Verliezen ("to lose") and winnen ("to win") are the natural antonym pair of the sports page, and both are strong — you cannot regularise them. Each carries a consonant twist that English speakers routinely flatten. Verliezen shows two shifts at once: the s/z alternation (verlies with s, verliezen with z) and, in the past, the rare z → r rhotacism that turns the z into an r: verloor, verloren, verloren. Winnen is cleaner but still irregular: the i–o–o run gives won/wonnen/gewonnen, never a weak winde. This page gives the complete paradigm for both, side by side.
Verliezen — to lose
Principal parts
| Infinitive | Past (sg.) | Past (pl.) | Past participle | Perfect auxiliary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| verliezen | verloor | verloren | verloren | hebben |
Classification: strong (class 2, ie–oo–oo, with z→r). The vowel runs ie → oo → oo, and the z of the stem becomes r in past and participle: verliezen → verloor → verloren. This z→r swap (technically rhotacism) is a fossil shared by only a handful of Dutch verbs — verliezen, vriezen (to freeze), kiezen (to choose). There is no rule to predict it; it must be learned per verb.
Present tense
The stem is verlies- — ie stays, and the z of the infinitive becomes s at the end of the stem (Dutch words don't end in z).
| Person | Form | English |
|---|---|---|
| ik | verlies | I lose |
| jij / je | verliest | you lose |
| u | verliest | you lose (formal) |
| hij / zij / het | verliest | he / she / it loses |
| wij / we | verliezen | we lose |
| jullie | verliezen | you (pl.) lose |
| zij / ze | verliezen | they lose |
The s/z rule is mechanical: s at the end of the stem (verlies, verliest), z between vowels (verliezen). When je follows the verb, the -t drops: verlies je?, never verliest je.
Simple past: verloor / verloren
Here the ie becomes oo and the z becomes r:
| Person | Past form | English |
|---|---|---|
| ik / jij / u / hij / zij / het | verloor | I/you/he... lost |
| wij / jullie / zij (pl.) | verloren | we/you/they lost |
Unlike the a/aa verbs, the vowel here is long oo in both singular and plural — verloor (closed, oor) and verloren (open, lo·ren) sound the same in vowel quality; only the plural -en differs. The headline is the r: never write verloozen or verloosde.
Nederland verloor de finale na strafschoppen.
The Netherlands lost the final on penalties. Singular past 'verloor' — note the r.
We verloren elkaar uit het oog na de middelbare school.
We lost touch with each other after secondary school. Plural past 'verloren'.
Perfect: hebben + verloren
The participle is verloren (identical to the plural past). Verliezen takes hebben.
| Person | Perfect | English |
|---|---|---|
| ik | heb verloren | I have lost |
| jij / u | hebt verloren | you have lost |
| hij / zij / het | heeft verloren | he/she/it has lost |
| wij / jullie / zij | hebben verloren | we/you/they have lost |
Note: verloren doubles as an adjective meaning "lost" — een verloren zaak ("a lost cause"), de verloren zoon ("the prodigal son"). The participle has no extra ge- because ver- is an inseparable prefix.
Winnen — to win
Principal parts
| Infinitive | Past (sg.) | Past (pl.) | Past participle | Perfect auxiliary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| winnen | won | wonnen | gewonnen | hebben |
Classification: strong (class 3, i–o–o). The vowel runs i → o → o: win → won → gewonnen. This is the same family as beginnen → begon → begonnen and vinden → vond → gevonden. A weak form winde / gewind does not exist.
Present tense
The stem is win-; the double n of the infinitive simplifies to one n at the end of the stem.
| Person | Form | English |
|---|---|---|
| ik | win | I win |
| jij / je | wint | you win |
| u | wint | you win (formal) |
| hij / zij / het | wint | he / she / it wins |
| wij / we | winnen | we win |
| jullie | winnen | you (pl.) win |
| zij / ze | winnen | they win |
The i in win is the short i of English "win." When je follows, the -t drops: win je?
Simple past: won / wonnen
| Person | Past form | Vowel |
|---|---|---|
| ik / jij / u / hij / zij / het | won | short o |
| wij / jullie / zij (pl.) | wonnen | short o (doubled consonant keeps it short) |
Both singular won and plural wonnen keep the short o — the doubled nn in wonnen is what holds the vowel short across the syllable break. This is the opposite of the a/aa verbs: here the vowel does not lengthen in the plural.
Zij won goud op de tweehonderd meter.
She won gold in the two hundred metres. Singular past 'won' — short o.
We wonnen drie wedstrijden op rij.
We won three matches in a row. Plural past 'wonnen' — still a short o.
Perfect: hebben + gewonnen
The participle is gewonnen (normal ge- prefix; winnen has no inseparable prefix). It takes hebben.
| Person | Perfect | English |
|---|---|---|
| ik | heb gewonnen | I have won |
| jij / u | hebt gewonnen | you have won |
| hij / zij / het | heeft gewonnen | he/she/it has won |
| wij / jullie / zij | hebben gewonnen | we/you/they have won |
Imperatives
| Verb | Imperative | Example |
|---|---|---|
| verliezen | verlies | Verlies geen tijd! — Don't lose any time! |
| winnen | win | Win dit eens van mij! — Try and beat me at this! |
Three model sentences
Als we vanavond winnen, staan we bovenaan.
If we win tonight, we'll be top of the table. Present plural 'winnen'.
Ze hebben de wedstrijd verloren, maar het publiek won.
They lost the match, but the crowd won. Perfect 'hebben verloren' vs past 'won'.
Hoeveel geld heb je nou helemaal gewonnen met die loterij?
How much money did you actually win in that lottery? Perfect 'heb gewonnen'.
Common Mistakes
❌ Onze ploeg verloosde de halve finale.
Incorrect — verliezen is strong with z→r: the past is 'verloor', never a weak 'verloosde'.
✅ Onze ploeg verloor de halve finale.
Our team lost the semi-final.
❌ We hebben de eerste set verloozen.
Incorrect — the participle takes the r: 'verloren', not 'verloozen'.
✅ We hebben de eerste set verloren.
We lost the first set.
❌ Ik winde de prijs vorig jaar.
Incorrect — winnen is strong (i-o-o): the past is 'won', never 'winde'.
✅ Ik won de prijs vorig jaar.
I won the prize last year.
❌ Hebben jullie het toernooi gewinnen?
Incorrect — the participle is 'gewonnen', not 'gewinnen'.
✅ Hebben jullie het toernooi gewonnen?
Did you win the tournament?
❌ Wij wonen gisteren met 3-0.
Incorrect — 'wonen' means 'to live/reside'; the past of winnen is 'wonnen' with double n.
✅ Wij wonnen gisteren met 3-0.
We won 3-0 yesterday.
Key Takeaways
- verliezen is strong with z→r: verlies → verloor / verloren → verloren (hebben). Never verloosde or verloozen.
- winnen is strong (i-o-o): win → won / wonnen → gewonnen (hebben). Never winde or gewinnen.
- s/z rule in verliezen: s at the stem end (verlies, verliest), z between vowels (verliezen).
- Short o stays short in won/wonnen — the doubled nn keeps it that way; no vowel lengthening in the plural.
- Don't confuse plural past wonnen (won) with wonen (to live).
Now practice Dutch
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