Breakdown of Ik ben wezen roeien en ik heb me goed vermaakt.
ik
I
zijn
to be
en
and
hebben
to have
goed
good
zich vermaken
to enjoy oneself
wezen
to go (auxiliary for past outings)
roeien
to row
Questions & Answers about Ik ben wezen roeien en ik heb me goed vermaakt.
Why do we use ben wezen roeien instead of just saying ik heb geroeid?
What exactly is the word wezen doing here?
Wezen is an alternative infinitive form of zijn (to be). In this specific "action perfect" structure, it takes the place of the past participle geweest. Dutch grammar requires two infinitives together at the end of the clause here, so we use wezen roeien instead of a past participle.
Why is there a me in the second half of the sentence?
It is there because the verb zich vermaken (to enjoy oneself / have a good time) is a reflexive verb. Since the subject is ik, you must include the matching reflexive pronoun me (myself). Literally, you are saying "I have entertained myself well."
Could I translate "I went rowing" using the simple past, like ik ging roeien?
Yes, ik ging roeien is grammatically correct. However, in everyday spoken Dutch, people heavily prefer the present perfect tense (ik ben wezen roeien) to talk about completed casual activities and outings.
Learn Ik ben wezen roeien en ik heb me goed vermaakt and more in Dutch
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free