Dutch regular verbs (weak verbs)
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HideWhat is a regular verb in Dutch?
The regular verbs, also called 'weak verbs', are the verbs that have no change of vowel in the stem in a different tense.
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Angelo V. 
Jonathan V.
Job D.
Fatih K. 
Paul K.
Marijke G. 
Pelin C.
Rose F.
Josanne V.
Marleen S.
Conjugation of Dutch regular verbs
To be able to conjugate a regular verb, you need to know the stem of the verb. Dutch regular verbs always end in '-en'. The stem is found when you leave out the '-en' part.
stem = infinitive without '-en'
There are some extra rules to keep in mind when finding the stem:
1. Long vowel verbs have long vowel stems. 
The verb lopen (to walk) : the I-form will be 'ik loop' instead of 'ik lop'.
2. The stem never ends with two identical consonants, therefore, the last one will just disappear. The verb pakken (to grab) : the I-form will be 'ik pak' instead of 'ik pakk'.
3. The stem cannot end in v or z. The verb leven (to live): the I-form will be 'ik leef' instead of 'ik lev'.
This is an example of the long vowel stem and a stem ending on a v.
4. Infinitives that end in '-iën' have a stem that ends in '-ie'. The verb ruziën (to argue) : the I-form will be 'ik ruzie' instead of 'ik ruzi'.
The table below shows you some of the common regular verbs and the conjugation of these verbs in different tenses.
| Verb | Translation | Present simple (I-form) | Past simple | Present perfect (I-form) | Past perfect (I-form) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| antwoorden | to answer | ik antwoord | antwoordde(n) | ik heb geantwoord | ik had geantwoord |
| bedanken | to thank | ik bedank | bedankte(n) | ik heb bedankt | ik had bedankt |
| horen | to hear | ik hoor | hoorde(n) | ik heb gehoord | ik had gehoord |
| oefenen | to practice | ik oefen | oefende(n) | ik heb geoefend | ik had geoefend |
| luisteren | to listen | ik luister | luisterde(n) | ik heb geluisterd | ik had geluisterd |
| pakken | to grab | ik pak | pakte(n) | ik heb gepakt | ik had gepakt |
| reizen | to travel | ik reis | reisde(n) | ik heb gereisd | ik had gereisd |
| sturen | to send | ik stuur | stuurde(n) | ik heb gestuurd | ik had gestuurd |
| vertellen | to tell | ik vertel | vertelde(n) | ik heb verteld | ik had verteld |
| zwaaien | to wave | ik zwaai | zwaaide(n) | ik heb gezwaaid | ik had gezwaaid |
For the explanation of the different tenses: present simple, past simple, present perfect and past perfect, visit the next pages of this course about verbs.