What are ‘De’ and ‘Het’?

In Dutch, every noun has a gender. There are two main articles to use: ‘de’ and ‘het’. ‘De’ is used for common gender nouns, and ‘het’ is used for neuter gender nouns.

When to Use ‘De’

• For all plural nouns.
• For many nouns that refer to people, animals, and some objects.

Examples of ‘De’

• de hond (the dog)
• de vrouw (the woman)
• de boeken (the books)

When to Use ‘Het’

• For singular nouns that are neuter.
• Often used for words that end in -je or are diminutives.

Examples of ‘Het’

• het huis (the house)
• het kind (the child)
• het boekje (the little book)

Rules and Feelings

There are some rules to help you know whether to use ‘de’ or ‘het’, but sometimes it just feels right. As you practice, you’ll start to feel which word fits better.

It’s often recommended to learn nouns with their articles.

Practice Makes Perfect

The more you read and speak, the better you’ll become at using ‘de’ and ‘het’ correctly!