This is the 270th most frequent Dutch word.
kregen
"Kregen" is the past tense of "krijgen," meaning "got" or "received."
Here, 'kregen' indicates an action that took place in the past, specifically that the subject 'we' received something (a visit) from someone else.
We kregen gisteravond een bezoek van onze buren.
We received a visit from our neighbors last night.
In this sentence, 'kregen' is used to describe a completed event in the past where the subject 'de kinderen' were given gifts.
De kinderen kregen cadeautjes voor hun verjaardag.
The children received gifts for their birthday.
The use of 'kreeg', the singular form associated with the pronoun 'hij', specifies that the subject received or was granted an opportunity in the past.