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Introduction to Dutch Verbs 1

This page will show and explain the look and sound of the verbs in the various tenses (present, past, perfect) - how the words change.
The next page will show other modes, other uses of the verbs like the passive voice, the future tense, the Dutch continuous/progressive and other verb combinations.

You can follow links (‑>> or more ...) to more explanation and more examples - but you don't need to. At the end of the chapters are links to earlier versions of the material - reading and listening to the examples will help you better memorize, an easy way to further commit the material to memory.

You could also start learning the Dutch Verbs by reading Short, One-Page Introductions to the Chapters

The Simple Present Tense and the Verb Stem

• the verb stem for the first person singular (I - ik)
• the verb stem + t for the second and third person singular
  (you / he/she/it - jij/U / hij/zij/het)
• the verb stem + en (= the infinitive) for the plural
  (we/you/they - wij/jullie/zij)

For instance, drinken 'to drink' drinken to drink ik drink I drink jij drinkt you drink (singular, informal you) hij drinkt he drinks wij drinken we drink jullie drinken you drink (plural, informal you) zij drinken they drink U drinkt you drink (polite you) more drinken - drinks

ik drink 2 (I am drinking)

When the verb is placed before the subject, like in questions, there is no T added for the second person singular, for instance:
Drink je alcohol? 2 3 Do you drink alcohol?

ik ('I')

jij / je ('you' - singular informal)

hij ('he') - zij / ze ('she') - het / 't ('it')

wij / we ('we')

jullie ('you, you guys, y'all' - plural informal)

zij / ze ('they')

U ('you' - formal, polite)

- more personal pronouns

Verb stems ending in T do not add extra T's
wachten		to wait
ik wacht		I'm waiting
jij wacht		you're waiting (singular, informal you)
hij wacht		he's waiting
wij wachten		we're waiting
jullie wachten		y'all are waiting (plural, informal you)
zij wachten		they are i waitng
U wacht		you are waiting (polite you)
2		more wachten

More about the Simple Present Tense Below

The Verb Stem

'Long' and 'Short' Vowels, Diphthongs and Consonants

'Short' vowels
a		e		i		o		u
'Long' vowels
aa/a		ee/e		ie ( ii ) / i		oo/o		uu/u
'voiceless, unstressed E' (the 'schwa')
e (uh)
'Long' and 'short' vowels are traditional names — it is actually more a matter of tone ‑>>
Diphthongs
au/ou		ei/ij		eu		oe		ui
Consonants
b - c - d - f - g - h - j - k - l - m - n - p - q - r - s - t - v - w - x - z

The Verb Stem and the Spelling Rules

denken 2 'to think'   denk 2 3
barsten 2 'to burst, crack'   barst
schaatsen 'to skate'   schaats 2 3

Removing the ‑EN ending from the infinitive does not change the sound of the remaining verb stem, but often the spelling changes.
In the three examples above, the spelling doesn't change because there are two or more different consonants before the ‑EN ending, but with one consonant or two of the same consonants before the ‑EN ending there will be spelling changes

• verb infinitive:	... single vowel	—	single consonant	—	‑EN
  verb stem:	... double vowel	—	single consonant

       halen 2 'to get, collect'   haal
       nemen 'to take'   neem
       lopen 2 'to walk'   loop 2
  A single vowel followed by a single consonant before the ‑EN ending will become a double vowel when the ‑EN ending is removed, because a single vowel before a single consonant that is the end of the word is 'short.' The vowel is doubled to indicate that it's 'long'

• verb infinitive:	... single vowel	—	double consonant	—	‑ EN
  verb stem:	... single vowel	—	single consonant

       vallen 'to fall'   val
       zeggen 2 3 'to say'   zeg 2 3
       willen 2 'to want, wish, desire'   wil
  A double consonant before the ‑EN ending will become a single consonant when the ‑EN ending is removed because Dutch words don't end in double consonants.
  A single vowel before single consonant at the end of a word  is short; a double consonant in the middle of a word indicates that a single vowel before it is 'short'

There are no 'long' or 'short' diphthongs, no further spelling changes between infinitives and verb stems rijden 2 'to drive // to ride'   rijd
zoeken 2 'to search, seek'   zoek 2
bouwen 'to build'   bouw

The Spelling Rules in the Verb Stem:
28 Verbs - Smartphone
I usually describe the Gereral Spellling Rules in a different way:
short - medium - long, with many examples
another version
Learn Spelling by Studying and Listening to Examples

The Z/S and V/F Shift
The Z/S and V/F Shift is a somewhat related verb stem spelling feature: Dutch words don't end in V or Z, it's not a 'natural' sound for Dutch-speakers — when removing the ‑EN ending leaves a stem ending in V or Z, it will change to F or S, for instance wijzen 2 'to point'   wijs
graven 2 3 'to dig'   graaf
blazen 2 3 'to blow'   blaas 2
geven 2 'to give'   geef When an ‑E or ‑EN is added to an V/F or Z/S verb stem, like for the simple present tense plural, the V or Z will return
The Z/S and V/F Shift in Verbs:
Beginning Verbs - Smartphone
The F/V and S/Z Shift in General

A few not very common verbs have a 'voiceless, unstressed E' (the 'schwa') followed by a consonant before the ‑EN ending — the stem of these verbs just removes the ‑EN from the infinitive because the voiceless, unstressed E does not follow the 'long' and 'short' vowels apelling rules, for instance: winkelen 2 'to shop'   winkel 2
luisteren 'to listen'   luister 2 Read more: Beginning Verbs - 28 Verbs

A few verb infinitives don't end in ‑EN, like:
doen 2 3 'to do'   doe
zien 'to see'   zie the OE in doen  is a diphthong, and IE in zien  is a long i zijn 'to be'   various, irregular
gaan 'to go'   ga 2
staan 'to stand'   sta
slaan 2 'to hit, slap'   sla
In the conjugation of last three verbs another spelling rule comes into play:

• A single vowel at the end of a word is 'long' (except E)
  (Dutch words don't end in double vowels - except EE)
• A single vowel followed by a consonant that's the end of word 
is 'short,' so a 'long' vowel in that position needs to be doubled

Verb Stem Summary

(de) basisvorm 2 3 / (de) grondvorm 2 3 verb stem

The Simple Present Tense

ik ('I')

jij / je ('you' - singular informal)

hij ('he') - zij / ze ('she') - het / 't ('it')

wij / we ('we')

jullie ('you, you guys, y'all' - plural informal)

zij / ze ('they')

U ('you' - formal, polite)

more personal pronouns

Spelling Rules

denken 2 'to think'     verb stem: denk 2 3
ik denk
denken		to think
ik denk		I am thinking
jij denkt		you are thinking (singular, informal you)
hij denkt		he is thinking
wij denken		we are thinking
jullie denken		you are thinking (plural, informal you)
zij denken		they are thinking
U denkt		you are thinking (polite you)
		more denken

As I mentioned before, when the verb comes before the subject, like in questions, there is no T for the second person singular.
Denk je dat 't gaat regenen? Do you think it's going to rain?

lachen 2 'to laugh'     verb stem  lach
ik lach
ik lach		I'm laughing
jij lacht		you're laughing
hij lacht		he's laughing
wij lachen		we're laughing
jullie lachen		y'all are laughing
zij lachen		they are laughing
U lacht		you are laughing
		more lachen

liggen 2 'to lie down'     verb stem:   lig
(liggen 2 )		to lie (down)
ik lig		I'm lying down
jij ligt		you are lying down (singular, informal)
hij ligt		he is lying down
wij liggen		we are lying down
jullie liggen		you are lying down (plural, informal)
zij liggen		they are lying down
U ligt		you are lying down (polite you)
2		more liggen

horen 2 'to hear'     verb stem:   hoor
(het) oor 2
horen		to hear
ik hoor		I hear
jij hoort		you hear (singular, informal you)
hij hoort		he hears
wij horen		we hear
jullie horen		you hear (plural, informal you)
zij horen		they hear
U hoort		you hear (polite you)
		more horen

As I mentioned before, verb stems ending in T don't get an extra T for the simple present second and third person singular.

zetten 'to put'     verb stem:   zet
zetten		to put
ik zet		I'm putting
jij zet		you're putting (singular, informal you)
hij zet		he's putting
wij zetten		we're putting
jullie zetten		y'all are putting
zij zetten		they are putting
U zet		you are putting (polite you)
2		more zetten

eten 'to eat'     verb stem:   eet 2 3
eten		to eat
ik eet		I eat, I'm eating
jij eet		you eat (singular, informal you)
hij eet		he eats
wij eten		we eat
jullie eten		you eat (plural, informal you)
zij eten		they eat
U eet		you eat (polite you)
		more eten - food

staan 'to stand, be standing'     verb stem:  sta
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)
		more staan

rijden 2 'to drive // to ride'     verb stem:   rijd
rijden		to ride // to drive
ik rijd		I'm riding/driving
jij rijdt		you're riding/driving (singular, informal you)
hij rijdt		he's riding/driving
wij rijden		we're riding/driving
jullie rijden		y'all are riding/driving (plural, informal you)
zij rijden		they are riding/driving
U rijdt		you are riding/driving (polite you)
		more rijden - traffic

'Worden 2 is the auxiliary verb for the passive voice in Dutch ('to be' in English) but it can also mean 'to become' - 'begin to be' worden 2 '~to be // to become'     verb stem:   word 2

(worden)		to be - for the passive voice
ik word		I am
jij wordt		you are (singular, informal you)
hij wordt		he is
wij worden		we are
jullie worden		you are (plural, informal you)
zij worden		they are
U wordt		you are (polite you)
		more worden

The V/F and Z/S shift

blijven		to stay, remain
ik blijf		I'm staying
jij blijft		you're staying (singular, informal you)
hij blijft		he's staying
wij blijven		we're staying
jullie blijven		y'all are staying
zij blijven		they are staying
U blijft		you are staying (polite you)
2		more blijven

geven		to give
ik geef		I give
jij geeft		you give (singular, informal you)
hij geeft		he gives
wij geven		we give
jullie geven		you give (plural, informal you)
zij geven		they give
U geeft		you give (polite you)
		more geven

lezen		to read
ik lees		I read, I am reading
jij leest		you read (singular, informal you)
hij leest		he reads
wij lezen		we read
jullie lezen		you read (plural, informal you)
zij lezen		they read
U leest		you read (polite you)
		more lezen

Special Cases

zien 'to see'     verb stem:  zie
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)
		more zien

doen 2 3 'to do'     verb stem:  doe
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
		more doen

Unusual Rare Uncommon
A few not very common verbs have a stem ending in 'voiceless, unstressed E' (the 'schwa') followed by a consonant, for instance
    luisteren 'to listen'   luister 2
more luisteren
Read more: Beginning Verbs - 28 Verbs

A few unusual verbs have stems ending in consonant i
    groeien 2 3 'to grow'   groei 2
't dooit [it is thawing] - it stopped freezing Read more: Consonant i

A few rarely used verbs have a diphthong before the ‑EN ending - no special rules
breien 'to knit'     verb stem:   brei
heien 2 'to drive piles into the ground'     verb stem:   hei
    (for a house foundation on soft soil)
vrijen 2 3 'to make love'     verb stem:   vrij

Irregular Verbs

zijn		to be
ik ben		I am
jij bent		you are (singular, informal you)
hij is		he is
wij zijn		we are
jullie zijn		you are (plural, informal you)
zij zijn		they are
U bent		you are (polite you)
		more zijn

hebben		to have
ik heb		I have
jij hebt		you have (singular, informal you)
hij heeft		he has
wij hebben		we have
jullie hebben		you have (plural, informal you)
zij hebben		they have
U heeft		you have (polite you)
		more hebben

U heeft 2 3

(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)
		more zullen

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
		more kunnen

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)
		more mogen

(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)
		more komen

'short O'

'long O'

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
2		more willen

hij wil 2 3

je wilt 2

Very fine points ...
In these irregular verbs you can see that polite 'you' U  sometimes takes the verb form of the second, sometimes of the the third person singular, and sometimes mixes it up, for instance
U wilt 2 you want, desire
Wilt U een bonnetje? 2 3 Would you like a (cash register) receipt? For the regular verbs polite 'you' U  takes the T but like the third person singular doesn't lose it in question etc. mode

Verb stems ending in T do not 'lose' the T in second-person singular questions etc (when the verb comes before the subject)
Weet jij? 2 Do you know?

Read more about the Dutch simple present tense:
Beginning Dutch Verbs
28 Verbs to Learn the Rules
Smartphone Verbs
'Easy Dutch' page 3
from the 'Lessons'
from the '1-page Summary'
from my First Verbs Page

(de) onvoltooid tegenwoordige tijd 2  (ott )
['unfinished present time'] - the simple present tense

The Simple Past Tense

In the simple past tense, Dutch verbs have two forms: one for the singular, and one for the plural. The plural adds ‑N or ‑EN to the singular: ‑N to weak verbs, ‑EN to strong verbs.

Two types of verbs for the simple past tense

• 'Strong' verbs have a different vowel or diphthong in the simple past tense than in the simple present tense
• 'Weak' verbs have certain endings after the verb stem, again divided in two groups:
  • Verb stems ending in T, K, F, S, CH and P ('t kofschip ) have ‑TE endings in the singular and ‑TEN endings in the plural.
  • Verb stems ending in other letters have ‑DE endings in the singular and ‑DEN endings in the plural of the simple past tense

willen 2 'to want, desire'   wilde 2 3
luisteren 'to listen'   luisterde 2 3
lenen 2 'to lend // to borrow'   leende
kennen '~to know'   kende 2
leiden 'to lead'   leidde 2
laden 'to load'   laadde 2

A few examples of strong verbs:

Unfortunately, you can't tell from the verb infinitive if it's a strong verb. Most of the common verbs are strong, but not all, as shown in the lists above. Some common verbs that are 'weak:'
willen 2 ('to want, wish, desire, would like to') ‑>>
hopen 2 ('to hope') ‑>>
kennen ('to know people, be familiar with things') ‑>>
leren 2 3 ('to learn' // 'to teach') ‑>>
praten ('to talk, chat') ‑>>
maken ('to make') ‑>>
halen 2 ('to get, collect') ‑>>
leiden ('to lead') ‑>>

Weak Verbs 1: 't kofschip

('t kofschip )

hopen 2 'to hope'    hoop 2
simple past tense
(hopen)		to hope
ik hoopte		I hoped
jij hoopte		you hoped
hij hoopte		he hoped
wij hoopten		we hoped
jullie hoopten		y'all hoped
zij hoopten		they hoped
U hoopte		you hoped
		more

knippen 'to cut' (with scissors)    knip
simple past tense
(knippen)		to cut (with scissors)
ik knipte		I cut
jij knipte		you cut (singular, informal you)
hij knipte		he cut
wij knipten		we cut
jullie knipten		y'all cut (plural, informal you)
zij knipten		they cut
U knipte		you cut (polite you)
2		more knippen

fietsen 2 'to ride a bike'   fiets 2 3
(fietsen)		to ride a bike
ik fietste		I rode a bike
jij fietste		you rode a bike
hij fietste		he rode a bike
wij fietsten		we rode bikes
jullie fietsten		y'all rode bikes
zij fietsten		they rode bikes
U fietste		you rode a bike
		much more fietsen

wassen 2 'to wash'   was
wassen to wash		ik waste I washed		wij wasten we washed
more wassen - 2

blaffen 2 'to bark'   blaf
blaffen to bark (dogs ~)		hij blafte he/it barked	2

maken 'to make'   maak
maken to make		ik maakte I made		wij maakten we made	2
more maken

pakken 2 3 'to get, grab a.o.'   pak
pakken to get, grab a.o.		ik pakte I got		wij pakten we got	2 3
more pakken

lachen 2 'to laugh'   lach
lachen to laugh		ik lachte I laughed
more lachen

't kofschip  verb infinitives ending in T, for instance:

wachten 'to wait'   wacht
(wachten)		to wait
ik wachtte		I waited
jij wachtte		you waited
hij wachtte		he waited
wij wachtten		we waited
jullie wachtten		y'all waited
zij wachtten		they waited
U wachtte		you waited
		more wachten

zetten 'to put'     zet
simple past tense
(zetten)		to put
ik zette		I put
jij zette		you put
hij zette		he put
wij zetten		we put
jullie zetten		y'all put
zij zetten		they put
U zette		you put
2 3		more zetten

Verb stems ending in T will have simple past tense endings in ‑TTE and ‑TTEN - but double consonants are usually not pronounced separately or 'longer' (which looks impossible for some consonants) — so for these verbs, the plurals of the simple present and simple past tense look different but sound the same:

wachten 'to wait'   wacht
wij wachten we wait, we are waiting		wij wachtten 2 we waited

zetten 'to put'   zet
zetten to put		wij zetten we put simple present tense		wij zetten we put simple past tense	2

A single vowel followed by a single consonant before another vowel (or diphthong) is long — when the single consonant becomes the end of the word, the 'long' vowel needs to be doubled. Verbs with a T as that single consonant before the ‑EN ending will have simple present and simple past tense plurals that sound the same but are spelled differently, for instance:

praten 'to talk, chat'   praat

overview
praten		to talk, to chat
ik praat		I 'm talking
wij praten		we're talking
ik praatte		I was talking
wij praatten		we were talking
ik heb gepraat		I have been talking
2 3 4		more praten

praten to talk		wij praten we're talking		wij praatten we talked	2 3 4
		wij praten 2 we're talking		wij praatten 2 we talked

't Kofschip  and the V/F and Z/S Shift

geloven 2 'to believe'   geloof 2 3
geloven to believe		ik geloofde I believed		wij geloofden we believed	2
more geloven

beloven 2 3 'to promise'   beloof
beloven to promise		ik beloofde I promised		wij beloofden we promised	2
more beloven

vrezen 2 3 'to fear'   vrees
vrezen to fear		ik vreesde I feared		wij vreesden we feared	2 3
more vrezen

verhuizen 2 3 'to move (house)'   verhuis
verhuizen to move (house)		ik verhuisde I moved		wij verhuisden we moved	2
more verhuizen

28 Verbs - Beginning Verbs - Smartphone
The F/V and S/Z Shift in General

Weak Verbs 2: Non-'t kofschip

willen 2 'to want, wish, desire'   wil
Simple Past Tense
(willen)		to want, wish, desire, would like to
ik wilde		I wanted
jij wilde		you wanted (singular informal)
hij wilde		he wanted
wij wilden		we wanted
jullie wilden		y'all wanted
zij wilden		they wanted
U wilde		you wanted (polite 'you')
		more willen

lenen 2 'to lend' // 'to borrow'   leen
lenen to lend // to borrow		ik leende I lent // I borrowed		wij leenden we lent // we borrowed
more lenen

kennen 'to know people, to be familiar with things'   ken 2 3
kennen ~to know		ik kende I knew		wij kenden we knew
more kennen

verdelen 2 3 'to divide' // 'to distribute'   verdeel
verdelen to divide // to distribute		ik verdeelde I divided // I distributed		wij verdeelden we divided // we distributed	2
more verdelen

vertellen 2 'to tell'   vertel
vertellen to tell		ik vertelde I told		wij vertelden we told	2
more vertellen

gooien 'to throw'   gooi
gooien to throw		ik gooide I threw		wij gooiden we threw
more gooien

luisteren 'to listen'   luister 2
luisteren to listen		ik luisterde I listened		wij luisterden we listened	2
more luisteren

leiden 'to lead'   leid
Simple Past Tense
(leiden)		to lead
ik leidde		I led
jij leidde		you led
hij leidde		he led
wij leidden		we led
jullie leidden		y'all led
zij leidden		they led
U leidde		you led
		more leiden

leiden to lead

wij leiden we lead

wij leidden we led

2 3

laden 'to load'   laad
wij laden 2 we're loading		wij laadden we loaded

Strong Verbs

Strong verbs are usually listed in three forms, like this:

vragen to ask	vroeg asked	gevraagd asked
infinitive	simple past  tense (singular)	past participle
nemen to take	nam took	genomen taken

The verbs have just two forms in the simple past tense, singular and plural, plural adds ‑EN to the singular

You'll have to memorize the three forms of the common strong verbs — there are some patterns that may help with the learning
50 Common Strong Verbs:
Patterns of change - Alphabetic List
200 Strong Verbs:
Alphabetic List - Patterns of Change

Many of the common verbs are 'strong' and you can't tell from an infinitive if it's 'strong' or 'weak.' Here's a list you may already have seen above of common verbs that are 'weak'
willen 2 ('to want, wish, desire, would like to') ‑>>
hopen 2 ('to hope') ‑>>
kennen ('to know people, be familiar with things') ‑>>
leren 2 3 ('to learn' // 'to teach') ‑>>
praten ('to talk, chat') ‑>>
maken ('to make') ‑>>
halen 2 ('to get, collect') ‑>>
leiden ('to lead') ‑>>

Examples of the full simple past tense of a few 'strong' verbs:

vragen 2		to ask
simple past tense
vragen		to ask
ik vroeg		I asked
jij vroeg		you asked
hij vroeg		he asked
wij vroegen		we asked
jullie vroegen		y'all asked
zij vroegen		they asked
U vroeg		you asked
		more vragen

The V/F and Z/S shift is also found in the simple past tense, for instance:

schrijven 2 3		to write
simple past tense
(schrijven)		(to write)
ik schreef		I wrote
jij schreef		you wrote
hij schreef		he wrote
wij schreven		we wrote
jullie schreven		y'all wrote
zij schreven		they wrote
U schreef		you wrote
		more schrijven

Almost all strong verbs with A in the simple past tense have a 'short' A in the singular, but a 'long' A in the plural. Exceptions: hebben: had/hadden  ('to have') - denken: dacht/dachten  ('to think') and brengen: bracht/brachten  ('to bring') The 'short' A and 'long' A are shown in the spelling.

eten		to eat
simple past tense
(eten)		to eat
ik at		I ate
jij at		you ate
hij at		he ate
wij aten		we ate
jullie aten		y'all ate
zij aten		they ate
U at		you ate
		more eten - more food

lezen 2 3		to read
simple past tense
(lezen)		to read
ik las		I read, I was reading
jij las		you read, you were reading
hij las		he read, he was reading
wij lazen		we read, we were reading
jullie lazen		y'all read, y'all were reading
zij lazen		they read, they were reading
U las		you read, you were reading
		more lezen

spreken		to speak
simple past tense
(spreken)		to speak
ik sprak		I spoke
jij sprak		you spoke
hij sprak		he spoke
wij spraken		we spoke
jullie spraken		y'all spoke
zij spraken		they spoke
U sprak		you spoke
2 3		more spreken

zeggen		to say
simple past tense
(zeggen)		to say
ik zei		I said
jij zei		you said
hij zei		he said
wij zeiden		we said
jullie zeiden		y'all said
zij zeiden		they said
U zei		you said
		more zeggen

kunnen		'can,' to be able to
simple past tense
(kunnen)		'can,' 'to be able to'
ik kon		I could, was able to
jij kon		you could, were able to
hij kon		he could, was able to
wij konden		we could, were able to
jullie konden		y'all could, were able to
zij konden		they could, were able to
U kon		you could, were able to
		more kunnen

weten		to know (facts)
simple past tense
(weten)		to know
ik wist		I knew
jij wist		you knew
hij wist		he knew
wij wisten		we knew
jullie wisten		y'all knew
zij wisten		they knew
U wist		you knew
2		more weten

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
		more zijn

moeten 2		'must' etc.
simple past tense
ik moest		I had to
jij moest		you had to
hij moest		he had to
wij moesten		we had to
jullie moesten		y'all had to
zij moesten		they had to
U moest		you had to
		more moeten

(de) onvoltooid verleden tijd 2 (ovt ) ‑>>
['unfinished past time'] 'simple (imperfect) past tense'

Read more about the simple past tense:
Beginning Dutch Verbs
28 Verbs to Learn the Rules
Smartphone Verbs
'Easy Dutch' page 3 - Dutch and English strong verbs
from the 'Lessons'
from the '1-page Summary'
from my First Verbs Page

50 Common Strong Verbs:
Alphabetic List - Patterns of Change
200 Strong Verbs:
Alphabetic List - Patterns of Change
100 Common Verbs

The Perfect Tenses

In the perfect tenses, an auxiliary verb ('to have' in English, hebben or zijn in Dutch) is combined with a past participle - (het) voltooid deelwoord
The Dutch past participle usually has a GE‑ prefix and for most 'strong' verbs an ‑EN or ‑N  ending; almost all 't kofschip 'weak' verbs add a ‑T ending to the verb stem, and non-'t kofschip weak verbs a ‑D ending.

Some regular examples:
ik heb gegeten	I have eaten
heb je al gegeten? 2	have you eaten already? Did you already have dinner (or lunch or breakfast)?
ik heb gezien	I have seen
ik heb gehoord	I have heard
ik heb gegeven	I have given
Heb je genoeg gedronken?	['Have you drank enough'] 'Did you have enough to drink?'
Hebben jullie 't leuk gehad?	[Have you guys enjoyed yourself?] - Did you guys enjoy yourself?
ik ben gegaan	'I have gone' ('I went')

Hebben  or Zijn?

zijn (otherwise 'to be')

A group of about ten verbs of motion, like lopen 2 'to walk, hike' - fietsen 2 'to ride a bike' or rijden 2 'to ride // to drive' can use either hebben  or zijn  — hebben when it's about the time spent in motion or the distance covered, and zijn  is used when it's about the destination., for instance:
Ik ben naar Veenendaal gefietst 2 'I rode a bike to Veenendaal' Ik heb een uur gefietst 2 'I rode a bike for an hour' - The hebben/zijn  verbs in the perfect tenses

The simple present tenses of hebben  or zijn  are used for the perfect present tense, and the simple past tense of hebben  or zijn  for the perfect past tense

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 Do note that B at the end of a word is pronounced as P, but as B in the middle of a word.

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 Do note that D at the end of a word is pronounced as T, but as D in the middle of a word.

'Zijn' is usually translated as 'to be.' Only in the perfect tenses is Dutch zijn  translated as 'to have' in English

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

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

Past Participles

- (het) voltooid deelwoord

‑EN

Unexpected, Irregular Past Participle Endings

About 20% of the common strong verbs have past participles in ‑D or ‑T
zijn	to be ‑>>
Ik ben geweest	I have been
Ik was geweest 2	I had been
hebben	to have ‑>>
Ik heb gehad	I have had
Ik had gehad 2	I had had
denken 2	to think ‑>>
ik heb gedacht	I have thought
ik had gedacht 2	I had thought
brengen 2 3 4	to bring ‑>>
ik heb gebracht 2 3 4	I have brought
zeggen 2 3	to say ‑>>
ik heb gezegd 2	I have said
kopen	to buy ‑>>
ik heb gekocht	I have bought
verkopen	to sell ‑>>
ik heb verkocht 2	I have sold
zoeken 2	to search, look for, seek ‑>>
ik heb gezocht 2	I have searched
kunnen	'can,' to be able to ‑>>
(ik heb gekund	I have been able to ‑>>)
A few common verbs that are 'weak' have a past participle in ‑EN
lachen 2	to laugh ‑>>
ik heb gelachen	I have laughed, I was laughing
wassen 2	to wash ‑> - 2
ik heb gewassen	I have washed
bakken	to bake, fry, sauté ‑>>
ik heb gebakken 2 3	I have baked, fried, sautéed

Compound Verbs, Splitting Verbs
The next chapter will explain compound and splitting verbs in more depth - below
Dutch words can be combined to form 'compound words.'   Verbs can also be 'compound words,'  usually a combination of a preposition with a verb. Some of the 'compound verbs' are one word in the infinitive and in the past participle, but split up in the simple present and simple past tense ‑>>
Past participles of splitting verbs are one word but the past participle's GE‑ prefix is inserted between the two parts of splitting verbs, while non-splitting compound verbs don't add GE‑ to their past participles.

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

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

'Inseparable Prefixes'
BE-, ER-, GE-, HER-, ONT-  and VER- are 'inseparable prefixes.' They don't come off in the simple present and simple past tenses. The 'inseparable prefixes verbs' also don't put GE-  in their past participles.

For example:

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

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

Be aware that not all verbs with word beginnings BE-, GE- and VER- are compound words. Two-syllables verbs can't be compound verbs, but are 'regular verbs' that don't split up either.
You can tell by the pronunciation, BE- GE- and VER- with 'short E' or 'long E' are not prefixes, but BE- GE- and VER- with 'voiceless, unstressed E' (the schwa) are prefixes.

See for example: geven 2 'to give'

overview
geven		to give
ik geef		I give
wij geven		we give
ik gaf		I gave
wij gaven		we gave
ik heb gegeven		I have given
2

to ask	vragen	vroeg	gevraagd	‑>>
to drive, to ride	rijden	reed	gereden	‑>>
to sit	zitten	zat	gezeten	‑>>

to know (~facts)	weten	wist	geweten	2 ‑>>
to eat	eten	at	gegeten	‑>>

to be	zijn	was	geweest	‑>>
to have	hebben	had	gehad	‑>>

Dutch usually puts past participles at the end of sentences or sub-sentences ‑>>
Jan heeft een boek aan Piet gegeven. 2 Jan has given a book to Piet.

(de) voltooide tijd 2 3 the perfect tenses
(de) voltooid tegenwoordige tijd 2 the perfect present tense
(de) voltooid verleden tijd 2 the perfect past tense
(het) voltooid deelwoord the past participle

More about the perfect tenses:
Beginning Dutch Verbs
28 Verbs to Learn the Rules
Smartphone Verbs
'Easy Dutch' page 3
from the 'Lessons'
from the '1-page Summary'
from my First Verbs Page

50 Common Strong Verbs:
Alphabetic List - Patterns of Change
200 Strong Verbs:
Alphabetic List - Patterns of Change
100 Common Verbs

Compound Verbs, sometimes Splitting up, and Inseparable Prefixes

Dutch verbs can be 'compound words,' usually a combination of a preposition with a verb. 'Compound verbs' sometimes split up in the simple tenses, depending on the stress in the word:

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

GE-

A very small number of compound verbs are combinations with an adverb or a noun, for instance hardlopen 2 3 [to walk fast] -'to run,' glimlachen 'to smile' and stofzuigen 2 3 [to suck dust] - 'to vacuum' - more below

English	Dutch infinitive	simple present  tense	simple past tense	perfect tense
to bargain	afdingen	ik ding af	ik dong af	ik heb afgedongen	2
AF—dingen 2 3		to bargain for a lower price
to leave behind	achterlaten	ik laat achter	ik liet achter	ik heb achtergelaten
ACHTER—laten 2
to retrieve, find out	achterhalen	ik achterhaal	ik achterhaalde	ik heb achterhaald
achter—HALEN 2
~ to pursue, follow	achtervolgen	ik achtervolg	ik achtervolgde	ik heb achtervolgd
achter—VOLGEN
to collect, pick up	afhalen	(ik haal af)	ik haalde af	ik heb afgehaald
AF—halen 2
~to await	afwachten	(ik wacht af)	ik wachtte af	ik heb afgewacht
AF—wachten 2 3
to run	hardlopen	ik loop hard	ik liep hard	ik heb hardgelopen	2 3
HARD—lopen 2 3
to take along	meenemen	ik neem mee	ik nam mee	ik heb meegenomen
MEE—nemen 2 3
to go into hiding	onderduiken	ik duik onder	ik dook onder	ik ben ondergedoken
ONDER—duiken 2 3		- Anne Frank
to maintain	onderhouden	(ik onderhoud)	ik onderhield	ik heb onderhouden
onder—HOUDEN		to maintain, keep in shape
to persuade	overhalen	ik haal over	ik haalde over	ik heb overgehaald
OVER—halen 2
to convince	overtuigen	ik overtuig	ik overtuigde	ik heb overtuigd
over—TUIGEN 2
to pay attention	opletten	ik let op	ik lette op	ik heb opgelet	2
OP—letten 2 3
to advance (money)	voorschieten	(ik schiet voor)	ik schoot voor	ik heb voorgeschoten
VOOR—schieten
to show, demonstrate	voordoen	ik doe voor	ik deed voor	ik heb voorgedaan
VOOR—doen 2
to leave	weggaan	ik ga weg	ik ging weg	ik ben weggegaan
WEG—gaan

OP—ruimen		to tidy up, clear, put/store things in their place
opruimen		to tidy up, clear
ik ruim op		I'm tidying up
wij ruimen op		we're tidying up
ik ruimde op		I was tidying up
wij ruimden op		we were tidying up
ik heb opgeruimd		I have tidied up

SCHOON—maken 2 3		to clean
schoonmaken		['to make clean'] - to clean
ik maak schoon		I'm cleaning
wij maken schoon		we're cleaning
ik maakte schoon		I cleaned
wij maakten schoon		we cleaned
ik heb schoongemaakt		I have cleaned
		‑>

AAN—komen 2
aankomen		to arrive
ik kom aan		I arrive
wij komen aan		we arrive/i>
ik kwam aan		I arrived
wij kwamen aan		we arrived
ik ben aangekomen		I have arrived

OP—treden		perform as an artist, like a musician // to take action, intervene ‑>>
optreden		to perform
ik treed op		I perform
wij treden op		we performed
ik trad op		I perform
wij traden op		we performed
ik heb opgetreden		I have performed

OP—tillen		to lift
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

Advanced
Under certain circumstances, in some special sentence structures, splitting verbs re-attach in the simple tenses, for instance:
't Zit mee 2 3 It's going well Als 't meezit ... 2 If things go well, if we're lucky ... t Zit tegen 2 3 It's not going well Als 't tegenzit ... 2 if it doesn't go well, if we're not lucky, if things don't work out ... ‑>> If you must ...

'Inseparable Prefixes'

her- 2

English	Dutch infinitive	simple past tense	perfect tense
to promise	beloven	ik beloofde	ik heb beloofd
to pay	betalen	ik betaalde	ik heb betaald
to acknowledge	erkennen	ik erkende	ik heb erkend
to believe	geloven	ik geloofde	ik heb geloofd
to repeat	herhalen	ik herhaalde	ik heb herhaald
to discover	ontdekken	ik ontdekte	ik heb ontdekt
to move	verhuizen	ik verhuisde	ik ben verhuisd

ontmoeten		to meet
ik ontmoet		I'm meeting
ik ontmoette		I met
ik heb ontmoet		I have met
2 3		‑>

verliezen 2 'to lose'
verliezen to lose	-	verloor lost	-	verloren lost

verliezen		to lose
ik verlies		I'm losing
wij verliezen		we're losing
ik verloor		I lost
wij verloren		we lost
ik heb verloren		I have lost
2		‑>>

verdelen		to divide // to distribute
ik verdeel		I divide // distribute
wij verdelen		we divide // distribute
ik verdeelde		I divided // distributed
wij verdeelden		we divided // distributed
ik heb verdeeld		I have divided // distributed
2		‑>

vertellen		to tell
ik vertel		I tell
wij vertellen		we tell
ik vertelde		I told
wij vertelden		we told
ik heb verteld		I have told
2		‑>

verdwijnen 'to disappear'
verdwijnen to disappear	-	verdween disappeared	-	verdwenen disappeared	2

verdwijnen		to disappear
het verdwijnt		it disappears
het verdween		it disappeared
het is verdwenen		it has disappeared
2 3		‑>>

A small number of strong verbs with an 'inseparable prefix' have past participles that are identical to their infinitives. Strong verb past participles usually end in ‑EN.

vergeten to forget

-

vergat forgot

-

vergeten forgotten

vergeten		to forget
(ik vergeet)		I forget
ik vergat		I forgot
ik ben vergeten		I have forgotten
		‑>

Vergeven 2 'to forgive'
vergeven to forgive	-	vergaf forgave	-	vergeven forgiven	2		‑>

'Genezen' 2 3 'to heal' ‑>
genezen to heal, cure	-	genas healed, cured	-	genezen healed, cured	2 3
		wij genazen 2 3 we healed, cured

onthouden 2 3 - to remember, memorize, commit to memory, 'not forget' ‑>>

onthouden to memorize - onthield memorized - onthouden memorized 2

zich gedragen 2 3 'to behave'
gedragen to behave	-	gedroeg behaved	-	gedragen behaved

zich gedragen		to behave
ik gedraag me		I'm behaving
ik gedroeg me		I behaved
ik heb me gedragen		I have behaved
2

vervangen 2 'to replace'
vervangen to replace	-	verving replaced	-	vervangen replaced	2

'Afgelasten' (AF—gelasten) 2 3 'to cancel an event or a match' combines the 'splitting verbs' rule with the 'inseparable prefix' rule.
The most common use is in lines like this:
Het is afgelast 2 3 It has been canceled Als 't regent wordt de wedstrijd afgelast If, in case it rains the match will be canceled

afgelasten (AF—gelasten) 2 3
afgelasten		to cancel
ik gelast af		I cancel
ik gelastte af		I canceled
ik heb afgelast		I have canceled
2 3

A very small number of compound verbs are combinations not with a preposition or a prefix, but with an adverb or a noun, for instance hardlopen 2 3 [to walk fast] -'to run'

hardlopen		to run
ik loop hard		I'm running
ik liep hard		I ran
ik heb hardgelopen		I have run
2 3

glimlachen

zuigen 'to suck' is a strong verb
zuigen to suck	-	zoog sucked	-	gezogen sucked

More on Splitting Verbs:
Smartphone
Compound Words in General

Next, Page 2: the Passive Voice, the Future Tense, Reflexive Verbs,

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