---
title: "Irregular past participles"
level: A2
chapter: "Verbs in time"
canonical: https://www.dutchfluency.com/grammar/irregular-participles
updated: 2026-10-08
author: Dutch Fluency
license: CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
---

# Irregular past participles

Many everyday Dutch verbs do not follow the regular _t_ or _d_ pattern for their past participle (the form you use with _hebben_ or _zijn_ in the perfect tense, like _gewerkt_ in _ik heb gewerkt_). Most of them end in _-en_ instead, often with a new vowel: _drinken_ becomes _gedronken_. A small group ends in _-cht_, and a few, like _zijn_ and _geweest_, are one of a kind, so you learn each verb and its participle as a pair.

## The pattern

> Irregular verbs do not follow the recipe _ge-_ + stem (the _ik_ form) + _t_ or _d_. Most of their participles end in _-en_, a small group ends in _-cht_, and a few are one of a kind.

- Some are simply _ge-_ plus the infinitive (the dictionary form): _lopen_ → _gelopen_, _komen_ → _gekomen_, _zien_ → _gezien_, _gaan_ → _gegaan_.
- Some change the vowel and end in _-en_: _schrijven_ → _geschreven_, _drinken_ → _gedronken_, _nemen_ → _genomen_.
- A small group ends in _-cht_. These are sometimes called mixed verbs, because they combine a change in the stem with a _t_ ending: _brengen_ → _gebracht_, _denken_ → _gedacht_, _kopen_ → _gekocht_, _zoeken_ → _gezocht_.
- Three very common verbs are one of a kind: _zijn_ → _geweest_, _hebben_ → _gehad_, _doen_ → _gedaan_.
- The [_'t kofschip_ rule](https://www.dutchfluency.com/grammar/t-kofschip) only works for regular verbs. It cannot predict any of these forms.
- Several of these verbs use _zijn_ instead of _hebben_ (_ik ben gekomen_). Choosing between them is the [next lesson](https://www.dutchfluency.com/grammar/hebben-or-zijn).

## Examples

| Ik ben vanochtend naar het station **gelopen**. | I walked to the station this morning. |
| Fatima heeft een brief aan de gemeente **geschreven**. | Fatima wrote a letter to the municipality. |
| Op de verjaardag van Lotte hebben we veel koffie **gedronken**. | We drank a lot of coffee at Lotte's birthday. |
| Daan heeft de trein van kwart over acht **genomen**. | Daan took the 8:15 train. |
| Heb je de nieuwe buren al **gezien**? | Have you seen the new neighbours yet? |
| Ik ben vorige week bij de huisarts **geweest**. | I went to the GP last week. |
| Joris heeft de hele week griep **gehad**. | Joris had the flu all week. |
| Wat hebben jullie zaterdag **gedaan**? | What did you do on Saturday? |
| Ahmed heeft in de supermarkt brood **gekocht**. | Ahmed bought bread at the supermarket. |
| Heb je aan de melk **gedacht**? | Did you remember the milk? |

## Why it works this way

Irregular verbs are a minority, but they include many of the verbs you use most. Words that people say every day tend to keep their odd forms, because everyone hears them too often to forget them. New verbs almost always follow the regular recipe: _appen_ → _geappt_, _googelen_ → _gegoogeld_.

You cannot tell from the infinitive whether a verb is irregular: _hopen_ → _gehoopt_, but _lopen_ → _gelopen_ and _kopen_ → _gekocht_. So learn each new verb together with its participle, out loud. Later, the [patterns in irregular verbs](https://www.dutchfluency.com/grammar/strong-verb-patterns) make the list feel shorter.

Remember: English has the same two families. Where English says written, eaten or seen, Dutch usually ends in _-en_ too: _geschreven_, _gegeten_, _gezien_. And thought, brought, bought and sought match the Dutch _-cht_ verbs: _gedacht_, _gebracht_, _gekocht_, _gezocht_. It is a tendency, not a rule: walked and helped are regular in English, but _gelopen_ and _geholpen_ are not.

## Watch out

- Not: _Ik ben naar huis geloopt._ Say: _Ik ben naar huis gelopen._ (_lopen_ is irregular, so _'t kofschip_ does not apply)
- Not: _Ik heb nieuwe schoenen gekoopt._ Say: _Ik heb nieuwe schoenen gekocht._ (_kopen_ is a _-cht_ verb, like bought in English)
- Not: _Wat heb je gisteren gedoet?_ Say: _Wat heb je gisteren gedaan?_ (_doen_ has a participle of its own)
- Not: _Ik ben nog nooit in Groningen gewesen._ Say: _Ik ben nog nooit in Groningen geweest._ (a German form; Dutch uses _geweest_)
- Not: _Sanne heeft een mail geschrijft._ Say: _Sanne heeft een mail geschreven._ (_schrijven_ ends in _-en_ and changes _ij_ to _e_)

## Quick check

1. Fill in the gap: _Priya is vandaag met de bus naar haar werk ... (komen)._
2. Choose the right form: _Ik heb mijn sleutels overal ... (gezoekt / gezocht)._
3. Fill in the gap: _Emma is zaterdag met de trein naar Utrecht ... (gaan)._
4. Fix the sentence: _Bas heeft zijn buurvrouw naar het ziekenhuis gebrengd._

## Answers

1. _gekomen_ (_ge-_ plus the infinitive)
2. _gezocht_ (_zoeken_ is a _-cht_ verb)
3. _gegaan_ (_ge-_ plus the infinitive, like _gezien_)
4. _Bas heeft zijn buurvrouw naar het ziekenhuis gebracht._ (_brengen_ is a _-cht_ verb, so _'t kofschip_ does not help)

## Use it today

Today, ask a colleague _Wat heb jij gisteren gedaan?_ When they ask you back, answer in three sentences, each with a verb from this lesson, such as _Ik ben naar de markt gegaan_ or _Ik heb boodschappen gedaan_.

## Questions learners ask

**How do I know if a Dutch verb has an irregular past participle?**

You usually cannot tell from the infinitive: hopen becomes gehoopt, but lopen becomes gelopen and kopen becomes gekocht. Many of the most frequent verbs are irregular, so learn each new verb together with its participle.

**What is the past participle of zijn and hebben in Dutch?**

The past participle of zijn is geweest and the past participle of hebben is gehad, as in "Ik ben ziek geweest" and "Ik heb griep gehad". Both are irregular, so they do not follow the ge- + stem + t or d pattern.

**Is it gekocht or gekoopt in Dutch?**

The correct form is gekocht, as in "Ik heb brood gekocht". Kopen belongs to a small group with participles in -cht, like gebracht, gedacht and gezocht, so the 't kofschip rule does not apply.

From the Dutch Fluency Grammar: https://www.dutchfluency.com/grammar. Shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.