Before a noun, a Dutch adjective usually gets an -e: _de groene jas_, _het oude huis_. A few adjectives never change in that position. The main groups are materials ending in -en (_een houten tafel_, _de gouden ring_), other adjectives ending in an unstressed -en (_de open deur_, _het eigen risico_) and some loanwords (_een prima idee_, _gratis koffie_, _een oranje jas_). Most other adjectives follow the normal rule.
The pattern
Adjectives that end in an unstressed -en, and some loanwords, keep the same form before every noun: after _de_, _het_ or _een_, without an article, and in the plural.
- Materials in -en: _houten_ (wooden), _gouden_ (gold), _zilveren_ (silver), _wollen_ (woollen), _leren_ (leather, not the verb), _glazen_ (glass), _stenen_ (stone). So: _een houten tafel_, _het houten huis_, _de houten stoelen_.
- Other adjectives in unstressed -en, including many past participles: _open_, _eigen_ (own), _tevreden_ (satisfied), _gesloten_ (closed), _gestolen_ (stolen). Examples: _de open deur_, _een tevreden klant_.
- The -en must be the weak ending with the [neutral e](#/lesson/schwa-and-endings). If the vowel before the n is stressed, the main rule applies: _de groene jas_, _een gemene opmerking_.
- Some loanwords: _prima_, _gratis_, _extra_, _plastic_, _aluminium_, _kaki_, _sexy_, and colours ending in -e or -a, such as _oranje_, _roze_ and _lila_. Examples: _een extra trein_, _een plastic tas_, _een aluminium pan_, _een sexy jurk_. These are examples, not a complete list.
- Most other adjectives follow the [main rule](#/lesson/adjective-endings), including most loanwords: _een moderne keuken_.
Examples
| Sanne heeft bij de kringloopwinkel een houten tafel gekocht. | Sanne bought a wooden table at the second-hand shop. |
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| Daan geeft Emma een gouden ring, want ze zijn vandaag tien jaar getrouwd. | Daan is giving Emma a gold ring, because they have been married for ten years today. |
| Op de fiets draagt Fatima een dikke jas en een wollen muts. | On the bike, Fatima wears a thick coat and a woollen hat. |
| Door het open raam hoorde Mei dat de buren ruzie hadden. | Through the open window, Mei heard that the neighbours were arguing. |
| Bij de politie vulde Joris een formulier in voor de gestolen fiets. | At the police station, Joris filled in a form for the stolen bike. |
| Ik moet de rekening zelf betalen, omdat mijn eigen risico nog niet opgebruikt is. | I have to pay the bill myself, because I haven't used up my deductible yet. |
| Bij de gemeente kun je gratis koffie pakken terwijl je wacht. | At the town hall you can grab free coffee while you wait. |
| Yara vond het park een prima plek om de verjaardag van Bas te vieren. | Yara thought the park was a fine place to celebrate Bas's birthday. |
| Op Koningsdag dragen veel mensen oranje kleren, ook als het regent. | On King's Day many people wear orange clothes, even when it rains. |
Why it works this way
The -e is the normal ending an adjective gets in front of a noun. A handy way to see this group: _houten_, _open_ and _gesloten_ already end in a weak -en that sounds like an ending, so they don't get a second one. That is a memory aid, not a sound law. Most adjectives ending in -er or -el do get -e: _een lekkere appel_, _een simpele vraag_. _Linker_ and _rechter_ (left and right) are exceptions: they never get -e and are usually written together with the noun, as in _de linkerhand_ and _het rechteroog_.
_Prima_, _gratis_ and _extra_ behave like fixed labels: Dutch puts them in front of a noun but gives them no endings. With _oranje_ and _roze_, an extra -e would only pile up a second e at the end.
Compare these pairs, where only the ordinary adjective changes:
- _het oude huis_ and _het houten huis_
- _een warme trui_ and _een wollen trui_
- _de paarse jas_ and _de oranje jas_
English speakers usually find this group easy, since English adjectives don't change for the noun. The typical English mistake is using the noun, _goud_ or _hout_, where Dutch needs the adjective in -en. German speakers are used to an ending on almost every adjective before a noun ("die offene Tür"), so they tend to add -e here too.
Used as a noun for a person, a word like _volwassen_ does take -e: _een volwassene_ (an adult). That is a different structure, covered in [Adjectives used as nouns](#/lesson/adjectives-as-nouns).
Remember: in today's Dutch, an adjective with a weak -en at the end, or one of the loanwords above, stays exactly as it is in front of a noun.
Watch out
- Not: _een goud ring_ Say: _een gouden ring_ (Dutch needs the adjective _gouden_, not the noun _goud_)
- Not: _de houtene stoelen_ Say: _de houten stoelen_ (no -e after the -en of a material, also in the plural)
- Not: _het opene raam_ Say: _het open raam_ (_open_ ends in an unstressed -en)
- Not: _mijn eigene fiets_ Say: _mijn eigen fiets_ (_eigen_ stays the same before a noun)
- Not: _de groen jas_ Say: _de groene jas_ (_groen_ is one stressed syllable, so the main rule applies)
Quick check
- Fill in the adjective that means "made of silver": Mei draagt vandaag een ... ketting.
- Choose _gesloten_ or _geslotene_: Ahmed staat voor de ... deur van de huisartsenpraktijk.
- Choose _warm_ or _warme_: Carlos zoekt een ... jas voor de winter.
- Fix the adjective: _Ik koop een wol sjaal, want het wordt koud._
Answers
- _zilveren_ (a material adjective in -en, so no extra -e)
- _gesloten_ (a past participle ending in unstressed -en stays the same)
- _warme_ (_warm_ follows the main rule: _jas_ is a _de_ word, so the adjective gets -e after _een_)
- _Ik koop een wollen sjaal, want het wordt koud._ (the material adjective is _wollen_, with double l and no -e)
Use it today
Pick five things in your home and describe each one with a material adjective, like _een glazen vaas_ or _een katoenen handdoek_. Then put an ordinary adjective in front and apply the normal rule to that one only: _een oude houten kast_ (_kast_ is a _de_ word, so _oud_ gets -e), but _een oud houten bed_ (_bed_ is a _het_ word after _een_, so _oud_ gets no -e). The material adjective stays the same in both.