Editing Dutch grammar (section)

==Verbs==

Dutch verbs inflect for person and number, and for two [[Grammatical tense|tenses]] and three [[Grammatical mood|moods]]. However, there is considerable [[Syncretism (linguistics)|syncretism]] among the forms. In modern usage only the present singular indicative has different forms for different persons, all other number, tense and mood combinations have just one form for all persons.

Dutch verbs inflect in these two main tenses:
* The '''[[present tense]]''' is used to indicate present or future time, and may therefore be considered a "non-past" tense. It can express actions that are punctual, progressive or habitual.
* The '''[[past tense]]''' is used to indicate past time. The actions can be progressive or habitual at the time being discussed, as well as punctual in a sequence of retold events. It is not used to indicate completed punctual events that have relevance for the present; instead the (periphrastic) present perfect is used in this role. Contrast Dutch {{lang|nl|ik heb gisteren mijn vriend ontmoet}} with English {{lang|en|I met my friend yesterday}} — the time being discussed is past, but it is considered relevant in the present moment.

Verbs also inflect for the following moods:
* The '''[[indicative mood]]''' is the default mood of Dutch and is used for general statements.
* The '''[[subjunctive mood]]''' is used for statements that are perceived as hypothetical or desired. Due to syncretism it is only clearly distinguished from the indicative in the present singular. It is only slightly productive in modern Dutch, and is mainly restricted to formulaic phrases otherwise, such as {{lang|nl|leve de koning}} "long live the king" or {{lang|nl|mogen zij in vrede rusten}} "may they rest in peace". Usually, it is replaced by the indicative or by a periphrastic conditional phrase.
* The '''[[imperative mood]]''' is used for commands. It exists only for the second person; imperatives for other persons are expressed periphrastically ({{lang|nl|laten we...}} "let's..."). Only one form is used for both the singular and plural imperative in modern Dutch. The older separate plural imperative form has fallen out of use and is now archaic or overly formal in tone.

Other grammatical categories such as [[future tense]], [[passive voice]], [[progressive aspect|progressive]] or [[Perfect (grammar)|perfect aspect]] may be expressed periphrastically. Verbs additionally have an infinitive and two participles (present and past).

===Conjugation===
{{main|Dutch conjugation}}

Dutch conjugation resembles that of other continental West Germanic languages such as (Standard) German and Low German, and also the other Germanic languages to a lesser degree. Dutch retains the two main types of verb inherited from [[Proto-Germanic]]: [[Germanic weak verb|weak]] and [[Germanic strong verb|strong]]. [[Preterite-present verb]]s are also present, but can be considered irregular. All regular verbs conjugate the same in the present tense (including the infinitive and present participle), so the weak versus strong distinction only matters for the past tense.

The following is a general overview of the endings:

{| class="wikitable"
! Infinitive
| colspan="3" | -en
|-
! colspan="4" | Indicative mood
|-
|
! Present
! Weak past
! Strong past
|-
! 1st sing.
| –
| -de, -te
| –
|-
! 2nd sing. {{lang|nl|jij}}
| -(t)
| -de, -te
| –
|-
! 2nd sg+pl {{lang|nl|gij}}
| -t
| -de(t), -te(t)
| -t
|-
! 2nd sg+pl {{lang|nl|u}}
| -t
| -de, -te
| –
|-
! 3rd sing.
| -t
| -de, -te
| –
|-
! Plural
| -en
| -den, -ten
| -en
|-
! colspan="4" | Subjunctive mood
|-
|
! Present
! Weak past
! Strong past
|-
! Singular
| -e
| -de, -te
| -e
|-
! Plural
| -en
| -den, -ten
| -en
|-
! colspan="4" | Imperative mood
|-
! General
| colspan="3" | – 
|-
! Plural
| colspan="3" | -t
|-
! colspan="4" | Participles
|-
|
! Present
! Weak past
! Strong past
|-
!
| -end
| ge- -d, ge- -t
| ge- -en
|}

Weak verbs are the most common type of verb in Dutch, and the only productive type (all newly created verbs are weak). They form their past tense with an ending containing a [[dental consonant]], {{lang|nl|-d-}} or {{lang|nl|-t-}}. Which of the two is used depends on the final consonant of the verb stem. If the stem ends in a [[voiceless]] consonant, then {{lang|nl|-t-}} is used, otherwise {{lang|nl|-d-}}. It is often summarised with the [[mnemonic]] "[['t kofschip]]": if the verb stem ends with one of the consonants of {{lang|nl|'t kofschip}} ({{lang|nl|t, k, f, s, ch, p}}), then the past tense will have {{lang|nl|-t-}}. However, it also applies for {{lang|nl|c}}, {{lang|nl|q}} and {{lang|nl|x}} and any other letter that is voiceless in pronunciation.

* {{lang|nl|wer'''k'''en, wer'''kt'''e}} ("to work, worked")
* {{lang|nl|le'''r'''en, lee'''rd'''e}} ("to learn/teach, learned/taught")
* {{lang|nl|ra'''z'''en, raa'''sd'''e}} ("to rage, raged")
* {{lang|nl|los'''s'''en, lo'''st'''e}} ("to lose/get rid of, lost")

Strong verbs are less common in Dutch, but they include many of the most common verbs. They form their past tenses by changing the vowel of the stem ([[Indo-European ablaut|ablaut]]). For strong verbs one needs to learn three or four [[principal parts]]: the infinitive, the past (singular), optionally the past plural, and the past participle. However, the vowel patterns are often predictable and can be divided into seven or so classes, based on the vowels used in these three principal parts. Some verbs are a mixture of two classes.

Examples:

* {{lang|nl|rijden, reed, gereden}} ("ride, rode, ridden", class 1)
* {{lang|nl|binden, bond, gebonden}} ("bind, bound, bound", class 3a)
* {{lang|nl|geven, gaf, gegeven}} ("give, gave, given", class 5)
* {{lang|nl|lopen, liep, gelopen}} ("walk/run, walked, walked", class 7b)

A number of verbs mix the strong and weak types of past. They have a strong past participle but all the other past tense forms are weak, or the other way around.

* {{lang|nl|lachen, lachte, gelachen}} ("laugh, laughed, laughed", weak past, strong past participle)
* {{lang|nl|zouten, zoutte, gezouten}} ("salt, salted, salted", weak past, strong past participle)
* {{lang|nl|vragen, vroeg, gevraagd}} ("ask, asked, asked", strong past, weak past participle)

Some of the most used verbs in the Dutch language have irregular conjugations which don't follow the normal rules. This includes especially the preterite-present verbs. These verbs historically had present tense forms that resembled the past tenses of strong verbs, and can be recognised in modern Dutch by the absence of the {{lang|nl|-t}} in the third-person singular present (the English equivalents lack the {{lang|nl|-s}} in the same way). Preterite-present verbs have weak past tenses, but often irregularly formed. Many of these verbs are now used as auxiliary verbs.

The additional {{lang|nl|-t}} of the second-person {{lang|nl|gij}}-form is optional in the past tense for weak verbs and is usually considered archaic. For strong verbs, the -t is always required.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://taaladvies.net/taal/advies/vraag/343/gij_had_hadt/|title=Gij had / Hadt – Taaladvies}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.vrt.be/taal/gij |title=Gij &#124; VRT-Taalnet |access-date=2015-05-17 |archive-date=2015-05-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150518102604/http://www.vrt.be/taal/gij |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://taalhelden.org/bericht/kwaamt-en-werdt |title=Kwaamt en werdt &#124; Taalhelden |access-date=2015-05-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151230235057/http://taalhelden.org/bericht/kwaamt-en-werdt |archive-date=2015-12-30 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

====Modal Verbs====

Like English, Dutch uses [[modal verbs]], such as {{lang|nl|kunnen}} ("can"), {{lang|nl|mogen}} ("may"), {{lang|nl|zullen}} ("shall/will"), {{lang|nl|moeten}} ("must"), and {{lang|nl|willen}} ("want"). These verbs act abnormally and in conjunction with infinitives. Modal verbs are among the few verbs which have irregular conjugation in the present tense.

A special feature of Dutch modal verbs not present in English is that speakers tend to omit the infinitive verb {{lang|nl|gaan}} ("go"), {{lang|nl|komen}} ("come"), and similar verbs when a modal verb is finite and there is a preposition.

* {{lang|nl|Ik '''wil''' niet '''naar''' school.}} ("I do not want to go to school.")
* {{lang|nl|Hij '''wil''' '''met''' een auto.}} ("He wants to come by car.")

===Non-finite forms===

Dutch possesses present and past [[participle]]s.

====Present participle====

The present participle is always progressive in meaning, and indicates that something is performing the action as the subject. It is usually used as an attributive adjective, and inflects as such as well.

* {{lang|nl|Ik heb een '''vallende''' ster gezien.}} ("I saw a '''falling''' star.")
* {{lang|nl|'''Blaffende''' honden bijten niet.}} ("'''Barking''' dogs don't bite.")
* {{lang|nl|Het nieuws verspreidt zich als een '''lopend''' vuurtje.}} ("The news spreads like wildfire." — literally "like a '''running''' fire")

It can also be used as an adverb, meaning "while ...ing". Either the uninflected or inflected form can be used, although the uninflected form is more common outside set phrases.

* {{lang|nl|Al '''doende''' leert men.}} ("One learns '''while doing'''.")
* {{lang|nl|Dit werk is zo makkelijk, ik word '''slapend''' rijk.}} ("This work is so easy, I'm getting rich '''while sleeping'''.")
* {{lang|nl|'''Huilend''' vertelde de jongen wat er die dag gebeurd was.}} ("'''Crying''', the boy told what had happened that day.")

Rarely, the present participle is used as a [[Predicate (grammar)|predicate]], to indicate progressive actions as in English, such as {{lang|nl|De bal was '''rollende'''.}} ("The ball was '''rolling'''."). This is usually associated with a stilted or overly formal style. It is more usual to use {{lang|nl|aan het}} plus the infinitive.

The present participle of a transitive verb can be preceded by an object or an adverb. Often, the space between the two words is replaced with a hyphen or removed altogether, creating a compound adjective.
* {{lang|nl|Ik zat vast in '''langzaam rijdend''' verkeer.}} ("I was stuck in '''slow-moving''' traffic.")
* {{lang|nl|Het hondje slaakte een '''hartverscheurende''' kreet.}} ("The little dog let out a '''heart-rending''' cry.")
* {{lang|nl|'''Stenengooiende''' jongeren zijn een steeds ernstiger probleem.}} ("'''Rock-throwing''' youths are an increasingly severe problem.")

====Past participle====

The past participle indicates completed actions. It is also used to form the [[Perfect (grammar)|perfect]] and the [[passive voice]] with a variety of auxiliary verbs. The formation of these is discussed in the section "periphrastic forms".

As an adjective, the meaning of the past participle can be either active (having performed the action) or passive (having undergone the action), depending on the type of verb:

* For transitive verbs, the meaning is passive. Examples:
** {{lang|nl|De '''gemaakte''' keuze bleek niet zo geweldig.}} ("The '''made''' choice (the choice '''that had been made''') turned out to be not so great.")
** {{lang|nl|'''Gebroken''' glas is gevaarlijk.}} ("'''Broken''' glass is dangerous.")
* For [[unaccusative]] intransitive verbs, the meaning is active. Examples:
** {{lang|nl|De '''gevallen''' man kon niet meer opstaan.}} ("The '''fallen''' man could not get back up again.")
** {{lang|nl|Iedereen ging op zoek naar het '''verdwenen''' hondje.}} ("Everyone went looking for the dog '''that had disappeared'''.")
* For [[unergative]] intransitive verbs, the past participle cannot be used as an adjective at all. These participles can not be used with a copula such as {{lang|nl|zijn}} ("to be") either, but only to form the perfect.

Like present participles, past participles can be preceded by an adverb.
* {{lang|nl|'''Haastig gemaakte''' keuzes leiden later vaak tot problemen.}} ("'''Hastily-made''' choices often lead to problems later.")
* {{lang|nl|Ik heb het liefst '''versgemaakt''' sinaasappelsap.}} ("I prefer '''freshly-made''' orange juice.")
* {{lang|nl|'''Jong geleerd''' is '''oud gedaan'''.}} ("'''Learned young''' is '''done old'''.", a proverb)

====Infinitive====

=====Verb phrases=====
The infinitive can be used in larger verb phrases with an [[auxiliary verb]] or [[modal verb]], much as in English. Like present participles, the infinitive can be accompanied by an object or adverb.

*{{lang|nl|Ik kan de auto '''zien'''.}} ("I can '''see''' the car")

=====Verbal noun=====
The infinitive also doubles as a verbal noun, corresponding to the [[English gerund]] in {{lang|en|-ing}}. The infinitive, when used as a noun, is neuter and has no plural. Dutch also has a feminine gerund in {{lang|nl|-ing}}, but this is no longer productive and usually has a concrete, technical meaning, e.g. {{lang|nl|het lenen}} 'borrowing, lending' vs. {{lang|nl|de lening}} 'loan'; {{lang|nl|het opleiden}} 'educating' vs. {{lang|nl|opleiding}} 'education'.

* {{lang|nl|Het '''doden''' van mensen is verboden.}} – 'The killing of people is forbidden', or less literally 'Killing people is forbidden'.
* {{lang|nl|Ik heb een hekel aan '''wachten'''.}} – 'I hate waiting.'

In the past, the infinitive was inflected for the dative and genitive. There are a few remnants of the latter, e.g. in:

* {{lang|nl|Tot zien'''s'''!}} – 'See you!'
* {{lang|nl|Een uur gaan'''s'''}}. – 'A distance that can be walked in one hour.'

It also occurs in expressions involving {{lang|nl|tot ... toe}} (until ... resulted):

* {{lang|nl|Hij werd tot bloeden'''s''' toe geslagen.}} – 'He was beaten until bleeding resulted.'

=====Impersonal imperative=====
The infinitive is also commonly used as a kind of impersonal or polite imperative (''infinitivus pro imperativo''). This often has a meaning much like the English “one must (not)…” or “please do (not)…” and can be used to soften a direct command into more of a strong request, or to make the command more general (e.g. on signs and in written instructions) rather than directed at the listener or reader at that specific moment in time. The distinction is not always clear, and often both the infinitive and the imperative may be used without a strong difference in meaning.

* {{lang|nl|Niet '''roken'''}} 'No smoking' (or less literally 'please refrain from smoking'), versus {{lang|nl|rook niet}} 'don't smoke!'.
* {{lang|nl|Hier '''betalen'''}} 'Pay here', alternatively {{lang|nl|betaal hier}}.
* {{lang|nl|'''Schudden''' voor gebruik}} 'Shake before use'.

=====With {{lang|nl|te}}=====
The infinitive is often preceded by the preposition {{lang|nl|te}}, analogous to the phrase {{lang|en|to}} + verb in English. It is used in combination with certain verbs like {{lang|nl|beginnen}} 'to begin'.

* {{lang|nl|Hij begon '''te hoesten'''}} ("He started '''to cough'''")

In combination with {{lang|nl|zijn}} 'to be' it can express a potentiality.

* {{lang|nl|Dat was '''te verwachten'''}}  ("That was '''to be expected'''").

The extended form can be used as an adjective:

* {{lang|nl|De '''te verwachten''' menigte}} ("The crowd '''that is to be expected'''")

But it can still carry adverbial expressions or objects:

*{{lang|nl|De '''in dat geval te verwachten''' menigte}} ("The crowd '''that is be expected in that case'''").

Compound infinitives also exist for the perfect and the future, as well as for the passive voice of transitive verbs, and they can be used to form abridged dependent clauses.

*{{lang|nl|Hij beloofde dat '''te zullen betalen'''.}} ("He promised '''that he would pay''' that")

===Transitivity===

Depending on meaning and use, Dutch verbs belong to one of a handful of '''transitivity classes''':
* '''[[Unergative verb|Unergative]]''' [[intransitive verb]]s do not take a [[grammatical object]], and have [[active voice|active]] meaning (the subject is the [[Agent (grammar)|agent]]). The perfect is formed with the auxiliary {{lang|nl|hebben}}. They possess an impersonal passive voice.
* '''[[Unaccusative verb|Unaccusative]]''' intransitive verbs do not take a grammatical object, and have [[passive voice|passive]] or [[middle voice|middle]] meaning (the subject is the [[patient]] or there is no clear agent). The perfect is formed with the auxiliary {{lang|nl|zijn}}.
* '''[[Transitive verb|Transitive]]''' verbs take a grammatical object. The subject is the agent, the object is either direct (patient) or indirect. The passive voice is formed with the auxiliary {{lang|nl|worden}}. The perfect is formed with the auxiliary {{lang|nl|hebben}} when the direct object becomes subject, and with the auxiliary {{lang|nl|krijgen}} when the indirect object becomes subject. The perfect passive is formed with {{lang|nl|zijn}}.
* '''[[Ditransitive verb|Ditransitive]]''' verbs take two grammatical objects, a direct object (patient) and an indirect object. These act like transitive verbs in most respects.
* '''Middle verbs''', also called '''verbs of innocence''', are essentially transitive unaccusative verbs, and take a grammatical object. The perfect is formed with the auxiliary {{lang|nl|zijn}}, while the passive is formed with {{lang|nl|worden}} and the perfect passive also with {{lang|nl|zijn}}. The use of the perfect auxiliary {{lang|nl|zijn}} carries an implication that the subject is not the direct initiator of the action or cannot or does not want to be held responsible for it. This includes verbs such as {{lang|nl|vergeten}} "to forget" and {{lang|nl|verliezen}} "to lose (an object)".
* '''Reflexive verbs''' are accompanied by a reflexive pronoun as object
* '''Impersonal verbs''' only take an indefinite pronoun {{lang|nl|het}} (it) as subject
* '''Absolute verbs''' are similar to unergatives, but they lack an impersonal passive form

Verbs can belong to several classes at once, depending on use. Specifically, many transitive verbs can also be used intransitively, and are thus [[ambitransitive]]. For example, {{lang|nl|ik eet een appel}} "I eat an apple" contains a transitive verb, while {{lang|nl|ik eet}} "I eat" contains an unergative intransitive verb. Most ditransitive verbs can also be used as monotransitive verbs (with only one object, direct or indirect) or even as intransitives.

Whether an intransitive use is unergative or unaccusative depends both on the verb and on the meaning in which it is used. Generally, most transitive verbs become unergatives when the object is removed; these are [[accusative verb]]s. But there is also a sizable number of so-called [[ergative verb]]s, which become unaccusative when there is no object. Consequently, these verbs switch from active to either passive or middle meaning when the object is dropped. Examples exist in both Dutch and English, such as the transitive {{lang|nl|ik breek het glas}} "I break the glass" versus unaccusative {{lang|nl|het glas breekt}} "the glass breaks". In both cases, the glass is the patient, but in the first case it's the direct object while in the second it's the subject. The auxiliary {{lang|nl|zijn}} of such verbs is used for both passive and intransitive use, making those uses essentially indistinguishable. The phrase {{lang|nl|het glas is gebroken}} can be interpreted as both "the glass has been broken" and "the glass is broken".

Alongside the normal conjugated verb forms, Dutch has a variety of verbal meanings that are expressed using auxiliary verbs or other additional words. The use of auxiliary verbs, particularly of the perfect tenses and the passive voice -if extant-, depends on the transitivity class of the verb.

====Perfect, future and passive====

The [[Perfect (grammar)|perfect]] indicates that an action is complete. In Dutch the completion can take place in present, past, present future or past future:

*{{lang|nl|Ik heb gegeten}} 'I ate', literally 'I have eaten' – present perfect (with simple past meaning)
*{{lang|nl|Ik had gegeten}} 'I had eaten' or 'I had been eating' – past perfect (with pluperfect meaning)
*{{lang|nl|Ik zal gegeten hebben}} 'I shall have eaten' – future perfect
*{{lang|nl|Ik zou gegeten hebben}} 'I would have eaten' – past conditional (either as [[Future in the past|future-in-the-past]] or conditional mood)

The future tenses all take the auxiliary verb {{lang|nl|zullen}}, cognate with English {{lang|en|shall}}.
The [[passive voice]] indicates that the subject undergoes the action rather than performing it itself. Both categories are formed with a variety of auxiliary verbs.

{| class="wikitable"
! Verb type
! Present
! Perfect
! Passive
! Perfect passive
|-
| [[accusative verb|accusative]] transitive<br />{{lang|nl|openen}} 'to open'
| {{lang|nl|Ik '''open''' de doos.}}<br />'I '''am opening''' the box'.
| '''hebben'''<br />{{lang|nl|Ik '''heb''' de doos '''geopend'''.}}<br />'I '''opened''' the box.'
| '''worden'''<br />{{lang|nl|De doos '''wordt geopend'''.}}<br />'The box '''is (being) opened'''.'
| '''zijn'''<br />{{lang|nl|De doos '''is geopend'''.}}<br />'The box '''has been opened'''.'
|-
| [[ergative verb|ergative]] transitive<br />{{lang|nl|breken}} 'to break'
| {{lang|nl|Ik '''breek''' het glas.}}<br />'I am breaking the glass'<br />{{lang|nl|Het glas '''breekt'''.}}<br />'The glass '''is breaking / breaks'''.'
| '''hebben'''<br />{{lang|nl|Ik '''heb''' het glas '''gebroken'''.}}<br />'I '''broke''' the glass.'
| '''worden'''<br />{{lang|nl|Het glas '''wordt gebroken'''.}}<br />'The glass '''is (being) broken'''.'
| '''zijn'''<br />{{lang|nl|Het glas '''is gebroken'''.}}<br />'The glass '''has (been) broken'''.'
|-
| [[unergative verb|unergative]] intransitive<br />{{lang|nl|blaffen}} 'to bark'
| {{lang|nl|De hond '''blaft'''.}}<br />'The dog '''is barking'''.'
| '''hebben'''<br />{{lang|nl|De hond '''heeft geblaft'''.}}<br />'The dog '''barked'''.'
| '''worden'''<br />{{lang|nl|Er '''wordt geblaft''' (door de hond).}}<br />≈ 'Barking can be heard.'
| '''zijn'''<br />{{lang|nl|Er '''is geblaft''' (door de hond).}}<br />≈ 'Barking was heard.'
|-
| [[unaccusative verb|unaccusative]] intransitive<br />{{lang|nl|vallen}} 'to fall'
| {{lang|nl|De boom '''valt'''.}}<br />'The tree '''is falling''''.
| '''zijn'''<br />{{lang|nl|De boom '''is gevallen'''.}}<br />'The tree '''fell'''.'
| —
| —
|}

As can be seen in the table, in the case of unaccusative verbs, the auxiliary {{lang|nl|hebben}} cannot be used for the perfect, unlike in English. In general these are verbs that describe a process (e.g. to happen, melt, die) rather than an action. That means that there is no (clear) actor involved.

As in English, ergative verbs can occur both in a transitive (I break the glass) and in an unaccusative mode (the glass breaks). In Dutch the perfect of the latter takes {{lang|nl|zijn}} 'to be', so that {{lang|nl|het glas is gebroken}} can either be seen as a perfect passive or as a perfect unaccusative. Dutch differs from German in that the latter language would add the participle {{lang|nl|worden}} to the passive sentence: {{lang|de|Das Glas ist gebrochen '''worden'''}}.

Unergatives in general do possess passive forms, but they are ''impersonal''.  They typically take the adverb {{lang|nl|er}} as a dummy subject and are hard to translate directly into English. {{lang|nl|Er wordt geblaft}} means something like 'There's barking going on' or 'There's some dog barking'. Impersonal constructions of this kind are quite common in the language. The passives of transitive verbs can also be given an impersonal flavor by adding the dummy adverb {{lang|nl|er}}, provided the subject is indefinite, e.g. {{lang|nl|Er worden dozen geopend}} 'There are boxes being opened' or 'Boxes are being opened'.

Verbs of motion like {{lang|nl|lopen}} 'to walk', {{lang|nl|zwemmen}} 'to swim', {{lang|nl|rijden}} 'to ride, drive' typically occur as unaccusative / unergative pairs. If the motion is directional it is seen as a {{lang|nl|process}} and the auxiliary is {{lang|nl|zijn}}. If the motion is not directional it is seen as an action and the auxiliary verb is {{lang|nl|hebben}}, unless the verb is used in the impersonal passive in which case it can take {{lang|nl|worden}} and {{lang|nl|zijn}}.
;directional
*{{lang|nl|Ik loop naar huis}} – 'I am walking home'
*{{lang|nl|Ik '''ben''' naar huis gelopen}} – 'I walked home'
;non-directional
*{{lang|nl|Ik loop veel}} – 'I walk a lot'
*{{lang|nl|Ik '''heb''' veel gelopen}} – 'I walked a lot'
*{{lang|nl|Er '''wordt''' veel gelopen}} – 'There is a lot of walking going on'
Note also that the meanings of the formations that use {{lang|nl|zijn}} correspond to the meaning of the past participle when used as an adjective. Thus, unergative verbs can never use {{lang|nl|zijn}} as the auxiliary as their past participles cannot be used as adjectives. Furthermore, for ergative verbs, the passive does not differ significantly in meaning from the regular intransitive present tense. This is also true of English: a glass that {{lang|nl|breaks}} is a glass that {{lang|nl|is (being) broken}}.

The forms listed above can occur in both present and past tense. The table lists the present tense forms, while the past tense is formed by conjugating the auxiliary verb in the past tense. Thus, this creates {{lang|nl|Ik '''had''' de doos '''geopend'''.}} 'I '''had opened''' the box.' and so on.

When the perfect is created from a phrase that already uses an auxiliary verb, the auxiliary gets used in the infinitive form, rather than the past participle. Some auxiliary verbs even have no past participle due to this. For example:
* {{lang|nl|Ik '''zal''' morgen komen.}} 'I '''will''' come tomorrow.' → {{lang|nl|Ik '''had''' morgen '''zullen''' komen.}} 'I '''had been going to''' come tomorrow.'
* {{lang|nl|Hij '''moet''' de deur sluiten.}} 'He '''has to''' close the door.' → {{lang|nl|Hij '''heeft''' de deur '''moeten''' sluiten.}} 'He '''has had to''' close the door.'

=====Ditransitive verbs=====
Ditransitive verbs carry both a direct and an indirect object. In English both objects can become the subject of a passive construction and the same auxiliary is used to form it:

*I give the man a book
*The man '''is''' given a book by me
*A book '''is''' given to the man by me.

In Dutch a verb like {{lang|nl|schenken}} (to donate) follows a similar pattern but the auxiliary {{lang|nl|krijgen}} (to get) is used for the pseudo-passive construction that renders the indirect object into the subject, whereas {{lang|nl|worden}} is used for passive involving the direct object:

*Ik schenk de man een boek
*De man '''krijgt''' van mij een boek geschonken
*Een boek '''wordt''' door mij aan de man geschonken.

The following three groups of verbs only take the auxiliary {{lang|nl|hebben}} in the perfect tenses.

=====Impersonal verbs=====
Impersonal verbs have no true subject, but use a dummy subject pronoun {{lang|nl|het}} ("it"). These verbs often refer to conditions, such as the weather:
* {{lang|nl|Het regent.}} ("It rains." or "It is raining.")
* {{lang|nl|Het onweert.}} ("A thunderstorm is happening.")

=====Reflexive verbs=====
Reflexive verbs take a reflexive pronoun like {{lang|nl|me}}, {{lang|nl|je}} or {{lang|nl|zich}} as their (dummy) direct object and take {{lang|nl|hebben}} in the perfect. This contrasts with e.g. French, where être (to be) is used as perfect auxiliary.

*Ik vergiste me  (I mistook, made an error)
*Ik heb me vergist

Some of these occur in pairs with a transitive form, replacing the unaccusative component of an ergative.

*Ratten verspreiden de ziekte – -(Rats spread the disease)
*De ziekte verspreidt zich – (The disease is spreading)

There are no verbs that ''only'' occur in a reciprocal form, but those that can take the reciprocal pronoun {{lang|nl|elkaar}} (each other) also take {{lang|nl|hebben}} in the perfect, thus behaving like reflexive ones.

*Massa's trekken elkaar aan. – (Masses attract each other.)
*De magneten hadden elkaar aangetrokken – (The magnets had attracted each other).

=====Absolute verbs=====
These verbs resemble the unergative ones, except that they do not possess an impersonal passive.

*De zon schijnt – (The sun shines)
* *Er wordt geschenen <- does not exist ->

Some of them may carry a direct object, but they have neither a personal, nor an impersonal passive:

*Een jas aanhebben – (To wear a coat)
* *Een jas wordt aangehad <- does not exist ->

Similarly the past participle cannot be used as adjective:

* *De aangehadde jas <- does not exist ->

====Future====

Although the present tense can be used to indicate future events, there is also a more explicit future tense in Dutch. It is formed using the auxiliary {{lang|nl|zullen}} ("will, shall, be going to"), which can be conjugated in both present and past tense. The "past future" carries a sense having pledged or promised to do something, or having been expected to do it, much as "was/were going to" does in English.

* {{lang|nl|Ik '''zal''' het morgen doen.}} ("I '''will''' do it tomorrow." or "I '''am going to''' do it tomorrow.")
* {{lang|nl|Je '''zou''' gisteren de ramen schoonmaken!}} ("You '''were going to''' clean the windows yesterday!")

An alternative future tense is formed using {{lang|nl|gaan}} ("to go") as the auxiliary. It is used in its literal meaning to indicate that one is moving to a place to perform an action, or is intending to do so ("be going to go"). More generally, it can indicate any kind of intention or plan to perform the action. It can also imply the start of an action in the future.

* {{lang|nl|Ik '''ga''' morgen met mijn vriendinnen winkelen.}} ("I'm '''going to go''' shopping with my friends tomorrow.")
* {{lang|nl|Voor vandaag is het werk klaar; morgen '''gaan''' ze verder werken.}} ("For today the work is done; tomorrow they're '''going to''' continue working.")
* {{lang|nl|Het '''gaat''' zo hard regenen.}} ("It's '''going to start''' raining hard in a moment.")

====Conditional====

The [[conditional mood]] is formed using the past tense of {{lang|nl|zullen}}, which is {{lang|nl|zou}} in the singular and {{lang|nl|zouden}} in the plural. It is therefore somewhat analogous to the use of ''would'' in English, as the past tense of the future auxiliary ''will''. The conditional is identical in form to the "past future" described above, but is always accompanied by some kind of condition that the verb depends on, usually introduced with conjunctions like {{lang|nl|als}} ("if").

* {{lang|nl|Ik '''zou''' dat niet doen als ik jou was.}} ("I '''would''' not do that if I were you.")
* {{lang|nl|Hij '''zou''' de ramen niet hebben schoongemaakt, als ze niet vies waren.}} ("He '''would''' not have cleaned the windows, if they were not dirty.")

====Progressive====

The [[progressive aspect]] indicates that an action is ongoing and in progress. It is formed using {{lang|nl|zijn}} + {{lang|nl|aan het}} + infinitive of action verb. It is equivalent to the English 'be ...-ing' or 'be in the middle of ...-ing', but is not used as often.

* {{lang|nl|Je zult even moeten wachten, ik '''ben''' nu '''aan het eten'''.}} 'You'll have to wait (a while), I '''am eating''' now.'
* {{lang|nl|Hij '''was''' de ramen '''aan het schoonmaken''' toen de telefoon ging.}} 'He '''was cleaning''' the windows when the phone rang.'

Unlike in English, the progressive cannot be combined with the perfect to make a hypothetical "perfect progressive". Both "I have been eating" and "I had been eating" are expressed using the simple past tense form of the progressive: {{lang|nl|Ik '''was aan het eten'''.}}

A similar expression is {{lang|nl|bezig}} + {{lang|nl|zijn te}} + infinitive of action verb or {{lang|nl|bezig zijn met}} + action noun.

* {{lang|nl|Hij '''is bezig''' de klok '''te repareren'''.}} 'He's (busy) repairing the clock'.
** Or: {{lang|nl|Hij '''is bezig met''' de reparatie van de klok.}} 'Idem'.
* {{lang|nl|Je '''bent''' de hele dag '''bezig met''' dat kind '''te helpen'''.}} 'You're spending the whole day helping that child.' (notice the superfluous {{lang|nl|met}} which is colloquial).

A different way to render progressive aspect is to use the (static) verbs {{lang|nl|zitten}} 'to sit', {{lang|nl|lopen}} 'to walk', {{lang|nl|staan}} 'to stand' and {{lang|nl|liggen}} 'to lie' with {{lang|nl|te}} + infinitive. These verbs, when in the perfect, all use a double infinitive.
* {{lang|nl|Ik '''zit te eten'''.}}  – 'I'm sat down eating' (UK) or 'I'm sitting here eating' (North America).
* {{lang|nl|Ik '''sta''' de ramen '''schoon te maken'''.}} – 'I'm stood (here) cleaning windows' (UK) or 'I'm standing here cleaning windows' (North America).
* {{lang|nl|Jantje '''ligt te slapen'''.}}  – 'Jantje is sleeping'.

The literal meaning of the verbs ''to sit'' or ''to stand'' etc. is often secondary to their durative aspect.