De or het? Simple rules for Dutch articles
Dutch has two words for 'the': de and het. There is no logic you can hear, but a few rules make it much easier.
By the Kora team: Alex, Mariel and Abena, who did inburgering themselves. Written with help from AI. Every fact is checked against the official source. How we write our guides
Checked against official sources on 2026-10-26 · Plain text version to copy (.md)
Two words for 'the'
Every Dutch noun takes de or het. Which one is part of the word, like its spelling. That's why Dutch children also learn it word by word.
The good news: most nouns take de. When you really don't know, de is the safer guess.
Rules that always work
- All plurals take de: het boek, de boeken.
- Words ending in -je (small things) take het: het huisje, het meisje.
- 'A' or 'an' is always een, for every noun: een man, een huis.
Rules that usually work
- People are usually de: de vader, de dokter, de buurman.
- Words ending in -ing are de: de woning, de vergadering.
- Words starting with ge- or be- and many words ending in -ment are often het: het gesprek, het bezoek, het document.
The best habit
Learn every new noun together with its article, as one word: not 'huis' but 'het huis'. Flashcards help with this.
What it means for the exam
In the writing part of the B1 Staatsexamen, mistakes with de or het are not counted. A missing article is. In the speaking part, de/het mistakes count as small mistakes. So: always use an article, and don't freeze over de or het.
Questions
Is there a rule for de or het?
Not one rule, but some help: all plurals take de, words ending in -je take het, and most nouns take de.
Do de/het mistakes cost points in the exam?
In B1 Schrijven they are not counted, but a missing article is. In B1 Spreken they count as small mistakes.
What is the best way to learn de and het?
Learn each noun together with its article, as one word.
Official sources
- Onze Taal: Taalloket (Dutch language advice)
- Regeling beoordelingsnormen Staatsexamens Nt2 (de/het in writing)
General information, not legal advice. Your letters from DUO and your municipality decide what applies to you.
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