't Kofschip and Borrowed Verbs

Level 4

When conjugating borrowed verbs (like English loanwords), the choice between -te/-t and -de/-d depends on the sound of the stem in the original language, ignoring silent letters.

How It Works

In Dutch, weak verbs form their past tense and past participle using suffixes. The 't Kofschip rule is the standard way to decide which suffix to use. For loanwords (mostly from English), this can be tricky because Dutch spelling often preserves the original look of the word.

1. The Sound Rule
You must look at the pronunciation of the stem, not the letters.

  • Voiceless sounds: If the stem ends in a sound like /s/, /f/, /k/, /p/, /t/, /ch/, or /sh/, the suffix is -te (past) or -t (participle). Note that the letter 'c' also triggers this if it is pronounced as /s/ (e.g., racen).
  • Voiced sounds: If the stem ends in a vowel or a voiced consonant like /d/, /b/, /g/, /v/, /z/, /m/, /n/, /l/, /r/, or the English 'soft g' (/dʒ/), the suffix is -de (past) or -d (participle).

2. The Silent 'E' and the Trema
Many English verbs end in a silent 'e' (e.g., manage, lease, update). In Dutch, we only keep this 'e' in the stem if it is necessary to preserve the pronunciation (like keeping the 'g' soft in gemanaged or the 'c' sounding like /s/ in geracet). Furthermore, if a loanword starts with a vowel sound that could merge with the prefix ge-, we use a trema (diaeresis) to indicate a new syllable, such as in geüpdatet.

3. No Doubled Letter From the Suffix
The suffix is not written when it would only double the last letter of the stem. If a stem already ends in 'd' (like download) or 't' (like chat), you do not add an extra 'd' or 't' to the past participle. For example: ik heb gedownload (not gedownloadd). Note: This rule does not apply if there is a silent 'e' in between, which is why we write geüpdatet (stem: update + t).

4. The 'X' and 'SH' Factor
Modern versions of the rule often use 't kofschip x or sexy fokschaap. The letter 'x' represents the /ks/ sound, which ends in a voiceless /s/, so verbs like faxen always take -t. Similarly, the English 'sh' sound (/ʃ/) is voiceless, even though 'sh' isn't explicitly in the mnemonic 't kofschip.

Examples (5)

  1. Ik heb gisteren de hele middag gecrasht op de bank.

    I crashed on the couch all afternoon yesterday.

    Word by Word: I have yesterday the whole afternoon crashed on the couch.

    The stem 'crash' ends in the voiceless /sh/ sound, so we add -t.

  2. Zij heeft het project uitstekend gemanaged.

    She managed the project excellently.

    Word by Word: She has the project excellently managed.

    The stem 'manage' ends in a voiced /dʒ/ sound. The silent 'e' is kept to preserve the soft 'g' sound, and we add -d.

  3. Heb je de nieuwste software al geüpdatet?

    Have you updated the latest software already?

    Word by Word: Have you the newest software already updated?

    For 'updaten', the stem is 'update'. Because the 'e' separates the two 't's, we must add the suffix -t, resulting in 'geüpdatet'.

  4. Ik heb dat bestand gisteren gedownload.

    I downloaded that file yesterday.

    Word by Word: I have that file yesterday downloaded.

    The stem 'download' already ends in 'd'. Because Dutch never ends a word with double 'd', we don't add another suffix letter.

  5. Ik heb de hele avond met mijn vrienden gechat.

    I chatted with my friends all evening.

    Word by Word: I have the whole evening with my friends chatted.

    The stem of 'chatten' is 'chat'. Since it already ends in 't', we do not add an extra 't' for the participle.

Common Mistakes

  • Using English spelling for the past participle.

    Ik heb de computer gecrashed.
    Ik heb de computer gecrasht.

    Even though it is an English word, you must apply Dutch grammar rules. Since 'sh' is voiceless, the Dutch ending must be -t.

  • Forgetting the extra 't' in 'geüpdatet'.

    Ik heb de app geüpdate.
    Ik heb de app geüpdatet.

    Unlike 'downloaden', the stem of 'updaten' ends in a silent 'e' (update). This 'e' prevents the two 't's from touching, so the rule against double consonants at the end of a word does not apply.

  • Adding an extra 'd' or 't' when the stem already ends in one without a silent 'e'.

    Ik heb het bestand gedownloadd.
    Ik heb het bestand gedownload.

    If the stem already ends in -d or -t (like download or chat), the participle needs no extra ending letter: gedownload, gechat.

How It Connects

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

't Kofschip and Borrowed VerbsLevel 4

Learn This First

To learn how 't kofschip applies to borrowed verbs (loanwords), you first need to understand the standard 't kofschip rule for native Dutch verbs. You must also be familiar with the general formation of past participles and how Dutch pronunciation (specifically final devoicing) interacts with the original foreign sounds of the borrowed words.

Words in This Pattern

't kofschip