het + Noun

Het-Words (Neuter)

Level 1

In Dutch, nouns are either de-words (common) or het-words (neuter). Het is used for about 25% of singular nouns.

How It Works

Dutch nouns have grammatical gender. While the majority (75%) use de, the remaining 25% are neuter and use het.

When to use 'het':

  • Diminutives: Any noun ending in -je, -tje, -pje, etc. (e.g., het huisje).
  • Nominalized Infinitives: Verbs used as nouns (e.g., het zwemmen).
  • Prefixes (Rule of Thumb): Many two-syllable nouns starting with be-, ge-, ver-, or ont- take het (e.g., het begin, het geluk, het verhaal). Note that nouns ending in -ing (like de vereniging) are always de-words, even with these prefixes.
  • Compound Nouns: The article is determined by the last word (e.g., de tafel + het laken = het tafellaken).
  • Languages, Metals, Sports, and Compass Points: het Nederlands, het goud, het voetbal, het noorden.
  • Colors: When a color is used as a noun (e.g., het rood).
  • Geographical Names with Adjectives: Cities or countries preceded by an adjective (e.g., het oude Amsterdam).
  • Specific Suffixes: Words ending in -isme, -sel, -um, and inanimate objects ending in -ment (e.g., het instrument).

Important Rules:
1. Plurals: Even if a singular noun uses het, its plural form always uses de (e.g., het boek becomes de boeken).
2. Adjectives: The adjective must drop the -e ending when the neuter noun is singular and indefinite (preceded by een, geen, or no article). For example: een mooi huis vs het mooie huis.

Examples (5)

  1. Het kind speelt buiten.

    The child is playing outside.

    Word by Word: The child plays outside.

    'Kind' is a neuter noun, so it takes 'het'.

  2. Ik lees het boek.

    I am reading the book.

    Word by Word: I read the book.

    'Boek' is one of the most common neuter nouns in Dutch.

  3. Het meisje lacht.

    The girl laughs.

    Word by Word: The girl-diminutive laughs.

    Even though 'meisje' refers to a person, it is a diminutive (ending in -je), so it must use 'het'.

  4. Het koken is leuk.

    The cooking is fun.

    Word by Word: The cook-infinitive is fun.

    When a verb (koken) is used as a noun, it always takes 'het'.

  5. Het zilver is duur.

    The silver is expensive.

    Word by Word: The silver is expensive.

    Names of metals are grammatically neuter.

Common Mistakes

  • Using 'het' for plural nouns.

    het boeken
    de boeken

    All plural nouns in Dutch use 'de', regardless of whether the singular was 'de' or 'het'.

  • Adding an -e to adjectives with indefinite 'het' nouns.

    een grote huis
    een groot huis

    When using 'een' with a neuter noun, the adjective does not get the extra -e ending.

  • Using 'deze' or 'die' for neuter nouns.

    die kind
    dat kind

    Neuter nouns require the demonstrative pronouns 'dit' (this) and 'dat' (that) instead of 'deze' and 'die'.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

het + NounLevel 1Het-Words (Neuter)

Learn This First

To use 'het' correctly, you need to understand that Dutch nouns are divided into genders and that 'het' is the definite article used specifically for neuter nouns.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.

And 5 more in the full list.