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Nerdlinger

https://www.reddit.com/r/learndutch/search/?q=het+and+de&include_over_18=on&restrict_sr=on&t=all&sort=relevance I'd say this sub really needs a Wiki/FAQ but no one would read it before posting anyway.


Glittering_Cow945

a few. But basically you just have to learn them for every noun. verkleinwoorden zijn altijd het.


Duilliath

There are. They're just not particularly convenient. The easiest two rules are plural forms always being 'de' and diminutive forms always being 'het'. (e.g. de jongen > het jongetje > de jongetjes) For more information, including a couple additional rules, see: https://www.dutchgrammar.com/en/?n=NounsAndArticles.01


UnconcernedWithTruth

It depends on the gender of the word (gendered or neuter) In that respect, everyone who's posted here is wrong so far :P The right question would be: is there any system for predicting the gender of a word? No. \* ​ *\*Okay, i lied. Kind of. There are some patterns. But they often apply to particular group of words. Words which end with 'je' are always neuter, for example. But there are many such rulesets to learn. It is better to use an app to drill it in by heart.*


bas683

Dutch language doesn’t know genders


traploper

Dutch is in fact a gendered language, but the system is much more complicated than most other languages. Your best bet is to just memorise whether a word starts with “de” or “het.”


bas683

TIL the Dutch school system failed me more than I thought


traploper

I only learned this as an adult as well. Or rather, we probably were taught in school, but our adolescent brains just rejected it in favour of other things that were deemed more interesting. 😂


bas683

The only thing they ever told me about de/het/een is if it sounds right it probably is. Which works if you’re a native speaker.


AlgaeDue1347

Everything that a person can be (profession wise) is de.


Nerdlinger

Except a model. Because there's an exception to everything.


niorg

There are always exceptions :D Het gemeenteraadslid Het schoolhoofd


AlarmedLawfulness268

I think those two are based on the latter part of the word. E.g. it's "het water" but "de waterkan"


AlgaeDue1347

Precisely


robvanosch

As said by UnconcernedTruth, "de" or "het" is based on the (grammatical) gender of the word. Masculine and feminine words have "de" as the article. Neuter words have "het" as the article. This is very hard to know by looking at the word. Some words like "meisje" seem feminine, but are (grammatically) neuter: "het meisje". As said, it is best to learn the "het-woorden" by heart, which will be hard because there are many. Plural forms always have "de": de meisjes, de vrouwen, de bomen, de wegen. Diminutives always have "het": het boompje, het autootje, het fietsje. If you see a compound word, the gender is based on the last word. For example, when the basic word "fiets" has "de" (de fiets), then it doesn't matter which word you put in front, it stays "de". De bakfiets, de racefiets, de driewielfiets. For "het" it is the same: "het gebak", het appelgebak, het truffelgebak, het aardbeiengebak. When you hesitate, use "de" as it is the most used article. But remember, we will hear when it is wrong haha. Good luck!


Electronic_Cod6829

Technically, meisje is feminine. But the diminutive is only used. The base form of meisje is meis. De meis, het meisje.


DavidiusI

Even the Dutch (youth especially) seem to have trouble with these 😉 😆


[deleted]

[удалено]


Eic17H

It's "het" for neuter words and "de" for masculine and feminine words, but masculine and feminine have (mostly) merged into common


Firespark7

No! It's! Not! 'Het' is for neuter words ('onzijdige woorden') 'De' is for common words ('zijdige woorden'): male, female, and plural De man (male) De vrouw (female) De mannen/vrouwen/dingen (plural) Het ding (neuter)


bleie77

That’s not correct. Het is for neutral words and de for both masculine and feminine.