The Verb worden (to become)
To express a change in state—such as food spoiling or materials decaying—Dutch uses the copular verb worden (to become or to get).
| Pronoun | Form |
|---|---|
| ik | word |
| jij / u | wordt (word jij) |
| hij / zij / het | wordt |
| wij / jullie / zij | worden |
| The cheese is becoming moldy. | De kaas wordt schimmelig. |
| The bike becomes rusty if you leave it outside. | De fiets wordt roestig als je hem buiten laat staan. |
The Perfect Tense: zijn geworden
When describing a change that has already happened, use the perfect tense. Unlike most verbs which use hebben (to have), worden takes zijn (to be) as its auxiliary verb, combined with the past participle geworden.
| The bread has become moldy, that is why I am throwing it away. | Het brood is schimmelig geworden, daarom gooi ik het weg. |
| The chicken has become very tough. | De kip is erg taai geworden. |
| The broken machine has become unusable. | De kapotte machine is onbruikbaar geworden. |
Using Adjectives of Decay
You will see adjectives like schimmelig (moldy), slap (limp), and rot (rotten) used on their own after worden. When you place them directly before a noun instead, remember to apply the standard adjective ending -e. This often triggers consonant doubling to keep the preceding vowel short (e.g., rot becomes rotte, slap becomes slappe).
| The fruit is becoming rotten. | Het fruit wordt rot. |
| We are throwing the rotten apple into the trash can. | Wij gooien de rotte appel in de prullenbak. |
Describing Smells
When things spoil, they often produce a bad smell. You can describe this using the verb stinken (to stink) or the noun de stank (the stench).
| The waste in the trash can is beginning to stink. | Het afval in de prullenbak begint te stinken. |
| The stench in the fridge is terrible. | De stank in de koelkast is verschrikkelijk. |