The Dutch simple present tense and how to use it

The simple present (in Dutch, the onvoltooid tegenwoordige tijd) is the everyday tense for what is true now or happens regularly: ik werk (I work), hij woont in Utrecht (he lives in Utrecht). It is built on the verb stem.

Use the stem for ik, add -t to the stem for jij and hij/zij/het, and use the full infinitive for all plural forms.

1. ik → stem: ik werk, ik woon.
2. jij / je, hij / zij / het, and u → stem + -t: jij werkt, hij woont, u werkt.
3. wij, jullie, zij (plural) → the infinitive: wij werken, jullie wonen, zij werken.

Two spelling points follow from the stem rules. If the stem already ends in -t, you do not add a second one: rusten (to rest) → hij rust, praten (to talk) → hij praat. A stem ending in -d takes the -t as well, even though the ending is silent when you say the word out loud: rijden (to drive) → hij rijdt, houden (to hold) → jij houdt. That trap has its own page: the -dt rule.

When jij or je comes directly after the verb, the -t disappears and you are left with the bare stem.

• Normal order, subject first: Jij werkt hard. (You work hard.)
• In a yes/no question, verb first: Werk jij morgen? (Are you working tomorrow?) — not werkt jij.
• When something else is placed first: Vandaag ga je naar huis. (Today you go home.)

This drop happens only with jij/je and only when it follows the verb. Every other subject keeps the -t: Werkt hij? (Does he work?), Komt u? (Are you coming?). The reason the verb moves at all is the verb-second rule, which keeps the finite verb in the second slot of the sentence.

The Dutch present covers more ground than its English counterpart, which often switches to is/are + -ing or to a separate future form. These are the main jobs it does:

• Regular habits and routines: Zij belt haar moeder elke zondag. (She phones her mother every Sunday.) Ik sport twee keer per week. (I do sport twice a week.)
• Something going on at this moment, where English would use is/are + -ing: De baby slaapt. (The baby is sleeping.) Ik drink koffie. (I am drinking coffee.)
• A planned future event, paired with a time word: Morgen vertrek ik naar Berlijn. (Tomorrow I leave for Berlin.) Volgende week begint de cursus. (The course starts next week.)
• General truths and als (if) conditions: Water kookt bij honderd graden. (Water boils at a hundred degrees.) Als je oefent, word je beter. (If you practise, you get better.)

When a situation began earlier and is still going on, Dutch stays in the present where English reaches for have + past participle. The word al (already) usually flags this reading: Ik werk hier al vijf jaar. (I have worked here for five years, and still do.)

Two errors are common. First, adding -t to the ik form: it is ik werk, never ik werkt. Second, keeping the -t on jij in a question: it is Werk jij?, not werkt jij?. When jij stands in front of the verb the -t returns: Jij werkt.