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Before Erik went to study in Groningen, he had never lived in a big
city before. Erik really enjoyed student life in the city, but after
he finished his studies and married Sanne, he wanted to live in a small
town. Erik and Sanne have lived in Hardegarijp for ten years now. But
they have moved twice within the same town, first from a small flat to
a single family house, and a few years later to an old farm. They have
completely renovated the farm. Last year, they had a new roof put on.
Next year, they want to extend the kitchen.
The present tense
The present tense is used for things and events happening in the present
tense (see example 1 below). It is also used for things happening in the
present tense that have been going on for a while (see example 2 below).
Thirdly, we use it for things we do on a regular basis, often in combination
with adverbs that express such regularity (see example 3 below), and
lastly, we use it to talk about the future, often with the verb gaan or with
adverbs that express future time (see example 4 below). Examples:
1 Erik woont in Hardegarijp.
Erik lives in Hardegarijp.
2 Erik en Sanne wonen al tien jaar in Hardegarijp.
Erik and Sanne have lived in Hardegarijp for ten years.
Note: English would use the present perfect here. In Dutch, for such
situations you have to use the present tense.
3 Meestal gaat hij met de auto naar zijn werk.
He usually goes to work by car.
4 Volgend jaar willen ze de keuken uitbouwen.
Next year, they want to extend the kitchen.
An alternative for sentence 4 would be: Volgend jaar gaan ze de keuken
uitbouwen, or simply: Volgend jaar bouwen ze de keuken uit.
The simple past (or imperfect) tense
The simple past is mainly used to narrate a series of events in the past or
things that happened on a regular basis in the past. Examples:
Vroeger gingen we een paar keer per jaar naar opa en oma. We bleven
meestal een week logeren. We gingen met opa en oma naar de kust,
The
present
tense
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