Chef Smakelijk's Recipe for Demonstrative Pronouns: DEZE, DIE, DIT, DAT 👨

Hallo allemaal! 👋

Chef Smakelijk here, stepping out of the kitchen for a moment to share another essential recipe for your Dutch conversations.  In my kitchen, I’m always pointing: "Pass me that spice jar," or "I'll use this knife."  Pointing is a key ingredient in communication, and in Dutch, you need four special words to do it perfectly: DEZE, DIE, DIT, and DAT.

It might seem like a lot, but don't worry! I have a very simple recipe that will help you choose the right word every time. 📝

The Main Ingredients: Two Key Questions 🤔

To pick the correct demonstrative pronoun, you just need to ask yourself two simple questions, just like a chef checking their recipe.

Question 1: Is it Near or Far? (Dichtbij of Ver Weg?) 📍

First, think about distance. Is the thing you’re pointing to close to you  (dichtbij / near), often where you could say "here" (hier)?  Or is it at a distance (ver weg / far), where you would say "there" (daar)?

Question 2: Is it a de-word or a het-word? And is it Singular or Plural? 🔎

As you know, every Dutch noun has a gender, which gives it the article de or het.  This is a crucial part of our recipe today! You also need to know if you're talking about one thing  (Singular / enkelvoud) or many things (Plural / meervoud).

Chef Smakelijk's Quick Reference Card 📋

                                                                                                                                         

	Near (dichtbij / hier)	Far (ver weg / daar)
Singular – de-word	DEZE (e.g., deze stoel)	DIE (e.g., die stoel)
Singular – het-word	DIT (e.g., dit huis)	DAT (e.g., dat huis)
Plural	DEZE (e.g., deze boeken)	DIE (e.g., die boeken)
	DEZE (e.g., deze kinderen)	DIE (e.g., die kinderen)

Chef's Tip: Look closely! 👀 For Plural nouns, it's always deze for things that are near and die for things that are far. It doesn't matter if the singular word is a de-word or a het-word. Easy!

Let's Taste-Test with Examples! (Voorbeelden) 🍽️

Singular – de-word 🪑

• Deze stoel is nieuw. (This chair is new.)
  
• Ik vind die stoel daar mooi. (I find that chair over there beautiful.)

Singular – het-word 🏡

• Dit huis is van ons. (This house is ours.)
  
• Dat huis daar is te koop. (That house there is for sale.)

Plural📚

• Deze boeken zijn van mij. (These books are mine.)
  
• Ik wil die boeken lezen. (I want to read those books.)
• Deze kinderen spelen buiten. (These children are playing outside.)
  
• Die kinderen daar maken veel lawaai. (Those children there are making a lot of noise.)

Practice Time! (Oefenen!) ✏️

Now it's your turn to use this recipe! Look around you right now and point something out.  For example: "Dit boek is interessant" or "Die lamp daar is mooi."

Instead of leaving a comment here, share your answer with us on Instagram 👉  @mydutchjournal:  Tell us what you see using deze, die, dit, or dat!

Mastering these four words will make your Dutch sound much more natural and confident. You're doing a great job! 🎉

🚀 Ready to Take Your Dutch to the Next Level?

If you enjoyed this mini-lesson, imagine what you could learn in a full class!  Explore our Mini Lessons 💻  or join a full program in our Courses 🎓.  And don’t forget to follow us on Instagram for more tips and fun Dutch content!

Veel succes en tot de volgende les! 🌷