The Dutch simple past: regular verbs

The simple past (in Dutch, the onvoltooid verleden tijd) is the form you use to say something happened in the past: ik werkte (I worked). For regular verbs it is built with a fixed rule.

Take the stem — the verb without its -en ending (werken → werk) — and add -te or -de.

1. Find the stem: remove -en from the infinitive. werken → werk, maken → maak.
2. If the stem ends in one of the letters in 't kofschip (t, k, f, s, ch, p), add -te: werk → werkte, maak → maakte.
3. Otherwise, add -de: speel → speelde, woon → woonde.

• For finished actions, especially in a story or in writing: Ze opende de deur. (She opened the door.)
• For something that happened again and again: Elke zomer logeerden we bij oma. (Every summer we stayed at grandma's.)
• In everyday speech Dutch often prefers the present perfect (Ik heb gewerkt) for a single finished action; both are correct.

Verbs like leven (to live) and reizen (to travel) look like exceptions. Their stems leef and reis end in f and s, so you would expect -te. They take -de: leefde, reisde. The reason is spelling — the original letter is v or z, still visible in the infinitive (leven, reizen). Follow that original letter: if the verb ends in -ven or -zen, use -de. More on this in why v becomes f, and z becomes s.