Dutch Verb Conjugation for Beginners

You know the Dutch word and still hesitate on the ending. Is it ik leer or ik leert, jij werkt or werk jij? Dutch verb conjugation is a stem, a few endings, and a short list of verbs that break the pattern. On a regular verb the ik form is the stem, jij and hij add -t, and wij, jullie, and zij use the infinitive. When jij or je follows the verb, you drop that extra -t. The weak past uses -te or -de, strong verbs change their vowel, and the perfect pairs hebben or zijn with a participle.

The patterns below are the ones we ask learners to produce, out loud, before the ending feels automatic. Recognizing a chart and saying Werk jij morgen? under pressure are different skills. Every full paradigm sits in the Dutch conjugation tables, and the Dutch verb guide is where the word-order habits around these forms are collected.

Dutch verb conjugation in the present tense

Start from the infinitive. Cut off -en, then fix the spelling. What remains is the stem, and the stem is the ik form.

Take leren (to learn, also to teach). The infinitive splits as le-ren. Chop -en, close the syllable, and the long vowel is written twice: leer.

• Ik leer Nederlands. (I am learning Dutch.) 🔊
• Jij leert Nederlands. (You are learning Dutch.)
• Hij leert elke dag. (He learns every day.)
• Wij leren samen. (We are learning together.)
• Jullie leren Nederlands. (You (plural) are learning Dutch.)

Dutch has no separate -ing conjugation. Ik leer covers both “I learn” and “I am learning.”

Two pronouns need a second look. je is the unstressed form of jij, and ze is the unstressed form of zij. Singular zij (she) shares the hij form. Plural zij (they) shares the infinitive.

• Zij leert Nederlands. (She is learning Dutch.)
• Zij leren Nederlands. (They are learning Dutch.)

het shares the hij form as well: Het werkt niet. (It does not work.)

In the present, wij, jullie, and zij (they) match the infinitive. That is true of the regular verbs here and of the irregulars further down.

Pro Tip: Write all six present forms of leren from memory, then check them. If ik leert appears, the stem rule has not stuck yet.

Spelling rules that change the stem

The letters you cut off are only half the job. Dutch spelling follows the syllable, so the stem often looks different from the front of the infinitive.

Long vowels double when the syllable closes. In an open syllable (one that ends in the vowel), a long vowel is written with one letter. The stem closes the syllable, so you double the letter.

• leren → leer
• wonen (to live) → woon. Ik woon in Utrecht. (I live in Utrecht.) Wij wonen in Utrecht. (We live in Utrecht.)
• tonen (to show) → toon. Ik toon je de foto. (I am showing you the photo.) Wij tonen de foto. (We are showing the photo.)
• sturen (to send) → stuur. Ik stuur een bericht. (I am sending a message.)

maken (to make) works the same way: maak. Ik maak koffie. (I am making coffee.)

Short vowels use one consonant in the stem. The infinitive doubles that consonant so the vowel stays short. The stem writes it once. Before -en, it doubles again.

• tellen (to count) → tel. Ik tel tot tien. (I am counting to ten.) Wij tellen tot tien. (We are counting to ten.)

At the end of the stem, v is written f and z is written s. Speakers pronounce them that way, and the spelling follows.

• geloven (to believe) → geloof. Ik geloof je. (I believe you.) Hij gelooft me. (He believes me.)
• leven (to be alive) follows the same pattern: leef, leeft. wonen, above, is where you live.
• reizen (to travel) → reis. Ik reis graag. (I like to travel.) Hij reist morgen naar Amsterdam. (He is traveling to Amsterdam tomorrow.)

Hold onto the original v or z in your head. The past tense still treats them as voiced, which is the next section’s trap. missen (to miss) is a real s, not a disguised z: Ik mis je. (I miss you.) Jij mist de bus. (You are missing the bus.)

Pro Tip: For every new infinitive, write the ik form before you learn the meaning. Check the vowel, then check whether a final v or z has turned into f or s.

When jij and je drop the -t

If jij or je comes before the verb, the -t stays. If jij or je comes straight after the finite verb, you drop the -t you added for the second person. The stem itself stays.

• Jij leert Nederlands. (You are learning Dutch.)
• Leer jij Nederlands? (Are you learning Dutch?) 🔊
• Vandaag leer ik Nederlands. (Today I am learning Dutch.) The ik form was already the stem, so it does not change.
• Vandaag leer jij Nederlands. (Today you are learning Dutch.) 🔊
• Daarom leer jij zo snel. (That is why you learn so fast.)

werken (to work) shows the same split:

• Jij werkt morgen. (You are working tomorrow.)
• Werk jij morgen? (Are you working tomorrow?)
• Morgen werk jij thuis. (Tomorrow you are working at home.)

A t that is part of the stem stays. eten (to eat) has the stem eet, because the long vowel doubles and the stem already ends in t. You do not add a second t, and you do not remove the one that is there.

• Jij eet vroeg. (You eat early.)
• Eet jij al? (Are you already eating?)

The stem of vechten (to fight) already ends in t as well: ik vecht, jij vecht, Vecht jij mee? (Are you fighting along?)

antwoorden needs both letters. The stem is antwoord, so jij adds -t and you write dt: Jij antwoordt meteen. (You answer straight away.) After the verb, only that added -t goes: Antwoord jij even? (Will you answer for a second?)

The polite pronoun u does not drop its -t. u takes the hij form in a regular verb, including in questions.

• Werkt u hier? (Do you work here?)
• Bent u klaar? (Are you ready?) With zijn, u takes bent.
• Hebt u een pen? (Do you have a pen?) Heeft u een pen? is also correct.

Pro Tip: Mark every sentence where jij or je sits immediately after the verb. Drop only the second-person -t. Leave a stem t where it is.

The weak past: ‘t kofschip and soft ketchup

Regular verbs are weak verbs. The past is the stem plus an ending, with no vowel change. Singular (ik, jij, hij) shares one past form. Plural (wij, jullie, zij) adds -en to it.

The ending is -te/-ten or -de/-den. The choice is ‘t kofschip. The consonants in that name are t, k, f, s, ch, and p. The English mnemonic soft ketchup holds the same set: s, f, t, k, ch, p.

Look at the last consonant before the v → f and z → s spelling change. Chop -en off the infinitive and read that letter.

• If it is t, k, f, s, ch, or p, use -te and, on the participle, -t.
• Otherwise use -de and -d. A stem that ends in a vowel takes -de as well.

Then apply the ordinary spelling to the written stem.

What you judge	Past	Participle	Example
k in gebruiken	gebruikte	gebruikt	k is in the rule
s in missen	miste	gemist	real s, so -te
t in wachten	wachtte	gewacht	past doubles t; the participle does not
v in geloven	geloofde	geloofd	v is voiced, even though you write f
z in reizen	reisde	gereisd	z is voiced, even though you write s
d in antwoorden	antwoordde	geantwoord	past doubles d; the participle does not

Read the pairs that learners mix up:

• Ik geloofde het niet. (I did not believe it.) v takes -de, spelled with f.
• Ik reisde vorig jaar naar Rome. (I traveled to Rome last year.) z takes -de, spelled with s.
• Ik miste de bus. (I missed the bus.) A real s takes -te.
• Ik gebruikte een woordenboek. (I used a dictionary.) k takes -te. The present hij gebruikt and the participle gebruikt look the same. The auxiliary tells them apart: Ik heb een woordenboek gebruikt. (I used a dictionary.)
• Ik wachtte op de bus. (I waited for the bus.) You hear one t. You write wachtte.
• Ik antwoordde snel. (I answered quickly.) You write antwoordde.

oefenen (to practice) is another -de verb, because the stem oefen ends in n: Ik oefende elke dag. (I practiced every day.) Zij oefenden samen. (They practiced together.)

p is in the rule as well. stoppen (to stop) → stopte. De bus stopte bij het station. (The bus stopped at the station.)

lachen (to laugh) shows the limit of the rule. The past follows ch and takes -te: Hij lachte hard. (He laughed hard.) The participle does not: it is gelachen, in We hebben hard gelachen. (We laughed hard.)

This -te/-de split is exactly the detail that fades if you only read it once. In VerbPal, SM-2 spaces later reviews of gebruikte and geloofde so you practice the contrast again after you leave the table.

Pro Tip: Circle the last consonant of the infinitive before you respell the stem. That letter, not the f or s you see in geloof and reis, chooses -te or -de.

Past participles, ge-, and hebben or zijn

The weak participle is ge- plus the stem plus -t or -d, using the same ‘t kofschip test.

• leren → geleerd
• geloven → geloofd
• reizen → gereisd
• missen → gemist
• gebruiken → gebruikt
• antwoorden → geantwoord
• wachten → gewacht
• sturen → gestuurd. Ik heb een bericht gestuurd. (I sent a message.)
• maken → gemaakt. Ik heb koffie gemaakt. (I made coffee.)

Two groups do not take a plain ge- at the front.

Verbs with an inseparable prefix — be-, er-, ge-, her-, ont-, ver- — do not add another ge-.

• bewegen (to move) → bewogen. Ik heb mijn arm bewogen. (I moved my arm.)
• verdwijnen (to disappear) → verdwenen. Mijn sleutels zijn verdwenen. (My keys have disappeared.)
• vertellen (to tell) → verteld. Ik heb het verhaal verteld. (I told the story.)
• geloven already starts with ge-, so the participle is geloofd, not gegeloofd.

proberen (to try) is not in that prefix list, so the ge- stays: Ik heb het geprobeerd. (I tried it.)

A separable verb tucks ge- in after the prefix: aankomen → aangekomen. Zij is gisteren aangekomen. (She arrived yesterday.)

In a main clause the finite verb sits in slot 2, and the participle goes to the end. Dutch also allows a past time word in that perfect, which English does not.

• Ik heb gisteren Nederlands geleerd. (I studied Dutch yesterday.) 🔊
• Gisteren heb ik Nederlands geleerd. (Yesterday I studied Dutch.)
• Ik heb gisteren geoefend. (I practiced yesterday.)

The auxiliary is a second decision, separate from -t versus -d.

zijn is for a change of place or a change of state.

• komen → Zij is gisteren gekomen. (She came yesterday.)
• gaan → Ik ben naar huis gegaan. (I went home.)
• blijven (to stay) → Ik ben thuis gebleven. (I stayed home.)
• worden (to become) → Het is koud geworden. (It got cold.)
• vallen (to fall) → Ik ben van de trap gevallen. (I fell down the stairs.)
• springen (to jump) → Ik ben in het water gesprongen. (I jumped into the water.)
• sterven (to die) → De bloemen zijn gestorven. (The flowers have died.)
• verdwijnen → Mijn sleutels zijn verdwenen. (My keys have disappeared.)
• groeien (to grow) is weak and still takes zijn: De plant groeide snel. (The plant grew quickly.) De plant is snel gegroeid. (The plant has grown quickly.)
• stoppen, in the sense “come to a halt,” takes zijn: De bus is bij het station gestopt. (The bus stopped at the station.)

hebben is for verbs that do not mark that change. That covers leren, gebruiken, eten, zien, doen, and the weak verbs in the table above. reizen is the exception when the trip has a destination.

• Ik heb het brood gesneden. (I sliced the bread.)
• Ik heb de bus gemist. (I missed the bus.)
• Ik heb lang gewacht. (I waited a long time.)

Some motion verbs take both, and the meaning shifts. lopen (to walk) is the clearest pair.

• Ik heb een uur gelopen. (I walked for an hour.) The activity is the point, so hebben.
• Ik ben naar huis gelopen. (I walked home.) The destination is the point, so zijn.

rijden (to drive) splits the same way. Ik heb de hele middag gereden. (I drove all afternoon.) Ik ben naar Utrecht gereden. (I drove to Utrecht.) reizen does too: Ik heb veel gereisd. (I have traveled a lot.) Ik ben naar Rome gereisd. (I traveled to Rome.)

Pro Tip: Store each new verb as a triple: participle, auxiliary, and one full sentence. gevallen / zijn / Ik ben van de trap gevallen will stay with you longer than the participle alone.

Strong verbs and the irregulars to learn first

A strong verb can look regular in the present. The vowel changes in the past, and in the table below the participle ends in -en. You learn those three shapes together. There is no ‘t kofschip step in the past of a strong verb.

In this list, a singular past spelled with ee shortens to a single e in the plural: keek/keken, schreef/schreven, sneed/sneden. The other vowels stay.

• Ik kwam te laat. (I arrived late.) Wij kwamen te laat. (We arrived late.) komen looks ordinary in the present (kom, komt, komen) and then the vowel breaks.
• Ik sprong in het water. (I jumped into the water.)
• Hij sneed het brood. (He cut the bread.) Wij sneden het brood. (We cut the bread.) snijden also shows the present dt: jij snijdt, and after the verb Snijd jij het brood? (Are you slicing the bread?)
• Ik keek naar de foto. (I looked at the photo.) Wij keken naar de foto. (We looked at the photo.)
• Zij schreven een brief. (They wrote a letter.) schrijven writes v as f in ik schrijf, then brings v back in schreven and geschreven.
• sterven writes v as f in ik sterf, and the past is stierf, not a weak sterfde.
• Ik at een broodje. (I ate a sandwich.) Wij aten samen. (We ate together.)
• vallen keeps a short vowel in the present: val, valt, vallen. The past is viel.

schrikken (to be startled) is strong and takes zijn: Ik schrok van het geluid. (I was startled by the noise.) Ik ben van het geluid geschrokken. (I got a fright from the noise.)

zijn, hebben, gaan, and the modals

These verbs are irregular in the present, not only in the past. Learn them as sets, and review those sets before you add more verbs, because later sentences keep leaning on them.

• Ik ben moe. (I am tired.)
• Ben jij klaar? (Are you ready?) 🔊
• Hij is thuis. (He is at home.)
• Wij zijn vrienden. (We are friends.)
• Past: Ik was thuis. (I was at home.) Wij waren moe. (We were tired.)
• Participle: geweest, with zijn. Ik ben in Amsterdam geweest. (I have been to Amsterdam.)

• Ik heb tijd. (I have time.)
• Heb jij een pen? (Do you have a pen?)
• Zij heeft een hond. (She has a dog.)
• Zij hebben een hond. (They have a dog.)
• Past: Ik had honger. (I was hungry.) Wij hadden honger. (We were hungry.)
• Participle: gehad, with hebben. Ik heb een hond gehad. (I have had a dog.)

gaan (to go), doen (to do), zien (to see), and worden belong in the same first list. doen and zien do not come from a neat chop of -en: the ik forms are doe and zie.

• Ik ga naar huis. (I am going home.) Ga jij mee? (Are you coming along?) Ik ging naar huis. (I went home.)
• Ik doe het morgen. (I’ll do it tomorrow.) Ik deed het gisteren. (I did it yesterday.) Ik heb het gedaan. (I did it.)
• Ik zie het. (I see it.) Ik zag het. (I saw it.) Ik heb het gezien. (I saw it.)
• Het wordt koud. (It is getting cold.) Word jij boos? (Are you getting angry?) The -t of wordt drops for jij.

The modals you need next are kunnen (can), willen (to want), mogen (may, to be allowed), moeten (must), and zullen (will). Several of them skip the regular -t.

• Ik kan dat. (I can do that.) Hij kan dat niet. (He cannot do that.) Kun jij dat? (Can you do that?)
• Ik wil koffie. (I want coffee.) Wil jij koffie? (Do you want coffee?)
• Ik mag blijven. (I am allowed to stay.) mogen has no extra -t in the singular, so the question is Mag ik blijven? (May I stay?)
• Ik moet morgen werken. (I have to work tomorrow.) Moet jij morgen werken? (Do you have to work tomorrow?)
• Ik zal je helpen. (I will help you.) Zul jij me helpen? (Will you help me?)
• Ik zou je helpen. (I would help you.) zou/zouden is the past of zullen, and it is also how you say “would.”

You will also hear jij wil, jij kan, and jij zal. Those forms are accepted. They already have no extra -t, so the question looks the same: Wil jij koffie?

wilde/wilden is the past to learn first. wou/wouden is also correct, and you will hear it constantly: Ik wilde slapen. (I wanted to sleep.) Ik wou slapen. (I wanted to sleep.)

When a modal is followed by another verb, the perfect keeps the infinitive.

• Ik heb niet kunnen komen. (I could not come.)
• Ik heb mogen blijven. (I was allowed to stay.)
• Ik heb dat niet gewild. (I did not want that.) Here there is no second verb, so the participle gewild is the right form.

mogen also means “to like” a person. Ik mag haar. (I like her.) Ik heb haar altijd gemogen. (I have always liked her.)

Pro Tip: Drill zijn, hebben, gaan, kunnen, willen, mogen, moeten, and zullen as full sentences. Five minutes on those eight, before you add another strong verb, pays off faster than a longer list.

Practice drills

Cover the key. Say each answer out loud, then look. That is the same production we build the app around: the form has to come out of you, not out of the table.

Drill 1: Present

1. ik + leren
2. jij + tellen
3. hij + geloven
4. wij + reizen
5. hij + antwoorden
6. hij + hebben

Drill 2: jij or u after the verb

1. ___ jij Nederlands? (leren)
2. Vandaag ___ jij Nederlands. (leren)
3. ___ jij al? (eten)
4. ___ jij mee? (gaan)
5. ___ jij klaar? (zijn)
6. ___ u hier? (werken)

Drill 3: Weak past and participle

1. ik past of gebruiken
2. wij past of oefenen
3. participle of geloven
4. participle of reizen
5. participle of missen
6. participle of lachen

Drill 4: Strong verbs, irregulars, and auxiliaries

1. ik past of komen
2. wij past of kijken
3. participle of springen
4. Ik ___ van de trap gevallen.
5. Ik ___ het brood gesneden.
6. Ik ___ naar huis gelopen.
7. Ik ___ een uur gelopen.
8. Ik heb niet ___ komen. (kunnen)

Pro Tip: Any item you missed goes on tomorrow’s list as a full sentence, not as a bare ending. Ik ben naar huis gelopen trains the auxiliary and the participle in one breath.

Frequently asked questions

How do you form the present tense of a regular Dutch verb?

Drop -en from the infinitive and fix the spelling. That stem is the ik form. jij and hij add -t, unless the stem already ends in t. wij, jullie, and zij use the infinitive. With leren, that gives ik leer, jij leert, hij leert, and wij leren.

When does jij drop the -t in Dutch?

Drop the extra -t whenever jij or je comes straight after the finite verb. Jij leert Nederlands, but Leer jij Nederlands? and Vandaag leer jij Nederlands. Keep a t that belongs to the stem: Jij eet and Eet jij al? The polite pronoun u does not drop its -t: Werkt u hier? With zijn, u takes bent: Bent u klaar?

What is the 't kofschip rule?

It chooses -te or -de in the weak past, and -t or -d on the past participle. The same consonants appear in the phrase soft ketchup: t, k, f, s, ch, and p. Judge the last consonant of the infinitive after you remove -en, before you change v to f or z to s. missen (s) becomes miste and gemist. geloven (v) becomes geloofde and geloofd. If the stem already ends in t or d, the past still adds the ending (wachtte, antwoordde) and the participle does not double that letter (gewacht, geantwoord).

When does the Dutch perfect use zijn instead of hebben?

Use zijn when the verb shows a change of place or a change of state: ik ben gekomen, ik ben thuis gebleven, het is koud geworden. Use hebben for most other verbs: ik heb geleerd. Some motion verbs take both. Ik heb een uur gelopen describes the activity. Ik ben naar huis gelopen describes the walk home.

Are Dutch modals like kunnen and willen regular?

No. Learn the present and the past on their own. kunnen is ik kan, jij kunt, hij kan, wij kunnen, and the past is kon. When a modal is followed by another verb, the perfect keeps the infinitive: Ik heb niet kunnen komen. You do not build that sentence with gekund.