Teaching guidelines +/- 15 minutes

Learn the present tense of regular Dutch verbs like werken (to work), maken (to make), and antwoorden (to answer). This lesson covers conjugation rules and highlights changes in stems, such as 'blijven' where -v changes to -f.
  1. You find the stem by removing -en from the verb.
Persoon & UitgangWerkenMakenAntwoordenBlijvenReizen
Ik (-)werk (work)maak (make)antwoord (answer)blijf (stay)reis (travel)
Jij (-t)werkt (works)maakt (makes)antwoordt (answers)blijft (stay)reist (travel)
Hij/Zij (-t)werkt (works)maakt (makes)antwoordt (answers)blijft (stay)reist (travel)
Wij (-en)werken (to work)maken (make)antwoorden (answer)blijven (to stay)reizen (to travel)
Jullie (-en)werken (to work)maken (make)antwoorden (answer)blijven (to stay)reizen (to travel)
Zij (-en)werken (to work)maken (make)antwoorden (answer)blijven (to stay)reizen (to travel)

Exceptions!

  1. "Maken:" If the verb has one vowel and one consonant before -en, then the vowel doubles in the first, second, and third person singular.
  2. "Blijven:" If the verb has a -v before -en, then in the stem the -v changes to an -f.
  3. "Reizen:" If the verb has a -z before -en, the -z in the stem changes to an -s.

Exercise 1: Onvoltooid tegenwoordige tijd: regelmatige werkwoorden

Instruction: Fill in the correct word.

Show translation Show answers

antwoordt, brengt, werken, loopt, blijf, drinken, werk, wacht

1. Werken:
Wij ... samen aan een project.
(We are working together on a project.)
2. Antwoorden:
Hij ... op mijn bericht.
(He answers my message.)
3. Drinken:
Zij ... graag koffie in de ochtend.
(They like to drink coffee in the morning.)
4. Blijven:
Ik... bij jou.
(I stay with you.)
5. Wachten:
De leraar ... op de studenten.
(The teacher waits for the students.)
6. Lopen:
Het kind ... naar school.
(The child walks to school.)
7. Werken:
Ik ... in een restaurant.
(I work in a restaurant.)
8. Brengen:
Mijn vriend ... een cadeau mee.
(My friend brings a present.)

Exercise 2: Multiple Choice

Instruction: Choose the correct solution

1. Ik ___ mijn telefoonnummer aan mijn vriend.

(I ___ my phone number to my friend.)

2. Jij ___ het e-mailadres van de klant.

(You ___ the customer's email address.)

3. Hij ___ een bericht naar zijn vrouw.

(He ___ a message to his wife.)

4. Wij ___ samen aan het project.

(We ___ together on the project.)

5. ___ jij hier tot ik terugkom?

(___ you stay here until I come back?)

6. Zij ___ een afspraak op kantoor.

(She ___ an appointment at the office.)

Present Simple Tense: Regular Verbs

This lesson introduces the present simple tense for regular Dutch verbs, which is used to talk about actions happening right now or habitual activities.

Forming the Present Simple

The stem of the verb is found by removing the -en ending from the infinitive form. For example, from werken (to work), the stem is werk-.

Conjugation Patterns

Regular verbs follow a predictable pattern based on the subject:

  • Ik (I) – stem only, no ending: werk, maak, antwoord
  • Jij (You singular informal) and Hij/Zij (He/She) – stem plus -t: werkt, maakt, antwoordt
  • Wij/Jullie/Zij (We/You plural/They) – infinitive form ending in -en: werken, maken, antwoorden

Special Spelling Rules

Some verbs have spelling changes in the stem to keep pronunciation clear:

  • Maken (to make): If the stem has one vowel and one consonant before -en, the vowel is doubled in the singular forms (e.g., maak becomes maakt).
  • Blijven (to stay): When the stem has a -v before -en, it changes to -f in the stem forms (blijf, blijft).
  • Reizen (to travel): The -z in the stem changes to -s (reis, reist).

Examples

Person & EndingWerken (to work)Maken (to make)Antwoorden (to answer)Blijven (to stay)Reizen (to travel)
Ik (-)werkmaakantwoordblijfreis
Jij (-t)werktmaaktantwoordtblijftreist
Hij/Zij (-t)werktmaaktantwoordtblijftreist
Wij (-en)werkenmakenantwoordenblijvenreizen
Jullie (-en)werkenmakenantwoordenblijvenreizen
Zij (-en)werkenmakenantwoordenblijvenreizen

Usage

The present simple is used mostly to describe what someone is doing now or regularly, for example:

  • Ik werk elke dag. (I work every day.)
  • Zij maakt een brood. (She makes bread.)

Important Notes on Differences with English

In English, the present simple also often adds -s for he/she/it in the third person singular. Dutch adds -t for jij (you) singular and hij/zij, which learners should pay attention to. Unlike English, the ik form does not have an ending, similar to the English first person singular.

Some useful Dutch verbs and their English equivalents to practice:

  • werken – to work
  • maken – to make
  • antwoorden – to answer
  • blijven – to stay/remain
  • reizen – to travel

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This content has been designed and reviewed by the coLanguage pedagogical team: About coLanguage

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Kato De Paepe

Business and languages

KdG University of Applied Sciences and Arts Antwerp

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Last Updated:

Thursday, 17/07/2025 12:58