Dutch verb conjugation
Dutch verbs follow a small set of patterns. Once you can find a verb's stem and know the endings for each tense, you can conjugate most verbs correctly. This guide covers those patterns topic by topic, with conjugation tables and examples taken from the same 600+ verbs our quiz trains.
Dutch has two kinds of verbs. Regular (weak) verbs follow the formulas in this guide exactly. Irregular (strong) verbs change their vowel in the past tenses (lezen becomes las and gelezen) and have to be memorized. Every topic below points out where the two differ.
Talking about time
Which one do I need?
- Present: happening now, a general truth, or a near-future plan.
- Simple past: a background situation, habit, or description in the past.
- Present perfect: reporting that something happened.
- Future: something that will happen.
Present Tense (tegenwoordige tijd)Stem + endings, the spelling rules for finding the stem, and the irregulars zijn and hebben.Hij werkt nu. (He works now. / He's working now.)Simple Past (onvoltooid verleden tijd)The SoFTKeTCHuP rule for -te or -de, its pitfalls, and the irregular verbs that change their vowel instead.Hij werkte vorig jaar in een restaurant. (He worked at a restaurant last year.)Present & Past Perfect (perfectum & plusquamperfectum)Hebben or zijn + past participle, how to build the participle, and the explicit rule for choosing hebben or zijn.Ik heb gisteren gewerkt. (I worked yesterday. / I have worked yesterday.)Talking About the FutureGaan + infinitive, zullen + infinitive, or simply the present tense with a time expression.Ik ga morgen werken. (I'm going to work tomorrow.)
Other verb forms
Not about time at all:
Imperative (commands)Commands with the stem first, the formal u-form, and the little words that make an order polite or pushy.Werk sneller! (Work faster!)Reflexive Verbs & PronounsVerbs whose action bounces back to the subject: zich wassen, zich vergissen, and the emphasized -zelf forms.Ik voel me goed vandaag. (I feel good today.)
Verb formation
How a prefix or preposition attaches to a verb, and what that does to word order:
Separable Verbs (scheidbare werkwoorden)Verbs whose prefix detaches and moves to the end of the clause.Hij zoekt het woord op. (He looks up the word.)Verbs with Fixed Prepositions (vaste voorzetsels)Verbs paired with one specific preposition that never changes and never detaches.Ik wacht op de bus. (I'm waiting for the bus.)
The subject pronouns
| Pronoun | Meaning |
|---|---|
| ik | I |
| jij, u | you (singular, informal & formal) |
| hij, zij, het | he, she, it |
| wij | we |
| jullie | you (plural) |
| zij | they |