Most Dutch nouns (words for people, things and ideas) take _de_, so _de_ is the normal case and _het_ the special one. Most words for people, all plurals (forms for more than one) and nouns built with _-ing_, _-heid_, _-teit_ or _-tie_ take _de_. When no clue helps, guess _de_.
The pattern
Most words for people, all plurals and nouns built with _-ing_, _-heid_, _-teit_ or _-tie_ take _de_. If no clue helps, guess _de_.
- People, usually: _de man_, _de leraar_ (the teacher). Two everyday exceptions: _het kind_ (the child) and _het meisje_ (the girl).
- The four endings: _de woning_ (the home), _de vrijheid_ (freedom), _de universiteit_, _de informatie_. The ending must be a real suffix (a word-building ending): _het ding_ (the thing) only looks like one.
- Usually _de_: nouns ending in _-ij_ (_de bakkerij_, the bakery, but _het schilderij_, the painting) or _-nis_ (_de kennis_, knowledge, but _het vonnis_, the verdict).
- Mostly _de_: trees, fruits and rivers, such as _de eik_ (the oak), _de appel_, _de Rijn_.
- All plurals: _het huis_ becomes _de huizen_.
Examples
| De buurman heeft een nieuwe fiets. | The neighbour has a new bike. |
|---|---|
| Het kind van Sanne is vandaag jarig. | Sanne's child has a birthday today. |
| De kinderen spelen buiten in de regen. | The children are playing outside in the rain. |
| Priya studeert aan de universiteit in Utrecht. | Priya studies at the university in Utrecht. |
| Heb je de informatie van de gemeente al gelezen? | Have you read the information from the municipality yet? |
| De bakkerij op de hoek gaat om zeven uur open. | The bakery on the corner opens at seven. |
| We fietsen langs de Amstel naar huis. | We cycle home along the Amstel. |
Why it works this way
Dutch once had three genders (grammar groups for nouns): masculine, feminine and neuter. Masculine and feminine merged into _de_, while neuter kept _het_, so roughly two out of three nouns take _de_. Most of the endings above once built feminine nouns. German speakers will recognise -ung, -heit, -tät and -tion.
_Kind_ simply inherited the neuter group: a noun's article does not have to match a person's sex. _Meisje_ is a diminutive (a small form), and singular diminutives always take _het_, as [Diminutives](#/lesson/diminutives) explains. Their plurals take _de_: _de meisjes_.
English speakers often treat _het_ as "it" for objects, but most objects are _de_: _de fiets_, _de trein_. Compound nouns (two nouns joined into one word) take the article of their last part: _de huisarts_, although _het huis_. See [Compound nouns take the article of the last part](#/lesson/compound-gender).
Remember: _de_ is the big tent for people, plurals and the main endings. _Het_ is the smaller room for diminutives, the groups in [Clues that a noun is a het-word](#/lesson/het-word-patterns), and some stubborn others.
Watch out
- Not: _Het kinderen spelen in de tuin._ Say: _De kinderen spelen in de tuin._ (every plural takes _de_, even when the singular is _het_)
- Not: _De meisje van Sanne is jarig._ Say: _Het meisje van Sanne is jarig._ (singular diminutives take _het_, even when they refer to people)
- Not: _Ik vind de schilderij mooi._ Say: _Ik vind het schilderij mooi._ (a well-known exception to the _-ij_ clue)
- Not: _De fruit is vandaag vers._ Say: _Het fruit is vandaag vers._ (single fruits take _de_, but the word _fruit_ itself takes _het_)
Quick check
- Fill in _de_ or _het_: _... vergadering begint om tien uur._
- Fill in _de_ or _het_: _... meisje van de buren heet Emma._
- Fix the sentence: _Het boeken van Mei liggen op tafel._
- Choose: _Ahmed vertelt altijd de / het waarheid._
Answers
- _De_ (nouns built with _-ing_ take _de_)
- _Het_ (singular diminutives take _het_, even for people)
- _De boeken van Mei liggen op tafel._ (every plural takes _de_)
- _de_ (nouns built with _-heid_ take _de_)
Use it today
At the supermarket, read the signs and the names on the fruit shelf. Say five nouns out loud with _de_, for example _de aanbieding_ (the special offer) and _de mandarijn_, and look up any you are unsure about.