When we connect two nouns to each other, we usually have to place -en between them.
In spoken Dutch, we usually do not (or hardly) pronounce the letter 'n', which makes it hard to determine whether you have to write -e or -en. On this page, you will find a few guidelines to distinguish between the connectors -e and -en.
We write -e if the first word of the compound noun:
- is a person or object of which there is obviously only one
- is not a noun (but an adjective, adverb, verb, etc.)
- forms a fossilized combination with the second part
Connecting -e
- The first word is a person or an object of which there is obviously only one:
de koningin + de dag | (de) Koninginnedag | Queens Day
de zon + de straal | de zonnestraal | the sun beam
de maan + de schijn | de maneschijn | the moonshine
- The first word is not a noun:
spinnen + het wiel | het spinnewiel | the spinning-wheel
wiegen + het lied | het wiegelied | the lullaby
rood + de kool | de rodekool | the red cabbage
Note that most compound words that start with a verb or adjective get [no connector](#/lesson/NounsAndArticles.29) at all. This guideline simply tells you that if we do use a connector, it must be -e.
- The compound is fossilized, i.e. the meaning of the compound word is not the sum of the meanings of its separate components
de bak + de baard | de bakkebaard | the side burn
de bruid + de gom | de bruidegom | the bride groom
de el + de boog | de elleboog | the elbow
The last guideline must be really hard for non-native speakers!
Connecting -en
In general, we connect words by -en, unless they fall under one of the three categories above.
Apart from the distinction between -e and -en, we must be able to establish when to use -en or -s. The latter is another common connector, which we will discuss in detail on the next page.
We use the connector -en if the first word exclusively takes -en as a plural ending. Since this is the case for the majority of Dutch words, -en is the most common connector.
het paard + de stal | de paardenstal | the horse stable
het gebaar + de taal | de gebarentaal | the sign language
het bed + het goed | het beddengoed | the bed linen
de toets + het bord | het toetsenbord | the keyboard
de punt + de slijper | de puntenslijper | the pencil ('point') sharpener
de waar + het huis | het warenhuis | the warehouse