kleedde

Kleedde is the simple past tense form of the Dutch verb kleden, meaning to dress or clothe. It describes the act of putting on clothes, either for someone else or for oneself, in the past. In contemporary usage, kleedde is most often found in written Dutch, including literature, journalism, and historical narratives.

Grammatical notes: Kleedde is the preterite for all persons: ik kleedde, jij kleedde, u kleedde, hij kleedde, wij kleedden, jullie kleedden, zij kleedden. The present tense forms are kleed (ik kleed, jij kleedt, hij kleedt). The past participle is gekleed, used with have or be in perfect tenses: ik heb me gekleed; hij is gekleed. When describing dressing oneself in the past, the reflexive form is common: ik kleedde me aan, jij kleedde je aan, wij kleedden ons aan.

Relation to related words: The verb kleden is related to the noun kleed, which in Dutch can refer to a garment or clothing in older or regional usage, and to kleding, meaning clothing in general. Kleedde often appears in narrative sequences that depict past actions or events.

Usage and nuance: Kleedde tends to appear in formal, literary, or historical contexts. In everyday speech, speakers more commonly use present-tense forms with past meaning clarified by time expressions, or substitute constructions like “aankleden” for dressing someone else.

Examples:

- Hij kleedde zich snel aan voordat hij naar buiten ging.

- Zij kleedde haar zoon aan voor het schoolfeest.

- Toen het donker werd, kleedden zij zich aan en verlieten het huis.

- Ik heb me aangekleed en ging naar beneden.