The Dutch d/t rule: word or wordt, gebeurd or gebeurt?

Even Dutch people get this one wrong. Hij word or hij wordt? Het is gebeurt or het is gebeurd? In speech you can't hear the difference, because a final d is pronounced as a t anyway. In writing, though, mistakes like these stand out immediately. The good news: the d/t rule is pure logic. Once you know which form you need, the spelling follows automatically.

Step one: find the stem

Almost every d/t question comes down to the stem of the verb. You get it by taking the infinitive and removing -en, then fixing the spelling (see Dutch spelling rules):

Notice that the d in word, vind and antwoord belongs to the stem. It stays, whatever you add after it.

The present tense: stem, or stem + t

In the present tense, ik gets the bare stem, and jij, u, hij, zij and het get stem + t. That's it. If the stem ends in d, you still add the t, which gives you -dt.

• Ik word volgend jaar dertig. — I'm turning thirty next year.
• Hij wordt morgen dertig. — He's turning thirty tomorrow.
• Zij vindt het een leuk boek. — She thinks it's a nice book.
• Het wordt koud. — It's getting cold.

One exception that isn't really an exception: if the stem already ends in t, you don't add a second one. Hij zet koffie, not hij zett. A Dutch verb form never ends in -tt.

For u, the t is always there, also in questions: Wordt u al geholpen? — Are you being served? More about present tense forms in the present tense.

Inversion: word jij, but wordt hij

Here's the twist. When jij or je comes directly after the verb, the t disappears. This happens in questions and whenever something else takes first position in the sentence.

• Jij wordt boos. → Word jij boos? — Are you getting angry?
• Je vindt het leuk. → Vind je het leuk? — Do you like it?
• Wanneer word je dertig? — When are you turning thirty?
• Morgen werk je thuis. — Tomorrow you're working from home.

This only applies to jij/je. Every other subject keeps the t:

• Wordt hij ook dertig? — Is he turning thirty as well?
• Vindt u het goed? — Is that all right with you?

Watch out for je meaning "your". In Wordt je zus ook dertig? (Is your sister turning thirty too?), the subject is je zus, not je, so the t stays. The same goes for the imperative, which is just the stem: Word niet boos! — Don't get angry!

Past participles: 't kofschip

The second big source of d/t mistakes is the past participle of regular verbs, the form you use in the perfect tense. It's built as ge- + stem + -t or -d. Which one? Look at the last letter of the stem. If it's one of the consonants in 't kofschip (t, k, f, s, ch, p), you add -t. Otherwise, you add -d.

• werken → gewerkt (k is in 't kofschip)
• fietsen → gefietst (s)
• maken → gemaakt (k)
• bellen → gebeld (l is not)
• wonen → gewoond (n)
• gebeuren → gebeurd (r)

Two things to watch:

1. Check the infinitive, not the spelled stem. Verhuizen has a stem written verhuis, but the infinitive has a z, which is not in 't kofschip. So it's verhuisd. The same goes for leven → geleefd and reizen → gereisd.

2. If the stem already ends in -t or -d, add nothing. Zetten → gezet, praten → gepraat, branden → gebrand, antwoorden → geantwoord.

Verbs starting with be-, ge-, ver-, her-, er- or ont- don't get an extra ge-: verhuisd, gebeurd, betaald, verteld. The ending rule is exactly the same.

The same 't kofschip test decides the simple past ending: werkte but woonde, and antwoordde with two d's (stem antwoord + -de). See the simple past for more.

Participle or present tense?

Many verbs have a present tense form and a participle that sound identical. This is where most mistakes happen.

The key question is: is there a form of hebben, zijn or worden that this verb belongs to? If so, it's a participle, and 't kofschip decides. If the verb is the conjugated verb itself and it goes with hij, zij, het, u or jij, it's present tense, and you write stem + t.

Participles used as adjectives follow the participle spelling, with an extra -e where needed: een verbrande pizza (a burnt pizza), het betaalde bedrag (the amount paid).

The common traps

The quick test: replace it with lopen

When you're unsure, replace the verb with a form of lopen (to walk) or another verb whose ending you can hear. Then copy the ending you hear.

• Hij vin_ het leuk. → Hij loopt. You hear a t, so: Hij vindt het leuk.
• Vin_ je het leuk? → Loop je? No t, so: Vind je het leuk?
• Ik wor_ moe. → Ik loop. No t, so: Ik word moe.
• Wat is er gebeur_? → Wat is er gelopen? That's a participle, so apply 't kofschip: gebeurd.
• Dat gebeur_ vaak. → Dat loopt vaak. You hear a t, so: Dat gebeurt vaak.

The sentences you get may sound silly, but the test works every time.

Tip: The d or t never changes the sound, so don't try to hear it. Always ask: who is the subject, and is this a participle?

Quick summary

• Find the stem: infinitive minus -en (worden → word).
• Present tense: ik = stem; jij/u/hij/zij/het = stem + t (hij wordt, zij vindt).
• When jij/je follows the verb, drop the t: Word jij?, Vind je? But Wordt u? and Wordt hij?
• Participles: stem + t if the last letter is in 't kofschip, otherwise + d (gewerkt, gebeurd, verhuisd).
• Stems ending in t or d add nothing: gezet, gebrand.
• Unsure? Swap in lopen: loopt → t, loop → no t, gelopen → participle.

Practise it

Practise present tense forms in Daily routine, then put the participle rules to work in The perfect tense and the -te/-de endings in The imperfect.