To say "it" about a thing in Dutch, look at the article: a het-word gets _het_ (_Het boek? Het ligt daar._), and in the Netherlands a de-word usually gets _hij_, even when it is a train (_De trein? Hij is te laat._). At the start of a sentence, many people say _die_ instead: _Die is te laat._
The pattern
For things, the article chooses the pronoun (the short word that replaces a noun): het-words get _het_, and de-words usually get _hij_.
- Het-words: _het_ as subject (the one doing something) and as object (the one something happens to). _Het boek? Ik lees het._
- De-words: _hij_ as subject, _hem_ as object. _De fiets? Hij staat buiten. Ik pak hem._
- At the start of a sentence, _die_ (de-words) and _dat_ (het-words) are very common in speech: _Die is te laat._
- More than one thing: _ze_ (or _die_ at the start), whatever the article. _De sleutels? Ze liggen op tafel._
- In Flanders and in formal writing, feminine de-words can get _zij_ or _ze_.
Examples
| Het boek? Het ligt daar. | The book? It's over there. |
|---|---|
| De trein? Hij is te laat. | The train? It's late. |
| De trein? Die is te laat. | The train? It's late. |
| Waar is mijn fiets? Ik zie hem niet. | Where's my bike? I can't see it. |
| Mijn telefoon is kapot, en ik heb hem net gekocht! | My phone is broken, and I only just bought it! |
| Het pakket is er. Fatima heeft het voor je aangenomen. | The parcel has arrived. Fatima took it in for you. |
| Is er nog melk? Ja, die staat in de koelkast. | Is there any milk left? Yes, it's in the fridge. |
| Het raam? Dat staat open. | The window? It's open. |
| De schoenen van Bas? Ze staan bij de deur. | Bas's shoes? They're by the door. |
| De gemeente schrijft dat zij de brug in mei repareert. | The municipality writes that it will repair the bridge in May. |
Why it works this way
Dutch once had three genders (groups of nouns): masculine, feminine and neuter. The neuter nouns became today's het-words, and they kept _het_. Masculine and feminine nouns now share the article _de_, and in everyday speech in the Netherlands, people mostly use the masculine _hij_ for a de-word that names a single thing. So in _De trein? Hij is te laat_, _hij_ does not mean "he". It means "it, for a de-word". Nobody thinks the train is a man.
This is why English speakers who say _het_ for everything go wrong, and why speakers of German, Spanish or Arabic sometimes say _zij_ for a word that is feminine in their own language. Check the Dutch article instead. If you are unsure of it, see [De or het](#/lesson/de-and-het).
Substances are a bit looser. With de-words like _melk_ or _koffie_, _die_ is very common, and you will also hear _het_: _Is er nog melk? Nee, het is op._
Feminine _zij_ has not disappeared. Flanders kept more of the old system: there, a feminine noun like _de deur_ often gets _ze_: _De deur? Ze staat open._ Formal writing in the Netherlands does something similar, mainly with organisations and abstract words ending in _-ing_, _-heid_ or _-ie_: _de regering_, _de gemeente_, _de organisatie_. This is a tendency in careful writing, not something you need in everyday speech. More in [Dutch in the Netherlands and in Flanders](#/lesson/dutch-and-flemish).
_Die_ and _dat_ are pointing words (demonstratives, like English "that one"). When you pick up something that was just mentioned, putting _die_ or _dat_ first sounds relaxed and natural. More in [Die and dat instead of hij and het in speech](#/lesson/die-and-dat-in-speech).
With people, meaning can win over the article: about _het meisje_, many people say _ze_.
Remember: _het boek_ stays _het_, _de trein_ becomes _hij_. At the start of a sentence: _die_ for de, _dat_ for het.
Watch out
- Not: _De trein? Het heeft vertraging._ Say: _De trein? Hij heeft vertraging._ (_trein_ is a de-word)
- Not: _Waar is mijn sleutel? Ik zie het niet._ Say: _Waar is mijn sleutel? Ik zie hem niet._ (_de sleutel_, and the object form of _hij_ is _hem_)
- Not: _Is er nog brood? Nee, hij is op._ Say: _Is er nog brood? Nee, het is op._ (_brood_ is a het-word, so it stays _het_)
- Not: _Het raam? Die staat open._ Say: _Het raam? Dat staat open._ (_die_ is for de-words, _dat_ for het-words)
Quick check
- Choose _hij_ or _het_: _De bus? ... komt om tien over acht._
- Choose _hem_ or _het_: _Het cadeautje? Mei heeft ... al opengemaakt._
- Fix the pronoun: _Mijn laptop is oud. Ik verkoop het._
- Choose _die_ or _dat_: _Kijk, het nieuwe station! ... is mooi, hè?_
Answers
- _Hij_ (it is _de bus_, a de-word).
- _het_ (_cadeautje_ is a singular diminutive, and singular diminutives are het-words).
- _Ik verkoop hem._ (it is _de laptop_, and as an object _hij_ becomes _hem_)
- _Dat_ (it is _het station_, so _dat_, not _die_).
Use it today
Pick three things in your bag or on your desk and check their article. Then say one sentence about each out loud, like _De pen? Hij is leeg._ or _Mijn telefoon? Die ligt in mijn tas._