't Kofschip

Level 2

Use 't kofschip (t, k, f, s, ch, p) to decide between -te/-t (voiceless) and -de/-d (voiced) endings for regular verbs.

How It Works

The 't kofschip rule (sometimes called 't sexy fokschaap to include the letter x) is the standard way to conjugate regular (weak) verbs in the past tense and past participle.

How to apply the rule:
1. Take the infinitive (the full verb, e.g., werken).
2. Remove the -en ending to find the stem (e.g., werk-). Warning: For verbs like reizen or leven, the stem ends in z or v. You must use these letters for the rule, even if the spelling changes in the 'ik-vorm' (ik reis, ik leef).
3. Look at the last letter of this stem.
4. If that letter is t, k, f, s, ch, p (or x), the verb is 'voiceless'. Add -te(n) for the past tense, or -t for the past participle.
5. If the letter is a vowel or any other consonant (like l, r, m, n, b, g, v, z), it is 'voiced'. Add -de(n) for the past tense, or -d for the past participle.

Important Spelling Note: A regular past participle does not end in a doubled t or d. If the stem already ends in t or d, you do not add another one for the past participle (e.g., zetten becomes gezet, not gezett). However, in the past tense, you do write both (e.g., ik zette, het brandde).

Examples (6)

  1. werken (werk-)

    to work (stem ends in 'k' -> in the ship)

    Past: werkte / Participle: gewerkt

  2. zetten (zet-)

    to put/set (stem ends in 't' -> in the ship)

    Past: zette / Participle: gezet (Note: no double 't' at the end of the participle!)

  3. skiën (ski-)

    to ski (stem ends in a vowel -> NOT in the ship)

    Past: skiede / Participle: geskied (Vowels always count as voiced/not in the ship)

  4. Ik fietste gisteren naar school.

    I cycled to school yesterday.

    Word by Word: I cycled yesterday to school.

    Fietsen -> stem 'fiets' ends in 's', which is in the ship, so we add -te.

  5. Hij heeft de hele dag gedanst.

    He has danced all day.

    Word by Word: He has the whole day danced.

    Dansen -> stem 'dans' ends in 's', so the past participle ends in -t.

  6. De man heeft de fax gefaxt.

    The man faxed the fax.

    Word by Word: The man has the fax gefaxed.

    Faxen -> stem 'fax' ends in 'x'. Modern rules include 'x' in the ship, so we use -t.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the written 'ik-form' instead of the infinitive stem.

    Ik reiste
    Ik reisde

    Learners see 'ik reis' and think the 's' means it gets a -t. However, the infinitive is 'reizen'. The stem is 'reiz-'. Since 'z' is not in the ship, it must be -de.

  • Applying 't kofschip to the present tense.

    Hij werkdt
    Hij werkt

    't Kofschip is ONLY for the past tense and past participle. Present tense follows the -t/-en endings rules.

  • Forgetting to double the 't' or 'd' in the past tense, or doubling it in the participle.

    Het brande / Ik heb gebrandd
    Het brandde / Ik heb gebrand

    In the past tense, you add -de to the stem 'brand', resulting in 'brandde'. In the past participle the stem already ends in -d, so the -d of the ending is not written twice: 'gebrand', not 'gebrandd'.

How It Connects

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

't KofschipLevel 2

Learn This First

To use the 't kofschip rule, you first need to know how to find a verb's stem by removing the -en from the infinitive. Once you have the stem, you check if its last letter is one of the consonants in the phrase ''t kofschip' to decide whether the past tense suffix starts with a 't' or a 'd'.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.

Words in This Pattern

't kofschip