In the simple past (the one-word past, like "went" or "saw"), most irregular verbs don't add _-te_ or _-de_. They change their vowel instead: _lopen_ (to walk) becomes _ik liep_ (I walked). In the singular (one person or thing) nothing is added to that new form, and in the plural it ends in _-en_: _wij liepen_ (we walked).
The pattern
Most irregular verbs show the past with a new vowel instead of _-te_ or _-de_. In the singular nothing is added; the plural ends in _-en_.
- One person or thing (_ik_, _jij_, _u_, _hij_, _zij_ meaning she, _het_): just the new form, as in _ik liep_, _jij liep_, _u liep_.
- More than one (_wij_, _jullie_, _zij_ meaning they): add _-en_, as in _wij liepen_, _jullie liepen_.
- Six verbs to learn first: _lopen_: _liep_; _schrijven_: _schreef_; _drinken_: _dronk_; _komen_: _kwam_; _zien_: _zag_; _nemen_: _nam_.
- Three you will use every day: _zijn_: _was_, _waren_; _hebben_: _had_, _hadden_; _gaan_: _ging_, _gingen_.
- Plural spelling: _schreef_ becomes _schreven_ (the _v_ of _schrijven_ comes back) and _had_ becomes _hadden_ (short _a_, so double _d_). In _kwamen_ and _namen_ the _a_ is long, so the _m_ stays single (see [open and closed syllables](#/lesson/open-closed-syllables)).
- A few common verbs add _-den_ in the plural: _kon_, _konden_ (could); _zei_, _zeiden_ (said).
Examples
| Ik liep gisteren naar het station. | Yesterday I walked to the station. |
|---|---|
| Sanne schreef een kaart voor haar buurvrouw. | Sanne wrote a card for her neighbour. |
| Daan dronk koffie in de trein. | Daan drank coffee on the train. |
| Carlos kwam te laat op zijn werk. | Carlos got to work late. |
| Fatima zag haar huisarts in de supermarkt. | Fatima saw her GP in the supermarket. |
| Priya en Bas namen de trein naar Utrecht. | Priya and Bas took the train to Utrecht. |
| Het was koud op het perron. | It was cold on the platform. |
| Jullie waren zaterdag niet thuis. | You two weren't at home on Saturday. |
| Emma had hoofdpijn. | Emma had a headache. |
| Mijn buren gingen op vakantie naar Spanje. | My neighbours went on holiday to Spain. |
Why it works this way
Compare a [regular verb](#/lesson/simple-past-regular) with an irregular one:
- _Ik werkte thuis._ (I worked at home.) The past is an ending.
- _Ik liep naar huis._ (I walked home.) The past is inside the word.
Now compare present and past: _wij lopen_, _wij liepen_. The plural ends in _-en_ in both; only the vowel tells you it already happened. In the singular, the past even drops the _-t_ of the present: _hij loopt_ (he walks), _hij liep_ (he walked).
Good news: English does this too. Drink, drank is _drinken_, _dronk_; come, came is _komen_, _kwam_. The pairs don't always match, though: walked is regular in English, while _liep_ is not. You usually can't tell from the infinitive (the dictionary form, like _lopen_) whether a verb is irregular, so learn each one as a pair. [Patterns in irregular verbs](#/lesson/strong-verb-patterns) shows groups that change in the same way.
When do you use it? In conversation, Dutch speakers often use the perfect for a single event (_ik heb koffie gedronken_). The simple past is typical in stories and for describing how things were, and _was_ and _had_ are very common in everyday speech too.
Remember: the new form tells you it is the past, and the ending tells you how many. Nothing for one, _-en_ for more than one.
Watch out
- Not: _Ik loopte naar het station._ Say: _Ik liep naar het station._ (_lopen_ is irregular: new vowel, no _-te_)
- Not: _Jij kwamt te laat._ Say: _Jij kwam te laat._ (nothing is added in the singular past, not even with _jij_)
- Not: _Wij was gisteren bij de huisarts._ Say: _Wij waren gisteren bij de huisarts._ (a plural subject needs the plural form)
- Not: _Wij schreefen een kaart voor Lotte._ Say: _Wij schreven een kaart voor Lotte._ (the _v_ of _schrijven_ comes back before _-en_)
- Not: _De gasten kwammen om acht uur._ Say: _De gasten kwamen om acht uur._ (the _a_ is long in _kwamen_, so one _m_)
Quick check
Use the simple past.
- _Mei ... gisteren thee bij haar buurvrouw._ (_drinken_)
- _Ahmed en Yara ... vorige week naar Utrecht._ (_gaan_)
- Choose: _Sanne en Joris (was / waren) zaterdag op een verjaardag._
- Fix the verb: _Bas nemde de fiets naar zijn werk._
Answers
- _dronk_: Mei is one person, so nothing is added.
- _gingen_: two people, so the plural form.
- _waren_: _Sanne en Joris_ is plural, so not _was_.
- _Bas nam de fiets naar zijn werk._ (_nemen_ is irregular: _nam_, not _nemde_)
Use it today
Send a friend or colleague three sentences about your weekend, using _was_, _ging_ and one more verb from this lesson. For example: _Zaterdag was het mooi weer. Ik ging naar het strand en zag veel fietsers._