An adjective (a describing word, like big or new) usually gets an extra -e when it stands before a noun: _een grote stad_ (a big city), _de grote stad_, _grote steden_. The main exception is a singular het-word (a noun that uses _het_ for "the") after _een_, _geen_ or a similar word, or with no article at all: _een groot huis_ (a big house). Put _het_, _dit_, _dat_ or _mijn_ in front, and the -e comes back: _het grote huis_.
The pattern
Before a noun, an adjective usually gets -e. The main exception is a singular het-word with no _het_, _dit_, _dat_ or possessive (my, your, our: _mijn_, _jouw_, _ons_) in front of it.
- With a de-word, add -e whatever comes before it: _de grote stad_, _een grote stad_, _geen grote stad_.
- In the plural, add -e: _grote steden_, _de grote huizen_.
- With a het-word after _het_, _dit_, _dat_ or a possessive, add -e: _het grote huis_, _dit grote huis_, _ons grote huis_.
- With a singular het-word after _een_, _geen_, _elk_, _ieder_, _veel_, _zo'n_ or _welk_, or with no article, leave it off: _een groot huis_, _elk groot huis_, _groot nieuws_.
- An adjective after a verb such as _is_ usually has no -e: _Het huis is groot._ More in [Adjectives after zijn, worden and blijven](#/lesson/adjective-after-verb).
- A small group of adjectives never takes -e, such as _oranje_ and _houten_ (wooden). See [Adjectives that never take -e](#/lesson/adjectives-without-e).
Examples
| Sanne woont in een grote stad. | Sanne lives in a big city. |
|---|---|
| Grote steden zijn vaak druk. | Big cities are often busy. |
| Fatima heeft een groot huis. | Fatima has a big house. |
| Het grote huis op de hoek is van Fatima. | The big house on the corner is Fatima's. |
| Ahmed heeft geen groot huis. | Ahmed doesn't have a big house. |
| Mei woont nu in haar nieuwe huis. | Mei now lives in her new house. |
| Emma werkt in dat oude gebouw. | Emma works in that old building. |
| Joris wil ook zo'n groot huis. | Joris wants a big house like that too. |
| Het is mooi weer vandaag. | The weather is nice today. |
| Bas koopt twee verse broodjes. | Bas buys two fresh rolls. |
Why it works this way
Think of -e as the normal setting. Leaving it off is a special case for one combination: a het-word, in the singular, with nothing in front that points to one specific thing. _Het_, _dit_, _dat_ and _mijn_ point to one specific house, so the adjective keeps its -e. _Een_, _geen_, _elk_ and _zo'n_ do not, and neither does having no article at all.
Remember: ask three questions. Is it a het-word? Is it singular? Is there no _het_, _dit_, _dat_ or possessive in front? Three times yes means no -e. This is one more reason to learn every noun together with its article: see [De or het](#/lesson/de-and-het).
English adjectives do not change to match the noun, so the -e is a new habit for English speakers. German speakers can lean on _het grote huis_, which works like "das große Haus", but _een groot huis_ has no ending where German says "ein großes Haus". And if your language makes adjectives male or female, as Spanish and Arabic do: the Dutch -e has nothing to do with male or female.
You may also have spotted that _groot_ becomes _grote_, with one o. That spelling change is the topic of [Spelling changes when an adjective gets -e](#/lesson/adjective-spelling).
Watch out
- Not: _een mooi stad_ Say: _een mooie stad_ (_stad_ is a de-word, so -e, even after _een_)
- Not: _een grote huis_ Say: _een groot huis_ (singular het-word after _een_: no -e)
- Not: _mijn klein huis_ Say: _mijn kleine huis_ (after a possessive, the -e comes back)
- Not: _Ik drink koude water._ Say: _Ik drink koud water._ (_het water_, singular, no article: no -e)
- Not: _Het huis is grote._ Say: _Het huis is groot._ (after _is_, no -e)
Quick check
- Fill in the right form of _klein_: _Joris woont in een ... dorp._
- Choose _duur_ or _dure_: _Ahmed heeft geen ... fiets._
- Fill in the right form of _vers_: _Priya koopt ... brood bij de bakker._
- Fix the sentence: _Dit is ons nieuw huis._
Answers
- _klein_ (_het dorp_ is a singular het-word after _een_)
- _dure_ (_de fiets_ is a de-word, so -e, even after _geen_)
- _vers_ (_het brood_, singular, with no article)
- _Dit is ons nieuwe huis._ (_ons_ is a possessive, so the -e comes back)
Use it today
Next time you are in the supermarket, name three things in your basket out loud with an adjective, for example _een grote zak chips_, _vers brood_ and _rode appels_. Ask the three questions before each one.