In the Dutch passive (the form where the subject undergoes the action), the perfect tense (the tense of _ik heb gewerkt_) is a form of _zijn_ plus the past participle, such as _gebouwd_ or _bezorgd_: _Het huis is in 1920 gebouwd._ The _worden_ you know from [the passive with _worden_](#/lesson/passive) drops out, so standard Dutch adds no _geworden_. For the past perfect (had been), swap in _was_: _Het huis was al gebouwd._
The pattern
In the perfect, the passive is a present form of _zijn_ plus the past participle, without _geworden_. In the past perfect, you use _was_ or _waren_.
- Present: _Het huis wordt gebouwd._ (is being built)
- Simple past: _Het huis werd gebouwd._ (was built)
- Perfect: _Het huis is gebouwd._ (has been built, or was built)
- Past perfect: _Het huis was gebouwd._ (had been built)
- Plural: _De huizen zijn gebouwd_, _De huizen waren gebouwd_.
- If you say who did it, add _door_: _door een bekende architect_.
- In a subordinate clause both orders are fine: _dat het pakket is bezorgd_ or _dat het pakket bezorgd is_.
Examples
| Het stadhuis is in 1920 gebouwd. | The town hall was built in 1920. |
|---|---|
| Mijn fiets is vannacht gestolen. | My bike was stolen last night. |
| Uw aanvraag is door de gemeente goedgekeurd. | Your application has been approved by the municipality. |
| Ik ben vanochtend door de huisarts teruggebeld. | I was called back by the GP this morning. |
| Weet jij of het pakket al is bezorgd? | Do you know if the parcel has been delivered yet? |
| Toen Daan thuiskwam, was de taart al aangesneden. | When Daan got home, the cake had already been cut. |
| De vergadering was al afgelast, maar niemand had het ons verteld. | The meeting had already been cancelled, but nobody had told us. |
| De brug is vorige week door de gemeente afgesloten. | The bridge was closed by the municipality last week. |
| De brug is afgesloten, dus je moet omrijden. | The bridge is closed, so you have to take a detour. |
Why it works this way
_Worden_ means become: it describes a change in progress. _Het huis wordt gebouwd_ is the building site, cranes and all. The perfect of _worden_ takes _zijn_ (_Het is koud geworden_), so on paper you might expect _is gebouwd geworden_. Standard Dutch keeps _zijn_ and leaves _geworden_ out. German keeps it (_ist gebaut worden_), which is why German speakers often add it. In informal speech in Belgium and the south of the Netherlands you may hear _is gebouwd geworden_, but it is not standard Dutch.
Remember: _worden_ is the scaffolding. While the work is going on, you see it (_wordt gebouwd_). When the job is done, the scaffolding comes down and _is gebouwd_ is what is left.
One form, two meanings
Because _is gebouwd_ describes a finished result, it does two jobs. An action reading reports that something happened: _Het pakket is gisteren bezorgd._ A state reading describes a condition that holds now: _De brug is afgesloten_, so you cannot cross. Context tells you which one is meant. A time phrase or a doer with _door_ usually points to an action, while a consequence in the present (_dus je moet omrijden_) points to a state. The state use works much like an adjective, see [past participles as adjectives](#/lesson/participle-as-adjective).
The English trap
English was built usually becomes _is gebouwd_ or _werd gebouwd_. Dutch _was gebouwd_ is the [past perfect](#/lesson/past-perfect): had been built, or the state at a moment in the past. And routines like the rubbish is collected on Tuesdays need _worden_: _Het afval wordt op dinsdag opgehaald._ With _is_ (_Het afval is op dinsdag opgehaald_), you report that it was collected on one particular Tuesday.
Watch out
- Not: _Het station is in 1920 gebouwd geworden._ Say: _Het station is in 1920 gebouwd._ (standard Dutch leaves out _geworden_)
- Not: _Mijn fiets heeft geweest gestolen._ Say: _Mijn fiets is gestolen._ (English has been is not _heeft geweest_; Dutch uses _is_ plus the participle)
- Not: _De vergadering had al afgelast geweest._ Say: _De vergadering was al afgelast._ (English had been becomes _was_ plus the participle)
- Not: _Mijn aanvraag is van de gemeente goedgekeurd._ Say: _Mijn aanvraag is door de gemeente goedgekeurd._ (the doer comes with _door_, not _van_)
Quick check
- Put this sentence in the perfect: _Het zwembad werd vorig jaar geopend._
- Fix the sentence: _Onze buren zijn gisteren door de politie gewaarschuwd geworden._
- Fill in a form of _zijn_: _Toen Priya bij de balie kwam, ... haar afspraak al geannuleerd._
- Does _is gesloten_ describe a state or a past action here? _Sorry, deze kassa is gesloten. U kunt hiernaast afrekenen._
Answers
- _Het zwembad is vorig jaar geopend._ (_zijn_ plus participle, no _geworden_)
- _Onze buren zijn gisteren door de politie gewaarschuwd._ (standard Dutch leaves out _geworden_)
- _was_ (the cancelling happened before she arrived, so past perfect)
- A state: the till is closed right now, which is why you are sent to the next one; nothing is said about when it was closed.
Use it today
Look at today's emails, post or app notifications and write three sentences about what has already been done, using _is_ or _zijn_ plus a participle, such as _Mijn pakket is bezorgd_ or _De huur is betaald_. Then add one sentence with _was_ about something that had already happened before you got home.