Learn when to use the onvoltooid verleden tijd (e.g. "woonde", "stemde") for past habits or sequences, and the voltooid tegenwoordige tijd (e.g. "heeft gestemd", "is verhuisd") for completed actions or changes relevant to the present.
- The onvoltooid verleden tijd is used for descriptions of events that happened one after the other in the past.
- The onvoltooid verleden tijd is also used for habits, long-lasting actions or recurring events from the past.
- The voltooid tegenwoordige tijd is used for actions that have been completed.
| Gebruiksmoment (Usage moment) | Tijdsvorm (Tense) | Voorbeeld (Example) |
|---|---|---|
| Gewoonte (Habit) | ovt | Als kind woonde ik in Brussel. (As a child I lived in Brussels.) |
| Beschrijving (Description) | ovt | Het was koud en donker. (It was cold and dark.) |
| Gebeurtenis op een specifiek moment in het verleden (Event at a specific moment in the past) | ovt | Gisteren stemde hij voor de eerste keer. (Yesterday he voted for the first time.) |
| Twee handelingen vlak na elkaar (Two actions immediately after each other) | ovt | Hij kwam binnen en bracht het nieuws. (He came in and brought the news.) |
| Afgeronde actie (Completed action) | vtt | Ze heeft gestemd en wacht op de uitslag. (She has voted and is waiting for the result.) |
| Verandering of beweging (Change or movement) | vtt | Hij is verhuisd naar Gent. (He has moved to Ghent.) |
Exercise 1: Voltooid tegenwoordige tijd of onvoltooid verleden tijd?
Instruction: Fill in the correct word.
heb gestemd, heeft gewerkt, werkte, sprak, stemde
1.
Ik ... tijdens de verkiezingen.
(I voted during the elections.)
2.
Vroeger ... hij altijd voor dezelfde partij.
(He used to always vote for the same party.)
3.
De minister ... over de situatie tijdens de vergadering.
(The minister spoke about the situation during the meeting.)
4.
Zij ... in de regering van het land.
(She has worked in the government of the country.)
5.
De minister ... met de koning over het plan.
(The minister spoke with the king about the plan.)
6.
Zij ... vaak met de rechter tijdens haar stage.
(She often worked with the judge during her internship.)
Exercise 2: Multiple Choice
Instruction: Choose the correct sentence that correctly uses the present perfect tense or the simple past tense, appropriate to the context and according to Dutch grammar.
1.
Incorrect use of the present perfect tense; for a specific event in the past, the simple past tense is correct.
Contradictory tenses: 'started yesterday' is past tense, while 'are still ongoing' indicates a current action; this is grammatically incorrect.
2.
Incorrect form of the past participle; it must be 'cast'.
Simple past tense is incorrectly used here, because the action is completed and relevant to the present; present perfect tense is correct.
3.
Present tense is incorrect for a situation that took place in the past; correct is simple past tense 'voted'.
Present perfect tense is incorrect here because it concerns a habit in the past, which requires simple past tense.
4.
Contradictory tenses in one sentence; present perfect and past tense do not fit without clear context.
Simple past tense describes an action without emphasis on the present; here present perfect is more appropriate because the move has current relevance.
