{"id":183,"date":"2008-10-06T00:37:28","date_gmt":"2008-10-06T04:37:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/dutch\/?p=4"},"modified":"2008-10-06T00:37:28","modified_gmt":"2008-10-06T04:37:28","slug":"battle-of-genders","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/dutch\/battle-of-genders\/","title":{"rendered":"Battle of genders"},"content":{"rendered":"

Today I would like to tell you something about the Dutch genders.<\/p>\n

Unlike what you may have read somewhere else, there are still feminine and masculine genders in the Dutch language. Even though the use of genders is fading and has been fading for several ages, there are still words that are only masculine or feminine and not common gender like most of the Dutch words have become (they can both be masculine and feminine).<\/p>\n

The problem with the genders is, that today no one really has a clue about what gender a word is, plus the use of genders can differ per region. In the south the Flemish for example still have a lot of feminine words which have become masculine or common in the north.<\/p>\n

To be honest, there is no easy way out. The best thing to do is what we had to do as well as a kid; learn the nouns with the appropriate articles (lidwoorden)\u00a0at the same time.<\/p>\n

De muis – the mouse<\/p>\n

Het huis\u00a0– the house<\/p>\n

As you can see, muis and huis get different articles, though you might expect them to have the same article based on the similar sound of the words.<\/p>\n

Rule of thumb: both masculine and feminine words get the article ‘de’, neuter gender words get the article ‘het’.<\/p>\n

Compare: de<\/strong> koffie (m)\u00a0die<\/strong> pas is gezet –> The koffie that was freshly made<\/p>\n

de<\/strong> liefde (v) die<\/strong> altijd overwint –> The love that always conquers<\/p>\n

Het<\/strong> schip (n)\u00a0dat<\/strong> verging –> The ship that sank<\/p>\n

In the most regions of the Netherlands, most nouns are either common or masculine, so it doesn’t really matter what pronouns you use.<\/p>\n

But, there\u00a0are still words that are only feminine. Here are the rules how to ‘easily’ recognize feminine words. Of course there are still a few exceptions, but where would the Dutch language be without those? \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n

Words that end in the following suffixes, are almost always feminine:<\/p>\n

*<\/strong> –heid, -nis, -schap<\/em> –> waarheid (truth), kennis (knowledge), boodschap (message, errand)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 BUT:\u00a0\u00a0 het<\/strong> dichterschap (the poetry)<\/em>, het<\/strong> gezelschap (the companions)<\/em>, het<\/strong> kampioenschap (the championship)<\/em>,<\/p>\n

* <\/strong>-de<\/em>, -te<\/em>: –> liefde <\/strong>(love), diepte<\/strong> (depth);\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 BUT: words to describe a group that begin with ‘ge-‘ are neuter gender –> het ge<\/strong>bergte<\/strong> (the highlands), het ge<\/strong>boefte<\/strong> (the rabble, riff-raff), het ge<\/strong>dierte<\/strong> (the fauna).<\/p>\n