Language/Dutch/Grammar/Plural-and-Diminutives

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Dutch Grammar → Nouns and Articles → Plural and Diminutives

As a Dutch language teacher for over 20 years, I've learned that one of the trickiest aspects of Dutch grammar for beginners is forming plurals and diminutives in Dutch nouns. But fear not, with a little practice and some interesting cultural information, you'll be making plurals and diminutives like a native in no time!

With the completion of this lesson, consider investigating these related pages: Modal Verbs & Ablative Case in Dutch.

Forming Plurals[edit | edit source]

In Dutch, there are three main ways to form plurals: adding -en, -s, or -eren to the singular noun. The most common way is to add -en to the singular noun, but there are some exceptions. Here are some examples:

Dutch	Pronunciation	English
huis (house)	/hœys/	houses
meisje (girl)	/may-zhuh/	girls
vogel (bird)	/voh-ghul/	birds
auto (car)	/ahw-toh/	cars

Note that if the singular noun ends in -s, -x, -z, -ch, or -sh, you add -en to the end of the word, rather than just -s. So, for example, the plural of klas (class) is klassen, not klass.

Some nouns that end in -er or -el also require an extra -e before adding -en to form the plural, such as fiets (bike) which becomes fietsen in the plural.

There are also some nouns that have irregular plural forms. Here are a few examples:

Dutch	Pronunciation	English
kind (child)	/khint/	children
man (man)	/mahn/	men
vrouw (woman)	/frow/	women
stad (city)	/staht/	cities

While memorizing irregular plurals may seem daunting, just remember that practice makes perfect!

Forming Diminutives[edit | edit source]

In Dutch, a diminutive is formed by adding -je, -tje, -pje or -kje to the singular noun. A diminutive usually implies a smaller or cuter version of the original. For example, the word hond (dog) becomes hondje (puppy).

Dutch	Pronunciation	English
meisje (girl)	/may-zhuh/	girltje (little girl)
boek (book)	/buke/	boekje (little book)
ding (thing)	/ding/	dingetje (little thing)

There are some exceptions, such as huis (house), which becomes huisje (little house) rather than huispje. Additionally, some nouns have irregular diminutive forms, such as man (man), which becomes mannetje (little man).

It's important to note that while the diminutive is often used to make a word sound cuter, it can also be used to express familiarity, intimacy or even scorn.

Cultural Insight[edit | edit source]

Language and culture go hand in hand, and Dutch is no exception. Did you know that the Dutch have a love for diminutives and often use them in everyday language? For example, instead of asking for a kopje (cup) of coffee, a Dutch person might ask for a kopje koffie (little cup of coffee). This can also be seen in Dutch nicknames, such as Pietje (little Peter) or Keesje (little Kees).

Learning about cultural insights can make learning a language even more fun and interesting!

Tips[edit | edit source]

- Practice, practice, practice!

- Pay attention to the gender of the noun, as this will affect how the plural or diminutive is formed.

- Don't worry too much about memorizing irregular plurals and diminutives - with practice, they'll become second nature!

Sources[edit | edit source]

Table of Contents - Dutch Course - 0 to A1[edit source]

Course Presentation

Alphabet and Pronunciation

Nouns and Articles

Verbs and Conjugation

Adjectives and Adverbs

Prepositions and Pronouns

Family

Food and Drinks

Travel

Work and Jobs

The Netherlands

Dutch Customs

Videos[edit | edit source]

The Plural in Dutch ! How to form it ??? - YouTube[edit | edit source]

Other Lessons[edit | edit source]

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