hatt

Hatt: She for Women and Girls by Name

Level 1

D'Anna ass krank, hatt bleift doheem. Women's and girls' first names are neuter, so the pronoun is usually hatt, not si.

How It Works

1. Why a neuter pronoun?
In Luxembourgish, first names take an article, and women's and girls' names are neuter: d'Anna, d'Lisa (see de Paul/d'Anna). The pronoun matches that gender, so it is the neuter hatt. This is normal and friendly. It is not rude.

2. Hatt or si?

hatt: a woman or girl you call by her first name, and d'Meedchen (the girl): D'Lisa? Hatt schafft zu Esch.
si: a woman you call by a feminine noun or by Madame and her surname: D'Madame Weber ass krank, si kënnt haut net.

In relaxed speech, many people also say hatt about any woman they know well. Si is always correct after a feminine noun such as d'Fra.

3. The forms of hatt

Subject and object: Hatt ass midd. Mir gesinn hatt all Dag.
Unstressed, hatt is often just et: Hatt ass midd, well et vill geschafft huet.
Dative: him (see mir/dir/him/hir (dative))
Possessive: säin and seng: D'Sarah sicht säi Schlëssel. (see säin/seng)

4. Verb forms
Hatt uses the third person singular, like hien and si: hatt ass, hatt huet, hatt schafft, hatt kënnt.

Examples (6)

D'Anna ass krank, hatt bleift doheem.
Anna is ill; she is staying at home.
Anna is a woman's first name, so the pronoun is hatt.
Dat ass d'Lisa. Hatt schafft zu Esch.
That is Lisa. She works in Esch.
D'Meedchen ass fënnef Joer al. Hatt geet an d'Spillschoul.
The girl is five years old. She goes to nursery school.
Meedchen is a neuter noun, so it also takes hatt.
Mir gesinn hatt all Dag.
We see her every day.
Hatt is also the object form.
D'Madame Weber ass krank, si kënnt haut net.
Mrs Weber is ill; she isn't coming today.
Called by Madame and her surname, the woman is si.
D'Sarah sicht säi Schlëssel.
Sarah is looking for her key.
With a neuter hatt person, her is säin or seng.

Common Mistakes

Using the masculine pronoun for a woman or girl.
D'Anna ass krank, hie bleift doheem.
D'Anna ass krank, hatt bleift doheem.
Hien means he. For a woman called by her first name, use hatt.
Leaving out the article before a first name.
Anna ass krank, hatt bleift doheem.
D'Anna ass krank, hatt bleift doheem.
When you talk about someone, a first name takes an article: d' for women and girls. Only leave it out when you speak to the person directly.

How It Connects

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

hattLevel 1Hatt: She for Women and Girls by Name

Learn This First

Before Hatt: She for Women and Girls by Name, learn Subject Pronouns: Singular.

ech / du / hien / si / etSubject Pronouns: Singular
Hatt replaces si for women and girls you call by their first name.
Level 1

Words in This Pattern