This is what the finite form looks like in the present tense:
(The stem of a verb is the form of the verb you get when conjugating the verb it with ‘I’)
| stem | ik loop (I walk) loop jij? (do you walk?) | |
| Singular | ||
| stem + t | jij/ u loopt (you walk) hij/zij/het loopt (he/she/it walks) | |
| Plural | infinitive | wij lopen (we walk) jullie lopen (you walk) zij lopen (they walk) |
Exercise finite verb form in the present tense
This is what the finite form looks like in the past tense:
| Strong verbs singular and plural | vowelchange in the stem: ik/jij/hij/zij/ het liep, wij/jullie/zij liepen (I/you/he/she/it walked, we/you/they walked) |
| The entire stem changes: ik/jij/hij/zij/het ging, wij/jullie/zij gingen (I/you/he/she/it went, we/you/they went) | |
| weak verbs plural and singular | stem + de(n) ik/jij/hij/zij/het gooide, wij/jullie/zij gooiden (I/you/he/she/it threw, we/you/they threw) |
| stem + te(n) ik/jij/hij/zij/het stopte, wij/jullie/zij stopten (I/you/he/she/it stopped, we/you/they stopped) |
When the stem ends with one of the following consonants: k, f, s, c, h, p, the past tense is created stem + te(n). In all other cases it’s stem+ de(n). You can remember the consonants by remembering the word kofschip or fokschaap.
Note:
With weak verbs such as verven (to paint) and verbazen (to amaze) the de v and z at the end of the stem change into an f or an s: ik verf , ik verbaas.
The past tenses of these verbs, however, are created with stem+de(n) (ik verfde, ik verbaasde), because there’s a z and an n in their infinitives .
Exercise weak verbs in the paste tense
Exersice strong verbs in the paste tense
Past participles
Past participles end in –en: gelopen (walked), verdronken (drowned), gesneden (cut). They never change, not even when used as an adject: De geslagen man, (the hit man) het verdronken paard (the drowned horse) Exceptions to this rules are participles ending in –n. When using these participles, write them as short as possible: (vergaan – vergane, gezien – geziene) |
| – Ending in –d or -t : gered (saved), gewit (whitened) When you use such words, place an e at the end of them You then write them: – the way you hear them: het geredde paard (the saved horse), het gewitte plafond (the whitened ceiling) – as short as possible: de gehate dictator (the hated dictator) |
Present participles
| A present participle is a verbal that is used as an adjective and in Dutch always ends in –d(e) Examles: zwaaiend(e), lachend(e), fietsend(e), etc. – waving, laughing, biking |
Exercise present and past paticiples
The infinitive
When conjugating a verb, we start with its infinitve form. The infinitve form of a verb is the form you can find in a dictionary. The infinive almost always ends with –en: lopen (to walk), werken (to work), leren (to learn) etc. Exceptions are: staan (to stand), slaan (to hit), gaan (to go) etc. |
English verbs
| English verbs should be conjugated as weak Dutch verbs. That means their past tense is created either stem+te(n) or stem+de(n), depending on whether or not their stem ends in one of the letters of the word ‘kofschip’ Examples with de(n): rugbyde, jogde, tackelde Examples with te(n): faxte, raceteNote: Dutch stems originally never ended in –x. The stems of English verbs ending in –x, should be conjugated stem+te(n), even though the x is not a letter of the word kofschip. |
Exercise English verbs in Dutch
Miscellaneous exercise 1
Miscellaneous exercise 2