---
title: "Building words with suffixes: -baar, -loos, -achtig, -ig, -lijk"
level: B2
chapter: "Style and register"
canonical: https://www.dutchfluency.com/grammar/suffixes
updated: 2026-10-09
author: Dutch Fluency
license: CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
---

# Building words with suffixes: -baar, -loos, -achtig, -ig, -lijk

Dutch builds many adjectives (describing words) by adding a suffix, an ending, to a word you already know. _-baar_ on a verb usually means "can be done" (_drinkbaar_, _bereikbaar_), _-loos_ means "without" (_werkloos_, _draadloos_) and _-achtig_ means "like" or "-ish" (_kinderachtig_). _-ig_ and _-lijk_ mostly just make an adjective: _zonnig_, _vriendelijk_.

## The pattern

> Read the ending: _-baar_ on a verb stem means "can be ...ed", _-loos_ means "without" and _-achtig_ means "like" or "-ish". _-ig_ and _-lijk_ mostly just make an adjective.

- _-baar_: mostly a verb stem (the _ik_ form) plus _baar_: _bereiken_ → _bereikbaar_, _betalen_ → _betaalbaar_.
- _-loos_: noun plus _loos_: _werk_ → _werkloos_ (unemployed), _draad_ → _draadloos_. A few add an _e_: _hopeloos_, _eindeloos_.
- _-achtig_: noun or adjective plus _achtig_: _griep_ → _griepachtig_ (flu-like), _rood_ → _roodachtig_ (reddish), _kind_ → _kinderachtig_.
- _-ig_ and _-lijk_: often on a noun: _zon_ → _zonnig_, _gevaar_ → _gevaarlijk_, _vriend_ → _vriendelijk_.
- Add _on-_ and many flip to the opposite: _onbetaalbaar_, _onvriendelijk_ (see [Building words with prefixes](https://www.dutchfluency.com/grammar/prefixes)).

## Examples

| Het kraanwater is in heel Nederland **drinkbaar**. | Tap water is drinkable everywhere in the Netherlands. |
| Ik ben morgen niet **bereikbaar**, dus mail Fatima als het dringend is. | I can't be reached tomorrow, so email Fatima if it's urgent. |
| Daan is sinds maart **werkloos**. | Daan has been unemployed since March. |
| Doe niet zo **kinderachtig**, Bas: het is maar een spelletje. | Don't be so childish, Bas: it's only a game. |
| Lotte keek met **kinderlijk** plezier naar het vuurwerk. | Lotte watched the fireworks with childlike delight. |
| Morgen wordt het eindelijk weer **zonnig**. | Tomorrow it will finally be sunny again. |
| De medewerker van de gemeente was heel **vriendelijk**. | The council employee was very friendly. |

## Why it works this way

Think of the suffix as a label that tells you what kind of word you have, so read long words from the right. _Onbereikbaar_ is "not + reach + can be": you cannot be reached. That habit alone makes Dutch texts faster to read.

English helps: _-baar_ is close to -able, _-loos_ to -less, _-ig_ to -y and _-lijk_ to -ly. The match is not one to one: _werkloos_ means unemployed, and _dankbaar_ (built on the noun _dank_) means grateful.

Spelling depends on how the ending starts. _-ig_ starts with a vowel, so the rules for [open and closed syllables](https://www.dutchfluency.com/grammar/open-closed-syllables) apply. If a stressed short vowel stays short, the single consonant after it doubles (_zonnig_, _vettig_). A long vowel written with two letters drops one (_room_ → _romig_). After an unstressed vowel nothing doubles (_hongerig_). _-baar_ and _-loos_ start with a consonant, so the base is spelled as at the end of a word (_leesbaar_, _draadloos_), unless an extra _e_ comes in between (_hopeloos_). _-lijk_ sometimes adds an _e_ and sometimes not (_vriendelijk_, but _gevaarlijk_), so learn each word whole.

When the adjective takes an _-e_, _-loos_ becomes _-loze_: _een draadloze muis_, but _een draadloos netwerk_ (see [adjective spelling](https://www.dutchfluency.com/grammar/adjective-spelling)).

Remember: one base, three endings, three meanings: _kinderloos_ (without children), _kinderachtig_ (childish, in an annoying way) and _kinderlijk_ (childlike, usually innocent).

## Watch out

- Not: _Ik heb een draadlose koptelefoon._ Say: _Ik heb een draadloze koptelefoon._ (with an _-e_, _-loos_ becomes _-loze_)
- Not: _Morgen wordt het zonig._ Say: _Morgen wordt het zonnig._ (stressed short _o_, so the _n_ doubles)
- Not: _De huur is niet meer betalbaar._ Say: _De huur is niet meer betaalbaar._ (_-baar_ goes on the stem _betaal_)
- Not: _Deze bank zit heel comfortbaar._ Say: _Deze bank zit heel comfortabel._ (not every -able word becomes _-baar_)

## Quick check

1. Fill in the gap with one adjective made from _bereiken_: _Mijn telefoon ligt thuis, dus ik ben vanmiddag niet ..._
2. Choose: _Sanne en Carlos willen geen kinderen: ze zijn bewust ..._ (_kinderachtig_ / _kinderlijk_ / _kinderloos_)
3. Fix the sentence: _Na de verbouwing was alles in huis heel stofig._
4. Fill in the gap with one adjective made from _gevaar_: _Fietsen zonder licht is in het donker erg ..._

## Answers

1. _bereikbaar_: verb stem plus _-baar_, "can be reached".
2. _kinderloos_: without children, by choice.
3. _Na de verbouwing was alles in huis heel stoffig._: stressed short _o_ before one consonant, so the _f_ doubles.
4. _gevaarlijk_: _gevaar_ plus _-lijk_, with no extra _e_.

## Use it today

Write your next out-of-office message in Dutch: _Ik ben vrijdag niet bereikbaar. Voor dringende vragen kunt u terecht bij Joris._ Then check the milk in your fridge and work out _houdbaar_ from its parts.

## Questions learners ask

**What does -baar mean in Dutch?**

Added to a verb stem, -baar usually means "can be ...ed", much like English -able: drinkbaar is drinkable and bereikbaar is reachable. A few words built on a noun have their own meaning, such as dankbaar (grateful).

**What is the difference between kinderachtig and kinderlijk?**

Kinderachtig is negative and means childish, behaving immaturely. Kinderlijk means childlike, usually in an innocent or simple way, as in kinderlijk plezier.

**Why is zonnig spelled with a double n?**

The ending -ig starts with a vowel, and the o in zon is short and stressed, so the n doubles to keep the vowel short. The same happens in stoffig and vettig.

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