---
title: "Clues that a noun is a de-word"
level: A2
chapter: "Nouns and de or het"
canonical: https://www.dutchfluency.com/grammar/de-word-patterns
updated: 2026-10-08
author: Dutch Fluency
license: CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
---

# Clues that a noun is a de-word

Most Dutch nouns (words for people, things and ideas) take _de_, so _de_ is the normal case and _het_ the special one. Most words for people, all plurals (forms for more than one) and nouns built with _-ing_, _-heid_, _-teit_ or _-tie_ take _de_. When no clue helps, guess _de_.

## The pattern

> Most words for people, all plurals and nouns built with _-ing_, _-heid_, _-teit_ or _-tie_ take _de_. If no clue helps, guess _de_.

- People, usually: _de man_, _de leraar_ (the teacher). Two everyday exceptions: _het kind_ (the child) and _het meisje_ (the girl).
- The four endings: _de woning_ (the home), _de vrijheid_ (freedom), _de universiteit_, _de informatie_. The ending must be a real suffix (a word-building ending): _het ding_ (the thing) only looks like one.
- Usually _de_: nouns ending in _-ij_ (_de bakkerij_, the bakery, but _het schilderij_, the painting) or _-nis_ (_de kennis_, knowledge, but _het vonnis_, the verdict).
- Mostly _de_: trees, fruits and rivers, such as _de eik_ (the oak), _de appel_, _de Rijn_.
- All plurals: _het huis_ becomes _de huizen_.

## Examples

| **De buurman** heeft een nieuwe fiets. | The neighbour has a new bike. |
| **Het kind** van Sanne is vandaag jarig. | Sanne's child has a birthday today. |
| **De kinderen** spelen buiten in de regen. | The children are playing outside in the rain. |
| Priya studeert aan **de universiteit** in Utrecht. | Priya studies at the university in Utrecht. |
| Heb je **de informatie** van de gemeente al gelezen? | Have you read the information from the municipality yet? |
| **De bakkerij** op de hoek gaat om zeven uur open. | The bakery on the corner opens at seven. |
| We fietsen langs **de Amstel** naar huis. | We cycle home along the Amstel. |

## Why it works this way

Dutch once had three genders (grammar groups for nouns): masculine, feminine and neuter. Masculine and feminine merged into _de_, while neuter kept _het_, so roughly two out of three nouns take _de_. Most of the endings above once built feminine nouns. German speakers will recognise -ung, -heit, -tät and -tion.

_Kind_ simply inherited the neuter group: a noun's article does not have to match a person's sex. _Meisje_ is a diminutive (a small form), and singular diminutives always take _het_, as [Diminutives](https://www.dutchfluency.com/grammar/diminutives) explains. Their plurals take _de_: _de meisjes_.

English speakers often treat _het_ as "it" for objects, but most objects are _de_: _de fiets_, _de trein_. Compound nouns (two nouns joined into one word) take the article of their last part: _de huisarts_, although _het huis_. See [Compound nouns take the article of the last part](https://www.dutchfluency.com/grammar/compound-gender).

Remember: _de_ is the big tent for people, plurals and the main endings. _Het_ is the smaller room for diminutives, the groups in [Clues that a noun is a het-word](https://www.dutchfluency.com/grammar/het-word-patterns), and some stubborn others.

## Watch out

- Not: _Het kinderen spelen in de tuin._ Say: _De kinderen spelen in de tuin._ (every plural takes _de_, even when the singular is _het_)
- Not: _De meisje van Sanne is jarig._ Say: _Het meisje van Sanne is jarig._ (singular diminutives take _het_, even when they refer to people)
- Not: _Ik vind de schilderij mooi._ Say: _Ik vind het schilderij mooi._ (a well-known exception to the _-ij_ clue)
- Not: _De fruit is vandaag vers._ Say: _Het fruit is vandaag vers._ (single fruits take _de_, but the word _fruit_ itself takes _het_)

## Quick check

1. Fill in _de_ or _het_: _... vergadering begint om tien uur._
2. Fill in _de_ or _het_: _... meisje van de buren heet Emma._
3. Fix the sentence: _Het boeken van Mei liggen op tafel._
4. Choose: _Ahmed vertelt altijd de / het waarheid._

## Answers

1. _De_ (nouns built with _-ing_ take _de_)
2. _Het_ (singular diminutives take _het_, even for people)
3. _De boeken van Mei liggen op tafel._ (every plural takes _de_)
4. _de_ (nouns built with _-heid_ take _de_)

## Use it today

At the supermarket, read the signs and the names on the fruit shelf. Say five nouns out loud with _de_, for example _de aanbieding_ (the special offer) and _de mandarijn_, and look up any you are unsure about.

## Questions learners ask

**How do you know if a Dutch noun is de or het?**

Look for clues: most words for people, all plurals and nouns built with the suffixes -ing, -heid, -teit or -tie take de, while singular diminutives such as het meisje take het. When no clue helps, de is the safer guess because most nouns are de-words.

**Why is it het meisje and not de meisje?**

Meisje is a diminutive, and singular diminutives always take het, even when they refer to a person. Its plural is de meisjes, like every plural.

**Are all plural nouns de in Dutch?**

Yes. Every plural takes de, even when the singular takes het, so het huis becomes de huizen and het kind becomes de kinderen.

From the Dutch Fluency Grammar: https://www.dutchfluency.com/grammar. Shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.