Things being done
Every letter from the gemeente is full of it. Stops you mixing up 'wordt gedaan' and 'is gedaan'.
A normal sentence says who does something: De monteur repareert de lift (the technician repairs the lift).
Sometimes the who is unknown or unimportant. Then Dutch puts the thing first and uses worden: De lift wordt gerepareerd (the lift is being repaired). This is called the passive.
worden in seat two … the past word at the very end.
The past word is the same one you already use for the past: gerepareerd, gestolen, verstuurd. Only the helper verb changes, depending on when it happens.
- 1Happening now, as a habit, or soon: wordt / worden.
- 2Happened in the past: werd / werden.
- 3Done and finished: is / zijn.
De lift wordt vandaag gerepareerd.
The lift is being repaired today.
now: wordt
Het afval wordt op dinsdag opgehaald.
The rubbish is collected on Tuesdays.
a habit: wordt
De nieuwe pasjes worden per post verstuurd.
The new cards are sent by post.
more than one: worden
Het pakket werd gisteren bezorgd.
The parcel was delivered yesterday.
past: werd
Twee mensen werden naar het ziekenhuis gebracht.
Two people were taken to hospital.
past, more than one: werden. Typical news.
Mijn fiets is gestolen.
My bike has been stolen.
done: is
Uw formulieren zijn ontvangen.
Your forms have been received.
done, more than one: zijn
Want to say who did it? Add door (by). But most of the time Dutch leaves it out. That is the whole point of the passive.
✗Het huis is op dit moment geschilderd.
✓Het huis wordt op dit moment geschilderd.
Still happening? Use wordt. Het huis is geschilderd means the job is finished.
✗Het pakket is bezorgd van de postbode.
✓Het pakket is bezorgd door de postbode.
The one who did it comes after door (by), never van.
✗De brief is verstuurd geworden.
✓De brief is verstuurd.
In the 'done' version, geworden disappears. is + the past word is enough.
Sometimes there is no thing at all, only an activity. Then Dutch fills seat one with er: Er wordt gebeld (someone is ringing the bell). If something else starts the sentence, er can drop out.
Er wordt gebeld.
Someone's at the door.
er + wordt, nobody named
Er wordt aan de weg gewerkt.
Roadworks in progress.
a typical sign
Hier wordt niet gerookt.
No smoking here.
Hier starts the sentence, so no er needed
Op mijn werk wordt veel gelachen.
There's a lot of laughing at my work.
Op mijn werk starts the sentence, so no er
U wordt binnenkort gebeld door een medewerker.
An employee will call you soon.
door = by, the one who does it
Het rapport is door mijn collega geschreven.
The report was written by my colleague.
door = by
Uw aanvraag wordt binnen acht weken behandeld.
Your application will be dealt with within eight weeks.
a typical line in a gemeente letter
watch out
worden on its own means 'to become': Ik word moe = I'm getting tired. Het wordt koud = It's getting cold. It is only the passive when a past word comes at the end.
Where you will meet it: rules and signs, the news, letters and procedures. In everyday talk Dutch people often avoid it and just say ze or je: Ze hebben mijn fiets gestolen. Je mag hier niet roken.