Borrowed Grammar

Level 6

When Dutch adopts English verbs (like 'checken' or 'updaten'), they follow standard Dutch weak verb rules for conjugation and spelling, including the 't kofschip rule for past tenses.

How It Works

Dutch frequently adopts English verbs, especially in technology and business. Once adopted, these verbs are no longer English; they become Dutch weak verbs.

1. Finding the Stem
The stem is usually the English infinitive without the 'to'. However, if the English word ends in a silent 'e' that is necessary for pronunciation (like in race or time), that 'e' is kept in the Dutch stem to ensure the vowel stays long or the consonant stays soft: ik race, jij racet. This 'e' is maintained throughout the past tense as well: ik racete.

2. Spelling Adjustments
Dutch spelling rules regarding open and closed syllables apply. For example, to stress becomes stressen, and the first-person singular is ik stres. However, double consonants are preserved if simplification would change the English vowel sound, such as in ik app or ik jazz.

3. The Past Tense and Participle
The choice between -te and -de is determined by the 't kofschip rule. This is based on the sound of the stem, not just the letter. For example, faxen ends in an [s] sound, so it takes -te (faxte) and -t (gefaxt).

4. Final Consonants
Native Dutch spelling avoids a doubled consonant at the end of a word, but many loanwords keep one, such as app and jazz. The endings you add never double the last letter of the stem: to update becomes geüpdatet (not -ett) and to download becomes gedownload (not -odd).

5. The Trema
In some cases, a trema (ü) is added to the past participle to prevent vowel clashing, such as in geüpdatet (from updaten).

Examples (5)

  1. Ik heb de nieuwste aflevering gisteren gebingewatcht.

    I binge-watched the latest episode yesterday.

    Word by Word: I have the newest episode yesterday binge-watched.

    The English root 'bingewatch' ends in a 'ch' sound (voiceless), so it follows the 't kofschip rule and takes a -t in the past participle.

  2. Zij managet het team al drie jaar met veel succes.

    She has been managing the team for three years with great success.

    Word by Word: She manages the team already three year with much success.

    The silent 'e' from 'manage' is kept in the Dutch stem 'manage-' so that the 'g' is pronounced correctly as [dʒ].

  3. Heb je die foto al naar hem geappt?

    Have you already sent him that photo via WhatsApp?

    Word by Word: Have you that photo already to him 'apped'?

    The verb 'appen' (from WhatsApp) is fully integrated. The stem is 'app', and since 'p' is in 't kofschip, the participle ends in -t.

  4. Ik downloadde het bestand gisteren.

    I downloaded the file yesterday.

    Word by Word: I downloaded the file yesterday.

    The stem 'download' ends in a 'd' sound, so it takes the suffix -de, resulting in 'downloadde'.

  5. We hebben de software gisteren geüpdatet.

    We updated the software yesterday.

    Word by Word: We have the software yesterday updated.

    Note the trema on the 'u' to separate it from the 'e' in 'ge-', and the Dutch -t ending instead of the English -ed.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the English past participle ending (-ed) instead of the Dutch one (-d/-t).

    Ik heb het document gisteren checked.
    Ik heb het document gisteren gecheckt.

    Even though the word is English, it must follow Dutch conjugation rules. Since the 'k' sound is in 't kofschip, the participle ends in -t.

  • Forgetting the silent 'e' in the stem when it affects pronunciation.

    Hij managd de afdeling.
    Hij managet de afdeling.

    Without the 'e', the 'g' would be pronounced as a hard Dutch 'g' [x] instead of the English [dʒ]. This 'e' is also kept in the past tense: 'ik managede'.

  • Using -te after a stem that ends in a 'd' sound.

    Ik downloadte het bestand gisteren.
    Ik downloadde het bestand gisteren.

    The letter 'd' is not in 't kofschip, so the past tense takes -de, not -te.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

Borrowed GrammarLevel 6

Learn This First

Integrating loanwords (like 'googelen' or 'appen') requires a solid understanding of how Dutch verbs are conjugated in the present and past tenses. You must be able to identify the verb stem and apply standard Dutch suffix rules, including the 't kofschip rule for past forms, to foreign roots.