Dutch irregular verbs (strong verbs)
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Lesson outline
Hide- 1.Definition of irregular verbs
- 2.Conjugation of irregular verbs
- 2.1.Conjugation of completely irregular verbs
- 2.2.Other exceptions of irregular verbs
- 2.3.Irregularity in the stem of the verb komen
- 3.Exercises
- 3.1.Exercise to practice Dutch irregular verbs 1
- 3.2.Exercise to practice Dutch irregular verbs 2
Definition of irregular verbs
Irregular verbs, also known as strong verbs, differ from the conjugation of the regular verbs (weak verbs). These verbs usually differ in the past simple tense and the past participle, and are conjugated differently. However, also in this are exceptions as you will see below.
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Conjugation of irregular verbs
The Dutch irregular verbs are conjugated the same way as the regular verbs in the present tense. Therefore, it is only necessary to remember:
- the past simple singular
- past simple plural
- past participle
Dutch has many different strong verbs, but they can be grouped together to make it easier to remember how to conjugate them. Take a look at the groupings in the past simple of the irregular verbs.
For the explanation of the different tenses: present simple, past simple, present perfect, past perfect, visit these pages.
Conjugation of completely irregular verbs
The table below shows a list of Dutch irregular verbs. These are 6 completely irregular verbs.
| Verb | Translation | Present simple (I-form) | Past simple (I-form) | Present perfect (I-form) | Pastperfect(I-form) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| zijn | to be | ik ben | ik was | ik ben geweest | ik was geweest |
| hebben | to have | ik heb | ik had | ik heb gehad | ik had gehad |
| kunnen | to be able to | ik kan | ik kon | ik heb gekund | ik had gekund |
| mogen | to be allowed to | ik mag | ik mocht | ik heb gemogen | ik had gemogen |
| willen | to want | ik wil | ik wilde | ik heb gewild | ik had gewild |
| zullen | to will | ik zal | ik zou | ik heb gezuld* | ik had gezuld* |
*'gezuld' is rarely used
Go to the present simple and past simple if you want the complete overview of the 6 completely irregular verbs.
Other exceptions of irregular verbs
There are 5 other exceptions:
- 'Gaan' (to go)
- 'slaan' (to hit)
- 'staan' (to stand)
- 'zien' (to see)
- 'doen' (to do)
These are actually not completely irregular, but strong verbs. These Dutch verbs do not end in '-en', that is why they are mentioned them here.
1) Conjugation of 'gaan' (to go)
| Subject | Present simple | Past simple | Present perfect | Past perfect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ik (I) | ga | ging | ben gegaan | was gegaan |
| Jij, u (You) | gaat | ging | bent gegaan | was gegaan |
| Hij, zij, het (He, she, it) | gaat | ging | is gegaan | was gegaan |
| Wij (We) | gaan | gingen | zijn gegaan | waren gegaan |
| Jullie (You) | gaan | gingen | zijn gegaan | waren gegaan |
| Zij (They) | gaan | gingen | zijn gegaan | waren gegaan |
2) Conjugation of 'slaan' (to hit)
| Subject | Present simple | Past simple | Present perfect | Past perfect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ik | sla | sloeg | heb geslagen | had geslagen |
| Jij, u | slaat | sloeg | hebt geslagen | had geslagen |
| Hij, zij, het | slaat | sloeg | heeft geslagen | had geslagen |
| Wij | slaan | sloegen | hebben geslagen | hadden geslagen |
| Jullie | slaan | sloegen | hebben geslagen | hadden geslagen |
| Zij | slaan | sloegen | hebben geslagen | hadden geslagen |
3) Conjugation of 'staan' (to stand)
| Subject | Present simple | Past simple | Present perfect | Past perfect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ik | sta | stond | heb gestaan | had gestaan |
| Jij, u | staat | stond | hebt gestaan | had gestaan |
| Hij, zij, het | staat | stond | heeft gestaan | had gestaan |
| Wij | staan | stonden | hebben gestaan | hadden gestaan |
| Jullie | staan | stonden | hebben gestaan | hadden gestaan |
| Zij | staan | stonden | hebben gestaan | hadden gestaan |
4) Conjugation of 'zien' (to see)
| Subject | Present simple | Past simple | Present perfect | Past perfect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ik | zie | zag | heb gezien | had gezien |
| Jij, u | ziet | zag | hebt gezien | had gezien |
| Hij, zij, het | ziet | zag | heeft gezien | had gezien |
| Wij | zien | zagen | hebben gezien | hadden gezien |
| Jullie | zien | zagen | hebben gezien | hadden gezien |
| Zij | zien | zagen | hebben gezien | hadden gezien |
5) Conjugation of 'doen' (to do)
| Subject | Present simple | Past simple | Present perfect | Past perfect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ik | doe | deed | heb gedaan | had gedaan |
| Jij, u | doet | deed | hebt gedaan | had gedaan |
| Hij, zij, het | doet | deed | hebt gedaan | had gedaan |
| Wij | doen | deden | hebben gedaan | hadden gedaan |
| Jullie | doen | deden | hebben gedaan | hadden gedaan |
| Zij | doen | deden | hebben gedaan | hadden gedaan |
Irregularity in the stem of the verb komen
The verb 'komen' (to come) has a regular conjugation. Only the stem is different than normally.
| Subject | Present simple | Past simple |
|---|---|---|
| Ik | kom | kwam |
| Jij, u | komt | kwam |
| Hij, zij, het | komt | kwam |
| Wij | komen | kwamen |
| Jullie | komen | kwamen |
| Zij | komen | kwamen |
According to the rule 'Long vowel verbs have long vowel stems', the stem of 'komen' should be 'koom', but in this case it has a short vowel stem 'kom'.
Train your skills by doing the exercises below!
Exercises
Exercise to practice Dutch irregular verbs 1
Exercise to practice Dutch irregular verbs 2
Exercises
Exercise to practice Dutch irregular verbs 1
Exercise to practice Dutch irregular verbs 2
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Enjoyable classes, with teaching materials tailored to your needs.
How do the classes work? A class lasts 45 minutes. I'll send you the materials we are going to use in class beforehand so you can print them. After the class I'll send you audios of the notes we made, vocabulary etc. My speciality is communication, from beginner level to advanced. So, you will speak some Dutch in the first class already! Why wait any longer? Let's get started! :-)
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It is my goal to adapt my lessons as much as possible to the wishes of the student. This means that, besides offering regular learning methods, I am open to initiatives like talking about subjects that are of interest to the student, for example reading and discussing articles, watching and discussing educational videos and/or current happenings in the world.
I look forward to meeting you online!
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Hello
My name is Anco Peeters,. I am born in The Netherlands and a native speaker of the Dutch language..
I started my career as a schoolteacher and as a gymnastic instructor.
Later I started working in the ICT sector. Now I am a freelance instructor and consultant who teaches mainly networking and telephony.
I am also an NLP Practitioner
My hobbies are: Yoga, traveling, fitness, walking, meeting people
I would love to teach the Dutch language in an informal way with the accent on learning to speak the language. Grammar is also important. We can talk about any topic. I would like to help you making progress and have a lot of experience in creating an individual plan for every student based on your needs
Would love to see you for a trial lesson
Kind regards
Anco
A. V.
I started with Dutch language courses a few weeks ago. Anco has a good speaking and teaching style which keeps me interested during lessons. Lots of good learning material and exercises which make easier to understand and learn Dutch and to prepare for exam. Thanks Anco for the great lessons !
Thanks a lot for this feedback Aislu! With your perseverance you will definitely pass the exam.
Learn to communicate in Dutch from the first lesson! Enjoyable classes with teaching materials tailored to your needs. First 15 min. class for free. My name is Karin and I'm from Holland, but I live on the Canary Islands. I love teaching DUTCH and have done so for more than 20 years. I have a Diploma in English Philology. I also have two methodology degrees: the CELTA (Certificate of English Language Teaching to Adults of the University of Cambridge) and the FCTBE (Foundation Certificate for Teachers of Business English of the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry).
I have taught at a Business School and ten companies. In the last two years I've mainly been giving private lessons and I've developed a variety of online self-study DUTCH courses. My schedule is flexible and I adapt myself to the needs and interests of my students so that they reach their objectives in the shortest possible time.
Enjoyable classes, with teaching materials tailored to your needs.
How do the classes work? A class lasts 45 minutes. I'll send you the materials we are going to use in class beforehand so you can print them. After the class I'll send you audios of the notes we made, vocabulary etc. My speciality is communication, from beginner level to advanced. So, you will speak some Dutch in the first class already! Why wait any longer? Let's get started! :-)
T. R.
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Thank you Tomás :-) You have a very good level already. We just have to focus on lots of speaking practice. Hope to see you again soon!
Hi! I live in Germany since 2014, I live in the Frankfurt am Main area. I teach German to refugees since the beginning of 2017 and I have been teaching Dutch at several language schools, at peoples homes and in-house at several companies. I passed the C1-level Test for German at the Goethe Institut.
It is my goal to adapt my lessons as much as possible to the wishes of the student. This means that, besides offering regular learning methods, I am open to initiatives like talking about subjects that are of interest to the student, for example reading and discussing articles, watching and discussing educational videos and/or current happenings in the world.
I look forward to meeting you online!
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