Breakdown of Ik antwoordde dat ik de opmerking begreep.
ik
I
begrijpen
to understand
dat
that (conjunction)
antwoorden
to answer
Questions & Answers about Ik antwoordde dat ik de opmerking begreep.
Why is begreep in the past tense here? Does it mean I no longer understand the remark?
This is an example of the sequence of tenses in reported speech. Because the main reporting verb (antwoordde) is in the simple past, the verb in the reported clause (begreep) also shifts to the simple past. The original direct statement was likely in the present tense: Ik begrijp de opmerking (I understand the remark). Using the past tense here just matches the timeline of when you answered, not whether you still understand it today.
Why is antwoordde spelled with a double "d"?
To form the simple past of a regular verb, you add -de or -te to the stem. The stem of antwoorden is antwoord, which already ends in a d. Because we add -de for a singular subject, we get a double d: antwoord + -de = antwoordde.
Why is the verb begreep at the very end of the sentence?
The word dat (that) introduces a subordinate clause. In Dutch subordinate clauses, the conjugated verb (begreep) is always pushed to the very end of the phrase.
What is the infinitive of begreep and why does the vowel change?