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Verbs according to function 4
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Main verbs 10 minLecture1.1
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Auxiliary verbs 45 minLecture1.2
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Copular verbs 20 minLecture1.3
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Verb exercises: verbs according to function 10 minLecture1.4
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Verbs according to meaning 7
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Transitive and intransitive verbs 10 minLecture2.1
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Reflexive verbs 30 minLecture2.2
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Modal verbs 45 minLecture2.3
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Modal verbs: zou 30 minLecture2.4
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Modal verbs: hoeven te 30 minLecture2.5
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Position verbs 30 minLecture2.6
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Verb exercises: verbs according to meaning 45 minLecture2.7
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Verbs according to form 3
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Separable verbs 30 minLecture3.1
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Phrasal verbs 15 minLecture3.2
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Verb exercises: verbs according to form 30 minLecture3.3
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Verbs according to conjugation 6
For purposes of conjugation Dutch verbs can be divided into regular and irregular verbs. Regular verbs follow a certain pattern in the way they are conjugated, whereas irregular verbs do not follow a pattern at all. The group of regular verbs is the largest, and this group can be divided further into weak verbs and strong verbs. The conjugation of a new verb (e.g. a verb borrowed from English) normally follows the rules of weak verbs.
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Weak verbs 30 minLecture4.1
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Strong verbs 20 minLecture4.2
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Irregular verbs 30 minLecture4.3
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Conjugation of new verbs 20 minLecture4.4
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List of strong and irregular verbs 40 minLecture4.5
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Verb exercises: verbs according to conjugation 30 minLecture4.6
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Tenses 9
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Infinitives and finite verbs 15 minLecture5.1
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Present tense 01 hourLecture5.2
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Past tense (imperfect) 30 minLecture5.3
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Perfect tense 01 hourLecture5.4
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Perfect or imperfect? 30 minLecture5.5
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Pluperfect 10 minLecture5.6
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Durative aspect 45 minLecture5.7
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Future aspect 50 minLecture5.8
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Verb exercises: tensesLecture5.9
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Revision exercises: verbs 1
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Revision exercisesLecture6.1
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Auxiliary verbs
Introduction
An auxiliary verb is literally a ‘helping verb’ as it supports other verbs grammatically. Auxiliary verbs are used for example when forming the perfect tense and the passive voice of ‘normal’ verbs, i.e. main verbs (also called ‘lexical verbs’). All modal verbs are auxiliary verbs.
Some examples of auxiliary verbs are:
Ik ben nog nooit naar Frankrijk geweest.
I have never been to France.
King’s day is celebrated on 27 April.
[King’s day = official celebration of the Dutch king’s birthday]
Mag ik jouw e-mailadres hebben?
May I have your e-mail address?
Perfect tense of auxiliaries
All verbs in Dutch can be put in the perfect tense. Most verbs, when put in the perfect tense, follow the ‘normal’ pattern of auxiliary verb (hebben or zijn) + past participle (see perfect tense).
| present tense ‘normal’ verb | perfect tense ‘normal’ verb |
| Alan logeert bij Willem. Alan stays the night at Willem’s. |
Alan heeft bij Willem gelogeerd. Alan has stayed the night at Willem’s. |
Not all verbs follow this pattern when put into the perfect tense. Auxiliaries and some other verbs behave differently.
Perfect tense of modal verbs
Modal verbs are a type of auxiliary verb. If a sentence containing a modal verb plus another verb is put in the perfect tense, the modal verb is not realised as a past participle but as an infinitive:
| present tense modal verb | perfect tense modal verb |
| Alan kan bij Willem logeren. Alan can stay the night at Willem’s. |
Alan heeft bij Willem kunnen logeren. Alan has been able to stay the night at Willem’s. |
| Ze moeten een baan reserveren. They have to book a tennis court. |
Ze hebben een baan moeten reserveren. They have had to book a tennis court. |
| Mogen Esther en Kim opblijven? Are Esther and Kim allowed to stay up? |
Hebben Esther en Kim mogen opblijven? Have Esther and Kim been allowed to stay up? |
| Wat willen jullie eten? What do you want to eat? |
Wat hebben jullie willen eten? What have you (plural) wanted to eat? |
Note that the perfect tense auxiliary with modal verbs is always hebben.
Modal verbs used independently
Modal verbs in Dutch can also be used independently, without the infinitive of another verb. When used independently in the perfect tense, modal verbs behave like normal verbs and are realised as past participles instead of infinitives.
| present tense independent modal verb | perfect tense independent modal verb |
| Hoe kan dat? How is that possible? |
Hoe heeft dat gekund? How has that been possible? |
| Ik moet drie keer naar de dokter. I have to go to the doctor three times. |
Ik heb drie keer naar de dokter gemoeten. I have had to go to the doctor three times. |
| Ik wil nooit een kind. I never want a child. |
Ik heb nooit een kind gewild. I have never wanted a child. |
Zullen does not have a past participle: *gezuld does not exist.
Perfect tense hoeven te
In the perfect tense of the modal verb hoeven, which is used in combination with negative elements to negate moeten, the particle te becomes optional:
| present tense hoeven | perfect tense hoeven |
| Karin hoeft niet vroeg op te staan. Karin does not have to get up early. |
Karin heeft niet vroeg op hoeven (te) staan. Karin has not needed to get up early. |
| Alan en Sara hoeven niet in bed te blijven. Alan and Sara don’t have to stay in bed. |
Alan en Sara hebben niet in bed hoeven (te) blijven. Alan and Sara have not needed to stay in bed. |
Like other modal verbs, hoeven te can also be used independently, without the infinitive of another verb. When used independently in the perfect tense, it behaves like a normal verb and is realised as a past participle instead of an infinitive.
| present tense independent hoeven | perfect tense independent hoeven |
| Simone hoeft niet met de fiets. Simone doesn’t have to go on the bike. |
Simone heeft niet met de fiets gehoeven. Simone has not had to go on the bike. |
Verbs which behave like modal verbs in the perfect tense
Some verbs have a similar construction to modal verbs: the perfect tense of these verbs occurs as an infinitive rather than a past participle. Laten (‘to let’) and blijven (‘to stay’) and verbs expressing perception, like zien (‘to see’), are examples of this. The perfect tense auxiliary with these verbs is not always hebben, as the example of blijven shows.
| Present tense | perfect tense |
| Hanna laat Alan de universiteit zien. Hanna shows Alan the university. |
Hanna heeft Alan de universiteit laten zien. Hanna has shown Alan the university. |
| Simone blijft een kopje koffie drinken. Simone stays for a cup of coffee. |
Simone is een kopje koffie blijven drinken. Simone has stayed for a cup of coffee. |
| Ik zie jou buiten zitten. I see you sitting outside. |
Ik heb jou buiten zien zitten. I have seen you sitting outside. |
Perfect tense of other verbs with te
There are other verbs which behave like auxiliaries in that they occur with an infinitive. However, they do not behave like auxiliaries in other respects: the infinitive must be preceded by the particle te (like hoeven) and the perfect tense is formed in a different way. Here are two examples.
- The verb proberen te (‘to try to’) can behave either like a normal verb (sentence 1.) or the same way as hoeven te, where it is not realised as a past participle but as an infinitive (sentence 2.).
present tense proberen te perfect tense proberen te Sara probeert haar vriend te bellen. - Sara heeft geprobeerd haar vriend te bellen.
- Sara heeft haar vriend proberen te bellen.
Sara tries to ring her boyfriend. Sara has tried to ring her boyfriend.
- The verb besluiten (‘to decide’) is normally accompanied by te, but cannot behave like hoeven te in the perfect tense. This means that besluiten does not have the two options for the perfect tense that proberen te has.
present tense besluiten te perfect tense besluiten te Alan besluit kaartjes te boeken.
Alan decides to book tickets.Alan heeft besloten kaartjes te boeken.
*Alan heeft kaartjes besluiten te boeken. (not correct)
Alan has decided to book tickets.
It is best to learn the different properties of these verbs as you encounter them.