Singular After Numbers

Level 2

In Dutch, when you count units like jaar (year), kilo (kilo), or euro, you don't add a plural ending. You say 'drie jaar' instead of 'drie jaren'.

How It Works

While most Dutch nouns use -en or -s to form the plural, a special group of nouns remains singular when following a specific number. This rule primarily applies to masculine and neuter nouns.

1. Time and Frequency
The most common are jaar (year), uur (hour), and kwartier (quarter-hour). Additionally, keer or maal (times/frequency) normally stay singular.
Example: Ik ben hier al tien jaar. (I have been here for ten years.)
Example: Ik heb het drie keer gezegd. (I said it three times.)
Note: Feminine units like week and maand do not follow this rule. Similarly, minuut and seconde must be pluralized: vijf minuten.

2. Weights and Measures
Metric units like meter, kilometer, kilo, gram, ton, and liter stay singular.
Example: Twee kilo appels. (Two kilos of apples.)
Note: Ton stays singular when referring to weight (1,000kg) or money (100,000 euro), but becomes tonnen when referring to physical barrels/containers.

3. Currency and People
The units euro, cent, and dollar stay singular when referring to a total amount. The word man also stays singular when counting a group of people.
Example: Dat is drie euro. (That is three euros.)
Example: Er waren honderd man aanwezig. (There were a hundred men/people present.)
Note: If referring to individual physical coins, use the plural: drie euro's.

4. Important Exceptions and Nuances

  • If an adjective is placed between the number and the noun, the noun is usually plural: drie jaar vs. drie lange jaren.
  • Temperature is an exception: twintig graden (plural) is required.
  • While hoeveel (how many) follows the singular rule (hoeveel jaar?), the quantifier een paar (a few) is flexible. Both een paar jaar and een paar jaren are common and acceptable. Other quantifiers like enkele and sommige usually take the plural: enkele jaren.

Examples (5)

  1. Ik woon hier al drie jaar.

    I have lived here for three years.

    Word by Word: I live here already three year.

    'Jaar' stays singular because it is a unit of time following a specific number.

  2. De film duurt twee uur.

    The movie lasts two hours.

    Word by Word: The film lasts two hour.

    'Uur' is a standard unit of duration that remains singular after numbers.

  3. Mag ik twee kilo appels, alstublieft?

    May I have two kilos of apples, please?

    Word by Word: May I two kilo apples, please?

    'Kilo' is a unit of weight and does not take a plural suffix here.

  4. Dat kost vijf euro vijftig.

    That costs five euros fifty.

    Word by Word: That costs five euro fifty.

    Currency units like 'euro' and 'cent' remain singular in Dutch.

  5. We lopen vijf kilometer per dag.

    We walk five kilometers per day.

    Word by Word: We walk five kilometer per day.

    Units of distance like 'kilometer' or 'meter' stay singular.

Common Mistakes

  • Pluralizing the amount 'euro' like in English.

    Different MeaningDat kost vijf euro's.
    Dat kost vijf euro.

    For a price or amount, euro stays singular after a number (vijf euro). Vijf euro's is a real form, but it means five separate one-euro coins, not an amount of money.

  • Using the singular for time units that require a plural.

    Ik blijf drie week.
    Ik blijf drie weken.

    Only specific time units (jaar, uur, kwartier) stay singular. Others like 'week', 'maand', and 'dag' must use the regular plural form.

  • Using the singular when an adjective is present.

    Het waren drie lang jaar.
    Het waren drie lange jaren.

    When an adjective (like 'lange') modifies the noun, the singular rule is broken and you must use the plural form 'jaren'.

How It Connects

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Singular After NumbersLevel 2

Learn This First

To understand why certain nouns remain singular after a number, you first need to know how to form regular plurals and be familiar with basic numbers and units of time where this rule is most frequently applied.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.