_Worden_ means become, and you use it to say that someone or something changes: _Ik word moe_ (I'm getting tired), _Zij wordt arts_ (she's becoming a doctor). Its forms are _word_, _wordt_ and _worden_ in the present, _werd_ and _werden_ in the past, and _zijn_ plus _geworden_ in the perfect. The same verb also builds the passive, a sentence about what happens to something rather than who does it: _Het pakket wordt bezorgd_ (the parcel is being delivered).
The pattern
_Worden_ describes a change, while _zijn_ describes the state itself. Combined with a past participle (a form like _gewerkt_ or _bezorgd_), _worden_ forms the passive.
- Present: _ik word_, _jij wordt_, _u wordt_, _hij wordt_, _wij worden_, _jullie worden_, _zij worden_. _Word_ and _wordt_ sound the same, so the t is a spelling matter: see [D, t or dt](#/lesson/d-t-or-dt).
- When the subject _jij_ or _je_ comes after the verb, the t drops: _Word jij ook moe?_ Compare _Wordt je broer ook moe?_, where _je broer_ is the subject and the t stays.
- Past: _werd_ for one person or thing (_ik werd_, _Sanne werd_), _werden_ for more than one (_wij werden_, _de buren werden_).
- Perfect (the past built with _hebben_ or _zijn_) of _worden_ meaning become: _zijn_ plus _geworden_, as in _Hij is arts geworden._ In the perfect passive, you use _zijn_ plus the other verb's participle and usually leave out _geworden_: _Het pakket is bezorgd._ More in [The passive in the perfect](#/lesson/passive-perfect).
- With a job or role, Dutch usually leaves out _een_: _Zij wordt arts._ Add an adjective and _een_ returns: _Zij wordt een goede arts._ See [When Dutch uses no article](#/lesson/no-article).
Examples
| Fatima wordt arts, net als haar moeder. | Fatima is becoming a doctor, just like her mother. |
|---|---|
| Daan wordt zaterdag veertig, dus we geven een feestje. | Daan turns forty on Saturday, so we're throwing a party. |
| Joris is boos, want zijn trein heeft weer vertraging. | Joris is angry, because his train is delayed again. |
| Joris wordt boos als zijn trein weer vertraging heeft. | Joris gets angry when his train is delayed again. |
| Toen de huisarts mijn naam riep, werd ik ineens zenuwachtig. | When the GP called my name, I suddenly got nervous. |
| Op weg naar het station werden we drijfnat. | On the way to the station we got soaking wet. |
| Priya is dit jaar teamleider geworden. | Priya became team leader this year. |
| Je pakket wordt morgen tussen negen en twaalf bezorgd. | Your parcel will be delivered tomorrow between nine and twelve. |
Why it works this way
_Zijn_ shows how things are at one moment; _worden_ shows them changing. English spreads that one idea over many verbs: get angry, turn forty, go quiet, grow old, become a doctor. Dutch usually needs just one: _boos worden_, _veertig worden_, _stil worden_, _oud worden_, _arts worden_.
A change points forward, so the present of _worden_ often comes out in English as "will be" or "going to be". _Morgen wordt het warm_ means it will be warm tomorrow, and _Wat wil je later worden?_ asks a child what they want to be when they grow up.
In the perfect, Dutch tends to use _zijn_ for verbs that describe a change of state, such as _beginnen_ and _sterven_. _Worden_ is change in its purest form, so it always takes _zijn_.
The passive grows from the same idea. In _Het pakket wordt bezorgd_, the parcel does nothing itself: something happens to it, and who does it matters less. [The passive with worden](#/lesson/passive) takes this further.
Remember: _zijn_ is a photo, _worden_ is a video. If you could film the change happening, you probably need _worden_.
Watch out
- Not: _Ik krijg moe._ Say: _Ik word moe._ (getting tired is _moe worden_; English "get" leads you astray)
- Not: _Hij heeft arts geworden._ Say: _Hij is arts geworden._ (_worden_ always takes _zijn_ in the perfect)
- Not: _Ik word morgen komen._ Say: _Ik kom morgen._ (German speakers: _worden_ is not a future helper; use the present or _zullen_)
- Not: _Mijn broer word in juni vader._ Say: _Mijn broer wordt in juni vader._ (with _hij_ or a name as subject, write the stem plus t)
- Not: _Het werdt al donker._ Say: _Het werd al donker._ (the past form _werd_ never takes an extra t)
Quick check
- Fill in the right form of _worden_: _Lotte ... volgende week dertig._
- Choose _werd_ or _werden_: _Toen de juf binnenkwam, ... de kinderen meteen stil._
- Fix the sentence: _Ahmed heeft vorig jaar vader geworden._
- Choose _Word_ or _Wordt_: _... jij ook zo moe van lange vergaderingen?_
Answers
- _wordt_: _Lotte_ is one person, so stem plus t.
- _werden_: the subject _de kinderen_ is plural.
- _Ahmed is vorig jaar vader geworden._ (_worden_ takes _zijn_ in the perfect)
- _Word_: the subject _jij_ comes right after the verb, so the t drops.
Use it today
Write three sentences about how your life has changed since you came to the Netherlands: one with _word_ or _wordt_, one with _werd_, and one with _ben ... geworden_. For example: _Sinds ik in Utrecht woon, ben ik een echte fietser geworden._