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

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

What it is: The perfect tense (V.T.T.) describes actions that were completed in the past but have a connection to the present. It's often translated to English using "have/has + past participle" (e.g., "I have worked"). It's very common in spoken Dutch.

Formation (with 'hebben'):

The structure is: Subject + Conjugated form of 'hebben' + ... (rest of sentence) ... + Past Participle

  • 'Hebben' Conjugation (Present Tense):
  • ik heb
  • jij/u hebt
  • hij/zij/het heeft
  • wij/jullie/zij hebben
  • Past Participle (Voltooid Deelwoord):
  • Regular Verbs: Usually formed as ge + stem + t or ge + stem + d.
  • Find the stem (infinitive minus -en).
  • Apply the 't Kofschip rule to the last letter of the stem: If it's t, k, f, s, ch, or p, add -t. Otherwise, add -d.
  • Example: werken -> stem werk (k is in 't kofschip) -> gewerkt
  • Example: reizen -> stem reiz (z is not in 't kofschip, becomes s) -> gereisd
  • Note: If the stem already ends in t or d, you don't add an extra t or d (e.g., praten -> gepraat, landen -> geland).
  • Verbs starting with inseparable prefixes (be-, ge-, er-, her-, ont-, ver-) do not get ge- at the beginning of the participle (e.g., betalen -> betaald, vertellen -> verteld).
  • Irregular Verbs: These have unique past participles that must be memorized. They often end in -en and might have a vowel change.
  • Example: zien -> gezien
  • Example: eten -> gegeten
  • Example: drinken -> gedronken
  • Example: doen -> gedaan

When to use 'hebben': 'Hebben' is used as the auxiliary verb for:

  1. Most verbs, especially transitive verbs (verbs that take a direct object).
  2. Many intransitive verbs (verbs without a direct object).
  3. Reflexive verbs.

Examples:

  • Regular:
  • Ik heb hard gewerkt. (I have worked hard.)
  • Zij heeft Nederlands geleerd. (She has learned Dutch.) (leren -> leer -> geleerd)
  • Wij hebben een pizza besteld. (We have ordered a pizza.) (bestellen -> bestel -> besteld)
  • Irregular:
  • Hij heeft een boek gelezen. (He has read a book.) (lezen -> gelezen)
  • Jij hebt koffie gedronken. (You have drunk coffee.) (drinken -> gedronken)
  • Wat hebben jullie gedaan? (What have you done?) (doen -> gedaan)
  • Ze hebben de film gezien. (They have seen the film.) (zien -> gezien)

Key Points:

  • The perfect tense connects a past action to the present.
  • The structure is hebben/zijn + ... + past participle.
  • Hebben is the most common auxiliary verb.
  • Remember the 't Kofschip rule for regular past participles.
  • Memorize irregular past participles.
  • The past participle usually goes at the end of the clause.