dienden

Dienden is the past tense, plural form of the Dutch verb dienen, meaning to serve or to be of service. It is used with plural subjects such as wij, jullie, and zij, as in wij dienden or zij dienden. The corresponding singular past tense forms are diende (ik diende, jij diende, hij diende).

Usage and context

Dienen is a basic, native Dutch verb with meanings related to serving, attending to someone, or performing a function. The form dienden appears primarily in past-tense narration, historical writing, or formal discourse when referring to multiple actors who performed services or duties in the past. In everyday modern speech, Dutch speakers more commonly use other past forms or compound tenses, but dienden remains correct and recognizable in written Dutch, especially in older texts.

Grammatical notes

- Dienden is the preterite (simple past) form used with wij, jullie, and zij.

- The imperfect first-person singular is diende, not dienden.

- The infinitive is dienen, and the past participle is gediend.

See also

- Dienen, the verb itself and its various meanings

- Dutch language, for broader grammar and conjugation patterns

Dienden is a relatively specialized form in contemporary Dutch, primarily of interest for historical texts, literature, or learners studying verb conjugation and tense usage.