The past participle
Is it gebeurd or gebeurt? Build the past participle from ge + stem + t or d, drop the ge- after prefixes like be- and ver-, and use a simple test to hear which letter to write.
Why
Wat is er gebeurd? and Wat gebeurt er? sound almost the same. How do you know when it is a d and when it is a t?
The first sentence has is: a form of zijn. So gebeurd is a past participle (voltooid deelwoord). In the second sentence gebeurt is itself the finite verb (persoonsvorm), in the present tense.
For the past participle there is a clever test. Turn it into an adjective: een gebeurde fout. You hear a d, so you write gebeurd.
See it
Choose a verb. Watch how the past participle is built: ge, the stem and a t or d. Press the button to lengthen the word and hear which letter is there.
Description of the picture
Three blocks: ge, the stem werk and a green t, together gewerkt. Lengthened, it becomes gewerkte, and you hear the t. With betalen the ge block drops away: betaald.
Get it
You use the past participle with hebben or zijn: ik heb gewerkt, het is gebeurd.
For a weak verb you build it like this: ge + stem + t or d. Whether it is a t or a d is decided by 't kofschip, just as in the past tense: gewerkt, gewoond, geleefd.
Not sure? Lengthen the word into an adjective: de gewerkte uren, de verhuisde familie. What you hear, you write.
If the verb begins with be-, ge-, her-, ver-, ont- or er-, no extra ge- is added: betaald, gebeurd, verhuisd.
If the stem already ends in t or d, nothing more goes after it: gezet, geland.
Strong verbs have a past participle ending in -en, often with a different vowel: gelopen, gevonden. A few verbs do it differently again, such as gekocht and gedacht. You learn those by heart.
Past participle = (ge) + stem + t or d, following 't kofschip. No ge- after be-, ge-, her-, ver-, ont-, er-. Not sure? Lengthen the word.
Worked example
Fill in: Mijn tante is vorige maand …. and Mijn tante … volgende week. (verhuizen)
The first sentence has is: you fill in a past participle.
Verhuizen begins with ver-: no ge- is added. Lengthen it: de verhuisde familie. You hear a d.
verhuis + d = verhuisd
In the second sentence the verb itself is the finite verb, with mijn tante (like zij): stem + t.
verhuist
- Answer
Mijn tante is verhuisd and mijn tante verhuist.
Do it
Pick a level. You get a new exercise each time, checked straight away.
Pitfalls
Wrong: Wat is er
gebeurt?The sentence has is: it is a past participle. Lengthen it: een gebeurde fout. You hear a d.
Right: Wat is er gebeurd?
Wrong: Ik heb de rekening
gebetaald.Betalen begins with be-. Verbs like that do not get an extra ge-.
Right: Ik heb de rekening betaald.
Wrong: Ik heb mijn tas op tafel
gezett.The stem zet already ends in t. Nothing more goes after it.
Right: Ik heb mijn tas op tafel gezet.
In real life
- A notification on your phone: Je pakje is bezorgd.
- An email from school: De toetsen zijn verbeterd en de punten staan online.
- On the bill in a restaurant: Betaald, bedankt en tot ziens.
At the table
Together, look in a newspaper or on a website for a past participle ending in d and one ending in t. Does the lengthening test work for both?
A question to talk about together, for parents and children. There is no wrong answer.