Ik heb gegeten.
English: I have eaten.
- Language
- Dutch
- Level
- B1
- Unit
- Tijden en werkwoordsvormen
- Practice types
- 0
What this grammar point covers
The 'voltooid deelwoord' is the Dutch past participle. It is a verb form used to talk about actions that have been completed.
When to use it
You use the 'voltooid deelwoord' in Dutch to form the present perfect tense (to say what you have done), the past perfect, and sometimes as an adjective.
Key forms
- Most verbs: 'ge-' + verb stem + '-d' or '-t' (e.g., 'gewerkt', 'gemaakt')
- Some verbs: irregular forms (e.g., 'geweest', 'gedaan')
Examples
Zij heeft het boek gelezen.
English: She has read the book.
Wij zijn naar huis gegaan.
English: We have gone home.
Het huis is gebouwd.
English: The house is built.
Tips
- Most 'voltooid deelwoorden' start with 'ge-' and end with '-d' or '-t'.
- Some verbs use 'zijn' instead of 'hebben' as the auxiliary verb.
- Watch out for irregular verbs: their forms can be different.
Exceptions and edge cases
- Irregular verbs have special forms (e.g., 'geweest', 'gedaan', 'gezien').
- Verbs with prefixes like 'be-', 'ver-', 'ont-' do not use 'ge-' (e.g., 'beantwoord', 'verkocht').