Dutch Grammar • Stem rule IV http://www.dutchgrammar.com/en/?n=Verbs.

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Stem rule IV

By Bieneke Berendsen

There are a few verbs that end in -iën. The dieresis over e indicates that e is the beginning of a new
syllable. Normally, ie is pronounced as ee in the English verb seek, but iën is pronounced as English
ee-ye.
T -
When we derive the stem of an -iën verb, we only subtract -n. We maintain -e but we remove the
dieresis. For example:

Infinitive ruziën skiën oliën

(to quarrel) (to ski) (to oil)
Stem ruzie skie olie

Now that you know how to derive the stem from an infinitive, you will be able to conjugate a verb in
all eight tenses. You will find that to do this properly, you cannot do without the knowledge about
the stem you obtained in this section.

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