While learning Dutch, you’ll come across the verb worden early and often. It literally means to become, but it’s used in many different, interesting ways, as an auxiliary verb and even in strange contraptions that don’t seem to make much sense. Let’s dive deeper into the many uses of worden.
As stated above, the basic meaning of worden is to become, and if you want to use to become in a sentence, there’s really no other option than to go with worden.
Worden as an auxiliary verb
The reason why you see worden used much more often than its English counterpart, is that it’s often used as an auxiliary verb, especially in the passive voice. While in English, you can form sentences using contraptions like I am being […] or I will be […], in Dutch, you’ll often end up using a version of worden. Some examples:
ik word gestraft (Eng: I am being punished)
hij wordt waarschijnlijk geselecteerd (Eng: he will likely be selected)
Worden as a linking verb
Like to become, worden can also be used as a linking verb. In these cases, it’s about something turning into something else, into a different state, or being in the process of receiving a different qualification. For example:
ik word boos (Eng: I am getting/becoming angry)
While English has many linking verbs that mean the same as to become (to turn into, to get, et cetera), Dutch mainly resorts to using worden, which is why you’ll see it so often. There just isn’t really a solid alternative.
There are more examples of this, some leaning more towards a change of state (ik word ziek / I am getting ill) or something a bit in the middle (ik word wakker / I am waking up, but literally: I become awake). I’m not going to bother you with the deep grammatical breakdown, but the gist is: it’s either about something turning into a different state, or about the process itself of turning into a different state.
Worden in the passive future tense
A strange thing happens when worden is put into a sentence in the passive future tense, just like English always uses will be (or shall be, if you’re really fancy). Dutch often uses worden in these types of sentences, although we do have a few more options. In English, and in many other languages, there’s a set order, especially in simple sentences. For example:
I will be punished
In Dutch, there are two ways of forming these basic sentences: worden can be tucked in between the auxiliary verb and the past participle, or added at the end of the sentence:
ik zal worden gestraft
ik zal gestraft worden
According to the Taalunie (Eng: Language Union), the organization that deals with questions regarding grammar and spelling, both of these sentences are entirely correct, and there isn’t even a preferred option. In practice, the first is regarded a tiny bit more formal; the latter you’ll hear a tiny bit more in everyday speech. Nevertheless, both work perfectly fine in every situation, and I doubt I’ve ever seen or heard anyone being called out on it.
Worden in idioms
Dutch features a set of idioms that include worden in a way that doesn’t really make sense, but it’s just something we’ve been doing for a long time and there’s no need to change it. In these cases, it’s impossible to translate worden directly into to become, so they might feel a bit off. Here’s a few to get the idea:
dat wordt lachen (Eng: that’s going to be fun (lachen means to laugh))
wat wordt het? (Eng: what’s it going to be?)
dat wordt niks (Eng: that’s not going to work (niks means nothing))
As you can see, it’s usually a construction of dat/wat (Eng: that/what) + a form of worden + some kind of verb, verbal noun, adjective, or something else entirely. Even though the English translations are different in form, you can still feel how our versions work, especially once you’ve gotten a bit more familiar with the more or less meaningless way in which we use worden sometimes.
Worden in the imperative mood
Worden is also a common-ish sight in the imperative mood. I’ve written an entire article on that, so feel free to brush up on that one before reading on. I’ll assume you’ve got the gist of it.
These sentences are mostly requests about someone changing their state (of mind, usually), like in the paragraph about worden as a linking verb. Two main examples:
word wakker! (Eng: wake up!, but literally: become awake!)
word volwassen! (Eng: grow up!, but literally: become grown up!)
There’s other options available, but these are the only two you’ll encounter on a properly regular basis. The others feel a tad artificial, at least to me.
Archaic use
Dutch is an old language, and in some cases, worden shows up in a form that seems a bit outdated – and probably is. You won’t hear them around in speech all that much, but they do appear in official texts. Some examples:
mij werd gevraagd of ik weg wilde gaan (Eng: I was asked if I wanted to leave)
aan de winnaar werd een prijs gegeven (Eng: to the winner, a prize was given)
The subject in these sentences is often in the dative case, something that usually looks odd anyway. In speech, and not overly formal texts, we usually change the sentence around a bit, just like would often happen in English. Like this:
ze vroegen of ik weg wilde gaan (Eng: they asked if I wanted to leave)
ze gaven een prijs aan de winnaar (Eng: they gave a prize to the winner)
A long story becomes short
Worden is a really versatile little word. While its literal translation is to become, it’s used in many ways that don’t work with that translation: as an auxiliary verb, a linking verb, a part of the passive future tense, in the imperative mood, or simply in old idioms and archaic phrasing.
Because it’s so versatile, it’s a difficult one for non-Dutchies to wrap their heads around, and it might take you a while to distinguish all the different iterations. Isn’t that what learning a new language is all about, though? And don’t worry: je wordt er snel goed in (Eng: you’ll quickly become good at it).
