Past participle in Dutch
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Hide- 1.Definition and usage of the Dutch past participle
- 2.The past participle of Dutch weak verbs
- 2.1.Examples
- 3.The past participle of Dutch strong verbs
- 3.1.Examples
- 4.Dutch irregular verbs
- 5.Exercises
- 5.1.Exercise to practice Dutch past participle (weak verbs)
- 5.2.Exercise past participle in Dutch (completely irregular verbs)
- 5.3.Exercise to practice the past participle (strong verbs)
Definition and usage of the Dutch past participle
The past participle is the form of verbs that is used to form the present perfect and past perfect tenses. It also helps to build the passive form.
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1) The past participle of Dutch weak verbs
The following rule is used to form the past participle:
ge- (prefix) + stem + t/d (ending)
- Prefix: if the verb starts with a prefix '(ge-', 'be-', 'er-', 'her-', 'ver-' and 'ont-), the 'ge-' does not have to be added.
- Ending: To determine whether the past participle has a '-t' or '-d' ending, the stem of the verb is looked at. If the consonant of the ending of the stem can be found in the word 't exKofschip, the past participle gets a '-t'. The other verbs end in '-d'
Keep in mind: if the stem already ends in '-t' or '-d', the extra '-t' or '-d' of the part participle does not have to be added.
Examples
| Weak verb | Past participle | Example | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leven (to live) | Geleefd | Zij heeft in Nederland geleefd. | She has lived in the Netherlands. |
| Antwoorden (to answer) | Geantwoord | Ik had gisteren op je e-mail geantwoord, voor ik naar de supermarkt ging. | I had answered your e-mail yesterday before I went to the supermarket. |
| Haten (to hate) | Gehaat | Zij worden op veel plekken gehaat. | They are hated in many places. |
| Werken (to work) | Gewerkt | Ik heb vandaag hard gewerkt. | I have worked hard today. |
2) The past participle of Dutch strong verbs
The following rule is used to form the past participle:
Ge- (prefix) + stem + -en (ending)
Here again applies: if the verbs start with one of the prefixes:'ge-', 'be-', 'er-', 'her-', 'ver-' and 'ont-' the suffix 'ge-' does not have to be added.
Examples
| Strong verbs | Past participle | Example | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lezen (to read) | Gelezen | Ik heb het hele artikel gelezen. | I have read the whole article. |
| Eten (to eat) | Gegeten | Wij hebben bij dat nieuwe restaurant gegeten. | We have eaten at that new restaurant. |
| Helpen (to help) | Geholpen | Zij hadden de leraar na school geholpen, voordat ze naar huis gingen. | They had helped the teacher after school, before they went home. |
| Lopen (to walk) | Gelopen | Hij is naar de stad gelopen. | He has walked to the city. |
3) Dutch irregular verbs
The table below shows you the past participle of the 6 Dutch irregular verbs.
| Verb | Past participle | Example | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| hebben | gehad | Ik heb het erg naar mijn zin gehad. | I have enjoyed myself very much. |
| kunnen | gekund | Ik had toen naar school gekund. | I could have been able to go to school. |
| mogen | gemogen | Ik had dat niet gemogen. | I would not have been allowed. |
| willen | gewild | Ik had daar graag naar toe gewild. | I would have liked to go there. |
| zijn | geweest | Ik ben naar Spanje geweest. | I have been to Spain. |
| zullen | gezuld | Ik had naar werk gezuld. | I shall have gone to work. |
'gezuld' is usually not used in Dutch.
Train your skills by doing the exercises about Dutch past tenses below!
Exercises
- Exercise to practice Dutch past participle (weak verbs)
- Exercise past participle in Dutch (completely irregular verbs)
- Exercise to practice the past participle (strong verbs)
Exercise to practice Dutch past participle (weak verbs)
Exercise past participle in Dutch (completely irregular verbs)
Exercise to practice the past participle (strong verbs)
Exercises
- Exercise to practice Dutch past participle (weak verbs)
- Exercise past participle in Dutch (completely irregular verbs)
- Exercise to practice the past participle (strong verbs)