Perfect Tense with 'zijn' (Voltooid Tegenwoordige Tijd - V.T.T.) (A2)

While most verbs use hebben in the perfect tense, some verbs use zijn (to be) as the auxiliary (helping) verb. This typically happens with verbs indicating:

1. Change of State or Condition: Verbs like worden (to become), sterven (to die), groeien (to grow), veranderen (to change), beginnen (to begin), stoppen (to stop).
2. Movement or Direction (from A to B): Verbs like gaan (to go), komen (to come), lopen (to walk), rijden (to drive), vliegen (to fly), reizen (to travel), verhuizen (to move house).
3. Staying in a Place: Verbs like blijven (to stay).

Formation:

Subject + Conjugated zijn + (Rest of sentence) + Past Participle

1. Conjugated zijn:

• ik ben
• jij/u bent
• hij/zij/het is
• wij/jullie/zij zijn

2. Past Participle: The formation rules for the past participle (ge+stem+d/t or irregular) are the same as for verbs using hebben.

• gaan -> gegaan
• komen -> gekomen
• beginnen -> begonnen
• blijven -> gebleven
• worden -> geworden

Examples:

• Ik ga naar huis. (I go home - Present) -> Ik ben naar huis gegaan. (I have gone home - Perfect)
• Zij komt uit Spanje. (She comes from Spain - Present) -> Zij is uit Spanje gekomen. (She has come from Spain - Perfect)
• De les begint. (The lesson begins - Present) -> De les is begonnen. (The lesson has begun - Perfect)
• Wij blijven thuis. (We stay home - Present) -> Wij zijn thuis gebleven. (We have stayed home - Perfect)
• Ben jij gisteren gekomen? (Did you come yesterday? - Question)

Key Points:

• You must memorize which verbs take zijn. It's often related to movement or change.
• The auxiliary verb (zijn) is conjugated according to the subject.
• The main action verb still goes to the end of the clause as a past participle.
• Common Error: Using hebben with a verb that requires zijn (e.g., Ik heb gegaan is incorrect).