A past participle, the verb form you know from the perfect tense (_gesloten_, _gekookt_), can describe a noun just like an adjective: _de gesloten deur_ (the closed door), _een gekookt ei_ (a boiled egg). Before the noun it takes the normal adjective endings. After _zijn_ it describes a state: _De winkel is gesloten_ means the shop is closed.
The pattern
A past participle can describe a noun like any adjective (a describing word). Before the noun it follows the usual -e rules; after _zijn_ it has no ending and describes a state.
- Most of the time, add -e: _de gekookte aardappel_, _het gekookte ei_, _gekookte eieren_.
- No -e with a singular het-word after _een_, _geen_, _elk_ and similar words, or with no article: _een gekookt ei_, _gekookt water_.
- Participles ending in -en do not add -e: _de gesloten deur_, _gebakken aardappelen_.
- A participle ending in -t or -d keeps that letter: _gekookte_, _getrouwde_ (not _gekookde_).
- After _zijn_, there is no ending: _De aardappelen zijn gekookt._
The full ending rules are in [Adjective endings](#/lesson/adjective-endings).
Examples
| Mag ik een gekookt ei bij mijn ontbijt? | Can I have a boiled egg with my breakfast? |
|---|---|
| Het gekookte ei is nog te heet om te pellen. | The boiled egg is still too hot to peel. |
| Bij de vis eten we vanavond gebakken aardappelen. | We're having fried potatoes with the fish tonight. |
| Fatima klopte op de gesloten deur, maar niemand deed open. | Fatima knocked on the closed door, but nobody answered. |
| Joris vond zijn gestolen fiets twee straten verderop terug. | Joris found his stolen bike two streets away. |
| Ahmed heeft de ingevulde formulieren naar de gemeente gestuurd. | Ahmed has sent the completed forms to the municipality. |
| De apotheek is op zondag gesloten. | The pharmacy is closed on Sundays. |
| Priya is al drie jaar getrouwd. | Priya has been married for three years. |
| Weet je of de tafel bij het raam gereserveerd is? | Do you know if the table by the window is reserved? |
Why it works this way
A past participle in front of a noun often labels the result of a finished action: a door that someone has closed, an egg that has been boiled. It can also describe a situation that is still going on: _een bewoond huis_ is a house that people live in now, and _een bewaakte ingang_ is an entrance that someone is guarding. Either way, Dutch treats the participle as an ordinary adjective, so _gekookt_ behaves like _warm_: _een warm ei_, _het warme ei_; _een gekookt ei_, _het gekookte ei_.
Compare the present participle, the -end form from the [previous lesson](#/lesson/present-participle). _Kokend water_ is bubbling right now; _gekookt water_ has finished boiling. _De vallende bladeren_ are still on their way down; _de gevallen bladeren_ are lying on the pavement. Because the participle describes what has happened to something or the state it is in, most participles used this way come from verbs with an object, like _sluiten_ and _koken_, or from verbs that take _zijn_, like _vallen_.
After _zijn_, the participle says how things are now: _De apotheek is gesloten_ means about the same as _De apotheek is dicht_. The same words, _zijn_ plus a participle, also form the [passive in the perfect](#/lesson/passive-perfect), which tells you something was done: _De brug is in 1890 gebouwd_ (the bridge was built in 1890). As a tendency, a time or a doer (_in 1890_, _door de gemeente_) points to an event, while a sentence without them usually describes a state. Often both readings fit and the meaning hardly changes.
Remember: _kokend_ water can burn you, _gekookt_ water may already be cold. The present participle shows an action in progress; the past participle usually shows its result or a state.
Watch out
- Not: _een gekookte ei_ Say: _een gekookt ei_ (singular het-word after _een_: no -e)
- Not: _de geslotene deur_ Say: _de gesloten deur_ (participles in -en add no -e; German speakers often add one)
- Not: _Ik eet graag gekookt aardappelen._ Say: _Ik eet graag gekookte aardappelen._ (plural: add -e)
- Not: _Ik hou van gebakte vis._ Say: _Ik hou van gebakken vis._ (the participle of _bakken_ is _gebakken_, and it adds no -e)
Quick check
- Choose: Lotte loopt op krukken met een ... been. (_gebroken_ / _gebrokene_)
- Fill in the participle of _schilderen_: Ga niet op de net ... bank zitten!
- Fix the sentence and keep the article _het_: Daan eet het gekookt ei met een beetje zout.
- Choose _kokend_ or _gekookt_: Yara geeft haar baby ... water dat ze eerst heeft laten afkoelen.
Answers
- _gebroken_: participles that end in -en do not add -e.
- _geschilderde_: _bank_ is a de-word, so the participle gets -e.
- _Daan eet het gekookte ei met een beetje zout._ After _het_, the participle needs -e.
- _gekookt_: the boiling is over, and _water_ is a het-word without an article, so no -e.
Use it today
In the supermarket, find three products with a participle on the label, such as _geraspte kaas_, _gerookte zalm_ or _gezouten pinda's_, and say them out loud with _de_ in front. Then say one Dutch sentence about when a shop near you is closed, for example _De bakker is op maandag gesloten._