Dutch Grammar • Dutch verbs http://www.dutchgrammar.com/en/?n=Verbs.

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Dutch Grammar • Dutch verbs http://www.dutchgrammar.com/en/?n=Verbs.01

Dutch verbs
By Bieneke Berendsen

The verbs chapter is very extensive but do not be intimidated by its size. Once you have studied the
present and past tenses of the regular verb conjugations, you can already make simple but correct
sentences. It would be very helpful -not to say necessary- if you are already familiar with the Dutch
spelling rules.
This chapter is divided into a few subchapters.

First, we will deal with regular verbs. The most important thing is that you
Regular
learn how to conjugate a Dutch verb. The rules are quite simple, they are not
verbs
hard to memorize.
Of course, you also need to know when to use which tense. Technically
speaking, we only have two tenses (the present and the past) but along with 'aspect' and 'modality',
we can create other tenses like the perfect, future, or conditional tense. In total, the Dutch use eight
basic tenses. If it does not make any sense to you yet at this point, rest assured: It will all become
clear when you progress through this subchapter.

Next to the eight basic tenses mentioned above, there are a few other
Other
conjugations you need to learn. We will discuss the continuous or 'progressive'
conjugations
("I am eating"), the imperative ("Eat!"), the passive voice ("I am eaten"), and
the subjunctive ("So be it"). You will also see how verbs can act as nouns ("the
shining") or adjectives ("a shining star").

They are unavoidable, unfortunately, those verbs that refuse to abide by the
Irregular
regular rules of conjugation. On the positive side, most Dutch irregular verbs
verbs
are only irregular in their past and perfect tenses. We also call them 'strong'
verbs, as opposed to weak (regular) verbs. The strong verbs must be learned by
heart. It does help if you can recognize the conjugation patterns. The patterns are mentioned in the
list of strong verbs.
The truly irregular verbs can be counted on one hand (well, almost).

Just like in English, the Dutch use auxiliary verbs. We use them for the perfect
Auxiliary
tense (I have said) but also to modify the 'main' verb, e.g. "I want to say", "I
verbs
have to say", or "I hope to say". Some auxiliary verbs are always followed by
'te', others by 'aan het', and some do not need any additions at all. In this
subchapter, you will get a clear overview of all Dutch auxiliary verbs.

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