The Imperfectum (Simple Past)

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The Imperfectum describes actions or states that happened and were completed in the past. It is often used for narratives, descriptions of past situations, or habitual actions in the past. It answers the question 'What happened?' or 'How was it?'. It is one of the two main past tenses in Dutch, the other being the Perfectum (voltooid tegenwoordige tijd).

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For weak (regular) verbs, first find the verb stem by removing -en from the infinitive (e.g., 'werken' -> 'werk'). If the last letter of the stem is one of the consonants from 't kofschip (t, k, f, s, ch, p), you add -te for singular subjects (ik, jij, hij, zij, het) and -ten for plural subjects (wij, jullie, zij). Remember 't kofschip helps you remember these letters.

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For weak (regular) verbs, if the last letter of the verb stem (infinitive minus -en) is not one of the consonants from 't kofschip (t, k, f, s, ch, p), you add -de for singular subjects (ik, jij, hij, zij, het) and -den for plural subjects (wij, jullie, zij). This rule applies to stems ending in vowels or other consonants like d, l, m, n, r, v, z, b, g, j.

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Strong verbs, also known as irregular verbs, do not follow the simple -te/-ten or -de/-den rules. Instead, they change their vowel in the past tense form. There is no simple rule for these changes, so you need to learn the imperfectum forms of these verbs by heart. Many common verbs are strong verbs.

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The verbs 'zijn' and 'hebben' are two of the most frequently used verbs in Dutch and are highly irregular in the imperfectum. It is essential to memorize their forms: 'zijn' becomes 'was' (singular) and 'waren' (plural); 'hebben' becomes 'had' (singular) and 'hadden' (plural).

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These are common strong verbs with irregular imperfectum forms that you will use often. Learn them well: 'gaan' becomes 'ging' (singular) and 'gingen' (plural); 'komen' becomes 'kwam' (singular) and 'kwamen' (plural); 'doen' becomes 'deed' (singular) and 'deden' (plural).

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Continue to learn these important strong verbs and their irregular imperfectum forms: 'zien' becomes 'zag' (singular) and 'zagen' (plural); 'lezen' becomes 'las' (singular) and 'lazen' (plural); 'eten' becomes 'at' (singular) and 'aten' (plural).

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Here are more common strong verbs with irregular imperfectum forms: 'spreken' becomes 'sprak' (singular) and 'spraken' (plural); 'schrijven' becomes 'schreef' (singular) and 'schreven' (plural); 'drinken' becomes 'dronk' (singular) and 'dronken' (plural).

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Modal verbs also have irregular imperfectum forms. These are very common: 'kunnen' becomes 'kon' (singular) and 'konden' (plural); 'willen' becomes 'wilde' or 'wou' (singular) and 'wilden' or 'wouden' (plural); 'moeten' becomes 'moest' (singular) and 'moesten' (plural). Both 'wilde' and 'wou' are correct for 'willen'.

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Two more important modal verbs with irregular imperfectum forms: 'mogen' becomes 'mocht' (singular) and 'mochten' (plural); 'zullen' becomes 'zou' (singular) and 'zouden' (plural). 'Zou' is often translated as 'would' in English, indicating a hypothetical or conditional past.

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At A2 level, understand that the Imperfectum is typically used for actions or states in the past that are part of a narrative, a description, or a past habit. It focuses on how things were or what happened in a story. The Perfectum (hebben/zijn + voltooid deelwoord) is generally used for completed actions with a focus on the result, or for actions that just happened. For simple past narratives, the Imperfectum is often preferred.

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Certain words and phrases often signal that the Imperfectum is the appropriate tense to use. These time indicators help place the action firmly in the past and are common in narratives or descriptions of past events. Look out for these words to guide your tense choice.