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 |
|
|
| All nouns ending in '-aat' (that do not refer to a person), '-um', '-isme' |
|
|
| Most nouns that begin with the prefix 'be-', 'ver-', 'ge-', but do not end in '-ing' |
|
|
| 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 |
|
|
| Nouns that end in '-ing' |
|
|
| Nouns that end in '-tie', '-thie', '-sie' |
|
|
| Nouns that end in '-or' |
|
|
| Persons (except het kind) |
|
|
| Nouns that end in '-aar' |
|
|
| Nouns that end in '-eur' |
|
|
| Words ending in '-er' |
|
|
| Nouns that are obviously female |
|
|
Train your skills with the exercises below!
Exercises
Exercise gender of Dutch nouns (male/female/neuter) 1
Choose 'de' (female/male) or 'het' (neuter).
wind (the wind)
meisje (the girl)
muis (the mouse)
huis (the house)
prins (the prince)
man (the man)
glas (the glass)
koningin (the queen)
konijn (the rabbit)
gordijn (the curtain)
vrouw (the woman)
zee (the sea)
jongen (the boy)
park (the parc)
bril (the glasses)
Exercise gender of Dutch nouns 2
Change the masculine nouns to feminine nouns. Some only have a change in ending, for some the word almost completely changes.
De prins (the prince) - de prins (the princess)
De koning (the king) - de koning (the queen)
De leeuw (the lion) - de leeuw (the lioness)
De speler (the player) - de (the female player)
De zanger (the singer) - de zanger (the female singer)
De chauffeur (the driver) - de (the female driver)
De leraar (the teacher) - de (the female teacher)
De steward (the flight attendant) - de steward (the female flight attendant)
De aanbidder (the worshiper) - de aanbid (the female worshiper)
De bewaker (the guard) - de (the female guard)
Exercises
Exercise gender of Dutch nouns (male/female/neuter) 1
Choose 'de' (female/male) or 'het' (neuter).
wind (the wind)
meisje (the girl)
muis (the mouse)
huis (the house)
prins (the prince)
man (the man)
glas (the glass)
koningin (the queen)
konijn (the rabbit)
gordijn (the curtain)
vrouw (the woman)
zee (the sea)
jongen (the boy)
park (the parc)
bril (the glasses)
Exercise gender of Dutch nouns 2
Change the masculine nouns to feminine nouns. Some only have a change in ending, for some the word almost completely changes.
De prins (the prince) - de prins (the princess)
De koning (the king) - de koning (the queen)
De leeuw (the lion) - de leeuw (the lioness)
De speler (the player) - de (the female player)
De zanger (the singer) - de zanger (the female singer)
De chauffeur (the driver) - de (the female driver)
De leraar (the teacher) - de (the female teacher)
De steward (the flight attendant) - de steward (the female flight attendant)
De aanbidder (the worshiper) - de aanbid (the female worshiper)
De bewaker (the guard) - de (the female guard)
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Hello, my name is Michel and I'm a Dutch primary school language teacher. I lived in France for 7 years and I worked for an international school that is well known all over France. I moved to Madeira, Portugal and started to work as online Dutch language teacher 4 years ago. Teaching children and adults is my passion aswel as having fun with learning a new language.
My lessons are adapted to your level and due to my job and experience I have acces to teaching methodes to learn you the basics of the Dutch language or to improve your level. I can help you to improve your level of writing and speaking or help you learn your first words and phrases.
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I can really recommend Senna as a Dutch teacher! She is always on time, there is no problem with communication(I had a few teachers before so I see a difference;)) The material is very diverse - we do a lot of grammar and speaking exercises but also discuss articles from newspapers which contain also more informal Dutch. After 4 months of lessons I see a big progress in my Dutch. Moreover Senna is just a nice and patient person so there is no stress during the lesson :)
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Learn to communicate in Dutch from the first lesson! Enjoyable classes with teaching materials tailored to your needs. First 15 min. class for free. My name is Karin and I'm from Holland, but I live on the Canary Islands. I love teaching DUTCH and have done so for more than 20 years. I have a Diploma in English Philology. I also have two methodology degrees: the CELTA (Certificate of English Language Teaching to Adults of the University of Cambridge) and the FCTBE (Foundation Certificate for Teachers of Business English of the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry).
I have taught at a Business School and ten companies. In the last two years I've mainly been giving private lessons and I've developed a variety of online self-study DUTCH courses. My schedule is flexible and I adapt myself to the needs and interests of my students so that they reach their objectives in the shortest possible time.
Enjoyable classes, with teaching materials tailored to your needs.
How do the classes work? A class lasts 45 minutes. I'll send you the materials we are going to use in class beforehand so you can print them. After the class I'll send you audios of the notes we made, vocabulary etc. My speciality is communication, from beginner level to advanced. So, you will speak some Dutch in the first class already! Why wait any longer? Let's get started! :-)
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I had my first lesson a couple of days ago and everything went super good! Karin was attentive, transmiting her positivism and helping me with every doubt I had. She really focus on teaching how to pronounce and talk a language, so this is really interesting for me, to practise it & be able to use it in my day by day. I really recommend her to everyone willing to learn a new language :)
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Hi Alba! Thank you so much for your wonderful review! I enjoyed our class too & I wish you the best of luck with all your future projects :-)
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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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.
What you can expect:
Lessons for beginners to advanced learners (B2 to C1), with a methodical and structured approach
Exercises that fit your work and life in the Netherlands
Focus on building confidence and keeping your self-respect, as you find your place as a new resident
Long-term collaboration, aimed at lasting progress and making the most of your new country
In my lessons, you’ll not only learn the language but also how to communicate your unique value and fully use the opportunities in your new home. This way, you’ll get to know the Netherlands better and make your own special contribution!
Ready to improve your Dutch? Contact me and let’s explore the possibilities!
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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.
What you can expect:
Lessons for beginners to advanced learners (B2 to C1), with a methodical and structured approach
Exercises that fit your work and life in the Netherlands
Focus on building confidence and keeping your self-respect, as you find your place as a new resident
Long-term collaboration, aimed at lasting progress and making the most of your new country
In my lessons, you’ll not only learn the language but also how to communicate your unique value and fully use the opportunities in your new home. This way, you’ll get to know the Netherlands better and make your own special contribution!
Ready to improve your Dutch? Contact me and let’s explore the possibilities!
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Hello, my name is Michel and I'm a Dutch primary school language teacher. I lived in France for 7 years and I worked for an international school that is well known all over France. I moved to Madeira, Portugal and started to work as online Dutch language teacher 4 years ago. Teaching children and adults is my passion aswel as having fun with learning a new language.
My lessons are adapted to your level and due to my job and experience I have acces to teaching methodes to learn you the basics of the Dutch language or to improve your level. I can help you to improve your level of writing and speaking or help you learn your first words and phrases.
M. D.
Michel teaches with a smile. Very good teacher with a lot of patience and a very good contact with children and adults! I definitely recommend Michel if you are looking for an (online) teacher.
Michel B.
I am Senna Slangen. I teach Dutch and English to non-native speakers in Utrecht and Den Bosch. The classes are from A1 to C1 level. The people I teach are refugees (integration exam and state exam), or expats who have to learn Dutch for work or school. Then it's more about business in Dutch. I would like to help you learn the Dutch language.
I. L.
I can really recommend Senna as a Dutch teacher! She is always on time, there is no problem with communication(I had a few teachers before so I see a difference;)) The material is very diverse - we do a lot of grammar and speaking exercises but also discuss articles from newspapers which contain also more informal Dutch. After 4 months of lessons I see a big progress in my Dutch. Moreover Senna is just a nice and patient person so there is no stress during the lesson :)
Senna S.
Learn to communicate in Dutch from the first lesson! Enjoyable classes with teaching materials tailored to your needs. First 15 min. class for free. My name is Karin and I'm from Holland, but I live on the Canary Islands. I love teaching DUTCH and have done so for more than 20 years. I have a Diploma in English Philology. I also have two methodology degrees: the CELTA (Certificate of English Language Teaching to Adults of the University of Cambridge) and the FCTBE (Foundation Certificate for Teachers of Business English of the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry).
I have taught at a Business School and ten companies. In the last two years I've mainly been giving private lessons and I've developed a variety of online self-study DUTCH courses. My schedule is flexible and I adapt myself to the needs and interests of my students so that they reach their objectives in the shortest possible time.
Enjoyable classes, with teaching materials tailored to your needs.
How do the classes work? A class lasts 45 minutes. I'll send you the materials we are going to use in class beforehand so you can print them. After the class I'll send you audios of the notes we made, vocabulary etc. My speciality is communication, from beginner level to advanced. So, you will speak some Dutch in the first class already! Why wait any longer? Let's get started! :-)
A. B.
I had my first lesson a couple of days ago and everything went super good! Karin was attentive, transmiting her positivism and helping me with every doubt I had. She really focus on teaching how to pronounce and talk a language, so this is really interesting for me, to practise it & be able to use it in my day by day. I really recommend her to everyone willing to learn a new language :)
Hi Alba! Thank you so much for your wonderful review! I enjoyed our class too & I wish you the best of luck with all your future projects :-)
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.
What you can expect:
Lessons for beginners to advanced learners (B2 to C1), with a methodical and structured approach
Exercises that fit your work and life in the Netherlands
Focus on building confidence and keeping your self-respect, as you find your place as a new resident
Long-term collaboration, aimed at lasting progress and making the most of your new country
In my lessons, you’ll not only learn the language but also how to communicate your unique value and fully use the opportunities in your new home. This way, you’ll get to know the Netherlands better and make your own special contribution!
Ready to improve your Dutch? Contact me and let’s explore the possibilities!
S. M.
I am loving the experience and I feel like I am making a lot of progress. The lessons are tailor made to suit my preferences and our interactions are very fluid and natural. 10/10
Monique M.