Gender of Dutch nouns (male / female / neuter)
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The difference between the gender of the nouns has disappeared over the years in the Dutch language. Masculine and feminine nouns are now both 'de' and 'het' is still the article of a neuter noun. However, there are no exact rules that can help determine when to use which article.
Lesson outline
HideHow to distinguish between female, male and neutral Dutch nouns?
The article 'de' can be used for female and male nouns. It is not really important to know if a noun is female or male. The article 'het' is used for neutral nouns. You can find the gender of the nouns in the dictionary.
There are obvious genders of nouns, because it is already in the meaning:
- De vrouw (the woman) → female
- De koning (the king) → male
- De man (the man) → male
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How to make masculine nouns feminine?
To make Dutch masculine nouns female, a suffix is added to the nouns:
| Masculine | Feminine | Example | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| De Deen (the Danish man) | De Deense (the Danish woman) | De Deense woont in Amsterdam. | The Danish woman lives in Amsterdam. |
| De zanger (the singer) | De zangeres (the female singer) | De zangeres kan goed zingen. | The female singer can sing very well. |
| De leeuw (the lion) | De leeuwin (the lioness) | De leeuwin is boos. | The lioness is angry. |
| De speler (the player) | De speelster (the female player) | De speelster speelt goed. | The female player plays well. |
Neuter nouns in Dutch (Het-nouns)
As explained above there are no rules. There are some guidelines to remember:
| When? | Example | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| All diminutives |
|
|
| The infinitives used as a noun |
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| All nouns ending in '-aat' (that do not refer to a person), '-um', '-isme' |
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| Most nouns that begin with the prefix 'be-', 'ver-', 'ge-', but do not end in '-ing' |
|
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| All nouns that say 'the good thing is ...', 'the bad thing is ...' |
|
|
Male and female nouns (De-nouns)
There are a few tips for the 'de-nouns' to be able to remember when to use them:
| When? | Examples | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| All plural nouns |
|
|
| Obvious feminine or masculine nouns |
|
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| Nouns that end in '-ing' |
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| Nouns that end in '-tie', '-thie', '-sie' |
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| Nouns that end in '-or' |
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| Persons (except het kind) |
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| Nouns that end in '-aar' |
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| Nouns that end in '-eur' |
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| Words ending in '-er' |
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| Nouns that are obviously female |
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|
Train your skills with the exercises below!
Exercises
Exercise gender of Dutch nouns (male/female/neuter) 1
Exercise gender of Dutch nouns 2
Exercises
Exercise gender of Dutch nouns (male/female/neuter) 1
Exercise gender of Dutch nouns 2
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Do you want to improve your Dutch for work and daily life in the Netherlands? I help young expats enhance their Dutch skills, so you can speak and write with more confidence. Not because you have to, but because you want to! My lessons are practical and focused on what you truly need, whether you’re a beginner or already at a higher level.
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