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Leer de onvoltooid verleden tijd van sterke werkwoorden met klinkerveranderingen zoals blijven → bleef, kiezen → koos, en rijden → reed. Ontdek de patroonverschillen tussen enkelvoud en meervoud zonder toevoeging van -de(n).
  1. In the onvoltooid verleden tijd of strong verbs, you see a vowel change.
  2. In the plural, -en is added.
  3. Nothing is added in the singular.
  4. With strong verbs, no te(n)/de(n) is added.
Categorie (Category)Infinitief (Infinitive)O.v.t. (Past tense)
ij → eeblijven (to stay)
kijken (to watch)
rijden (to drive)
lijken (seem)
...		bleef (stayed)
keek (looked)
reed (rode)
leek (leek)
...
ie → ookiezen (to choose)
vliegen (to fly)
bieden (to offer)
verliezen (to lose)
...		koos (Others:)
vloog (flew)
bood (offered)
verloor (lost)
...
ui → ooruiken (to smell)
sluiten (to close)
fluiten (to whistle)
zuigen (to suck)
...		rook (smoked)
sloot (closed)
floot (floor)
zoog (sucked)
...
i → obeginnen (begin)
drinken (drink)
springen (to jump)
vinden (find)
...		begon (started)
dronk (drank)
sprong (jumped)
vond (found)
...
e → otrekken (to pull)
vechten (fight)
zwemmen (swim)
schenken (to give)
...		trok (drew)
vocht (fought)
zwom (swam)
schonk (gave)
...
e → ooscheren (to shave)
wegen (weigh)
bewegen (move)
zweren (to swear)
...		schoor (shaved)
woog (weighed)
bewoog (moved)
zwoor (swore)
...
a → ieblazen (to blow)
laten (let)
slapen (sleep)
vallen (fall)		blies (blew)
liet (lied)
sliep (slept)
viel (much)
e → aeten (eat)
genezen (to heal)
geven (give)
vergeten (forgot)		at (Other: i → a a → oe ou → ie e → i o → e)
genas (healed)
gaf (gave)
vergat (forgot)
e → iehelpen (help)
bederven (to spoil)
scheppen (create)
sterven (to die)		hielp (helped)
bedierf (spoiled)
schiep (created)
stierf (died)

Overige: (Others:)
i → a



a → oe


ou → ie
e → i
o → e

liggen (to lie)
bidden (to pray)
zitten (to sit)

dragen (to carry)
varen (to sail)
graven (to dig)

houden (hold)
weten (to know)
worden (to become)

lag (lay)
bad (bad)
zat (Category)

droeg (carried)
voer (feed)
groef (dug)


hield (held)
wist (knew)
werd (Category)

Exercise 1: Onvoltooid verleden tijd: sterke werkwoorden

Instruction: Fill in the correct word.

Show translation Show answers

bleven, boden, hielp, reden, liet, lag, keek, sloot

1. Kijken:
Hij ... naar de brand uit zijn raam.
(He looked at the fire from his window.)
2. Sluiten:
De brandweer ... de straat af.
(The fire brigade closed off the street.)
3. Laten:
De agent ... de mensen het gebouw verlaten toen de brand begon.
(The agent let the people leave the building when the fire started.)
4. 3-Helpen:
Hij ... de ambulance met het slachtoffer.
(He helped the ambulance with the victim.)
5. Rijden:
Jullie ... snel naar de spoedeisende hulp.
(You drove quickly to the emergency department.)
6. Liggen:
Het slachtoffer ... op de grond toen de ambulance arriveerde.
(The victim was lying on the ground when the ambulance arrived.)
7. Bieden:
We ... hulp bij het spoedgeval.
(We offered help in the emergency.)
8. Blijven:
Wij ... binnen vanwege de brand.
(We stayed inside because of the fire.)

Exercise 2: Multiple Choice

Instruction: Choose the correct sentence in each group with the correct simple past tense of a strong verb. Pay attention to the vowel change and the correct conjugation without extra -te(n)/-de(n).

1.
Incorrect: singular does not get -en and the vowel change is incorrect.
Incorrect: strong verbs do not get -de(n) in the past tense.
2.
Incorrect: 'kiest' is present tense, not past tense.
Incorrect: strong verbs do not get -de(n) in the past tense.
3.
Incorrect: 'vloog' is singular, plural is needed here.
Incorrect: strong verbs do not get -de(n) in the past tense.
4.
Incorrect: 'reden' is plural, singular is needed here.
Incorrect: 'rijkte' is incorrect, no vowel change and wrong ending.

Understanding the Dutch Simple Past Tense: Strong Verbs

This lesson focuses on the simple past tense (onvoltooid verleden tijd) of strong verbs in Dutch. Unlike regular verbs, strong verbs change their vowel in the past tense rather than adding typical endings like -te(n) or -de(n). This vowel change is key to recognizing and correctly using these verbs when talking about past events.

What Are Strong Verbs?

Strong verbs are a category of Dutch verbs that form their past tense through vowel alternation. For example, the verb blijven (to stay) becomes bleef in the past tense, showing the vowel change from "ij" to "ee".

Key Patterns of Vowel Changes

Here are some common vowel changes in strong verbs when they move from the infinitive to the simple past:

  • ij → ee: blijven → bleef, kijken → keek
  • ie → oo: kiezen → koos, vliegen → vloog
  • ui → oo: ruiken → rook, sluiten → sloot
  • i → o: beginnen → begon, drinken → dronk
  • e → o: trekken → trok, vechten → vocht
  • e → oo: scheren → schoor, wegen → woog
  • a → ie: blazen → blies, laten → liet
  • e → a: eten → at, geven → gaf
  • e → ie: helpen → hielp, sterven → stierf
  • Other patterns: liggen (i → a) → lag, dragen (a → oe) → droeg, houden (ou → ie) → hield

Forming the Past Tense: Singular and Plural

For strong verbs:

  • In the singular form of the past tense, no ending is added to the verb besides the vowel change (bleef, not bleefde).
  • In the plural form, the ending -en is added (bleven).

Remember, strong verbs never take the regular past tense endings -te(n) or -de(n).

Important Notes on Usage and Vocabulary

Many common Dutch verbs are strong verbs, such as:

  • blijven (stay) → bleef
  • kijken (look) → keek
  • rijden (drive) → reed
  • kiezen (choose) → koos
  • eten (eat) → at
  • helpen (help) → hielp

Differences and Useful Expressions for English Speakers

Unlike English, where past tense is often formed by adding -ed (walk → walked), Dutch strong verbs change their internal vowel without adding typical past tense endings. This internal vowel change is crucial for proper conjugation and understanding.

Useful expressions to remember:

  • Dutch: Ik bleef thuis. (I stayed home.)
  • English: I stayed home.
  • Dutch: Zij kozen een boek. (They chose a book.)
  • English: They chose a book.

Pay attention to the vowel change between infinitive and past tense when practicing these verbs.

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Kato De Paepe

Business and languages

KdG University of Applied Sciences and Arts Antwerp

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Last Updated:

Saturday, 30/08/2025 20:23