Past tense: imperfectum
The imperfectum describes situations, states, or habits that are finished. You will use this most often in the vrije tekst (free writing task), such as when writing a weekendverhaal (weekend story) or a short article for the wijkkrant (neighborhood newspaper). Using these forms correctly is a key part of your Grammaticale correctheid score.
1. The 'Big Two': Zijn and Hebben
The most frequent past tense verbs you will need are zijn (to be) and hebben (to have).
| Person | Zijn (was/waren) | Hebben (had/hadden) |
|---|---|---|
| Singular (ik, u, hij) | was | had |
| Plural (wij, jullie, zij) | waren | hadden |
2. Spotting the Past in Reading Texts
On the Lezen (Reading) exam, verbs that end in -de, -den, -te, or -ten indicate the past. If you see a sentence like Lars woonde in Amsterdam, it means he lived there before, not necessarily now. DUO often creates distractors by mixing up the past and the present. Look for signal words like vroeger (formerly) or toen (then/at that time).
3. Subject-Verb Agreement Trap
Watch out for using the plural form with a singular subject (e.g., ik waren). On the Schrijven (Writing) exam, this error will lower your score. Always look at who the subject is before you write the verb.