Questions & Answers about De gokker werd dronken.
Since the current lesson is about the passive voice, is this a passive sentence?
No, this is an active sentence. While werd is the past tense of worden (the auxiliary verb used to form the passive voice), here it acts as a linking verb meaning "became" or "got". You can tell because dronken is an adjective describing the gambler's state, not an action being done to him by an outside agent.
Why do we use werd here instead of a form of krijgen to translate "got"?
In English, "to get" is extremely versatile. When it means "to receive" (like getting a gift or getting a letter), you use krijgen in Dutch. But when it means "to become" or describes a change of state (like getting tired, getting sick, or getting drunk), you must use worden.
Is dronken a verb form here? Isn't the past participle of drinken actually gedronken?
You are correct! The past participle of drinken (to drink) is gedronken (e.g., Hij heeft bier gedronken). However, dronken functions purely as an adjective in modern Dutch, meaning "drunk" or "intoxicated." While they share the same historical root, you use dronken to describe a state of being, and gedronken for the action of having consumed something.
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