toen

When (Past)

Level 2

Use toen to say "when" for things that happened in the past. It is strictly for past events and triggers a specific word order where the verb moves to the end.

How It Works

The word toen is essential for storytelling and narrating past events. Unlike the English "when," which can be used for any time, toen has two strict requirements:

1. The Time: It must refer to the past. You cannot use it for present or future scenarios.
2. The Frequency: It refers to a single specific event (e.g., "when the phone rang") or a single continuous block of time (e.g., "when I lived in Utrecht").

Important: Toen is never used as a question word. Even if you are asking about a specific past event, you must use wanneer (e.g., "Wanneer ben je getrouwd?").

Word Order (Syntax):
When used as a subordinating conjunction, toen triggers subordinate word order, moving the conjugated verb to the end of the clause. If the toen-clause comes first, the main clause uses inversion:

  • Toen ik klein was, woonde ik in een dorp. (When I was little, I lived in a village.)

Note on Adverbial Use:
Be aware that toen can also mean "then" or "at that time" when used as an adverb. In these cases, it does not trigger subordinate word order, but often triggers inversion with time if it starts the sentence:

  • En toen gingen we naar huis. (And then we went home.)

Examples (4)

  1. Toen ik tien jaar oud was, verhuisden we naar Amsterdam.

    When I was ten years old, we moved to Amsterdam.

    Word by Word: When I ten year old was, moved we to Amsterdam.

    This shows a single finished period in the past. Notice the verb 'was' at the end of the first clause and the inversion 'verhuisden we' in the second.

  2. Het begon te regenen toen ik naar buiten ging.

    It started to rain when I went outside.

    Word by Word: It started to rain when I to outside went.

    Here, 'toen' introduces a specific past action. The verb 'ging' is pushed to the end of its clause.

  3. Toen de film afgelopen was, gingen we naar huis.

    When the movie was finished, we went home.

    Word by Word: When the movie finished was, went we to house.

    A classic example of a sequence of events in the past using 'toen'.

  4. Ik sliep nog toen de wekker ging.

    I was still sleeping when the alarm went off.

    Word by Word: I slept still when the alarm went.

    This shows a specific moment interrupting a continuous state in the past.

Common Mistakes

  • Using 'toen' as a question word for past events.

    Toen ben je naar Nederland gekomen?
    Wanneer ben je naar Nederland gekomen?

    Even when asking about a specific event in the past, you must use 'wanneer' to ask the question. 'Toen' is only used as a conjunction or adverb, never to start a question.

  • Incorrect word order in the 'toen' clause.

    Toen ik was in Parijs, zag ik de Eiffeltoren.
    Toen ik in Parijs was, zag ik de Eiffeltoren.

    The verb 'was' must move to the end of the clause introduced by 'toen' because it triggers subordinate word order.

  • Using 'toen' for repeated habits in the past.

    Toen we vroeger naar oma gingen, kregen we altijd snoep.
    Als we vroeger naar oma gingen, kregen we altijd snoep.

    If an event happened repeatedly in the past (meaning 'whenever'), Dutch uses 'als' rather than 'toen'.

How It Connects

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

toenLevel 2When (Past)

Learn This First

To use 'toen' correctly, you need to understand how to conjugate verbs in the past tense (imperfectum) and how subordinating conjunctions affect Dutch word order by pushing the verb to the end of the clause.

Words in This Pattern