De or Het? Rules for Dutch Articles
Understanding when to use de or het is one of the trickiest parts of learning Dutch. Here are the most useful rules.
The basics
Dutch has two definite articles: de (common gender) and het (neuter gender). About two-thirds of Dutch nouns use de, while one-third uses het. Unfortunately, there's no single rule that covers everything — but there are helpful patterns.
When it's always het
Diminutives (-je, -tje, -etje, -pje)
All diminutive forms always take het, even if the original word uses de.
de hond (dog) → het hondje (little dog)
de tafel (table) → het tafeltje (little table)
Words starting with ge-, be-, ver-, ont-
Most nouns formed from verbs with these prefixes take het.
het gebouw (building), het gevoel (feeling), het verhaal (story), het begin (beginning)
Infinitives used as nouns
When a verb is used as a noun (the act of doing something), it takes het.
het eten (the eating/food), het leven (the living/life), het zwemmen (the swimming)
Languages, metals, compass directions, sports
These categories almost always take het.
het Nederlands, het goud (gold), het noorden (north), het voetbal (football)
When it's always de
Plural nouns
Regardless of the singular article, all plural nouns use de.
People and professions
Words referring to people (both male and female) almost always take de.
de leraar (teacher), de dokter (doctor), de vrouw (woman), de man (man)
Words ending in -ie, -ij, -heid, -teit, -nis, -ing, -st
Nouns with these suffixes are usually de words.
de politie (police), de bakkerij (bakery), de vrijheid (freedom), de krant (newspaper)
The exception to every rule
Dutch articles have many exceptions. Het meisje (the girl) uses het because it's a diminutive, even though you'd expect de for a person. That's why memorization through practice is so effective.
Practice with DeHet Swipe — it's free!Or browse all 1000+ words to look up specific articles.