speelde

Speelde is the simple past tense form of the Dutch verb spelen, meaning to play. It is used to describe a completed act of playing in the past, equivalent to the English word "played." The form is typically used with singular subjects, while the plural past tense is speelden. The past participle of spelen is gespeeld, which is used with have/has in perfect tenses.

Morphology and usage details: Speelde is derived from the verb stem speel- plus the standard past tense ending -de for singular subjects; speelden is the corresponding plural form. Spelen is a regular weak verb in its past tense, and gespeeld serves as the past participle in compound tenses such as heeft gespeeld (has played) or hebben gespeeld (have played).

Examples: Gisteren speelde hij voetbal. (Yesterday he played soccer.) Toen ik jong was, speelde ik buiten met vrienden. (When I was young, I played outside with friends.) These examples illustrate typical past-tense narration in Dutch, where speelde marks a completed action in the past.

Etymology and relations: Speelde comes from the infinitive spelen, reflecting the regular past-tense formation of Dutch weak verbs. It contrasts with present-tense forms like speelt (he/she/it plays) and with the plural past tense speelden.

See also: spelen, Dutch grammar, past tense.