Teaching guidelines +/- 15 minutes

Learn how to form and use the past participle of Dutch strong and weak verbs. This lesson explains weak verbs ending with -d or -t based on the 't kofschip rule, strong verbs featuring vowel or consonant changes ending in -en, and irregular verbs like 'zijn' and 'hebben'. Understand patterns applied in perfect tenses with practical examples.
  1. For weak verbs: ge- + stem + -d/-t.
  2. 't kofschip determines whether you write -t or -d with weak verbs.
  3. Strong verbs do not have a fixed stem and undergo a vowel change.
Categorie (Category)Infinitief (Infinitive)Voltooid deelwoord (Past participle)
Zwak (-t)

werken (to work)

maken (make)

gewerkt (worked)

gemaakt (made)

Zwak (-d)

reizen (to travel)

plannen (to plan)

gereisd (travelled)

gepland (planned)

Sterk: -en 

komen (come)

kijken (to watch)

gekomen (come)

gekeken (looked)

Sterk: klinkerverandering

vinden (find)

helpen (help)

gevonden (found)

geholpen (helped)

Sterk: medeklinkerverandering

brengen (bring)

denken (to think)

gebracht (brought)

gedacht (thought)

Onregelmatig

zijn (to be)

hebben (have)

doen (do)

geweest (been)

gehad (had)

gedaan (done)

Exercise 1: Voltooid deelwoord: sterke en zwakke werkwoorden

Instruction: Fill in the correct word.

Show translation Show answers

geraadpleegd, gegaan, gebruikt, gepland, gebracht, gereisd, genomen, kerk, gemaakt

1. Brengen:
Het openbaar vervoer heeft ons naar de stad ....
(The public transport has brought us to the city.)
2. Maken:
Ik heb een foto van de ... ....
(I have taken a photo of the church.)
3. Nemen:
We hebben een taxi ... naar het centrum.
(We took a taxi to the city centre.)
4. Gaan:
We zijn met de taxi snel naar het hotel ....
(We took a taxi quickly to the hotel.)
5. Raadplegen:
Hij heeft de kaart ... voor info.
(He consulted the map for information.)
6. Gebruiken:
Ze hebben het openbaar vervoer ... om naar de stad te gaan..
(They have used public transport to go to the city.)
7. Plannen:
Ze hebben hun reis goed ... met de plattegrond.
(They planned their trip well with the map.)
8. Reizen:
We zijn ... naar een drukke stad.
(We have travelled to a busy city.)

Exercise 2: Multiple Choice

Instruction: Choose the correct sentence in each block with the past participle according to the rules for strong and weak verbs.

1.
An extra d is wrong; the past participle of 'werken' ends with -t.
The double t is wrong; the past participle of weak verbs ends with one -t.
2.
A double aa does not occur in the past participle of 'gaan'.
'gedaan' is the past participle of 'doen', not of 'gaan'.
3.
'gemaaktt' contains an incorrect double t.
The intermediate letter 'e' is missing; this is incomplete and wrong.
4.
'gevonden' is missing an 'e' and is therefore misspelled.
An extra t after 'gevonden' is wrong.

Past Participle: Strong and Weak Verbs

This lesson covers the formation and use of the past participle in Dutch, focusing on strong and weak verbs. Understanding these forms is essential for constructing perfect tenses and recognizing verb patterns in Dutch.

Weak Verbs (Zwakke Werkwoorden)

Weak verbs form their past participle by adding ge- at the beginning and -d or -t at the end of the stem. The ending depends on the consonant at the end of the stem, guided by the rule known as 't kofschip. Examples include:

  • werkengewerkt
  • makengemaakt
  • reizengereisd
  • plannengepland

Strong Verbs (Sterke Werkwoorden)

Strong verbs do not use a fixed stem in their past participle. Instead, they often involve vowel changes (klinkerverandering) or consonant changes (medeklinkerverandering), and they typically end with -en. Examples include:

  • komengekomen
  • kijkengekeken
  • vindengevonden
  • helpengeholpen
  • brengengebracht
  • denkengedacht

Irregular Verbs

Some verbs are irregular and don't fully follow these patterns, such as:

  • zijngeweest (to be)
  • hebbengehad (to have)
  • doengedaan (to do)

Important Points

Remember that:

  • Weak verbs end in -d or -t based on the 't kofschip rule.
  • Strong verbs change their vowel or consonant and end with -en.
  • Past participles are used to form perfect tenses and past passive sentences.

Instruction and Dutch Differences

In English, the past participle is typically formed by adding -ed for regular verbs, unlike Dutch where weak verbs have endings decided by the 't kofschip rule. Also, Dutch strong verbs involve vowel or consonant changes which do not directly parallel English irregular verbs but follow their own system.

Useful Dutch phrases to recognize include:

  • gewerkt — worked
  • gekomen — come
  • gevonden — found
  • gedaan — done

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Kato De Paepe

Business and languages

KdG University of Applied Sciences and Arts Antwerp

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Last Updated:

Tuesday, 15/07/2025 10:22