Gewonnen

Gewonnen is the past participle of the Dutch verb winnen, meaning “to win.” In Dutch, it is used to form perfect tenses with hebben, as in “We hebben gewonnen” (We have won). The simple past tense of winnen is “won” (ik won, jij won, hij won). The past participle is formed with the prefix ge- and the stem winnen.

Beyond its verbal use, gewonnen can function as an adjective meaning “won” or “that has been won.” It can appear attributively before a noun after a definite article, for example “de gewonnen prijs” (the prize that was won) or “het gewonnen kampioenschap” (the won championship). Inflection follows Dutch adjective rules, so endings may vary with definiteness and gender.

In German, the closely related form gewonnen is the past participle of gewinnen. It is used with the auxiliary haben to form the present perfect: “Wir haben gewonnen” (We have won). As an attributive adjective, it can appear as “das gewonnene Spiel” (the game that has been won) with appropriate inflection.

Etymology and typology: gewonnen is part of the shared Germanic heritage of Dutch and German. In both languages, the word denotes a successful outcome in a competitive context, such as sports, contests, or other achievements. The Dutch form is distinct from the English verb forms—English uses “won” for the simple past, while Dutch uses “won” as the past tense and “gewonnen” as the participle.