Dutch has two definite articles, two words for "the": _de_ and _het_. Most nouns (words for people, things and places) take _de_, a smaller group takes _het_, and every plural (more than one of something) takes _de_. So you never learn just _huis_: you learn _het huis_ (the house), just as you learn _de fiets_ (the bike).
The pattern
A singular noun (just one) takes _de_ or _het_, and you learn which one together with the noun. A plural noun always takes _de_.
- _de_ is for common-gender nouns (once masculine or feminine), the big group: _de man_, _de vrouw_, _de trein_, _de fiets_.
- _het_ is for neuter nouns (neither masculine nor feminine), a smaller group: _het huis_, _het boek_, _het water_, _het station_.
- In the plural the difference disappears: _het huis_ becomes _de huizen_, _het kind_ becomes _de kinderen_.
- Every singular diminutive (a "small" form of a noun, ending in _-je_) takes _het_: _het meisje_, _het kopje_. In the plural they take _de_, like every plural: _de meisjes_, _de kopjes_.
Examples
| Het huis is oud. | The house is old. |
|---|---|
| De huizen zijn oud. | The houses are old. |
| Het kind speelt buiten. | The child is playing outside. |
| De kinderen spelen buiten. | The children are playing outside. |
| De trein is te laat. | The train is late. |
| Het weer is mooi vandaag. | The weather is nice today. |
| De melk staat in de koelkast. | The milk is in the fridge. |
| Waar is het station? | Where is the station? |
| Het meisje heet Yara. | The girl is called Yara. |
Why it works this way
Dutch once had three genders (grammar groups for nouns): masculine, feminine and neuter, a bit like German still has. Masculine and feminine nouns use the same article, _de_, and in the Netherlands the difference between them has mostly faded. That shared group is called common gender. Neuter nouns kept their own article, _het_.
So the article belongs to the word, not to its meaning. A girl is clearly female, yet it is _het meisje_, because _meisje_ is a diminutive, and singular diminutives take _het_. A table has no gender at all, yet it is _de tafel_.
A useful way to think of it: the article is the noun's surname. You would not learn a new colleague's first name and forget the family name, so don't learn _huis_ without _het_. The word for "a" will not help you remember, because it is _een_ for every noun: _een huis_, _een fiets_ (see [Een: the word for "a"](#/lesson/een)). There are some [clues that a noun is a het-word](#/lesson/het-word-patterns), but for most nouns you simply learn the article, and [How to actually learn de and het](#/lesson/learning-de-het) shows how to make that stick. If you have to guess, guess _de_: you will be right more often than not.
Remember: you don't learn _huis_, you learn _het huis_. And more than one is always _de_.
Watch out
- Not: _de huis_ Say: _het huis_ (_huis_ is a _het_-word; English has only one "the")
- Not: _het huizen_ Say: _de huizen_ (every plural takes _de_)
- Not: _de meisje_ Say: _het meisje_ (singular diminutives always take _het_, whatever they mean)
- Not: _het auto_ Say: _de auto_ (German das Auto is neuter, but the Dutch word is not)
Quick check
- Fill in _de_ or _het_: _... huizen in Amsterdam zijn duur._
- Choose the right word: _(De / Het) broodje is lekker._
- Fix the sentence: _De water is koud._
- Fill in _de_ or _het_: _Ahmed fietst naar ... station._
Answers
- _De_ (_huizen_ is plural, and every plural takes _de_)
- _Het_ (_broodje_ is a singular diminutive, so it takes _het_)
- _Het water is koud._ (_water_ is a _het_-word)
- _het_ (_station_ is a _het_-word)
Use it today
Open your fridge, pick five things and look up each word with its article in a dictionary, for example _de kaas_ or _het brood_. Write them on sticky notes with the article and say them out loud whenever you grab one.