Teaching guidelines +/- 15 minutes

Learn how to use completed past participles as adjectives in Dutch. This lesson explains their declension based on noun gender, number, and articles, with examples like 'de bestelde taart' and 'het geboekte hotel'. Understand adjective endings with definite and indefinite articles, and note spelling changes. Suitable for beginners learning core Dutch grammar.
  1. Attributive past participles are declined like other adjectives.
  2. Use of double -t or -d depending on the stem.
 LidwoordRegelVoorbeeld (Example)
Enkelvoudde
het
+e
+e
De bestelde taart (The ordered cake)
Het geboekte hotel (The booked hotel)
Meervoudde+eDe bereide gerechten (The prepared dishes)
Met 'een'bij de-woord
bij het-woord
+e
-
een gereserveerde tafel (a reserved table)
een geleend boek (a borrowed book)

Exercise 1: Voltooide deelwoorden als bijvoeglijk naamwoord

Instruction: Fill in the correct word.

Show translation Show answers

geserveerde, bestelde, gedronken, gekookte, geboekte, geplande, gekozen, bereide

1. Plannen:
De ... reservering is bevestigd.
(The planned reservation has been confirmed.)
2. Drinken:
De ... koffie was te sterk.
(The coffee that was drunk was too strong.)
3. Kiezen:
Het ... hoofdgerecht was niet lekker.
(The chosen main course was not tasty.)
4. Bestellen:
De ... taart is heerlijk.
(The ordered cake is delicious.)
5. Boeken:
De ... tafel in het restaurant wordt voor ons klaargemaakt.
(The booked table in the restaurant is being prepared for us.)
6. Koken:
Het ... gerecht is klaar om te eten.
(The cooked dish is ready to eat.)
7. Bereiden:
De ... gerechten zijn lekker.
(The prepared dishes are tasty.)
8. Serveren:
Het ... drankje was koud.
(The served drink was cold.)

Exercise 2: Multiple Choice

Instruction: Choose the correct solution

1. Ik wil graag de _______ tafel voor twee personen.

(I would like the _______ table for two people.)

2. De _______ gerechten staan al op tafel.

(The _______ dishes are already on the table.)

3. Kun je het _______ fruit op de menukaart aanwijzen?

(Can you point to the _______ fruit on the menu?)

4. Ik wil graag het _______ zalmvoorgerecht proberen.

(I would like to try the _______ salmon appetizer.)

5. We hebben de _______ tafel om zeven uur.

(We have the _______ table at seven o'clock.)

6. De _______ bestelformulieren liggen bij de bar.

(The _______ order forms are by the bar.)

Completed Past Participles as Adjectives in Dutch

This lesson covers how completed past participles (voltooide deelwoorden) function as adjectives in Dutch. You will learn how to correctly modify these participles to describe nouns, paying attention to the appropriate endings depending on the noun’s gender, number, and article.

Key Concepts

  • Past participles used adjectivally follow the same declension rules as regular adjectives.
  • They are inflected depending on the article and number of the noun they modify.
  • For example, in the phrase De bestelde taart (The ordered cake), bestelde is the past participle used as an adjective.

Declension Rules

The table in this lesson details the endings:

  • Singular with definite articles de or het: add -e (e.g., de bestelde taart, het geboekte hotel).
  • Plural with definite article de: add -e (e.g., de bereide gerechten).
  • With the indefinite article een:
    • For masculine/feminine nouns (de-words): add -e (e.g., een gereserveerde tafel).
    • For neuter nouns (het-words): no ending is added (e.g., een geleend boek).

Additional Notes

Watch out for spelling changes, such as the use of a double -t or -d at the end of the participle stem depending on the verb.

Instruction vs. English Adjective Usage

In English, past participles used as adjectives do not change form based on the noun they describe (e.g., "the ordered cake" vs. "the ordered cakes" remain the same). Dutch requires adjective agreement, so endings like -e or no ending appear based on gender and number.

Useful phrases to practice include: de bestelde gerechten (the ordered dishes), een gereserveerde tafel (a reserved table), and het geboekte hotel (the booked hotel). Notice how adjective endings reflect these differences.

Understanding these patterns will help you form correct and natural descriptions in Dutch.

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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, 29/05/2025 16:33