Present Tense (tegenwoordige tijd)
Hij werkt nu. (He works now. / He's working now.)
What it is
The present tense is the tense you'll use most in Dutch: for what's happening right now, for general truths, and even for near-future plans.
It often shows up together with signal words like these: nu, vandaag, altijd, elke dag, meestal
- For actions happening now: Ik lees een boek. (I am reading a book.)
- For general truths: Water kookt bij 100 graden. (Water boils at 100 degrees.)
- For the future when it's a fixed plan: Morgen ga ik naar school. (Tomorrow I'm going to school.)
How to form it
Formula: stem + ending, and the ending depends only on the subject. Take werken as an example:
- Start with the infinitive: werken.
- Drop -en to get the stem: werk.
- Add the ending for the subject. For:
- hij/zij/het: +t → werkt
- wij, jullie, zij: +en → werken
| Pronoun | werken | groeien |
|---|---|---|
| ik | werk | groei |
| jij, u | werkt | groeit |
| hij, zij, het | werkt | groeit |
| wij | werken | groeien |
| jullie | werken | groeien |
| zij | werken | groeien |
Finding the stem: three spelling rules
The stem is the infinitive minus -en, but Dutch spelling adjusts the result so it still sounds the same. Three adjustments:
- Long vowel? Write it twice. In maken, the a of ma-ken sounds long. Cut off -en and 'mak' would suddenly sound short, so the vowel is doubled: maken → ik maak, lopen → ik loop, wonen → ik woon.
- Double consonant? Drop one. Dutch words never end in a double consonant: zitten → ik zit, pakken → ik pak.
- v becomes f, z becomes s. Dutch words don't end in v or z: leven → ik leef, reizen → ik reis.
| Infinitive | ik | jij, u | hij, zij, het | wij, jullie, zij | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| maken | maak | maakt | maakt | maken | to make |
| wonen | woon | woont | woont | wonen | to live |
| leven | leef | leeft | leeft | leven | to live |
| reizen | reis | reist | reist | reizen | to travel |
| zitten | zit | zit | zit | zitten | to sit |
These forms come straight from the verb list our quiz practices.
The two irregulars you can't avoid: zijn and hebben
Most verbs follow the pattern above, but the two most common verbs in the language don't. Memorize zijn (to be) and hebben (to have): you'll need them constantly, and they also build the perfect tenses.
| Pronoun | zijn | hebben |
|---|---|---|
| ik | ben | heb |
| jij, u | bent | hebt |
| hij, zij, het | is | heeft |
| wij | zijn | hebben |
| jullie | zijn | hebben |
| zij | zijn | hebben |
Common mistakes
A common mistake: adding an extra -t when the stem already ends in one. Praten and zitten already end in -t, so hij praat and jij zit, not praatt or zitt.
Another one: keeping the -t when jij comes right after the verb in a question. Jij werkt vandaag, but Werk jij vandaag? (u keeps its -t either way: Werkt u vandaag?)
Common questions about the present tense
Does Dutch have a separate form for 'I am working', like English '-ing'?+
Dutch has no dedicated continuous tense like English '-ing'. The simple present usually covers both meanings: Ik werk = 'I work' or 'I'm working'. When speakers want to emphasize that an action is in progress, they often use constructions such as ik ben aan het werken. The formula for this is: subject + zijn (conjugated) + aan het + infinitive.
Can I use the present tense to talk about the future?+
Yes, for fixed plans and schedules: Morgen ga ik naar school. (Tomorrow I'm going to school.) For predictions or less certain plans, gaan or zullen fit better.
Are there other irregular verbs besides zijn and hebben?+
Yes, there are many, for instance: the modal verbs willen, kunnen, mogen and moeten are also irregular in ik/jij/hij (ik wil, jij wilt, hij wil). Like zijn and hebben, these are memorized rather than formed with stem + ending.