Dutch verb conjugation: the complete overview

Dutch verb conjugation looks scary in a textbook, but the system is small. In the present tense there are only three forms per verb. Past tenses come in two main types, and the perfect, future and conditional are all built with helper verbs you already know. This guide gives you the whole map on one page. When you need the forms of a specific verb, look it up in our verb conjugation tables — every common verb has its own page, such as zijn, hebben, gaan, werken and kunnen.

The present tense: stem + ending

Everything starts with the stem: take the infinitive and remove -en. Then fix the spelling so the word sounds the same as in the infinitive.

Then add the endings:

Two extra rules:

• No double t. If the stem already ends in -t, nothing is added: ik zit, jij zit, hij zit.
• Stem in -d still gets -t. Ik word, jij wordt, hij wordt — you hear no difference, but you write it. That's the famous dt rule.

More details and examples are in the present tense.

Jij-inversion: drop the t

When jij or je comes after the verb (in questions, or when something else starts the sentence), the -t disappears:

• Jij werkt morgen. — You're working tomorrow.
• Werk jij morgen? — Are you working tomorrow?
• Morgen werk je thuis. — Tomorrow you're working from home.
• Word je moe? — Are you getting tired?

This only happens with jij/je. U, hij and jullie keep their endings: Werkt u hier? — Do you work here? Werkt hij morgen? — Is he working tomorrow?

The u forms

Formal u takes the same form as jij, but it never loses its -t: Komt u binnen? With the two most common verbs, note: u bent (from zijn), and both u hebt and u heeft (from hebben) are correct. For when to use u, see formal and informal you.

The past tense: weak, strong and mixed

Weak verbs: -te or -de

Most verbs are weak (regular). They add -te(n) or -de(n) to the stem. Use -te if the stem ends in one of the consonants of 't kofschip (t, k, f, s, ch, p); otherwise use -de. Look at the infinitive for v and z: leven has a v, so it's leefde.

• werken → werkte, werkten — worked
• maken → maakte, maakten — made
• wonen → woonde, woonden — lived
• leven → leefde, leefden — lived
• reizen → reisde, reisden — travelled

Strong verbs: a vowel change

Strong verbs change their vowel and take no ending in the singular:

• lopen → liep, liepen — walked
• schrijven → schreef, schreven — wrote
• drinken → dronk, dronken — drank
• komen → kwam, kwamen — came
• helpen → hielp, hielpen — helped

There's no rule that tells you which verbs are strong, but there are useful patterns (ij → ee, i → o). See the irregular verbs list.

Mixed and irregular verbs

Some verbs mix the two types — a weak past with a strong participle, or the other way round:

• bakken → bakte → gebakken — bake
• lachen → lachte → gelachen — laugh
• vragen → vroeg → gevraagd — ask
• zeggen → zei → gezegd — say

And a small group is fully irregular, including the most frequent verbs of all: zijn (was), hebben (had), gaan (ging), doen (deed), zien (zag), kunnen (kon), and the -cht group: kopen → kocht, denken → dacht, brengen → bracht. More in the simple past.

Participles and the perfect tense

The perfect tense is the everyday past in spoken Dutch. It's hebben or zijn + a past participle at the end of the clause.

Weak participles: ge- + stem + -t or -d (same 't kofschip rule): gewerkt, gemaakt, gewoond, geleefd. Strong participles: ge- + (often changed) vowel + -en: gelopen, geschreven, gedronken, gekomen.

Two adjustments:

• Verbs starting with unstressed be-, ge-, ver-, ont-, her-, er- get no extra ge-: betalen → betaald, vergeten → vergeten.
• Separable verbs put ge- after the prefix: opbellen → opgebeld, meekomen → meegekomen.

Hebben or zijn? Most verbs use hebben. Zijn is used for a change of place or state, and for zijn, blijven and worden themselves:

• Ik heb hard gewerkt. — I worked hard.
• We zijn naar huis gegaan. — We went home.
• Ze is ziek geworden. — She got ill.
• Ik heb gefietst. — I cycled. (activity)
• Ik ben naar Utrecht gefietst. — I cycled to Utrecht. (change of place)

The past perfect uses the past of the helper: Ik had al gegeten. — I had already eaten. Hij was al vertrokken. — He had already left. Read the perfect tense for the full rules.

Future, conditional and imperative

Future. Dutch often just uses the present with a time word: Morgen werk ik thuis. — I'll work from home tomorrow. For plans, use gaan + infinitive: Ik ga een huis kopen. — I'm going to buy a house. Zullen + infinitive is for promises and more formal predictions: Ik zal je morgen bellen. — I'll call you tomorrow. See the future tense.

Conditional. Zou/zouden + infinitive gives "would": Ik zou graag een koffie willen. — I would like a coffee. Wat zou jij doen? — What would you do?

Imperative. Use the bare stem: Kom binnen! — Come in! Wacht even. — Wait a moment. Zijn is irregular: Wees voorzichtig! — Be careful! For politeness, add u with the -t form: Komt u binnen. More in the imperative.

The big summary table

Here is one regular verb (werken), one strong verb (schrijven) and one irregular verb (zijn) in every main form.

And the present tense of three more verbs you'll use every day — click through for every tense:

For kunnen and the other modals, see modal verbs. For a tour of all tenses and when to use them, see Dutch verb tenses.

Tip: Don't try to memorise tables in one go. Learn the stem rules once, then learn each new verb as three forms: infinitive, past, participle — schrijven, schreef, geschreven. Check any verb in the conjugation tables.

Quick summary

• Stem = infinitive minus -en, with spelling fixes (maak, zit, leef, reis).
• Present: ik + stem, jij/u/hij + stem + t, plural = infinitive.
• Jij/je after the verb loses the -t: Werk je? — but u and hij don't.
• Weak past: -te or -de ('t kofschip); strong past: vowel change.
• Perfect: hebben/zijn + participle; zijn for change of place or state.
• Future: present, gaan + infinitive or zullen + infinitive. Conditional: zou + infinitive.
• Imperative: the stem (Kom!), except Wees!
• Look up any verb at /verbs.

Practise it

Conjugate the most useful verbs in Common verbs, describe your day in the present tense in Daily routine, and move into the past with The perfect tense. Keep the verb conjugation tables open while you practise.