--- title: "Hij, het or zij for things" level: A2 chapter: "Pronouns" canonical: https://www.dutchfluency.com/grammar/it-for-things updated: 2026-10-08 author: Dutch Fluency license: CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) --- # Hij, het or zij for things To say "it" about a thing in Dutch, look at the article: a het-word gets _het_ (_Het boek? Het ligt daar._), and in the Netherlands a de-word usually gets _hij_, even when it is a train (_De trein? Hij is te laat._). At the start of a sentence, many people say _die_ instead: _Die is te laat._ ## The pattern > For things, the article chooses the pronoun (the short word that replaces a noun): het-words get _het_, and de-words usually get _hij_. - Het-words: _het_ as subject (the one doing something) and as object (the one something happens to). _Het boek? Ik lees het._ - De-words: _hij_ as subject, _hem_ as object. _De fiets? Hij staat buiten. Ik pak hem._ - At the start of a sentence, _die_ (de-words) and _dat_ (het-words) are very common in speech: _Die is te laat._ - More than one thing: _ze_ (or _die_ at the start), whatever the article. _De sleutels? Ze liggen op tafel._ - In Flanders and in formal writing, feminine de-words can get _zij_ or _ze_. ## Examples | Het boek? **Het** ligt daar. | The book? It's over there. | | De trein? **Hij** is te laat. | The train? It's late. | | De trein? **Die** is te laat. | The train? It's late. | | Waar is mijn fiets? Ik zie **hem** niet. | Where's my bike? I can't see it. | | Mijn telefoon is kapot, en ik heb **hem** net gekocht! | My phone is broken, and I only just bought it! | | Het pakket is er. Fatima heeft **het** voor je aangenomen. | The parcel has arrived. Fatima took it in for you. | | Is er nog melk? Ja, **die** staat in de koelkast. | Is there any milk left? Yes, it's in the fridge. | | Het raam? **Dat** staat open. | The window? It's open. | | De schoenen van Bas? **Ze** staan bij de deur. | Bas's shoes? They're by the door. | | De gemeente schrijft dat **zij** de brug in mei repareert. | The municipality writes that it will repair the bridge in May. | ## Why it works this way Dutch once had three genders (groups of nouns): masculine, feminine and neuter. The neuter nouns became today's het-words, and they kept _het_. Masculine and feminine nouns now share the article _de_, and in everyday speech in the Netherlands, people mostly use the masculine _hij_ for a de-word that names a single thing. So in _De trein? Hij is te laat_, _hij_ does not mean "he". It means "it, for a de-word". Nobody thinks the train is a man. This is why English speakers who say _het_ for everything go wrong, and why speakers of German, Spanish or Arabic sometimes say _zij_ for a word that is feminine in their own language. Check the Dutch article instead. If you are unsure of it, see [De or het](https://www.dutchfluency.com/grammar/de-and-het). Substances are a bit looser. With de-words like _melk_ or _koffie_, _die_ is very common, and you will also hear _het_: _Is er nog melk? Nee, het is op._ Feminine _zij_ has not disappeared. Flanders kept more of the old system: there, a feminine noun like _de deur_ often gets _ze_: _De deur? Ze staat open._ Formal writing in the Netherlands does something similar, mainly with organisations and abstract words ending in _-ing_, _-heid_ or _-ie_: _de regering_, _de gemeente_, _de organisatie_. This is a tendency in careful writing, not something you need in everyday speech. More in Dutch in the Netherlands and in Flanders. _Die_ and _dat_ are pointing words (demonstratives, like English "that one"). When you pick up something that was just mentioned, putting _die_ or _dat_ first sounds relaxed and natural. More in [Die and dat instead of hij and het in speech](https://www.dutchfluency.com/grammar/die-and-dat-in-speech). With people, meaning can win over the article: about _het meisje_, many people say _ze_. Remember: _het boek_ stays _het_, _de trein_ becomes _hij_. At the start of a sentence: _die_ for de, _dat_ for het. ## Watch out - Not: _De trein? Het heeft vertraging._ Say: _De trein? Hij heeft vertraging._ (_trein_ is a de-word) - Not: _Waar is mijn sleutel? Ik zie het niet._ Say: _Waar is mijn sleutel? Ik zie hem niet._ (_de sleutel_, and the object form of _hij_ is _hem_) - Not: _Is er nog brood? Nee, hij is op._ Say: _Is er nog brood? Nee, het is op._ (_brood_ is a het-word, so it stays _het_) - Not: _Het raam? Die staat open._ Say: _Het raam? Dat staat open._ (_die_ is for de-words, _dat_ for het-words) ## Quick check 1. Choose _hij_ or _het_: _De bus? ... komt om tien over acht._ 2. Choose _hem_ or _het_: _Het cadeautje? Mei heeft ... al opengemaakt._ 3. Fix the pronoun: _Mijn laptop is oud. Ik verkoop het._ 4. Choose _die_ or _dat_: _Kijk, het nieuwe station! ... is mooi, hè?_ ## Answers 1. _Hij_ (it is _de bus_, a de-word). 2. _het_ (_cadeautje_ is a singular diminutive, and singular diminutives are het-words). 3. _Ik verkoop hem._ (it is _de laptop_, and as an object _hij_ becomes _hem_) 4. _Dat_ (it is _het station_, so _dat_, not _die_). ## Use it today Pick three things in your bag or on your desk and check their article. Then say one sentence about each out loud, like _De pen? Hij is leeg._ or _Mijn telefoon? Die ligt in mijn tas._ ## Questions learners ask **How do you say "it" for a thing in Dutch?** Look at the article of the noun. A het-word gets het (Het boek? Het ligt daar.), and in the Netherlands a de-word usually gets hij (De trein? Hij is te laat.). **Is it hem or het when "it" is the object in Dutch?** Use hem for a de-word and het for a het-word. So you say Ik zie hem niet about de sleutel, but Ik lees het about het boek. **When do Dutch speakers use zij for a thing?** In Flanders, feminine de-words often get ze or zij, and in formal writing in the Netherlands words like de regering and de gemeente often get zij. In everyday speech in the Netherlands, hij is the usual choice for a de-word that names a single thing. From the Dutch Fluency Grammar: https://www.dutchfluency.com/grammar. Shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.