You use the simple past to say how things were or what happened: Ik was moe (I was tired). Wij woonden in Utrecht (we lived in Utrecht). In Dutch it is called the onvoltooid verleden tijd. It is one verb. The perfect tense uses two: ik heb gewerkt.
Simple past or perfect tense?
Both talk about the past. Often both are correct. Still, one of them often sounds more natural.
Usually the simple past
- Describing how something was: Het was koud (it was cold). Ik had honger (I was hungry).
- With kunnen, moeten, willen and mogen: Ik kon niet komen (I could not come).
- Telling a story step by step: Ik stond op. Daarna ging ik naar mijn werk.
Usually the perfect tense
- Saying briefly what you did: Ik heb gisteren gebeld (I called yesterday).
- Hij is naar huis gegaan (he went home).
- Wij hebben pizza gegeten (we ate pizza).
Regular verbs: -te or -de
For a regular (weak) verb, take the stem: the verb without -en, so werken becomes werk. Add -te or -de. In the plural that becomes -ten or -den.
Which one? Look at the last letter of the stem. Is it t, k, f, s, ch or p? Those are the consonants of 't kofschip, the same rule as for the perfect tense. Then you add -te. After any other letter you add -de.
| Verb | Stem | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|---|
| werken (to work) | werk | ik werkte | wij werkten |
| fietsen (to cycle) | fiets | ik fietste | wij fietsten |
| koken (to cook) | kook | ik kookte | wij kookten |
| wonen (to live) | woon | ik woonde | wij woonden |
| leren (to learn) | leer | ik leerde | wij leerden |
| spelen (to play) | speel | ik speelde | wij speelden |
One form for ik, jij and hij
In the simple past, ik, jij, u, hij and zij all share one form. There is no extra -t for jij. Only the plural is different: wij, jullie and zij.
| Subject | werken | zijn | hebben |
|---|---|---|---|
| ik, jij, u, hij, zij | werkte | was | had |
| wij, jullie, zij | werkten | waren | hadden |
Strong and irregular verbs
Many everyday verbs do not follow the rule. These are the strong verbs. They get no -te or -de. Usually the vowel changes: geven becomes gaf. A few change even more: zijn becomes was.
For the plural you usually add -en to the singular form: ging, gingen. Sometimes the spelling shifts a little: gaf, gaven. Las, lazen.
| Verb | Singular | Plural | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| zijn | was | waren | was, were |
| hebben | had | hadden | had |
| kunnen | kon | konden | could |
| moeten | moest | moesten | had to |
| willen | wilde (or wou) | wilden | wanted |
| mogen | mocht | mochten | was allowed to |
| gaan | ging | gingen | went |
| komen | kwam | kwamen | came |
| doen | deed | deden | did |
| zien | zag | zagen | saw |
| zeggen | zei | zeiden | said |
| geven | gaf | gaven | gave |
| vinden | vond | vonden | found, thought |
| blijven | bleef | bleven | stayed |
| weten | wist | wisten | knew |
| denken | dacht | dachten | thought |
| nemen | nam | namen | took |
| lezen | las | lazen | read |