Attributive past participles

To describe a noun's completed state—like a stolen bicycle or a damaged car—you can use a past participle as an adjective.

When placed directly before a noun, the past participle follows specific spelling rules depending on how it ends.

Participles Ending in "-en"

If the past participle ends in -en (like gestolen), it does not take any additional endings when used as an adjective.

I am filing a report for the stolen item.
Ik doe aangifte van het gestolen voorwerp.
The man read the written description and placed his signature.
De man las de geschreven beschrijving en zette zijn handtekening.

Participles Ending in "-d" or "-t"

If the past participle ends in -d or -t (like beschadigd), it behaves exactly like a regular Dutch adjective. This means it usually adds an -e at the end.

The police have seen the damaged car.
De politie heeft de beschadigde auto gezien.
You put your signature below the stated value.
U zet uw handtekening onder de vermelde waarde.

Filing a Report

When filing an official police report (de aangifte) about missing or damaged property (het eigendom), you will use these attributive past participles to detail the situation.

The recovered item was picked up yesterday.
Het teruggevonden voorwerp werd gisteren opgehaald.
The damaged property was brought to the office.
Het beschadigde eigendom werd naar het kantoor gebracht.