The Past Tense of zijn
To talk about your childhood and youth, you will need the simple past tense of the verb zijn (to be).
Like in English, this verb is irregular. Fortunately, its past tense has only two forms in Dutch: was for all singular subjects, and waren for all plural subjects.
| Subject | Past tense of zijn |
|---|---|
| ik | was |
| jij / u | was |
| hij / zij / het | was |
| wij | waren |
| jullie | waren |
| zij | waren |
Singular Subjects (was)
When talking about a single person or thing—like yourself, a child, or a teenager—use was.
| I used to be very shy. | Vroeger was ik heel verlegen. |
| In my youth, I was always well-behaved. | In mijn jeugd was ik altijd braaf. |
| The child was curious about the toys. | Het kind was nieuwsgierig naar het speelgoed. |
Plural Subjects (waren)
When talking about multiple people or things—like wij (we), jullie (you all), or a group of teenagers—use waren.
| The teenagers used to be very insecure. | De tieners waren vroeger erg onzeker. |
| You were often annoying in high school. | Jullie waren vaak vervelend op de middelbare school. |
You can easily combine both forms to contrast what different people were like:
| My brothers were sometimes naughty, but I was well-behaved. | Mijn broers waren soms stout, maar ik was braaf. |
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