Dutch demonstrative pronouns (aanwijzend voornaamwoord)
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Sign up for freeThe Dutch demonstrative pronouns are 'dit' (this), 'dat' (that), 'deze' (this, these) and 'die' (that, those). To be able to understand when we use which, we have two types of demonstrative pronouns.
Lesson outline
Hide1) Dependent demonstrative pronouns
- Dependent demonstrative pronouns refer to a specific person or thing.
- The dependent demonstrative pronoun is always followed by the noun it refers to.
- 'Dit' and 'dat' are singular and 'deze' and 'die' are singular and plural. When to use which of these depends on if a 'het-noun' or 'de-noun' follows.
| Dependent demonstrative pronouns | Example | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Dit (het-noun) | Dit huis is klein. | This house is small. |
| Dat (het-noun) | Dat gebouw is groot. | That building is big. |
| Deze (de-noun) | Deze auto is rood. | This car is red. |
| Die (de-noun) | Die fiets is snel. | That bike is fast. |
| Deze (plural) | Deze fietsen zijn snel. | These bikes are fast. |
| Die (plural) | Die auto's zijn rood. | Those cars are red. |
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2) Independent demonstrative pronouns
- Independent demonstrative pronouns are used the same way as the dependent demonstrative pronouns, but the nouns are left out.
- 'Dit' and 'dat' are singular and 'deze' and 'die' are singular and plural. When to use which of these depends on if a 'het-noun' or 'de-noun' follows.
| Independent demonstrative pronouns | Example | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Dit (het-noun) | Dit is klein. | This is small. |
| Dat (het-noun) | Dat is groot. | That is big. |
| Deze (de-noun) | Deze is rood. | This is red. |
| Die (de-noun) | Die is snel. | That is fast. |
| Deze (plural) | Deze zijn snel. | These are fast. |
| Die (plural) | Die zijn rood. | Those are red. |
When an independent demonstrative pronoun is linked to a noun with a linking verb: we always use 'dit' or 'dat'.
Even though a 'de-noun' follows the independent demonstrative pronoun.
| Independent demonstrative pronouns | Example | Translation | Change | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deze (de-noun) | Deze man is mijn vriend. | This man is my boyfriend. | Dit is mijn vriend. | This is my boyfriend. |
| Die (de-noun) | Die vrouw is mijn moeder. | That woman is my mother. | Dit is mijn moeder. | That is my mother. |
| Deze (plural) | Deze mensen zijn mijn ouders. | These people are my parents. | Dit zijn mijn ouders. | These are my parents. |
| Die (plural) | Die jongens worden profvoetballers. | Those boys will become professional football players. | Dat worden profvoetballers. | Those will become professional football players. |
Train your skills with the exercises below.
Exercises
- Dutch demonstrative pronouns exercise with dit, dat, deze, die
- Exercise to practice the Dutch demonstrative pronouns
Dutch demonstrative pronouns exercise with dit, dat, deze, die
Exercise to practice the Dutch demonstrative pronouns
Exercises
- Dutch demonstrative pronouns exercise with dit, dat, deze, die
- Exercise to practice the Dutch demonstrative pronouns