Adjectives: Declension — Dutch Grammar

Adjectives in Dutch change their ending depending on their position in the sentence and the gender of the noun they describe. There are two main forms: the base form (dictionary form) and the inflected form, which adds an to the end.

Adjectives After the Verb

When an adjective is placed after the verb (predicative use), it always remains in its base form. No ending is added, regardless of the gender or number of the noun.

De man is oud.
The man is old.
Het huis is groot.
The house is big.
De kinderen zijn klein.
The children are small.

Adjectives Before the Noun (The General Rule)

When an adjective is placed immediately before a noun (attributive use), you generally add an to the end of the word. This applies to:

All plural nouns.
All "de-words" (masculine and feminine nouns), whether definite or indefinite.
Neuter "het-words" when used with a definite article (, , ) or a possessive.

De oude man.
The old man.
Een jonge vrouw.
A young woman.
Het grote huis.
The big house.
Mijn kleine boek.
My small book.

The Exception: Indefinite Neuter Nouns

There is one specific situation where you do not add the ending, even when the adjective is before the noun. You use the base form if all three of the following conditions are met:

The noun is a "het-word" (neuter).
The noun is singular.
The noun is indefinite (preceded by , , or no article at all).

Een groot huis.
A big house.
Een klein kind.
A small child.
Koud water.
Cold water.

Compare this with the definite form where the returns:

Het grote huis.
The big house.

Spelling Changes

Adding the ending often triggers spelling changes to maintain the correct pronunciation of the vowel. These follow standard Dutch spelling rules.

Short vowels: If the vowel is short, double the following consonant.

De dikke jas.
The thick coat.
Het witte overhemd.
The white shirt.

Long vowels: If the vowel is long and written with two letters, drop one vowel.

De rode auto.
The red car.
De grote tafel.
The big table.

Consonant changes: Words ending in change to , and words ending in change to .

De lieve moeder.
The sweet mother.
De boze man.
The angry man.

Material Adjectives

Adjectives that describe what a material is made of usually end in . These do not change form, regardless of the noun.

Een houten stoel.
A wooden chair.
De gouden ring.
The gold ring.

In the course

Sentences from Lingora’s Dutch course

227 of the course's 500 sentences use this, the first in lesson 4. A few of them, with the words “Adjectives: Declension” is about in bold:

Hoe voel je je? Goed of slecht?
How are you feeling? Good or bad?
Lesson 61
Ik voel me geweldig! Ik ben niet ziek. Ik ben gezond.
I feel great! I am not sick. I am healthy.
Lesson 64
Dit water is koud. Dat water is heet.
This water is cold. That water is hot.
Lesson 68

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