Learn Hardcore Dutch: Ik heb sindsdien elke dag geoefend. - I have practiced every day since then.

This is the Dutch perfect tense (perfectum), formed by the auxiliary hebben (to have) plus a past participle. In English it corresponds to I have practiced, but note that Dutch uses the perfect far more often than English does—even where English might use the simple past.

Why is the perfect tense used here instead of the simple past ik oefende sindsdien elke dag?

In spoken and informal written Dutch the perfect is the default for completed actions with present relevance. The simple past (oefende) is reserved for storytelling, historical accounts or very formal registers.

What does sindsdien mean and how is it used?

Sindsdien means since then and refers back to a specific moment mentioned earlier. It’s a standalone adverb marking the starting point of an action that continues up to now.

Could you use sinds instead of sindsdien here?

You can use sinds, but only with a noun or time phrase: for example, sinds vorige week. If you want to say “since then” without naming when, you need sindsdien.

Why is the past participle geoefend placed at the end of the sentence?

Dutch main clauses follow the V2 rule: the conjugated verb (heb) sits in second position, and any other verbal elements—including participles—go to the very end.

How do you form the past participle of oefenen?

Oefenen is a regular verb. To form its past participle you add the prefix ge- and replace -en with -d (because the stem ends in a voiced consonant): oefen → geoefend.

Can you say Ik oefen sindsdien elke dag instead?

Yes—grammatically it’s fine, and you’ll express a habitual action in the present. However, Dutch speakers often choose the perfect to stress that the action started in the past and is still relevant today.

Could you replace elke dag with dagelijks?

Absolutely. Dagelijks also means daily, so Ik heb sindsdien dagelijks geoefend is correct and slightly more formal.

Why are the time expressions ordered sindsdien elke dag, and can you swap them?

Dutch tends to place broader time frames before narrower ones (period → frequency). So sindsdien (a period) comes before elke dag (a frequency). You could swap them—Ik heb elke dag sindsdien geoefend—but it sounds less natural.