The Dutch Simple Past (Imperfectum): When and How to Use It | A2 Dutch, Lesson 7

Welcome to lesson seven of the A2 Dutch Grammar Course. In the previous lessons you learned the perfectum — the present perfect tense that uses hebben or zijn plus a past participle. In this lesson you are going to learn the imperfectum, the simple past tense. The imperfectum uses only one verb in the sentence. There is no auxiliary and no past participle. It is used especially for stories set in the past, descriptions, and past habits. You will learn how to form it for regular verbs using the same softketchup rule you already know, and you will learn the most important irregular forms by heart.

Imperfectum of perfectum?

The most important structural difference between the perfectum and the imperfectum is this: the perfectum has two parts — an auxiliary in position two and a past participle at the end. The imperfectum has only one verb. That verb sits in position two and carries the whole past meaning by itself. Ik heb gisteren gewerkt uses the perfectum — two parts. Gisteren werkte ik thuis uses the imperfectum — one verb. Ze zijn naar Amsterdam gegaan versus ze gingen elke week naar Amsterdam — two parts versus one. This structural simplicity is one of the things that makes the imperfectum pleasant to use once you know the forms.

Regelmatige werkwoorden — imperfectum

Forming the regular imperfectum uses the same softketchup rule you already know from the perfectum. Find the stem, check the last letter. If the last letter is in softketchup — t, k, f, s, ch, p — add -te for singular and -ten for plural. If it is not in softketchup, add -de for singular and -den for plural. Werken — stem werk — k is in softketchup — singular werkte, plural werkten. Wonen — stem woon — n is not in softketchup — woonde, woonden. Wachten — stem wacht — already ends in t — add te — wachtte — double t. The v/z rule applies here just as in the perfectum. Leven has a v in the infinitive — leefde. Reizen has a z — reisde. The same logic, the same rule, a different ending.

Woordvolgorde in het imperfectum

The word order rules you know from the present tense apply equally to the imperfectum. The imperfectum verb goes in position two in a statement. In a question, the verb moves to position one. When a time expression starts the sentence, inversion applies and the verb still stays in position two, with the subject immediately after. Gisteren werkte ik de hele dag — time expression first, verb second. Werkte jij gisteren de hele dag? — verb first in a question. Vroeger woonde hij in Amsterdam — time word first, verb second. One thing you do not need to worry about: the t-drop rule. The imperfectum already ends in -te or -de — that is part of the form itself. Werkte jij? stays as it is — no change needed.

Zijn en hebben in de verleden tijd — leer ze eerst

Let's look at the most important irregular verbs. Zijn and hebben are completely irregular in the past tense and you will use them constantly. Zijn — singular was, plural waren. Hebben — singular had, plural hadden. Het was gisteren erg koud — it was very cold yesterday. Ze had geen tijd — she had no time. Wij waren vroeger goede vrienden — we used to be good friends. Ze hadden een groot huis — they had a large house. These four forms — was, waren, had, hadden — are among the most frequently used past tense forms in Dutch. Learn them first.

Sterke werkwoorden — verleden tijd enkelvoud

Strong verbs change their vowel in the past tense. The forms must be learned individually. Here are the most important ones. Gaan becomes ging. Komen becomes kwam. Worden becomes werd. Blijven becomes bleef. Doen becomes deed. Lezen becomes las. Eten becomes at. Zien becomes zag. Liggen becomes lag. Lopen becomes liep. Kijken becomes keek. Drinken becomes dronk. Beginnen becomes begon. Brengen becomes bracht. For many strong verbs, the plural is formed by adding -en to the singular form, with spelling changes where needed. Ging becomes gingen. Keek becomes keken. In some very common irregular verbs, the short a in the singular becomes long in the plural: lag becomes lagen, and at becomes aten.

Modale werkwoorden in de verleden tijd

The modal verbs also have their own irregular past tense forms. Kunnen becomes kon. Willen becomes wilde or, in informal speech, wou — both are correct. Mogen becomes mocht. Moeten becomes moest. Zullen becomes zou. The word order with modal verbs stays the same as in the present tense: the modal verb goes in position two, and the infinitive it governs goes to the end of the sentence. Als kind kon ik heel goed zwemmen — when I was a child, I could swim very well. Vroeger mocht ik niet zo laat opblijven — in the past I was not allowed to stay up so late. Ze wilde altijd dokter worden — she always wanted to become a doctor.

Perfectum of imperfectum — wanneer?

When do you use the perfectum and when do you use the imperfectum? Use the perfectum for single completed events and facts: Ik heb gisteren mijn huiswerk gemaakt — I did my homework yesterday. Use the imperfectum for repeated past activities and habits — especially with words like vroeger, elke dag, altijd: Vroeger sportte ik elke dag — I used to exercise every day. Use the imperfectum for background descriptions and for telling stories with a sequence of events. Words like toen, eerst, vervolgens, and daarna are often found in stories told in the imperfectum. One honest note: in everyday spoken Dutch, many people use the perfectum for both. The imperfectum is especially preferred for stories and descriptions. Do not worry too much about making the wrong choice — as long as the form is correct, you will be understood.

Wat heb je geleerd?

Let's review. First: the imperfectum uses only one verb. It goes in position two. Form it with stem plus -te or -de for singular, -ten or -den for plural, using the softketchup rule. Second: zijn and hebben are the most important irregular forms — was and waren for zijn, had and hadden for hebben. Learn these immediately. Third: the essential strong verb forms — ging, kwam, werd, bleef, deed, las, at, zag, lag, liep, keek, dronk, begon, bracht. For the plural, add -en with normal spelling. Short a becomes long aa: lag becomes lagen. Fourth: modal verbs — kon, wilde or wou, mocht, moest, zou. Use the imperfectum especially for past habits with vroeger or elke dag, for descriptions, and for stories with sequence words like toen, eerst, and daarna.

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