---
title: "The simple past of regular verbs: -te and -de"
level: A2
chapter: "Verbs in time"
canonical: https://www.dutchfluency.com/grammar/simple-past-regular
updated: 2026-10-09
author: Dutch Fluency
license: CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
---

# The simple past of regular verbs: -te and -de

To put a regular Dutch verb in the simple past (the one-word past tense, like English worked), take the stem and add _-te_ or _-de_: _ik werkte_, _ik woonde_. In the plural, add _-ten_ or _-den_: _wij werkten_, _wij woonden_. The memory trick _'t kofschip_ tells you whether you need the _t_ or the _d_.

This tense, _de onvoltooid verleden tijd_, is the tense of stories, written texts and descriptions of how things were: _Het regende. Daan werkte tot zes uur en fietste daarna naar huis._ When you chat about one finished event, Dutch speakers usually prefer the perfect tense (_Ik heb gisteren gewerkt._). The lesson [Perfect or simple past](https://www.dutchfluency.com/grammar/perfect-or-simple-past) explains that choice.

## The pattern

> Look at the consonant just before _-en_ in the infinitive. If it belongs to the _'t kofschip_ group, add _-te_ to the stem (plural _-ten_); if not, add _-de_ (plural _-den_).

- The _'t kofschip_ group is _t, k, f, s, ch_ and _p_, plus _x_ and _c_ in a few loanwords, such as _faxen_: _faxte_.
- Find the stem first: drop _-en_ and fix the spelling, so _werken_ gives _werk_, _wonen_ gives _woon_, _stoppen_ gives _stop_. See [Finding the stem of a verb](https://www.dutchfluency.com/grammar/verb-stem).
- _ik, jij, u, hij, zij_ (she) and _het_ share one form: _jij werkte_. There is no extra _-t_ for _jij_ or _hij_.
- _wij, jullie_ and _zij_ (they) add _-n_: _jullie werkten_, _zij woonden_.
- Check the infinitive, not the stem: _leven_ has a _v_ and _reizen_ a _z_, so you write _leefde_ and _reisde_.
- A stem that already ends in _t_ or _d_ keeps it: _wacht_ plus _-te_ gives _wachtte_, _antwoord_ plus _-de_ gives _antwoordde_.
- Irregular verbs such as _gaan_, _kopen_ and _zijn_ have their own forms: see [The simple past of irregular verbs](https://www.dutchfluency.com/grammar/simple-past-irregular).

## Examples

| Ik **werkte** vroeger in een bakkerij. | I used to work in a bakery. |
| Mijn broers **werkten** daar ook. | My brothers worked there too. |
| Priya **woonde** twee jaar in Rotterdam. | Priya lived in Rotterdam for two years. |
| Joris en Lotte **woonden** vroeger boven een snackbar. | Joris and Lotte used to live above a snack bar. |
| Ahmed **fietste** elke ochtend naar zijn werk. | Ahmed cycled to work every morning. |
| Yara **belde** om acht uur de huisarts. | Yara called the GP at eight o'clock. |
| Carlos **wachtte** een uur bij de gemeente. | Carlos waited an hour at the town hall. |
| De buren **verhuisden** in de zomer naar Groningen. | The neighbours moved to Groningen in the summer. |
| Het **regende** de hele dag. | It rained all day. |

## Why it works this way

Put your fingers on your throat and say a long _s_, then a long _z_. On the _z_ you can feel a buzz: that is a voiced sound. The _s_ has no buzz, and neither do the other consonants of _'t kofschip_. The ending matches: _t_ is the quiet partner of _d_, so a quiet consonant gets _-te_, and most other sounds (vowels, _l, m, n, r_) get _-de_.

The letters _v_, _z_ and _g_ also take _-de_, simply because they are not in _'t kofschip_: _leven_ gives _leefde_, _reizen_ gives _reisde_, _zorgen_ gives _zorgde_. In much of the Netherlands, people pronounce _g_, and often _v_ and _z_ as well, with little or no buzz, so your throat is not a reliable test for these letters. Trust the spelling of the infinitive.

Remember: the past tense makes the same choice as the past participle, which you already know from [choosing t or d](https://www.dutchfluency.com/grammar/t-kofschip). If the participle ends in _t_ (_gewerkt_), the past takes _-te_ (_werkte_); if it ends in _d_ (_gewoond_), it takes _-de_ (_woonde_).

## Watch out

- Not: _Ik woonte drie jaar in Leiden._ Say: _Ik woonde drie jaar in Leiden._ (_n_ is not in _'t kofschip_; German speakers often reach for _-te_ here)
- Not: _Mei makte elke zondag soep._ Say: _Mei maakte elke zondag soep._ (the stem is _maak_, with a double _a_)
- Not: _Daan wachte twintig minuten op de bus._ Say: _Daan wachtte twintig minuten op de bus._ (stem _wacht_ plus _-te_: you hear one _t_ but write two)
- Not: _Wij verhuisten in maart naar Utrecht._ Say: _Wij verhuisden in maart naar Utrecht._ (_verhuizen_ has a _z_, so _-den_)
- Not: _Fatima en Bas fietste naar het strand._ Say: _Fatima en Bas fietsten naar het strand._ (two people, so _-ten_; the _n_ is easy to miss in speech)

## Quick check

1. Put the verb in the simple past: _Sanne ... (koken) gisteren voor haar collega's._
2. Put the verb in the simple past: _Emma en Mei ... (wachten) een kwartier op de trein._
3. Choose: _De kinderen (speelden / speelten) de hele middag buiten._
4. Fix the verb: _Joris reiste vorig jaar door Spanje._

## Answers

1. _kookte_: _koken_ has a _k_ before _-en_, and the stem _kook_ keeps its double _o_.
2. _wachtten_: stem _wacht_ plus _-ten_ for two people.
3. _speelden_: _l_ is not in _'t kofschip_.
4. _Joris reisde vorig jaar door Spanje._ (_reizen_ has a _z_, so _-de_)

## Use it today

Write three sentences about your life before your current home, using regular verbs like _wonen_, _werken_, _leren_ and _verhuizen_, for example _Ik woonde in Madrid en werkte bij een bank._ Check every ending with _'t kofschip_ before you show them to a Dutch friend.

## Questions learners ask

**How do you form the simple past of regular verbs in Dutch?**

Take the stem and add -te or -de in the singular (ik werkte, ik woonde) and -ten or -den in the plural (wij werkten, wij woonden). Use -te when the consonant before -en in the infinitive is one of t, k, f, s, ch or p, and -de in most other cases.

**Is it reisde or reiste in Dutch?**

The correct form is reisde. The infinitive reizen has a z, which is not in 't kofschip, so the ending is -de even though the stem is spelled reis. The same goes for leven (leefde) and verhuizen (verhuisde).

**When do you use the simple past instead of the perfect tense in Dutch?**

The simple past is typical in stories, written texts and descriptions of how things used to be, such as Ik woonde vroeger in Amsterdam. In conversation about one finished event, Dutch speakers usually prefer the perfect tense: Ik heb gisteren gewerkt.

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