The distinction between specific and non-specific direct objects will become clear if you have a look at their characteristics:
Specific direct objects
- direct object that starts with a definite article: _de_ and _het_
- direct object that starts with a possessive or demonstrative pronoun, e.g. _mijn_ (my), _jouw_ (your), _die, dat_ (that, those), _deze, dit_ (this, these)
- proper name (persons, cities, book titles, etc.)
Non-specific direct objects
- direct object that starts with an indefinite article: _een_ (a) or no article for plural nouns
- direct object that starts with a cardinal number, e.g. _drie, vier, vijf_
- direct object that starts with an indefinite pronoun, e.g. _geen_ (no), _enige_, _enkele_ or _wat_(some, a few), _veel_(much, many)
Recall, that a direct object that only consists of a personal pronoun (mij, jou, hem, het) is a so-called [reduced direct object](#/lesson/WordOrder.07). This component is placed in the left part of the sentence.
So why do we distinguish between specific and non-specific direct objects? The reason for this is that they do not get the same position in a sentence:
A non-specific direct object is always placed at the end. The position of a _specific_ direct objects is less strict: It is usually placed at the beginning but it is also allowed at the end. If you want to stress the specific direct object, you better place it at the end.
To keep it simple, we will follow the graphic above and place specific direct objects at the beginning, and non-specific direct objects at the end. Just bear in mind, that the specific direct object is also allowed at the end, especially if you wish to stress the direct object.