ge- + Verb Stem + -t/-d

Regular Past Participle

Level 2

ge- + stem + -t/-d
Used to form the perfect tenses (e.g., ik heb gewerkt) and the passive voice.

How It Works

To form a regular past participle in Dutch, follow these three steps:

1. Find the Stem
Start with the infinitive and remove the -en ending. Apply spelling rules to keep the vowel sound long or short as needed (e.g., maken → maak).

2. Add the Prefix 'ge-'
Add ge- to the front of the stem.
• Exception: If the verb already starts with an inseparable prefix like be-, ge-, er-, her-, ont-, or ver-, do not add ge- (e.g., betalen → betaald).
• Separable Verbs: The ge- is placed between the particle and the stem (e.g., opbellen → opgebeld).

3. Choose the Suffix (-t or -d)
Use the 't kofschip-x rule to decide:
• If the original consonant before the -en in the infinitive is one of the voiceless consonants in 't kofschip-x (t, k, f, s, ch, p, x), use -t.
• Otherwise, use -d.

Note: If the stem already ends in t or d, do not add another one (e.g., zetten → gezet).

Examples (5)

  1. Ik heb de hele dag gewerkt.

    I have worked all day.

    Word by Word: I have the whole day worked.

    Werken: stem 'werk' ends in 'k' (in 't kofschip), so it takes -t: ge + werk + t.

  2. Zij is naar Amsterdam gereisd.

    She traveled to Amsterdam.

    Word by Word: She is to Amsterdam traveled.

    Reizen: the stem is 'reis', but the original consonant in the infinitive is 'z' (not in 't kofschip), so it takes -d: ge + reis + d.

  3. Hij heeft het document getekend.

    He has signed the document.

    Word by Word: He has the document signed.

    Tekenen: stem 'teken' ends in 'n' (not in 't kofschip), so it takes -d: ge + teken + d.

  4. Ik heb mijn huiswerk al gemaakt.

    I have already done my homework.

    Word by Word: I have my homework already made.

    Maken: stem 'maak' ends in 'k' (in 't kofschip), so it takes -t: ge + maak + t.

  5. We hebben gisteren heerlijk gekookt.

    We cooked a delicious meal yesterday.

    Word by Word: We have yesterday delicious cooked.

    Koken: stem 'kook' ends in 'k' (in 't kofschip), so it takes -t: ge + kook + t.

Common Mistakes

  • Adding 'ge-' to verbs that already have an inseparable prefix.

    Ik heb de rekening gebetaald.
    Ik heb de rekening betaald.

    Verbs starting with be-, ge-, er-, her-, ont-, or ver- do not get an extra 'ge-' prefix in the past participle.

  • Using -t instead of -d because of the written stem's last letter.

    Ik heb in Utrecht geleeft.
    Ik heb in Utrecht geleefd.

    The 't kofschip rule applies to the consonant in the infinitive (leven -> v). Since 'v' is not in 't kofschip, we use -d, even though the stem is spelled with an 'f'.

  • Writing double consonants at the end of the participle.

    Wat is er gebeurdd?
    Wat is er gebeurd?

    The participle of 'gebeuren' is 'gebeurd'. A verb stem ending in -d never gets a second d in the participle, so 'gebeurdd' is not a Dutch spelling.

How It Connects

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

ge- + Verb Stem + -t/-dLevel 2Regular Past Participle

Learn This First

To form the regular past participle, you must first be able to identify the verb stem. You also need to understand Dutch spelling rules to decide between the -t and -d endings based on the stem's final consonant, and have a general understanding of how tenses are structured.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.

And 1 more in the full list.

Words in This Pattern

ge--t