Teaching guidelines +/- 15 minutes
Learn the onvoltooid verleden tijd of key irregular verbs like zijn (was), hebben (had), gaan (ging), and doen (deed). This lesson focuses on mastering their unique past tense forms essential for everyday Dutch.
- Some common verbs have an irregular form in the onvoltooid verleden tijd.
- These verbs do not follow fixed regular patterns like most verbs with -de/-te in the past tense.
| Infinitief | Verleden tijd | Infinitief (Infinitive) | Verleden tijd (past tense) |
|---|---|---|---|
| zijn (to be) | was, waren | kunnen (can) | kon, konden |
| hebben (to have) | had, hadden | moeten (must) | moest, moesten |
| doen (do) | deed, deden | mogen (may) | mocht, mochten |
| gaan (to go) | ging, gingen | brengen (to bring) | bracht, brachten |
| zien (see) | zag, zagen | kopen (to buy) | kocht, kochten |
| zeggen (say) | zei, zeiden | zoeken (search) | zocht, zochten |
| vragen (to ask) | vroeg, vroegen | staan (stand) | stond, stonden |
| denken (to think) | dacht, dachten | zullen (shall) | zou, zouden |
Exercise 1: Onvoltooid verleden tijd: onregelmatige werkwoorden
Instruction: Fill in the correct word.
hadden, dacht, was, vroeg, gingen, zouden, deed
1.
Zijn:
Ik ... altijd op tijd op school.
(I was always on time at school.)
2.
Hebben:
Wij ... veel huiswerk in de middelbare school.
(We had a lot of homework in secondary school.)
3.
Doen:
Ze ... altijd haar best om goede cijfers te halen.
(She always did her best to get good grades.)
4.
Gaan:
We ... samen naar de basisschool.
(We went to primary school together.)
5.
Denken:
Ik ... aan mijn kindertijd.
(I thought about my childhood.)
6.
Zijn:
Ik ... vaak te laat in het klaslokaal.
(I was often late to the classroom.)
7.
Vragen:
Ik ... hoe ik me kon inschrijven voor de middelbare school.
(I asked how I could enrol for secondary school.)
8.
Zullen:
Ze ... meer interessante lessen geven dit jaar.
(They would give more interesting lessons this year.)
Exercise 2: Multiple Choice
Instruction: Choose the correct sentence in the simple past tense (ovt) with irregular verbs, as used in daily conversations about school and work.
1.
'Gaan' is the infinitive and not correct as past tense.
'Ga' is the present tense, while the past tense is needed here.
2.
'Doen' is the infinitive; the past tense is missing here.
'Doet' is present tense, while the past tense is needed.
3.
'Hebben' is present tense, while the past tense is needed.
'Had' is singular form and not correct with 'we'.
4.
'Zienden' does not exist as past tense of 'zien'.
'Zag' is singular form and not correct with 'zij' as plural.
