_Geleden_ means ago and comes after the time: _twee jaar geleden_. _Sinds_ means since, and _over_ plus an amount of time means in, looking forward: _over een week_. For something that started in the past and is still true, Dutch normally uses the present tense (the verb form for now) with _al_: _Ik woon hier al twee jaar_ means I have lived here for two years.
The pattern
Put _geleden_ after an amount of time for ago, _sinds_ before a starting point for since, and _over_ before an amount of time for in (the future). For a situation that started in the past and is still going on, Dutch normally uses the present tense with _al_ or _sinds_.
- _drie dagen geleden_: a finished moment in the past, so the verb is in a past tense, usually the [perfect](#/lesson/perfect-tense) (the past with _hebben_ or _zijn_): _Ik ben drie dagen geleden verhuisd._
- _sinds maandag_, _sinds 2021_, _sinds mijn verjaardag_: _sinds_ plus the moment something began.
- _al drie weken_: _al_ plus how long it has lasted so far, with the present: _Ik werk hier al drie weken._
- _al_ and _sinds_ often team up: _Ik werk hier al sinds maart._
- _over een uur_, _over twee weken_: counting forward from now. The present tense is usually enough: _Ik heb over twee weken vakantie._ You will sometimes hear _in tien minuten_ with this meaning too, but _over_ is the usual choice.
- Elsewhere _over_ often means about (_een boek over Amsterdam_), but before an amount of time it means in.
Examples
| Ik ben drie jaar geleden naar Nederland gekomen. | I came to the Netherlands three years ago. |
|---|---|
| Sanne heeft me een uur geleden gebeld. | Sanne called me an hour ago. |
| Mei woont sinds 2022 in Utrecht. | Mei has lived in Utrecht since 2022. |
| Het regent al sinds vanochtend. | It has been raining since this morning. |
| Ahmed werkt al zes maanden bij de bakker. | Ahmed has worked at the baker's for six months. |
| Hoe lang leer je al Nederlands? | How long have you been learning Dutch? |
| Carlos woont al twee jaar in Delft. | Carlos has lived in Delft for two years (and still does). |
| Carlos heeft twee jaar in Delft gewoond, maar nu woont hij in Leiden. | Carlos lived in Delft for two years, but now he lives in Leiden. |
| Mijn ouders komen over twee weken op bezoek. | My parents are coming to visit in two weeks. |
| De huisarts kan u over tien minuten helpen. | The doctor can see you in ten minutes. |
Why it works this way
Picture a timeline with now in the middle. _Geleden_ points back to a moment that is over. _Over_ points forward to a moment that has not arrived yet. _Al_ and _sinds_ draw a line from the past up to now, and that line is still running.
Dutch picks the tense by asking one question: is it still true now? If yes, it normally uses the present, and _al_ or _sinds_ adds the history. This is the same _al_ (already) from [Al, nog, pas, nog niet, niet meer](#/lesson/al-nog-pas): _al twee jaar_ is literally already two years. English needs its present perfect here (I have lived), which is why English speakers reach for _ik heb gewoond_. In Dutch, the perfect normally presents the period as finished: _Ik heb twee jaar in Delft gewoond_ usually suggests that you no longer live there. German and Spanish also use the present here, so their speakers often find this part easy. You will also hear _sinds twee jaar_, but _al twee jaar_ is the safer choice.
The perfect does show up when you count separate events or say that something has not happened: _Sinds januari ben ik twee keer ziek geweest._ _Ik heb Lotte al weken niet gezien._ Both are normal Dutch.
Remember: _geleden_ looks back, _over_ looks forward, and _al_ and _sinds_ are a bridge from then to now. While you are still standing on the bridge, the present is your default.
Watch out
- Not: _Ik ben geleden een jaar verhuisd._ Say: _Ik ben een jaar geleden verhuisd._ (_geleden_ comes after the amount of time)
- Not: _Ik heb hier sinds 2022 gewoond._ Say: _Ik woon hier sinds 2022._ (you still live here, so use the present)
- Not: _Ik woon hier twee jaar geleden._ Say: _Ik woon hier al twee jaar._ (for how long something has lasted up to now, use _al_)
- Not: _Twee jaar geleden ik ben naar Nederland gekomen._ Say: _Twee jaar geleden ben ik naar Nederland gekomen._ (when the time phrase comes first, the verb comes second, before the subject)
Quick check
For 1 to 3, fill in _geleden_, _sinds_ or _over_.
- _Fatima is drie jaar ... naar Nederland gekomen._
- _Daan werkt ... januari bij de gemeente._
- _We hebben nog tijd: de bus komt pas ... tien minuten._
- Yara still works at the hospital, so this sentence uses the wrong tense. Correct it by changing only the verb: _Yara heeft sinds 2024 in het ziekenhuis gewerkt._
Answers
- _geleden_: it follows the amount of time and points to a finished moment.
- _sinds_: _januari_ is a starting point, not an amount of time.
- _over_: the bus comes in the future, counted from now.
- _Yara werkt sinds 2024 in het ziekenhuis._: she still works there, so the perfect _heeft gewerkt_ becomes the present _werkt_.
Use it today
Write three true sentences about your own life: one with _geleden_ (when you came here or started a job), one with _al_ (how long you have lived or worked here), and one with _over_ (something coming up). Then practise your answer to _Hoe lang woon je al in Nederland?_ out loud, because you will hear that question a lot.