Regular Present-Tense Verbs in Dutch

In Brief

For most regular Dutch verbs, remove -en from the infinitive to find the basis of the present tense. Use the stem with ik, add -t with jij/je, u, hij, zij/ze, het, and use the full infinitive with wij/we, jullie, zij/ze. When jij or je comes after the verb, the added -t disappears: jij werkt but werk jij?

Overview

The present tense describes what happens now, what happens regularly, and often what is scheduled for the near future. In Ik werk vandaag thuis (“I’m working from home today”) and Ik werk elke maandag thuis (“I work from home every Monday”), Dutch uses the same tense. This makes the basic meaning familiar to an English-speaking learner, even though English sometimes distinguishes “I work” from “I am working.”

This is an A1 pattern and one of the foundations of Dutch sentence building. To use it, identify the subject (the person or thing that performs the action) and choose the matching verb form. The subject may be a pronoun such as ik or jullie, but it can also be a noun phrase: Mijn buurman werkt (“My neighbour works”).

The endings themselves are simple. Most learner difficulty comes from writing the stem correctly and from the special word-order rule for jij/je. Start with the core table, then learn the spelling adjustments as part of each new verb.

How It Works

The core pattern

The infinitive (the dictionary form of a verb) usually ends in -en, as in werken (“to work”). Remove -en to get the stem werk, then apply the following pattern.

Person	Form of werken	English
ik	werk	I work / I am working
jij/je	werkt	you work / are working
u	werkt	you work / are working (formal)
hij	werkt	he works / is working
zij/ze	werkt	she works / is working
het	werkt	it works / is working
wij/we	werken	we work / are working
jullie	werken	you work / are working (plural)
zij/ze	werken	they work / are working

A compact formula is:

• ik: stem
• jij/je, u, hij, zij/ze, het: stem + t
• wij/we, jullie, zij/ze: infinitive

The short pronouns je, we, and ze are extremely common in ordinary speech. The longer forms jij, wij, and zij often add emphasis or contrast. This does not change the conjugation.

A singular noun takes the same form as hij/zij/het: De trein vertrekt (“The train leaves”). A plural noun takes the infinitive form: De treinen vertrekken (“The trains leave”).

Forming a correctly spelled stem

“Remove -en” gives the grammatical stem, but Dutch spelling may then adjust its written form. The goal is to preserve the sound of the infinitive while following normal Dutch spelling rules.

Infinitive	First result after removing -en	Written stem	Example
werken	werk	werk	ik werk
maken	mak	maak	ik maak
wonen	won	woon	ik woon
leren	ler	leer	ik leer
zetten	zett	zet	ik zet
stoppen	stopp	stop	ik stop
leven	lev	leef	ik leef
reizen	reiz	reis	ik reis

Two spelling principles explain these changes:

1. Keep a long vowel long. In maken, the first a is long. A long vowel in a closed syllable is written double, so the stem is maak, not mak. Likewise: wonen → woon and leren → leer.
2. Do not end a Dutch word with a doubled consonant. The stems of zetten and stoppen are written zet and stop, not zett and stopp.

Dutch also devoices v and z at the end of a word: they are written f and s in the stem. Thus leven → leef and reizen → reis. The plural forms return to the infinitive spelling: wij leven, wij reizen.

These are spelling changes, not irregular conjugations. The verbs still take the regular person endings.

Adding -t

For the second- and third-person singular, add -t to the written stem:

• woon + t → jij woont
• leef + t → hij leeft
• reis + t → zij reist

If the stem already ends in t, do not write a second t: praten → praat → hij praat and zetten → zet → zij zet. The ending is part of the grammatical pattern, but Dutch spelling does not produce praatt or zett.

Inversion with jij and je

Inversion means that the verb comes before the subject. It occurs in yes/no questions and when another element occupies the first position of a main clause.

• Jij werkt hier. → Werk jij hier?
• Je woont in Delft. → Morgen woon je in Delft.

When singular jij or je follows the verb, drop the added -t. Compare:

Normal order	Inversion	English
Jij werkt vandaag.	Werk jij vandaag?	Are you working today?
Je woont hier.	Woon je hier?	Do you live here?
Jij reist morgen.	Reis jij morgen?	Are you travelling tomorrow?
Jij praat snel.	Praat jij snel?	Do you speak quickly?

In the final pair, praat still ends in t because that t belongs to the stem. The rule removes only an added person ending; it does not remove a stem letter.

This exception applies to singular jij/je, not formal u: U werkt hier and Werkt u hier? It also does not apply when jij remains before the verb: Wanneer jij werkt, bel ik niet (“When you are working, I don’t call”).

Negatives and questions do not need do

English uses “do/does” in many present-tense questions and negatives. Dutch does not. Put the conjugated verb before the subject for a yes/no question, and use niet for a typical verbal negative:

• Werk je hier? — “Do you work here?”
• Hij werkt vandaag niet. — “He isn’t working today.”

Do not try to translate English “do” as a separate helper verb in these sentences.

Present simple and present continuous meanings

Dutch has no everyday equivalent of the English requirement to choose between “I work” and “I am working.” The simple present can express either meaning; context usually makes the intended reading clear:

• Ik kook elke avond. — “I cook every evening.”
• Ik kook nu. — “I’m cooking now.”

Dutch can emphasise an action in progress with constructions such as aan het + infinitive, but the ordinary present is often sufficient.

Examples in Context

Dutch	English	Note
Ik werk in Amsterdam.	I work in Amsterdam.	Ik takes the stem.
Jij woont in Utrecht.	You live in Utrecht.	Stem woon + t.
Werk jij hier?	Do you work here?	Inversion: no added -t.
Mijn zus leert Nederlands.	My sister is learning Dutch.	A singular noun takes stem + t.
Wij maken vanavond pasta.	We’re making pasta tonight.	The plural form is the infinitive.
Jullie fietsen elke dag naar school.	You cycle to school every day.	Plural jullie takes the infinitive.
Zij spreken Nederlands op kantoor.	They speak Dutch at the office.	Here zij is plural.
De winkel sluit om zes uur.	The shop closes at six.	Singular subject.
De winkels sluiten om zes uur.	The shops close at six.	Plural subject.
Reis je morgen naar Rotterdam?	Are you travelling to Rotterdam tomorrow?	Je follows the verb; compare je reist.
Vandaag leef ik zonder telefoon.	Today I’m living without a phone.	Inversion with ik; the stem stays unchanged.
Praat jij altijd zo snel?	Do you always speak that quickly?	The final t belongs to praat.
Werkt u op zaterdag?	Do you work on Saturdays?	Formal u keeps -t after the verb.
Hij wacht niet op de bus.	He isn’t waiting for the bus.	Dutch needs no equivalent of English “does.”
Morgen wonen we precies een jaar hier.	Tomorrow we will have lived here for exactly a year.	The present can refer to a time anchored in the future.

Common Mistakes

Using the infinitive after ik

• Wrong: Ik werken vandaag thuis.
• Right: Ik werk vandaag thuis.
• Why: Ik takes the stem, not the infinitive. The infinitive is used for plural subjects in this basic pattern.

Forgetting the singular -t

• Wrong: Mijn vader woon in Leiden.
• Right: Mijn vader woont in Leiden.
• Why: A singular third-person subject takes stem + t, even when the subject is a noun rather than hij or zij.

Keeping -t after inverted jij

• Wrong: Werkt jij morgen?
• Right: Werk jij morgen?
• Why: When singular jij follows the verb, the added -t drops. With formal u, however, Werkt u morgen? is correct.

Removing a t that belongs to the stem

• Wrong: Pra jij Nederlands?
• Right: Praat jij Nederlands?
• Why: The stem of praten is praat. Inversion removes an ending, not the stem’s final letter.

Writing the stem exactly as “infinitive minus -en”

• Wrong: Ik won in Utrecht when you mean “I live in Utrecht.”
• Right: Ik woon in Utrecht.
• Why: The long vowel must stay long in the closed syllable: wonen → woon. Note that won is also an actual past-tense form of winnen, so this spelling error can change the meaning.

Copying English do/does

• Wrong: Doe jij hier werken?
• Right: Werk jij hier?
• Why: Dutch forms an ordinary yes/no question by putting the conjugated verb before the subject. It does not insert a helper equivalent to English “do.”

Usage Notes

Dutch normally uses the present tense for both habits and actions happening now. Time expressions such as altijd (“always”), elke week (“every week”), nu (“now”), and op dit moment (“at the moment”) make the meaning clearer. English translations therefore vary between simple and continuous forms.

The present can also describe an arranged or expected future event when a time expression makes that future meaning obvious: Morgen werk ik thuis (“I’m working from home tomorrow”). You do not always need a separate future construction.

Use jij/je for one person in informal situations and u for formal or respectful address. In the plural, jullie is the normal “you.” The key conjugation difference in questions is worth memorising: Werk je?, Werken jullie?, but Werkt u?

In speech, je, we, and ze are neutral and frequent. Their full forms add stress: Jíj werkt vandaag, niet ik (“You are working today, not me”). The verb ending remains the same.

Beyond the Basics / Advanced Use

You do not need to master all of the following at A1, but these points explain forms you will encounter later.

Not every verb ending in -en is regular

The pattern in this article applies to regular verbs, but common Dutch verbs such as zijn (“to be”), hebben (“to have”), gaan (“to go”), komen (“to come”), and modal verbs have forms that must be learned separately. A familiar infinitive ending does not guarantee a fully regular present tense.

Some verbs are regular in their endings but have stems that look unusual because of spelling or sound history. Treat the dictionary form and the ik-form as a useful pair when learning vocabulary: schrijven — ik schrijf, geloven — ik geloof.

Separable verbs

Many Dutch verbs contain a prefix that separates in a main clause. The person ending still follows the same rule, but the prefix moves to the end:

• opbellen (“to call”) → Ik bel mijn moeder op.
• klaarmaken (“to prepare”) → Hij maakt het eten klaar.
• opruimen (“to tidy up”) → Ruim jij de keuken op?

The inversion rule still applies to jij: Jij ruimt op but Ruim jij op? This is regular conjugation combined with a later word-order topic.

Clause type controls word order

In a main clause, inversion may put the subject after the verb: Vandaag werkt zij thuis. In a subordinate clause (a clause introduced by words such as omdat, “because”), the conjugated verb usually moves toward the end: omdat zij vandaag thuis werkt. The verb form itself is still werkt; only its position changes.

English-looking forms can mislead

Because English has almost no present-tense endings beyond third-person -s, it may feel natural to leave Dutch verbs unchanged. Dutch marks more singular subjects. Conversely, Dutch plural forms look exactly like infinitives, but they are still conjugated verbs in sentences such as Wij werken. Learn the Dutch person pattern rather than mapping each form directly onto English spelling.

Practice Tips

1. Learn three forms per verb. Record each new regular verb as werken — ik werk — hij werkt. This catches both stem spelling and the -t ending; the plural then follows from the infinitive.
2. Turn statements into questions. Practise pairs aloud: Jij woont hier → Woon jij hier?; Jij praat snel → Praat jij snel?; U werkt hier → Werkt u hier? This isolates the inversion rule and its two important contrasts.
3. Sort subjects into singular and plural. Take a short paragraph and underline each subject. Decide whether it behaves like ik, singular jij/hij/zij/het/u, or plural wij/jullie/zij before checking the verb.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Subject Pronouns — identify who performs the action before choosing a verb form.
• Next step: Kunnen (can/to be able) — compare this common irregular modal with the regular pattern.
• Next step: Moeten (must/have to) — learn how a modal combines with another infinitive.
• Next step: Willen (to want) — another essential modal with its own present forms.
• Next step: Mogen (may/to be allowed) — express permission using a modal construction.
• Next step: Zullen (shall/will) — form suggestions and future-oriented statements.
• Related irregular verb: Gaan (to go) — contrast its present forms with regular verbs.
• Related irregular verb: Komen (to come) — learn another high-frequency motion verb.