One of the more tricky parts of the Dutch language are the definite articles. As a non-native Dutch speaker, this is one of the more difficult things for me to get correct, and if you haven’t noticed already, I still occasionally mess it up every now and again. At least as a non-native Dutch speaker I get granted a certain amount of leniency by the very patient Dutch people around me, because if you use the wrong one, you will usually still be understood. But it’s still very important to learn, so let’s get down to some nitty-gritty grammar.<\/p>\n
Without further ado…<\/p>\n
In English we have the definite article the<\/em>. In Dutch we have the definite articles de <\/em>and het<\/em>.<\/p>\n For example:<\/p>\n de<\/em> auto:<\/strong> the<\/em> car<\/p>\n het<\/em> huis:<\/strong> the<\/em> house<\/p>\n De<\/em> and het<\/em> serve the same function as the <\/em>in English. What makes it all so tricky is that there are no simple rules for determining if a word is a de<\/em> word, or a het<\/em> word. Apparently all native Dutch speakers come equipped with a de\/het determining radar, but alas you and I must somehow try to make some sense of it all. Do not despair, there are a few tricks to help us out along the way.<\/p>\n 1. The first clue is that around 80 percent of Dutch words are de<\/em> words. If you really aren’t certain, just stick with de<\/em>. If you chose the wrong one, it’s okay. More often than not, if you make a\u00a0 de\/het error, you will still be understood.<\/p>\n 2. The second clue is that all plural words are always de<\/em> words. All the time. No exceptions.<\/p>\n Examples (keep your eye out for spelling changes with plurals here):<\/p>\n het<\/em> huis = de<\/em> huizen [the house(s)]<\/p>\n het<\/em> jaar = de<\/em> jaren\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 [the year(s)]<\/p>\n het<\/em> restaurant = de<\/em> restaurants\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 [the restaurant(s)]<\/p>\n de<\/em> stoel = de<\/em> stoelen\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 [the chair(s)]<\/p>\n de<\/em> kat = de<\/em> katten\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 [the cat(s)]<\/p>\n de<\/em> tafel = de<\/em> tafels\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 [the table(s)]<\/p>\n 3. A third clue is in the ending of the word. If a word ends in -je, -pje, -asme, -isme, -um, <\/em>or -sel<\/em> the word is a HET<\/em> word.<\/p>\n For example:<\/p>\n het<\/em> huisje<\/em>:<\/strong> the little house<\/p>\n het<\/em> filmpje<\/em>:<\/strong> the little film<\/p>\n het<\/em> enthousiasme<\/em>:<\/strong> the enthusiasm<\/p>\n het<\/em> feminisme<\/em>:<\/strong> (the) feminism<\/p>\n het<\/em> universum<\/em>:<\/strong> the universe<\/p>\n het<\/em> verschijnsel<\/em>:<\/strong> the phenomenon<\/p>\n 4. A fourth clue is yet another ending of the word. If a word ends in -held, -ie,<\/em> -ica<\/em> or -ing<\/em> it is a DE <\/em>word.<\/p>\n For example:<\/p>\n de<\/em> gezondheid<\/em>:<\/strong> the health<\/p>\n de<\/em> situatie<\/em>:<\/strong> the situation<\/p>\n de<\/em> grammatica<\/em>:<\/strong> the grammar<\/p>\n de<\/em> ontdekking<\/em>:<\/strong> the discovery\/finding<\/p>\n 5. The fifth clue isn’t really a clue at all, and I offer my deepest apologies and sympathies for it. You simply have to memorize whether or not a word is de<\/em> or het<\/em>. A tip for making it less tedious is to keep a list of het<\/em> words as you learn them, and remember that these are het<\/em> words. Otherwise, assume you have a de<\/em> word on your hands.<\/p>\n If you are really very curious about de<\/em> and het<\/em> words, there are resources available that go into even more complicated rules for determining whether a word is de<\/em> or het<\/em>. I don’t recommend doing it unless you want a headache. After you have read the rules you will only discover there are more exceptions to the rules than words that follow the rules. But over time, with lots of practice, you’ll start to develop a small de\/het<\/em> determining radar as well.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" One of the more tricky parts of the Dutch language are the definite articles. As a non-native Dutch speaker, this is one of the more difficult things for me to get correct, and if you haven’t noticed already, I still occasionally mess it up every now and again. At least as a non-native Dutch speaker…<\/p>\n