Understanding Dutch Adjective Agreement
In Dutch, adjectives are words that describe nouns, like 'big', 'small', 'red', or 'happy'. Just like in English, adjectives make sentences more interesting by giving more information about the noun.
Basic Rules of Adjective Agreement
In Dutch, adjectives change their form depending on the noun they describe. This is called adjective agreement. The form of the adjective depends on two main things: whether the noun is 'de' or 'het', and whether the noun is singular or plural.
Important Points
- If the noun is singular and uses 'de', add an 'e' to the adjective.
- If the noun is singular and uses 'het', and it has 'een' or no article, do not add an 'e'.
- If the noun is singular and uses 'het' with 'het', add an 'e' to the adjective.
- If the noun is plural, always add an 'e' to the adjective.
Examples
- de grote hond
- een groot huis
- het grote huis
- de grote huizen
Sometimes, adjectives can be a bit tricky. If an adjective comes before a noun and the noun is indefinite and singular, the adjective does not end with an 'e' if the noun is a 'het' word.
Examples
- een oud boek
- het oude boek
There are some exceptions to these rules, like with adjectives that describe nationality or origin. These often do not take an 'e'.
Examples
- een Frans boek
- de Franse wijn