Plural of Diminutives

Level 2

Regardless of how a Dutch noun forms its plural normally, once it becomes a diminutive (ending in -je, -tje, etc.), its plural is always formed by adding a simple -s.

How It Works

In Dutch, standard nouns can have complex plural rules involving -en, -s, or even irregular changes. However, the diminutive plural acts as a 'grammatical equalizer.'

Key Rules:

  • Always -s: No matter which diminutive suffix is used (-je, -tje, -pje, -etje, or -kje), the plural is always formed by adding -s.
  • Article Change: While singular diminutives always take het, all plural nouns in Dutch—including diminutives—must use the article de.
  • No Apostrophe: Unlike some words ending in vowels, diminutives never use an apostrophe for the plural (e.g., baby'tjes, not baby'tje's), because the suffix ends in a 'schwa' sound.

Nuance and Usage:
Dutch speakers use diminutive plurals not just for small things, but to sound friendly, informal, or to create a sense of 'gezelligheid' (coziness). For example, biertjes implies a few casual beers with friends rather than just 'small beers'.

Examples (5)

  1. Er staan drie kleine boompjes in de tuin.

    There are three small little trees in the garden.

    Word by Word: There stand three small tree-diminutive-plural in the garden.

    The base word 'boom' becomes 'boompje' (singular) and then 'boompjes' (plural).

  2. Zal ik even wat kopjes thee halen?

    Shall I go get some (little) cups of tea?

    Word by Word: Shall I just some cup-diminutive-plural tea fetch?

    Using the diminutive plural 'kopjes' makes the offer sound more casual and polite.

  3. De kindjes spelen rustig in de hoek.

    The little children are playing quietly in the corner.

    Word by Word: The child-diminutive-plural play quietly in the corner.

    Even though 'kind' has an irregular plural ('kinderen'), the diminutive plural 'kindjes' is perfectly regular.

  4. We hebben gisteren een paar biertjes gedronken.

    We drank a few beers yesterday.

    Word by Word: We have yesterday a pair beer-diminutive-plural drunk.

    Here, 'biertjes' refers to a social, casual setting rather than the physical size of the drinks.

  5. Ik heb nog een paar vraagjes voor je.

    I have a few more (quick) questions for you.

    Word by Word: I have still a pair question-diminutive-plural for you.

    The diminutive plural 'vraagjes' softens the request, making the questions seem less burdensome.

Common Mistakes

  • Using -en instead of -s for the plural.

    de huisjen
    de huisjes

    Learners often try to use the most common Dutch plural ending (-en), but diminutives exclusively use -s.

  • Using 'het' for the plural diminutive.

    het kindjes
    de kindjes

    While the singular is 'het kindje', all plural nouns in Dutch must use 'de'.

  • Adding an unnecessary apostrophe before the -s.

    meisje's
    meisjes

    Because the diminutive suffix ends in a silent 'e' (schwa), no apostrophe is needed to preserve the vowel sound.

How It Connects

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

Plural of DiminutivesLevel 2

Learn This First

To understand the plural of diminutives, a learner must first know how to form a basic diminutive (using suffixes like -je) and be familiar with the -s pluralization rule, which is the universal plural ending for all Dutch diminutives.

Words in This Pattern

-s