Nouns: Gender — Dutch Grammar

Dutch nouns are grammatically divided into two main categories based on the definite article they use: common gender and neuter gender. While historically there were three genders (masculine, feminine, and neuter), in modern standard Dutch, masculine and feminine have largely merged into the common gender.

Knowing the gender of a noun is necessary to choose the correct article ( or ), the correct demonstrative pronoun ( or ), and the correct adjective ending.

De-words (Common Gender)

The vast majority of Dutch nouns (about 75%) belong to the common gender. These nouns use the definite article (meaning the). This category includes most words referring to people, as well as many objects and abstract concepts.

De man loopt op straat.
The man walks on the street.
De tafel is groot.
The table is big.
De zon schijnt.
The sun is shining.

Het-words (Neuter Gender)

The remaining nouns belong to the neuter gender. These nouns use the definite article (meaning the). While there are fewer of them, many high-frequency words fall into this category.

Het boek ligt op tafel.
The book is lying on the table.
Het water is koud.
The water is cold.
Het huis is oud.
The house is old.

The Indefinite Article

While the definite article changes based on gender ( vs. ), the indefinite article (meaning a or an) is almost always , regardless of the gender.

Ik zie een man.
I see a man.
Ik lees een boek.
I am reading a book.

Plural Nouns

There is a strict rule for plural nouns that makes learning easier: all plural nouns take the article , regardless of their gender in the singular form. Even if a word is a -word in singular, it becomes a -word in plural.

Het kind speelt.
The child plays.
De kinderen spelen.
The children play.
De boeken zijn duur.
The books are expensive.

Diminutives

Dutch frequently uses diminutives to indicate that something is small or cute. These words end in suffixes like , , or . A consistent rule applies here: all diminutives are neuter, so they always use . This applies even if the word refers to a person.

Het kopje koffie.
The cup of coffee.
Het hondje blaft.
The little dog barks.
Het meisje lacht.
The girl is laughing.

Compound Nouns

In Dutch, you can combine words to create new nouns. The gender of a compound noun is determined solely by the last word in the chain.

De soep + het vlees = het soepvlees.
The soup meat.
Het huis + de deur = de huisdeur.
The house door.

Identifying Gender by Endings

While you often have to memorize the gender along with the noun, certain endings can help predict the gender.

Common Gender (De) endings

Words ending in , , , , and are almost always -words.

De samenleving.
The society.
De overheid.
The government.
De universiteit.
The university.

Neuter Gender (Het) endings

Words ending in , , and are usually -words. Additionally, all verbs used as nouns (infinitives) are neuter.

Het moment.
The moment.
Het museum.
The museum.
Het zwemmen is leuk.
Swimming is fun.

In the course

Sentences from Lingora’s Dutch course

411 of the course's 500 sentences use this, the first in lesson 2. A few of them, with the words “Nouns: Gender” is about in bold:

Dit is mijn vriendin Anna. Ze is een studente.
This is my friend, Anna. She is a student.
Lesson 2
Ik heb twee auto's, twee fietsen en drie motoren.
I have two cars, two bicycles, and three motorbikes.
Lesson 33
Ik koop een banaan en zes eieren.
I am buying one banana and six eggs.
Lesson 43

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