Dutch d, t or dt? A Dutch Grammar Checker Guide to Verb Endings

CorrectNow Editorial Team · 6 min read

The choice between d, t and dt is the classic trap of Dutch spelling. Learners and native speakers alike get it wrong, because the endings sound the same: word and wordt are pronounced identically, and so are gebeurd and gebeurt.

The good news is that the rules are mechanical. Once you know how to find the stem of a verb and which ending goes with which subject, you can work out the correct spelling every time without relying on your ear.

Start with the stem

Every present-tense form begins with the stem (de stam). Take the infinitive and remove -en: worden gives word, vinden gives vind, werken gives werk. Sometimes the spelling adjusts to keep the vowel sound: maken gives maak, lopen gives loop.

With ik, the verb is simply the stem: ik word, ik vind, ik werk. There is never an extra t after ik, even when the stem ends in d.

Incorrect: Ik wordt moe. – Correct: Ik word moe. (With ik, use the bare stem.)
Incorrect: Ik vindt het leuk. – Correct: Ik vind het leuk. (Stem of vinden is vind; no t after ik.)

Present tense: when to add the t

With hij, zij (she), het, u and jij, the present tense is stem plus t. If the stem already ends in d, the result is dt: hij wordt, zij vindt, het wordt.

There is one twist. When jij or je comes after the verb, as in a question or an inverted sentence, the t is dropped: word jij, vind je, werk jij. This applies only to jij and je. With u and hij, the t stays: wordt u, wordt hij.

Incorrect: Hij word morgen twintig. – Correct: Hij wordt morgen twintig. (hij takes stem plus t.)
Incorrect: Wordt jij ook moe? – Correct: Word jij ook moe? (jij after the verb: no t.)
Incorrect: Word u al geholpen? – Correct: Wordt u al geholpen? (u keeps the t, even after the verb.)

The lopen trick for quick checks

If you are unsure, replace the verb with one whose stem does not end in d, such as lopen, and listen. You hear the t in hij loopt, so you write hij wordt. You hear no t in loop jij, so you write word jij.

Watch out for je used as a possessive. In Wordt je broer ook ziek? the subject is je broer, not je, so the t stays. The test confirms it: Loopt je broer ook mee?

Past tense and 't kofschip

Regular (weak) verbs form the past tense with -te or -de, and -ten or -den in the plural. Which one you use depends on the last letter of the stem. If that letter is one of the consonants in 't kofschip (t, k, f, s, ch, p), use -te. Otherwise, use -de.

So werken becomes werkte and maken becomes maakte, while wonen becomes woonde and spelen becomes speelde.

Verbs like reizen and leven need care. Their stems are spelled reis and leef, but the sound in the infinitive is z or v, which are not in 't kofschip. That is why the past tense is reisde and leefde. When the stem already ends in d, you simply add -de, so antwoorden becomes antwoordde, with a double d.

Incorrect: Hij werkde gisteren lang. – Correct: Hij werkte gisteren lang. (werk ends in k, which is in 't kofschip.)
Incorrect: Wij woonten in Utrecht. – Correct: Wij woonden in Utrecht. (woon ends in n, so -den.)
Incorrect: Zij reisten naar Gent. – Correct: Zij reisden naar Gent. (Check the infinitive reizen: z is not in 't kofschip.)

Past participles: gebeurd or gebeurt?

The past participle follows the same choice: ge plus stem plus t for 't kofschip verbs, and ge plus stem plus d for the rest. That gives gewerkt and gemaakt, but gewoond and gespeeld. If the stem already ends in t or d, nothing is added: zetten gives gezet, antwoorden gives geantwoord.

Many errors come from mixing up a present-tense form with a participle that sounds the same. Het gebeurt is present tense; het is gebeurd uses the participle. Verbs that start with be-, ge-, her-, ont- or ver- take no extra ge- in the participle, which makes the confusion even easier: hij beantwoordt de vraag, but ik heb de vraag beantwoord.

Incorrect: Het is gisteren gebeurt. – Correct: Het is gisteren gebeurd. (Participle of gebeuren; r is not in 't kofschip.)
Incorrect: Hij beantwoord de vraag. – Correct: Hij beantwoordt de vraag. (Present tense with hij: stem plus t.)
Incorrect: Ik heb de mail beantwoordt. – Correct: Ik heb de mail beantwoord. (Participle: the stem already ends in d.)

A quick checklist before you send

A Dutch grammar checker is a useful second pair of eyes on long emails and reports, where a single wordt in the wrong place is easy to miss. CorrectNow points out d/t/dt slips and explains the reason for each correction, so you learn the rule as you fix the text.

Find the subject of each verb before choosing the ending.
ik: stem only. hij, zij, het, u: stem plus t. jij: stem plus t, unless jij comes after the verb.
Is it a participle after heb, heeft, is or zijn? Then use 't kofschip to choose t or d.
Unsure? Swap in lopen and listen for the t.

Frequently asked questions

Why does word jij lose the t?

It is a fixed spelling rule. When jij or je follows the verb, the jij-form is written without the t: word jij, vind je, loop jij. The rule does not apply to u or hij.

Does 't kofschip work for irregular verbs?

No. Strong and irregular verbs change their vowel or their whole form in the past tense, such as lopen to liep and worden to werd. These forms have to be learned separately.

Is wordt u correct, or should it be word u?

Wordt u is correct. The polite pronoun u keeps the t whether it comes before or after the verb.

Can a grammar checker be trusted fully with d/t/dt?

It catches many of these errors because they follow fixed rules, but no tool is perfect. Read the suggestions, and have important documents checked by a fluent reader.

Check Dutch text with the Dutch grammar checker · Open the free proofreading editor · Get spelling checks in Gmail and other text boxes