If you take a look at the top left corner of this page you'll see that this lesson is called werkwoorden. Zie je? The Dutch call verbs -work words-, because verbs describe ACTIONS. That makes them the most important word of any sentence - they tell you what is being done and by whom.
| 📖 | Persoon | drink-en | werk-en | luister-en |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ik (I) | drink | werk | luister |
| 2 | jij / u (you) | drink-t | werk-t | luister-t |
| 3 | hij/zij/het (he/she/it) | drink-t | werk-t | luister-t |
| 1 | wij (we) | drink-en | werk-en | luister-en |
| 2 | jullie (you guys) | drink-en | werk-en | luister-en |
| 3 | zij (they) | drink-en | werk-en | luister-en |
Luckily, using verbs in Dutch is quite straightforward. You only have to modify the verb for the singular pronouns (ik, jij, hij, zij, het). Observe the above table and you'll know how to do the next four exercises.
So far, so good? Nou, luister! The difference between short and long vowels is a key one in Dutch.
Remember: a vowel is only "free" when it's alone at the end of a syllable — otherwise it needs a friend (a doubled letter) to stay long. Here's what that sounds like in practice:
Vowels like to be free (at the end of the word) or trapped but with a friend. That's why this language is so full of double vowels. When you trim 'lopen' you have to add an -o- to it, or else it'd become 'lop'. You can see this queer Dutch behaviour in the following table.
| 📖 | Persoon | lop-en | kok-en | slap-en |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ik (I) | loop | kook | slaap |
| 2 | jij / u (you) | loop-t | kook-t | slaap-t |
| 3 | hij/zij/het (he/she/it) | loop-t | kook-t | slaap-t |
| 1 | wij (we) | lop-en | kok-en | slap-en |
| 2 | jullie (you guys) | lop-en | kok-en | slap-en |
| 3 | zij (they) | lop-en | kok-en | slap-en |
Have you noticed that verbs placed before jij lose the -t?? That's the only caveat to the simplicity of Dutch conjugation.
If you come across new words you'll actually need in real life, add them to your mantra list. The shortest route to fluency is focusing on exactly the words YOU need.
The best way to measure your progress is by explaining what you learned — in your own words. How would you summarise Dutch verb conjugation? Check yourself with the flashcard app!
| 📖 | Persoon | lop-en | lez-en | bell-en | vind-en |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ik | loop | lees | bel | vind |
| 2 | jij / u | loop-t | lees-t | bel-t | vind-t |
| 3 | hij / zij / het | loop-t | lees-t | bel-t | vind-t |
| 1 | wij | lopen | lezen | bellen | vinden |
| 2 | jullie | lopen | lezen | bellen | vinden |
| 3 | zij | lopen | lezen | bellen | vinden |
Keep a separate column in your vocabulary toolbox for verbs that double their vowel (loop, lees, koop) and another for verbs that lose a consonant instead (bel, zwem, pak). Two neat drawers — that's exactly what a tidy toolbox looks like.
Review this module's verbs again with the flashcard app. Make flashcards especially for the verbs whose stem you still need to practise.
Notice: the ending doesn't change between green and purple — only the spelling of the stem does.
| Persoon | Groen | Paars |
|---|---|---|
| Ik | stam | stam (evt. andere spelling) |
| Jij / U | -t | -t |
| Hij/Zij/Het | -t | -t |
| Wij | infinitief | infinitief |
| Jullie | infinitief | infinitief |
| Zij | infinitief | infinitief |
| 📖 | Persoon | zijn | hebben | gaan | doen |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ik | ben | heb | ga | doe |
| 2 | jij / u | bent | hebt | gaat | doet |
| 3 | hij / zij / het | is | heeft | gaat | doet |
| 1 | wij | zijn | hebben | gaan | doen |
| 2 | jullie | zijn | hebben | gaan | doen |
| 3 | zij | zijn | hebben | gaan | doen |
The modal verbs
| 📖 | Persoon | kunnen | willen | mogen |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ik | kan | wil | mag |
| 2 | jij / u | kunt / kan | wilt | mag |
| 3 | hij / zij / het | kan | wil | mag |
| 1 | wij | kunnen | willen | mogen |
| 2 | jullie | kunnen | willen | mogen |
| 3 | zij | kunnen | willen | mogen |
Not mastering these twelve verbs is the Dutch equivalent of never learning to ride a bike: capital punishment. Without zijn and hebben you can't form a single compound tense, express identity, or claim possession. Without gaan, komen, and doen you can't even recount what you did today. There's no shortcut here, no clever pattern-recognition trick that saves you — you simply have to know them by heart, starting today.
Keep zijn and hebben in their own compartment of the toolbox — these are the two verbs you'll need in almost every sentence, including to form the past tense. Learn them as one block, not separately.
Test yourself: can you conjugate the twelve verbs from this module out loud within 30 seconds, without thinking? If not, keep repeating them with the flashcard app for a few more days before moving on.
This whole lesson was about verb conjugation. In languages like Dutch, German, Spanish, French, Italian, and Russian, we need to adjust the ending of each verb depending on who's performing the action. In Dutch, that pattern is surprisingly tidy — really just two forms on top of the bare stem. Godzijdank it's this manageable — it could have been a lot worse!
It may not sound glamorous, but getting comfortable with conjugation early on is one of the highest-leverage things you can do right now. Almost every sentence you'll ever say or hear in Dutch contains a verb. If you don't immediately recognise who's carrying out that verb, you'll be left standing there met je mond vol tanden (speechless).
Once you've internalised the pattern, you stop thinking about it. One day you'll notice you just feel what sounds right and wrong. That's the moment speaking starts to feel natural.
| Persoon | Groen | Paars | Rood |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ik | stam | stam | onregelmatig |
| Jij / U | -t | -t | onregelmatig |
| Hij/Zij/Het | -t | -t | onregelmatig |
| Wij | infinitief | infinitief | infinitief |
| Jullie | infinitief | infinitief | infinitief |
| Zij | infinitief | infinitief | infinitief |
If you're able to explain this in your own words and confidently interact with your tutor in the following video, you're ready to move on to the next lesson!
