Dutch A2.18 Listening Practice: Close a Completed Action
Listen to a A2 Dutch dialogue about close a completed action, with audio, transcript, and grammar notes for language learning.
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Level
A2.18
Audio
Segmented audio
Transcript
25 segments
A short Dutch listening chapter with transcript.
Tell someone which familiar task you or another person has already completed.
Read while you listen.
1. Marieke · Teacher
Welcome back to Dutch Audio Lab! I'm Marieke, your teacher. Today we are learning how to close a completed action in Dutch.
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2. Marieke · Teacher
When describing something finished in Dutch, you put a form of 'hebben' near the front of the clause and place the completed action word—the participle—all the way at the end.
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3. Marieke · Teacher
Let me bring in Bram and Lotte for a quick conversation. Listen for where 'hebben' and the participles go.
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4. Bram · Native Speaker 1
Hoi Lotte! Ik heb vandaag erg hard gewerkt.
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5. Lotte · Native Speaker 2
Fijn! Anna heeft vanmorgen nog gebeld.
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6. Bram · Native Speaker 1
Mooi, we hebben al verse koffie gemaakt.
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7. Lotte · Native Speaker 2
Lekker! Heb je gisteren ook gewerkt?
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8. Bram · Native Speaker 1
Nee, gisteren heeft Anna de planning gemaakt.
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9. Marieke · Teacher
Great listening! Now let's break down those five sentences together.
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10. Marieke · Teacher
First, Bram said: 'Ik heb vandaag erg hard gewerkt.' This means 'I worked very hard today.' Notice 'heb' is near the front, while 'gewerkt' sits at the very end.
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11. Daan · Student
So the auxiliary verb stays near the start, but the main action word gets pushed to the right edge of the sentence?
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12. Marieke · Teacher
Spot on, Daan! That sentence frame is a fundamental pattern in Dutch.
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13. Marieke · Teacher
Next, Lotte said: 'Fijn! Anna heeft vanmorgen nog gebeld.' That means 'Great! Anna called this morning.'
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14. Daan · Student
Why did Lotte use 'heeft' instead of 'heb' here?
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15. Marieke · Teacher
Because 'Anna' is singular 'she', so 'hebben' changes to 'heeft', and 'gebeld' stays at the end.
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16. Marieke · Teacher
Then Bram said: 'Mooi, we hebben al verse koffie gemaakt.' Meaning 'Nice, we have already made fresh coffee.'
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17. Daan · Student
And 'gemaakt' is the finished form for 'made', placed right at the clause edge?
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18. Marieke · Teacher
Exactly. 'We hebben' comes second, and 'gemaakt' closes the sentence.
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19. Marieke · Teacher
Lotte then asked: 'Lekker! Heb je gisteren ook gewerkt?' This means 'Delicious! Did you work yesterday too?'
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20. Daan · Student
In a question, does 'heb' flip order with 'je' while 'gewerkt' stays at the end?
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21. Marieke · Teacher
Yes! 'Heb je' starts the question, but 'gewerkt' remains locked at the end.
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22. Marieke · Teacher
Finally, Bram answered: 'Nee, gisteren heeft Anna de planning gemaakt.' This means 'No, yesterday Anna made the schedule.'
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23. Daan · Student
Why did 'heeft' come before 'Anna' in that line?
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24. Marieke · Teacher
Because 'gisteren' fills the first spot, keeping 'heeft' in second position before the subject 'Anna', while 'gemaakt' still ends the sentence.
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25. Marieke · Teacher
That concludes our lesson on closing completed actions in Dutch. Keep practicing this frame, and see you next time!
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