but the past participle's GE‑ prefix is inserted between the two parts of splitting verbs
Compound verbs are almost always a combination of a preposition with a verb.
Not all compound verbs split up:

• When the stress is on the verb, compound verbs don't split up
• When the stress is on the prepostition, compound verbs do split up

Examples:

achterhalen		to retrieve, find out
ik achterhaal		I'm finding out
ik achterhaalde		I found out
ik heb achterhaald		I have found out

a strong verb:
achterlaten	to leave behind
ik laat achter	I'm leaving behind
ik liet achter	I left behind
ik heb achtergelaten	I have left behind

overtuigen		to convince
ik overtuig		I convince
ik overtuigde		I convinced
ik heb overtuigd		I have convinced

overhalen		to persuade
ik haal over		I'm persuading
ik haalde over		I persuaded
ik heb overgehaald		I have persuaded

In conditional subsentences, after words like

als	if, when, in case that
toen 2	when, at the time that

Above I mentioned the group of 'Special Verbs' — when verbs NOT from the special group combine as main verbs with splitting verbs, those verbs split up in the infinitive, with 'te'  in-between, for instance:
Hij probeerde de kist op te tillen 2 3 He tried to lift the wooden box compare with:  Hij kan vijftig kilo optillen 2 3 He can lift 50 kilos (120 pounds) Ik denk erover op te houden 2 3 I'm thinking about stopping, quitting compare with:  Daar moet je mee ophouden 2 You should stop doing that

But not all compound verbs split up - and maybe verbs with prefixes are not really 'compound verbs. Anyway,
BE-, ER-, GE-, HER-, ONT-  and VER- are 'inseparable prefixes.' They don't come off in the simple present and past tenses. Inseparable Prefix-verbs also don't add GE- in their past participles. See and hear a few examples:

betalen		to pay
ik betaalde		I paid
ik heb betaald		I have paid

geloven		to believe
ik geloof		I believe
wij geloven		we believe
ik geloofde		I believed
wij geloofden		we believed
ik heb geloofd		I have believed
2

herhalen		to repeat
ik herhaalde		I repeated
ik heb herhaald		I have repeated

(a strong verb)
vergeten		to forget
ik vergat		I forgot
ik ben vergeten		I have forgotten

Further Reading, More Examples: Splitting Verbs

Further Study

28 Verbs Teaching the Conjugation Rules
Get to Know the Common Verbs

Short Overview of 95 Common Verbs

'Mobile' (narrow pages)

The Future Tense

The Passive Voice

A Dutch Continuous/Progressive

Reflexive Verbs

Verbs Combined and 'Te'
- short version

Verb Irregularities Refresher

Splitting Verbs

Get to Know the Common Dutch Verbs

Complete Conjugation and Many Sample Sentences of 60 Common verbs:

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Gij zult niet stelen 'Thou shalt not steal'