Nouns in -heet and -keet

Level 4

Add -heet to most adjectives: fräi → d'Fräiheet (freedom), gesond → d'Gesondheet (health). After -lech or -eg, add -keet: méiglech → d'Méiglechkeet (possibility).

How It Works

1. -heet
Most adjectives simply add -heet:

  • fräi (free) → d'Fräiheet (freedom)
  • gesond (healthy) → d'Gesondheet (health)
  • krank (ill) → d'Krankheet (illness)
  • schéin (beautiful) → d'Schéinheet (beauty)
  • sécher (safe, sure) → d'Sécherheet (safety, security)

A few come from nouns: d'Kand → d'Kandheet (childhood), de Mënsch → d'Mënschheet (humanity).

2. -keet
Adjectives that end in -lech, -eg, -bar or -sam take -keet:

  • méiglech → d'Méiglechkeet (possibility), frëndlech → d'Frëndlechkeet (friendliness)
  • schwiereg → d'Schwieregkeet (difficulty), wichteg → d'Wichtegkeet (importance)
  • dankbar → d'Dankbarkeet (gratitude)

3. Always feminine
Use d', eng and déi: eng Krankheet, déi nei Méiglechkeet.

4. The plural
Nouns you can count add -en, which follows the n-rule: d'Méiglechkeeten, vill Krankheete kréien. Many abstract nouns, like d'Gesondheet and d'Frëndlechkeet, have no plural.

5. Spelling
German writes -heit and -keit; Luxembourgish writes -heet and -keet. In compounds a linking -s- follows: de Gesondheetsministère (the Ministry of Health).

With the on- prefix you can make the opposite: d'Onméiglechkeet (impossibility).

Examples (6)

  1. Du muss eppes fir deng Gesondheet maachen!

    You have to do something for your health!

    gesond + -heet

  2. Mir hunn net vill Méiglechkeeten.

    We do not have many options.

    méiglech ends in -lech, so it takes -keet. The plural adds -en.

  3. Trotz de Schwieregkeeten hu mir et gepackt.

    Despite the difficulties, we managed it.

    schwiereg ends in -eg, so it takes -keet.

  4. D'Fräiheet ass fir all Mënsch wichteg.

    Freedom is important for every person.

  5. Merci fir Är Frëndlechkeet!

    Thank you for your kindness!

  6. Ech denke gären u meng Kandheet zeréck.

    I like to think back to my childhood.

    Kandheet comes from the noun Kand.

Common Mistakes

  • Using -heet after -lech or -eg.

    Dat ass eng gutt Méiglechheet.
    Dat ass eng gutt Méiglechkeet.

    After -lech, -eg, -bar and -sam the ending is -keet, not -heet.

  • Using the German spelling -heit or -keit.

    D'Fräiheit ass wichteg.
    D'Fräiheet ass wichteg.

    Luxembourgish writes the ending with a long ee: -heet and -keet.

  • Using a masculine article.

    De Gesondheet ass wichteg.
    D'Gesondheet ass wichteg.

    Every noun in -heet or -keet is feminine, so it takes d'.

How It Connects

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

Nouns in -heet and -keetLevel 4

Learn This First

Before Nouns in -heet and -keet, learn Nouns in -ung.