groeiden

Groeiden is the past tense form of the Dutch verb groeien, meaning to grow, and is used with plural subjects. In Dutch grammar it represents the onvoltooid verleden tijd, or imperfect tense.

Groeien is irregular in its past tense. The present tense forms are ik groei, jij groeit, hij groeit, wij groeien, jullie groeien, zij groeien. For the past tense, the singular form is groeide (ik groeide, jij groeide, hij groeide), while the plural form is groeiden (wij groeiden, jullie groeiden, zij groeiden). The past participle is gegroeid, and the perfect tenses are formed with hebben gegroeid (ik heb gegroeid, wij hebben gegroeid).

Usage examples show how groeiden expresses past growth for multiple subjects. Example: De planten groeiden dit voorjaar snel; De bomen groeiden tot vijf meter in twee jaar. Groeiden often appears in descriptive or narrative contexts, especially when comparing growth to other periods or to expectations.

Relation to other forms includes the noun groei, meaning growth, and the infinitive groeien. The form groeiden is distinct from the singular past tense groeide, which would be used with a singular subject. As with many Dutch irregular verbs, the past tense plural form is not derived by a simple add-on to the present stem, but reflects a separate historic inflection.

See also groeien, groei.