Vergeten ("to forget") is a strong verb of the e–a–e type (the same vowel run as geven and lezen), but it hides two traps that trip up almost every English speaker. First, because it begins with the inseparable prefix ver-, its past participle takes no extra ge-: it is vergeten, never gevergeten. Second, and far more subtle, vergeten has a dual auxiliary: you say ik *ben vergeten when you forgot an object or a fact, but ik **heb vergeten when you forgot *to do something. Dutch uses the choice of zijn vs hebben to signal which kind of forgetting you mean — a distinction English collapses into one verb. This page lays out every form and shows exactly when each auxiliary applies.
Principal parts
| Infinitive | Past (sg.) | Past (pl.) | Past participle | Perfect auxiliary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| vergeten | vergat | vergaten | vergeten | zijn / hebben (by meaning) |
Classification: strong (class 5, e–a–e). The vowel runs ee → a/aa → ee: present vergeet, past vergat/vergaten, participle vergeten. A weak verb would give vergeette / gevergeet; those forms do not exist.
Present tense
The stem is vergeet- (the e of -get- doubles to ee in the closed singular syllable, exactly as in geven → geef).
| Person | Form | English |
|---|---|---|
| ik | vergeet | I forget |
| jij / je | vergeet | you forget |
| u | vergeet | you forget (formal) |
| hij / zij / het | vergeet | he / she / it forgets |
| wij / we | vergeten | we forget |
| jullie | vergeten | you (pl.) forget |
| zij / ze | vergeten | they forget |
Watch the jij form: the stem already ends in -t (vergeet), so you do not add a second -t. It stays jij vergeet, never vergeett. When the verb comes before je in a question, nothing changes either — vergeet je? — because there was no extra -t to drop.
Simple past: vergat / vergaten — the vowel split
The strong past splits by number — singular short a, plural long aa — the same gaf/gaven pattern:
| Person | Past form | Vowel |
|---|---|---|
| ik / jij / u / hij / zij / het | vergat | short a |
| wij / jullie / zij (pl.) | vergaten | long aa |
In vergat the a is short, closed by the t. In vergaten the syllable opens — ver·ga·ten — so the single a is pronounced long. Saying wij vergat sounds, to a Dutch ear, exactly as wrong as "we forgots."
Ik vergat zijn naam zodra hij zich voorstelde.
I forgot his name the moment he introduced himself. Singular past 'vergat' — short a.
We vergaten de tickets thuis en moesten terugrijden.
We forgot the tickets at home and had to drive back. Plural past 'vergaten' — long aa.
The perfect — the dual auxiliary
This is the heart of vergeten. The participle is always vergeten (no ge-, because ver- is inseparable), but the auxiliary depends on what kind of forgetting you mean.
Use zijn when you forgot an object, a name, or a fact — a state of having lost it from your memory:
| Person | Perfect (with zijn) | English |
|---|---|---|
| ik | ben vergeten | I have forgotten |
| jij / u | bent vergeten | you have forgotten |
| hij / zij / het | is vergeten | he/she/it has forgotten |
| wij / jullie / zij | zijn vergeten | we/you/they have forgotten |
Use hebben when you forgot to do something — a neglected action, typically introduced by te + infinitive:
| Person | Perfect (with hebben) | English |
|---|---|---|
| ik | heb vergeten | I have forgotten |
| jij / u | hebt vergeten | you have forgotten |
| hij / zij / het | heeft vergeten | he/she/it has forgotten |
| wij / jullie / zij | hebben vergeten | we/you/they have forgotten |
The logic: zijn treats forgetting as a change of state ("I have come to be without my keys"), which is why it pairs with a direct object. Hebben treats it as a failed action ("I performed no calling"), which is why it pairs with te + infinitive. English has no equivalent signal — "I forgot my keys" and "I forgot to call" use one identical verb — so you simply have to internalise the rule.
Ik ben mijn sleutels weer vergeten — ik moet terug naar huis.
I've forgotten my keys again — I have to go back home. Forgot an OBJECT → zijn.
Sorry, ik heb vergeten je terug te bellen.
Sorry, I forgot to call you back. Forgot to DO something → hebben + te.
Imperative
The imperative is the bare stem vergeet.
| Form | Use | English |
|---|---|---|
| Vergeet het! | everyday | Forget it! |
| Vergeet niet je paspoort mee te nemen. | everyday reminder | Don't forget to bring your passport. |
| Vergeet u vooral niet te tekenen. | formal (with 'u') | Be sure not to forget to sign. (formal) |
Three model sentences
Vergeet je nooit eens een afspraak?
Don't you ever forget an appointment? Present, no extra -t on 'vergeet je'.
Tegen de tijd dat ze terugkwam, was ik al vergeten waarom ik boos was.
By the time she came back, I had already forgotten why I was angry. Past perfect 'was vergeten' — a forgotten fact → zijn.
De helft van de klas had vergeten het huiswerk te maken.
Half the class had forgotten to do the homework. 'had vergeten ... te maken' — a forgotten action → hebben.
Common Mistakes
❌ Ik heb mijn telefoon vergeten.
Questionable — for a forgotten object, standard Dutch prefers 'ben'.
✅ Ik ben mijn telefoon vergeten.
I've forgotten my phone. (Object → zijn.)
❌ Ik ben vergeten de deur op slot te doen.
Incorrect — forgetting to DO something takes 'hebben', not 'zijn'.
✅ Ik heb vergeten de deur op slot te doen.
I forgot to lock the door. (Action → hebben.)
❌ Ik heb het wachtwoord gevergeten.
Incorrect — ver- is an inseparable prefix, so the participle takes no extra ge-.
✅ Ik ben het wachtwoord vergeten.
I've forgotten the password.
❌ Wij vergat de verjaardag van oma.
Incorrect — the plural needs the long-vowel past 'vergaten', not singular 'vergat'.
✅ Wij vergaten de verjaardag van oma.
We forgot grandma's birthday.
❌ Jij vergeett altijd je jas.
Incorrect — the stem 'vergeet' already ends in -t, so no second -t is added.
✅ Jij vergeet altijd je jas.
You always forget your coat.
Key Takeaways
- Strong verb: vergeet → vergat / vergaten → vergeten; never vergeette or gevergeten.
- No extra ge-: the prefix ver- is inseparable, so the participle is plain vergeten.
- Dual auxiliary: ben/is/zijn vergeten for a forgotten object or fact; heb/heeft/hebben vergeten for forgetting to do something.
- The vowel split: singular vergat (short a), plural vergaten (long aa).
- No double -t: the stem ends in -t, so jij vergeet and vergeet je? stay as they are.
Now practice Dutch
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Start learning Dutch→Related Topics
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