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geweest

Geweest is the past participle of the Dutch verb zijn, meaning “to be.” It is used with the auxiliary zijn to form perfect tenses and to express that someone or something has had the experience or state of being during a period in the past. As a result, ge- prefixation combines with the irregular stem geweest to create phrases such as ben geweest, bent geweest, is geweest, zijn geweest.

Common uses

- Present perfect: Ik ben geweest in Frankrijk. We have been to France.

- Present perfect plural: Wij zijn geweest op die plek. We have been at that place.

- Pluperfect (past perfect) constructions: Toen hij vertrokken, was hij geweest. When he left, he had been

Formation and irregularity

Geweest is formed with the standard ge- prefix and the irregular participle stem wees/weest, reflecting the

Usage notes

- Geweest is strictly a participle form; it does not itself function as a finite verb and requires

- It can express life experience, past existence, or states that have occurred but may no longer

See also

- Dutch grammar: verbs, past participles, and auxiliary verbs

- zijn (to be) and its conjugation

Geweest thus serves as a key element for discussing past states and experiences in Dutch.

there.
historical
development
of
the
verb
zijn.
It
contrasts
with
regular
participles
that
end
in
-t
or
-en.
In
other
Germanic
languages,
cognates
exist;
for
example,
German
uses
gewesen
as
the
past
participle
of
sein.
a
auxiliary
verb
(usually
zijn)
to
appear
in
a
tense.
apply
in
the
present.