deen heiten / dat doten

This One Here, That One There

Level 4

To point clearly at something, put heiten (here) or doten (there) between the stressed article and the noun: deen heite Kéis (this cheese here), déi dote Lëscht (that list there). Used alone, they mean this one and that one: Dat doten ass eng pikant Geschicht!

How It Works

1. The forms
Start with the stressed article from deen/déi/dat (demonstrative) and add heiten or doten:

  • masculine: deen heiten Text, deen heite Kéis
  • feminine: déi dote Lëscht
  • neuter: dat heite Buch
  • plural: déi heite Planzen
  • dative: an deem heite Fall (in this case here)

Heiten and doten do not take gender endings. Only their final n changes, by the n-rule: deen heiten Text (t keeps the n), but deen heite Kéis.

2. Heiten or doten?

  • Heiten points to something close to you: dat heite Buch (this book here).
  • Doten points to something farther away, or to something that was just mentioned: dat doten (that thing there, what you just said).

3. On their own
With the noun left out, they mean this one and that one:

  • Déi heiten ass nach hallef voll. (This one is still half full.)
  • Dat doten ass eng pikant Geschicht! (That's a spicy story!)

4. Compare hei and do
You can also point with hei/do after the noun: dee Mann do, dat hei. Heiten and doten stand before the noun instead and point a little more strongly: deen dote Mann. Dësen is another way to say this.

Examples (6)

  1. Schmaach emol deen heite Kéis!

    Taste this cheese here!

    Heiten loses its n before K by the n-rule.

  2. Deen heiten Text muss nach op Englesch iwwersat ginn.

    This text here still has to be translated into English.

    T keeps the n: heiten Text.

  3. Schreif däin Numm op déi dote Lëscht!

    Write your name on that list there!

  4. An deem heite Fall hu mir zwou verschidde Meenungen.

    In this case here we have two different opinions.

    Deem is the dative; heiten itself does not change.

  5. Déi heiten ass nach hallef voll.

    This one is still half full.

    Used alone, déi heiten means this one.

  6. Dat doten ass eng pikant Geschicht!

    That's a spicy story!

    Dat doten points back at something just told.

Common Mistakes

  • Adding a gender ending to heiten or doten.

    Dat heitent Buch ass immens flott.
    Dat heite Buch ass immens flott.

    Heiten and doten have one form for every gender. Only the n changes, by the n-rule.

  • Keeping the n before a consonant.

    Schmaach emol deen heiten Kéis!
    Schmaach emol deen heite Kéis!

    Kéis starts with K, so the n-rule drops the n: deen heite Kéis.

  • Using the short article de or d' with heiten or doten.

    Schmaach emol de heite Kéis!
    Schmaach emol deen heite Kéis!

    Heiten and doten point at something, so they need the stressed article deen, déi or dat.

How It Connects

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

deen heiten / dat dotenLevel 4This One Here, That One There

Learn This First

Before This One Here, That One There, learn That One: Deen, Déi and Dat and Here and There: Hei and Do.

Words in This Pattern

deendéi