Definite Articles

01

De-words (Common Gender)

The article de is used with masculine and feminine nouns. In modern Dutch, these are often grouped together as "common gender" nouns. This group makes up the majority of words in the Dutch language.

• De man loopt op straat.

  The man walks on the street.

• De vrouw werkt hier.

  The woman works here.

• De tafel staat in de keuken.

  The table stands in the kitchen.

02

Het-words (Neuter Gender)

The article het is used with neuter nouns. There is no specific logic based on the object itself (e.g., biological gender does not always match grammatical gender), so these must be memorized individually.

• Het boek is interessant.

  The book is interesting.

• Het huis is groot.

  The house is big.

• Het meisje speelt buiten.

  The girl plays outside.

03

Plural Nouns

There is one strict rule that makes learning easier: all plural nouns use de. This applies even if the singular version of the word uses het.

• Singular: de man (the man) → Plural: de mannen (the men)
• Singular: het boek (the book) → Plural: de boeken (the books)

• De kinderen spelen in het park.

  The children play in the park. (Singular: het kind)

• De huizen zijn duur.

  The houses are expensive. (Singular: het huis)

04

Diminutives

Diminutives are words used to indicate that something is small, usually ending in suffixes like -je or -tje. All diminutives are neuter, meaning they always use het, regardless of the gender of the original word.

• De hond is oud.

  The dog is old.

• Het hondje is jong.

  The little dog is young.

• Ik drink het kopje koffie.

  I drink the small cup of coffee.

05

Compound Nouns

When two or more words are combined to form a new word, the article is determined by the last word in the compound.

• De politiehond

  The police dog (determined by de hond)

• Het politiebureau

  The police station (determined by het bureau)