konden

Konden is primarily known as the past tense form of the Dutch auxiliary verb kunnen. It expresses ability, possibility, or permission in the past. The standard forms for past tense are: ik kon, jij kon, u kon, hij/zij/het kon; wij konden, jullie konden, zij konden.

In usage, konden is used to indicate that someone could do something in the past or that a situation was possible. Examples: "Toen ik jong was, kon ik harder lopen." (When I was young, I could run faster.) "We konden niet komen vanwege de regen." (We couldn't come because of the rain.) The negative typically uses kon niet or konden niet, depending on the subject.

Etymology: Konden derives from the Dutch verb kunnen, whose forms date from the Germanic roots shared with other Germanic languages. In modern Dutch it functions as the past-tense plural form for kan.

Other uses: Beyond its grammatical function, konden may appear as a proper noun in certain languages, including as a surname or place name. These uses are not tied to the Dutch verb and depend on regional naming practices. When encountered, they should be treated as proper nouns and disambiguated according to context.