Introduction: Predictable Patterns

While 'zijn' and 'hebben' are irregular, the good news is that most Dutch verbs follow a predictable pattern in the present tense. Once you learn this pattern, you can conjugate thousands of verbs! This chapter explains the standard rules for regular verbs ending in -en.

Finding the Stem

The key to conjugating regular verbs is finding the stem. The stem is the base form of the verb upon which we add endings.

Rule: To find the stem of a regular verb ending in -en, simply remove the -en from the infinitive (the basic form you find in the dictionary).

• Infinitive: werken (to work) -> Stem: werk
• Infinitive: leren (to learn) -> Stem: leer
• Infinitive: wonen (to live) -> Stem: woon
• Infinitive: maken (to make) -> Stem: maak

(Important spelling adjustments to the stem are covered below!)

The Present Tense Conjugation Rule

Once you have the stem, you add specific endings depending on the subject pronoun:

• ik: stem
• jij / je: stem + t
• u: stem + t
• hij / zij / het: stem + t
• wij / we: infinitive (or stem + en)
• jullie: infinitive (or stem + en)
• zij / ze (they): infinitive (or stem + en)

Summary Table:

Pronoun	Ending Added to Stem
ik	(nothing)
jij / je	-t
u	-t
hij / zij / het	-t
wij / we	-en (use infinitive)
jullie	-en (use infinitive)
zij / ze (they)	-en (use infinitive)

Examples

Let's apply the rule to some common verbs:

1. werken (to work) - Stem: werk

• ik werk
• jij werkt
• u werkt
• hij werkt
• wij werken
• jullie werken
• zij werken

2. leren (to learn) - Stem: leer

• ik leer
• jij leert
• u leert
• hij leert
• wij leren
• jullie leren
• zij leren

3. wonen (to live) - Stem: woon

• ik woon
• jij woont
• u woont
• hij woont
• wij wonen
• jullie wonen
• zij wonen

Important Spelling Adjustments

Sometimes, finding the stem or adding the -t requires minor spelling changes to keep the pronunciation correct. The two main rules for A1 are:

1. Stem ending in v changes to f for ik: When the stem naturally ends in a v (because the infinitive had ...ven), the ik form uses an f.

• Infinitive: leven (to live)
• Stem: leev
• Conjugation: ik leef (NOT ik leev), jij leeft, hij leeft, wij leven...
• Infinitive: schrijven (to write)
• Stem: schrijv
• Conjugation: ik schrijf, jij schrijft, hij schrijft, wij schrijven...

1. Stem ending in z changes to s for ik: When the stem naturally ends in a z (because the infinitive had ...zen), the ik form uses an s.

• Infinitive: reizen (to travel)
• Stem: reiz
• Conjugation: ik reis (NOT ik reiz), jij reist, hij reist, wij reizen...
• Infinitive: lezen (to read)
• Stem: leez
• Conjugation: ik lees, jij leest, hij leest, wij lezen...

(Note on Vowel Doubling/Shortening): While there are rules about maintaining long/short vowel sounds when forming the stem (e.g., maken -> stem maak, not mak; bakken -> stem bak, not baak), these affect the stem itself before you add the endings. For present tense conjugation, the main spelling changes to focus on initially are the f/v and s/z adjustments for the ik form.

Special Case: Questions with jij / je

When you form a question where jij or je is the subject and comes after the verb (inversion), the -t ending is dropped from the verb.

• Statement: Jij werkt hier. (You work here.)
• Question: Werk jij hier? (Do you work here?) - NO -t

• Statement: Je leert snel. (You learn fast.)
• Question: Leer je snel? (Do you learn fast?) - NO -t

• Statement: Jij woont in Amsterdam. (You live in Amsterdam.)
• Question: Woon je in Amsterdam? (Do you live in Amsterdam?) - NO -t

This only applies to jij/je in questions with inversion. It does not apply to hij, zij, het, or u.

• Werkt hij hier? (Does he work here?) - -t remains.
• Werkt u hier? (Do you work here? - formal) - -t remains.

Mastering this regular verb pattern (stem + endings) and the f/v, s/z, and question inversion rules will allow you to correctly use a vast number of Dutch verbs in the present tense.