stemden

Stemden is the simple past tense form of the Dutch verb stemmen, meaning to vote or to cast a ballot. It is used with plural subjects such as wij, jullie, or zij, to describe a completed voting action in the past. The corresponding singular past tense is stemde (ik stemde, jij stemde, hij stemde). The past participle of stemmen is gestemd, which is used with auxiliary hebben in perfect tenses (for example: ik heb gestemd).

In typical usage, stemden expresses that a vote was cast in a past event such as an election, referendum, or internal decision-making process. Examples include: Zij stemden tegen het voorstel. Wij stemden op de kandidaat. De leden stemden gisteren over het plan.

Etymology and related forms: Stemden derives from the Dutch noun stem, meaning voice or vote, and is related to cognates in other Germanic languages that share a root connected with voting or sound. The verb stemmen has additional senses in Dutch beyond voting, such as tuning or adjusting in certain contexts, but the past tense stemden specifically marks past voting actions.

Related terms to explore include stemmen (the infinitive), gestemd (the past participle), and the broader concept of stemprocedure or stemmingsprocessen in Dutch political and organizational contexts.