Dutch A2.22 Listening Practice: Select Zijn for Four Results
Listen to a A2 Dutch dialogue about select zijn for four results, with audio, transcript, and grammar notes for language learning.
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Level
A2.22
Audio
Segmented audio
Transcript
17 segments
A short Dutch listening chapter with transcript.
Update someone about an arrival, departure, decision to remain, or visible change.
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1. Marieke · Teacher
Welcome back! I'm Marieke. Today we're learning when to use 'zijn' instead of 'hebben' in the Dutch past tense.
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2. Daan · Student
Hi Marieke! Is this the rule where every verb that shows movement uses 'zijn'?
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3. Marieke · Teacher
Not quite, Daan! It's much better to avoid general rules about movement and instead memorize four specific participle frames that always take 'zijn': gegaan, gekomen, gebleven, and geworden. Let's listen to Bram and Lotte use them in conversation.
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4. Bram · Native Speaker 1
Ik ben gisteren vroeg naar huis gegaan.
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5. Lotte · Native Speaker 2
Anna is ook vroeg gekomen.
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6. Bram · Native Speaker 1
We zijn de hele avond thuis gebleven.
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7. Lotte · Native Speaker 2
Het is buiten erg koud geworden.
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8. Bram · Native Speaker 1
Ja, het is heel koud geworden!
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9. Marieke · Teacher
Let's break down those five sentences. First, Bram said: 'Ik ben gisteren vroeg naar huis gegaan.' This means 'I went home early yesterday.' Notice the combination 'ben' with 'gegaan'.
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10. Daan · Student
So 'gegaan' always pairs with a form of 'zijn' like 'ben' or 'is'?
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11. Marieke · Teacher
Exactly! Store 'zijn + gegaan' as one unit in your mind.
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12. Marieke · Teacher
Next, Lotte said: 'Anna is vroeg gekomen,' meaning 'Anna came early.' Then Bram added: 'We zijn de hele avond thuis gebleven,' which means 'We stayed home all evening.'
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13. Daan · Student
Wait, staying home with 'gebleven' doesn't involve any movement at all! Why does it take 'zijn'?
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14. Marieke · Teacher
That's why relying on a 'movement rule' can confuse you! 'Gebleven' is simply one of our four target verbs that takes 'zijn'. Remember: 'zijn + gebleven'.
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15. Marieke · Teacher
Finally, Lotte and Bram said: 'Het is koud geworden.' This means 'It has become cold.' 'Geworden' comes from 'worden', which means to become.
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16. Daan · Student
So our four key stored participles with 'zijn' are gegaan, gekomen, gebleven, and geworden?
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17. Marieke · Teacher
Spot on, Daan. Just lock in those four result pairings—gegaan, gekomen, gebleven, and geworden—and don't stretch 'zijn' to other verbs. Great job today!
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