Grammatica - loco

1111
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1011
1
12111
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20111
1
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30111
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40
41111
In the second example the conjunction toen determines the use of the
imperfect in the first clause, and the ‘would’, which is equivalent in meaning
to ‘used to’, is rendered as in the first example with an adverb of time,
dikwijls (see Conditional Tense 11.1.7.3):
Toen wij in Amsterdam woonden, gingen we dikwijls naar
het Rijksmuseum.
When we lived in Amsterdam we would often go to the National
Museum.
Such sentences expressing an habitual action may employ the verb plegen
‘to be accustomed to’ in very formal style:
Het karretje waarmee hij naar de stad placht te rijden . . .
The cart in which he would (= used to) ride to town . . .
11.2.2.5
One should also beware of what seem to be imperfects in Dutch but which
are in fact contracted conditionals (see 11.2.7, 11.8.3.2). Imperfects in
such ‘if’ clauses cannot be replaced by perfects.
11.2.3
11.2.3.1
Perfect tense
It is in the use of the perfect that Dutch tenses differ most from those of
English. The basic rule for the use of the perfect is as follows:
All perfects in English are rendered by perfects in Dutch (with one exception,
see Present Tense, 11.2.1.3), but most imperfects in English may be rendered
by either imperfects or perfects in Dutch, the perfect tense being more
common, particularly in speech (for the few instances where English
imperfects must be imperfects in Dutch, see Imperfect Tense above).
For example, the sentence ‘He bought a computer yesterday’ can only use
an imperfect in English as the time of the action is mentioned, whereas
‘He has bought a computer’, without any mention of the time, is possible.
In Dutch the latter would also always use a perfect but the former could
employ either an imperfect or a perfect.
Hij heeft gisteren een computer gekocht or
Hij kocht gisteren een computer but only
Hij heeft een computer gekocht.
Remember this: a perfect in English is always a perfect in Dutch!
Use of tenses
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