Dit, Dat, Deze, Die: Dutch Demonstrative Pronouns Made Simple | A1 Dutch, Lesson 17

Welcome to lesson seventeen of the A1 Dutch Grammar Course. In the previous lesson you learned possessive pronouns — mijn, jouw, zijn, haar, ons and onze, jullie, and hun. In this lesson you are going to learn demonstrative pronouns — the Dutch words for this, that, these, and those. In Dutch, there are four demonstrative pronouns: dit, dat, deze, and die. The choice between them depends on two things: whether the noun is near you or far away, and whether the noun is a de-word or a het-word. By the end of this lesson, you will know all four demonstrative pronouns and exactly when to use each one.

Dichtbij of ver weg?

The demonstrative pronoun — aanwijzend voornaamwoord in Dutch — points to a noun. You use it when you want to say this, that, these, or those. The form depends on two things: how far away the noun is, and whether the noun is a het-word or a de-word. If the noun is near you — dichtbij — you use dit for het-words and deze for de-words. If the noun is far away — ver weg — you use dat for het-words and die for de-words. For plural nouns, you always use deze when near and die when far — because all plural nouns take de in Dutch, and de-words use deze and die. Let us look at each pair in detail.

Het-woorden: dit en dat

For het-words, the two forms are dit and dat. Dit is used when the noun is near — dichtbij. Dat is used when the noun is far away — ver weg. Dit boek is interessant — this book is interesting. The book is close to the speaker, so you use dit. Dat gebouw is groot — that building is big. The building is farther away, so you use dat. The same applies when the demonstrative comes later in the sentence: Ik lees dit artikel — I am reading this article. Koop je dat hemd? — are you buying that shirt? Het boek, het artikel, het gebouw, het hemd — all het-words, so dit for near and dat for far.

De-woorden en meervoud: deze en die

For de-words, the two forms are deze and die. Deze is used when the noun is near, die when it is far. Deze stoel is comfortabel — this chair is comfortable. Die winkel is duur — that shop is expensive. Ik neem deze jas — I am taking this coat. Wil je die schoenen? — do you want those shoes? The same two forms — deze and die — are also used for all plural nouns. In Dutch, all plural nouns take the article de. Because all plural nouns use the article de, they use deze when near and die when far. Deze boeken — these books, close to me. Die auto's — those cars, far away. Deze kinderen spelen hier — these children are playing here. Die gebouwen zijn oud — those buildings are old. If you are ever uncertain about a noun's article but you know it is plural, you already know the answer: deze or die.

Twee gouden regels

Two golden rules before the summary. First: like possessive pronouns, demonstrative pronouns replace the article. You never say dit het boek — you say dit boek. You never say deze de tas — you say deze tas. The demonstrative already tells the listener which noun you mean — the article is not needed. Second: for plural nouns, the choice is always deze or die, never dit or dat. This is because all Dutch plurals take de, and de-words always use deze and die. So whenever you see a plural noun before which you need a demonstrative, you know immediately: if it is near, deze — if it is far, die. For demonstratives directly before plural nouns, use deze or die — never dit or dat.

Key Takeaways

Here is what you learned in this lesson. Dutch has four demonstrative pronouns: dit, dat, deze, and die. For het-words, use dit when the noun is near and dat when it is far. For de-words and for all plural nouns, use deze when near and die when far. Like possessive pronouns, demonstrative pronouns replace the article — no de or het alongside them. The plural rule is especially helpful: all plurals take de, so all plurals use deze or die — never dit or dat. In lesson eighteen you will learn object pronouns — the Dutch words for me, you, him, her, us, and them.

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