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Conjugation of the simple past tense
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This is an external web link, which will open a new browser window.Verb exercises  This is an external web link, which will open a new browser window.Online verb conjugator

English version by Bieneke Berendsen :: other languages
The Dutch use the simple past tense to refer to an event that took place in the past. On the next page, you can read more about the use of this tense.

Now, why did you need to know the difference between d- and t-verbs? The reason is that they follow different conjugations. They are similar, but where a t-verb takes -te(n) in the past tense, a d-verb takes -de(n).

Conjugation of a t-verb

ik [stem] + te we [stem] + ten
je [stem] + te jullie [stem] + ten
hij [stem] + te ze [stem] + ten


Conjugation of a d-verb

ik [stem] + de we [stem] + den
je [stem] + de jullie [stem] + den
hij [stem] + de ze [stem] + den


Examples

inf: merken
(to notice) 		inf: wensen
(to wish)
stem: merk stem: wens
ik merkte ik wenste
je merkte je wenste
hij merkte hij wenste
we merkten we wensten
jullie merkten jullie wensten
ze merkten ze wensten


inf.: rusten
(to rest) 		inf.: kussen
(to kiss)
stem: rust stem: kus
ik rustte ik kuste
je rustte je kuste
hij rustte hij kuste
we rustten we kusten
jullie rustten jullie kusten
ze rustten ze kusten

Note the double t in the conjugation of rusten (above) and double d in the conjugation of bloeden (below). You do not hear the double d or t, but you do have to write it! Wij bloeden en wij bloedden are pronounced the same, but the first is the present tense, the latter the past.

inf: luisteren
(to listen) 		inf: bloeden
(to bleed)
stem: luister stem: bloed
ik luisterde ik bloedde
je luisterde je bloedde
hij luisterde hij bloedde
we luisterden we bloedden
jullie luisterden jullie bloedden
ze luisterden ze bloedden


inf.: roeien
(to row) 		inf.: lenen
(to lend, borrow)
stem: roei stem: leen
ik roeide ik leende
je roeide je leende
hij roeide hij leende
we roeiden we leenden
jullie roeiden jullie leenden
ze roeiden ze leenden


Exercise Click here to practice your d- and t-verb conjugations. It is a fill in the blank exercise.

A very useful web site is This is an external web link, which will open a new browser window.www.verbix.com, which conjugates Dutch verbs for you in eight different tenses + the imperative and progressive.

Note that the examples above give you the unstressed Internal link personal pronouns. Some pronouns change when they are stressed in a phrase: je/jij, we/wij, ze/zij (both singular and plural).
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