Disambiguation: Dutch 'Het' - Multiple Meanings and Related Words

Het

2 3

/ 't

the (#2) - "the little street"
it - "it's late" - "the car - it's broken"

het and 't

1. het and de = the		Words Taking Both het and de

	'Der' 'Des,' 'Den' - and 'Ter,' 'Ten'

2. het = it

het and 't

- het

2 3 / 't

Do note that 'het' has the Dutch 'short E'

while the abbreviation " 't " is pronounced with voiceless, unstressed E, 'schwa'

. Dutchmen usually write 'het' but often say " 't. " Unfortunately, it's not very common to write the abbreviation. On this 'het' page I've tried to give the phonetic rendering, but elsewhere on my website you may often find 'het' pronounced as " 't " and (occasionally) vice versa. I usually say " 't "

and I say het

mostly for emphasis, if there's something special with the noun.

het is	it's, it is
't is 2 3	it's, it is
het IJ 2	a river flowing through Amsterdam
't IJ 2 3	a river flowing through Amsterdam
Het Delft van Vermeer	The Delft of Vermeer, Vermeer's Delft
't Delft van Vermeer	The Delft of Vermeer, Vermeer's Delft
het paard draaft 2	the horse trots
Het eten van varkensvlees is verboden	Eating pork is not allowed.
het gist 2 3	'it is fermenting' - or usually figuratively: 'trouble is brewing'
((de) gist	yeast)
het verwoorden 2	the phrasing, putting into words
het lange boek	the long book

Do also note that apostrophe-T " 't " is not written with a capital letter when it's the first word of a line. In lines like that, the second word is capitalized. In the rare family names that start with apostrophe-T, like author 't Hart (Maarten) the T is also always lowercase.

't Spijt me heel erg 2 3	I'm very sorry about it
't Mag geen geld kosten 2	[It may not cost] - I don't want to pay (serious) money for it
't Weer sloeg plotseling om 2 3	The weather suddenly changed
't Houten huis is heel oud	The wooden house is very old

You'll find the same capitalization with the Dutch apostrophe-S time indications - >>

's Avonds ging de zon onder 2	In the evening the sun went down
's Woensdags eten we vaak linzen 2 3	On wednesdays we often [eat] have lentils

1. 'Het' = 'the' (#2)

(het) bepaald lidwoord

('definite article' - 'the' in English)
Dutch has two words for the definite article: - 'de'

2 and 'het'

2 3. ('Het' is often shortened to " 't "

- note the vowel change.)
In the singular a majority of Dutch nouns takes 'de' but a minority (something like a third in my estimate) takes 'het.' Plurals always take 'de.'
Diminutives (words ending in -je) are 'het-words' and all plurals take 'de' but otherwise there are few useful rules - you'll just have to memorize the words that go with 'het.' Elsewhere, you may come across rules for de and het but they all have too many exceptions, are about small numbers of words, or are rather complicated. There are even a few words ending in ‑JE that are not diminutives and some mostly rather obscure words in that group are de-words ‑>>
Compound words generally take the 'de' or 'het' of the last constituent part of the word.
Some exceptions: (het) oor

2 ('ear') but - (de) domoor

2 3 ('stupid person' - (usually said to children)
(de) eenvoud

2 ('simplicity') but - (het) enkelvoud

2 ('singular' - grammar) - (het) meervoud

2 ('plural') - (het) vijfvoud

2 3 ('five-fold, five copies')
Verb infinitives used as nouns always take 'het'
I have not found a counter-example to the rule that words ending in '-heid' are 'de'-words except that words ending in '-scheid' are 'het'-words

(het) lidwoord 2 article
bepaald lidwoord 'definite article' ('the' - de, het, 't)
onbepaald lidwoord 'indefinite article' ('a' - een, 'n) - more below
It is sometimes said that 'het'-words are 'neutral' (neutraal 2) or 'neuter' (onzijdig 2 3) but they can refer to males or females.
De vrouw 2 ('the woman') - de man 2 3 ('the man') - 't hondje 2 ('the doggie, the little dog') - het meisje 2 ('the girl') - het kleine broertje ('the little brother') - het mannetje 2 ('male animal' - and jocular 'guy for special jobs')

Daar heb ik een mannetje voor 2 3 4	(jocular) 'I [have] know a guy for (to do) that special job'

't Idee! 2	The idea!
In 't nieuws 2	In the news

Willem de Zwijger	'William The Silent,' nickname of the first leader of the Dutch Revolt (1568-1648) Willem van Oranje - the Dutch George Washington
Op de rand van de afgrond	On the edge of the precipice
Aan de andere kant van de muur	On the other side of the wall
De morgen van de laatste dag 2	The morning of the last day
Ik zag de zon in de zee zinken	I saw the sun sink into the sea
De verre toekomst en de nabije toekomst	The (far) distant future and the near future
de dikke en de dunne 2	the fat one and the (thin) skinny one (Laurel & Hardy)

Het zinken van het schip	The sinking of the ship ('passive' sinking NOT 'making it sink')
't Kaf van 't koren scheiden	Separating the chaff from the wheat (men from boys, sheep from goats)
't Zekere voor 't onzekere nemen 2 3	'Taking the certain over/before the uncertain' (not taking risks)

tussen de bomen in 't bos	Among the trees in the forest
De bal wordt in 't doel geschoten 2 ( 2)	The ball is shot (shot) into the goal (goal)
't Nederland van na de oorlog	[The The Netherlands of after the war] Postwar Holland
't Geheim van de smid 2	'The secret of the blacksmith' - a 'knack,' special way of doing something
't Water staat me tot de lippen	The water is coming up to my lips - it can't go on like this
De kat op 't spek binden	Tying the cat to the bacon - creating a dangerous situation
't Oog is groter dan de maag 2	The eye is bigger than the stomach - said when you put more food on your plate than you can eat

het noorden 2	(the North)
het oosten 2	(the East)
het zuiden 2	(the South)
het westen 2 3	(the West)

(het) kompas

(de) windwijzer

Sometimes Dutch uses the article 'het' where English leaves it out

Hoe zeg je dat in 't Nederlands? 2	How do you say that in Dutch?
geheel in 't zwart	entirely, all in black (clothes)

The superlative degree of an adjective used as a noun takes 'het.'

Welke dag komt je 't beste uit?	What day would suit you best?
Wim is 't grootst 2 3	Wim is the tallest
Wanneer heb je voor 't laatst een brief geschreven?	When was the last time you wrote a letter?
op 't ergste voorbereid 2	prepared for the worst

een, 'n and één

The indefinite article - (het) onbepaald lidwoord ('a' in English) is usually written as 'een' but in an exception to the mostly phonetic spelling of Dutch pronounced as " 'n " - so not pronounced with the 'long E' you'd expect from the spelling but with voiceless, unstressed E - It is sometimes phonetically more correct written as " 'n " but that's not often done.
'One' is één 2 3 - the number 1 and 'one' meaning 'quantity: one,' usually written with accents
een kwart a quarter (of something) - ¼
wat een 2 3 4 what a ..., such a ...!
Iemand zal een oplosing moeten vinden Someone will have to find a solution Er is maar één oplossing 2 There's only one solution

(de) eenling 2 a unique or a solitary individual
(het) eenmansbedrijf 2 one-person company

eenmaal 2 3 would mean 'once - one time,' but often it means 'once - as soon as,' when a point is reached
... éénmaal ... andermaal ... verkocht! ['one time ... another time ... sold!'] - 'going once ... going twice ... sold!' (what an auctioneer says> Als 't eenmaal kookt 2 3 Once it's boiling, as soon as it is boiling Als 't eenmaal zo ver is 2 3 Once it has reached that point, when it's at that stage nou eenmaal 2 3 -that's how it is, it's not going to change Zo is 't nou eenmaal 2 That's how it is - you can't change it, end of discussion Zo ben ik nou eenmaal 2 3 That's how I am - you may not like it but I'm not going to change eenmalig happening, occurring just one time
(De) onenigheid 2 3 4 'disagreement, division, discord' is probably derived from één 2 3 ('one') - not one, no unity, not together, not of one opinion

A Few Words that Can Take both 'de' and 'het'

A few words can have 'de' or 'het' - usually taking a different meaning.

Voetbal

- 'de voetbal' is 'soccer ball' but 'het voetbal' is the sport 'soccer,' European and Latin American football ->>

Noodweer

'het noodweer' is very bad, dangerous weather, while 'de noodweer' is justifiable self-defense.

Aas

'de aas' is the 'ace' in cards ->> while 'het aas' is 'carrion, bait' meat to attract hunters' prey

Blik

'de blik' is 'look, glance' or 'expression' (on face) and 'het blik' is either the metal 'tinplate' or a 'can, tin can' (originally made of that metal) - (het) blikje

2 ('small' tin can)

Koper

'het koper' is the metal 'copper,' but 'de koper' is 'buyer,' a person who buys or has bought

Hoorn

(also written as 'horen' - het hoorn is the material, and de hoorn is an item 'made of' that material, like on animal heads or helmets, or to blow on. It's not unusual, the 'material' as a 'het'-word, and items made or consisting of the stuff as 'de'- words.

Kurk

'de kurk' is a bottle-stopper, while 'het kurk' is the woodlike bark material those bottle-stoppers are made of

Leer

het leer is 'leather' while de leer is 'doctrine, system of belief or thinking'

Mens

'(de) mens' is 'human being,' plural: mensen

- 'De mens'

2 3 (always with 'de') is 'Man, humankind'

De mens kan niet van brood alleen leven 2	'Man cannot live by bread alone'
De mens lijdt 't meest van 't lijden dat-ie vreest	'Man suffers most from the suffering he fears'
De mens wikt, God beschikt 2 3	'Man deliberates, God decides'

- 'het mens' is an unpleasant, obnoxious not-very-young woman.
- (Het) kind

2 means 'child,' but it can also be an unpleasant, obnoxious young woman.
-(Het) mensenkind

2 3 is a poetic word for 'human child' and does not mean 'Mankind,' which is 'de mensheid'

2 'humankind') - it's almost a False Friend

Portier

2 3

'de portier' is 'doorman' ('porter'?) and 'het portier' is 'car door.'

Punt

2 3 4

'de punt' is a dot, a period at the end of a line or the tip of for instance a knife; 'het punt' is the most important part of a viewpoint or reasoning. English 'point' also has this double meaning.

Staal

'het staal' is the metal 'steel' while 'de staal' is a fabric sample, a 'swatch.'

(het) stalenboek 2	'fabric samples catalog'
(het) plaatstaal 2	'plate steel,'
(de) staalplaat 2 3	'steel plate'

Stof

2 3 4

'het stof' is 'dust,' while 'de stof' is 'fabric' or 'material' - or figuratively, 'subject matter'

(de) stofzuiger 2	['dust-sucker'] vacuum cleaner
Voel hoe zacht de stof is! 2 3	Do feel how soft the fabric is!
Hij is lang van stof 2	'He always talks at great length'

In compound words, 'stof' usually means 'material,' "stuff" for instance:

(de) brandstof 2	(['burning stuff'] - 'fuel')
(de) splijtstof 2	'fissile material'
springstof 2	'explosives'

- see also: The Periodic Table of The Elements

Geleerde

2 3

'de geleerde' is a 'learned' person, scholar, scientist (somewhat old-fashioned) while 'het geleerde' is the material, knowledge and skill that was learned

Veer

'het veer' is 'ferry,' while 'de veer' can be 'feather' or 'spring' (tensile)

Deel

'het deel' is 'part,' while 'de deel' is 'threshing floor' or generally, the business area immediately around a farmhouse

Kussen

'het kussen' is pillow ('cushion'?) but kussen is also the plural of '(de) kus'

('kiss.') The plural of 'kussen' 'pillow' is 'kussens'

- kussen is also a verb meaning 'to kiss,' and when used as a noun it's also 'het kussen' (English 'the kissing')

Genie

2
(French G)

'(het) genie' is 'a person of genius' or that gift, 'the genius, exceptional ability' while '(de) genie' is 'the army corps of engineers'

same
meaning

- (de/het) aanrecht

('countertop' - kitchen) - (de/het) deksel

('lid') - (de/het) drop

('liquorice, licorice' - Dutch) - (de/het) duin

('dune') - (de/het) idee

('idea') - (de/het) kauwgom

2 3 ('chewing gum') - (de/het) kilo

2 ('kilo, kilogram, 1000 grams' ~2Lbs) - (de/het) klimop

('ivy') - (de/het) parfum

('perfume') - (de/het) riool

2 ('sewer') - (de/het) soort

('kind, type') - (de/het) spaanplaat

2 ('particle board') - (de/het) vergiet

('colander') - (de/het) vuilnis

('garbage, trash')

'Der,' 'Des' and 'Den,' - and 'Ter' and 'Ten'

'Der'

and 'den'

are old-fashioned forms of the article 'de'

2 ('the.') 'Der' is 'of the,' the possessive (genitive) of the plural, modern Dutch van de

2. 'Den' is used with the object (accusative.) They're only used in standard phrases coined a hundred years ago or more. Saying or writing something like 'Ik luisterde naar het gezang der vogels' feels very old-fashioned.
'Des'

('of the') is even more unusual. It's only used for the singular.
Some Dutch family names have van der or van den

op den duur 2 3 4 in the long run Op den duur wordt 't makkelijker ['in the long run'] 'after a while it will be easier' om den brode 2 [for the bread] - for the money, for a living Den Haag 2 The Hague official name: 's-Gravenhage Den Bosch in French: Bois-le-Duc official name: 's-Hertogenbosch 2

Maar Uw woord ja zij ja, neen, neen 2 3 But let your 'Yes' be 'Yes' and your 'No,' 'No'
(Let what you say be simply 'Yes' or 'No') Wat daar bijkomt is uit den boze 2 Anything more than this comes from evil
Matthew 5:37 (also in James 5:12)

Het Periodiek Systeem der Elementen 2 The Periodic Table of The Elements ‑>> De Vlakte der Kruiken 'The Plain of Jars' (Laos) De macht der gewoonte 2 3 'The power of habit' - it's hard to break a routine De tocht der tochten 2 ['The tour of tours,' 'the mother of all tours'] - the epic Dutch skating event:
De 'Elfstedentocht' 2 ‑>>

De heer des huizes 2 3 [The Lord of the House] - the male head of the household, the man of the house In het zweet des aanschijns ... 2 3 ['By the sweat of your brow' (Genesis 3:19) - 'In the sweat on your face'] - With sweat on your face (you'll have to work hard) De tand des tijds 2 3 4 'The tooth of time' - decay due to age (human and general) Hij was des duivels 2 ['He was like possessed by the devil'?] 'He was very angry' Het Leger des Heils 2 [The Army of the Good] - the Salvation Army

desnoods 2 if need be, if necessary
desalniettemin 'despite all that'
deskundige 2 expert
(de) kunde 2 3 learned skill

'Der' and 'den' are also found in Dutch family names, usually after 'van' 2 - but in names these words are said with voiceless, unstressed E,' the 'schwa' - den and der 2
Van den Berg 2 - Van der Geest 2
Baron Joan Derk van der Capellen tot den Pol 2 (a 1780s reformer)
- more Dutch Names

In the Dutch of a while ago, 'te' can mean something like 'at' a time or place. This is still found in bureaucratic usage, where 'te' indicates the place where a person lives:
... huisarts te 's-Gravenhage 2 3 ... family doctor in The Hague 'Ter' and 'ten' are combinations of this 'te' with 'der' and 'den,' meaning something like 'at the,' 'on' or 'to.' Like 'der' and 'den' they're only used in standard phrases. The words coming with 'ter' and 'ten' are often declined, given an -E ending

ter ziele 2 [all that's left is the soul] - a person deceased or a company or organization ceased to exist ter dood veroordeeld 2 condemned to death ter zake komen 2 to come to the point ter zake doen 2 to 'matter,' be important ter plekke 2 'on the spot' ter hand nemen 2 3 to take in hand, pick up (literally and figuratively) ter elfder ure 2 3 at the 11th hour, rather late slecht ter been 2 3 [bad on the leg] - having difficulty walking

ten noorden van 2 to the North of ten zuiden van 2 3 to the South of ten einde raad 2 at wits' end Ik ben ten einde raad 2 I'm at my wits' end, I have no idea what to do to solve this problem Beter ten halve gekeerd dan ten hele gedwaald 2 'It's better to [have turned around] change direction halfway than to be wrong all the way' ten voeten uit 2 3 giving a full picture

tenzij 2 unless
Tenzij je 'n beter idee hebt 2 3 Unless you have a better idea

terwijl 2 while
Nero speelde viool terwijl Rome in brand stond 2 Nero played the violin while Rome was burningSnijd de tomaten terwijl je de champignons bakt Cut up the tomatoes while you're sautéing the mushrooms Als de zon schijnt terwijl 't regent krijg je soms een regenboog When the sun shines while it's raining you sometimes get a rainbow

terzijde on the side, aside
"Dit terzijde" 2 3 4 'This on the side' - an incidental remark

tenminste 2 3 at least
tenminste houdbaar tot ... 2 ["can be kept at least till ..."] - 'good till at least ...' - 'sell by ...' - 'use by ...'

ternauwernood barely, almost not
terdege 2 thoroughly, properly, solid
terloops 'in passing,' casually

2. 'Het' = 'it'

Dutch 'het'

2 3 / 't

can also be the English impersonal pronoun 'it' - referring to a non-male and non-female 'neutral/neuter' item mentioned before or implied - but Dutch usage is not identical to English 'it.' I have the impression English 'he' and 'she' usually refer to people and for instance not to animals or things; but Dutch generally uses hij

'he' (and occasionally zij

'she') for 'de'-words and 'het' for 'het'-words. See also Personal Pronouns.
If I understand Molinarius correctly, 'it' and 'het' in this sense are called 'placeholders' for the 'antecedent' - the item mentioned before or implied. Saying "It's cold" is short for 'The weather is cold,' like "It's eight o'clock" is short for 'The time is eight o'clock,' and "It's dangerous" means 'The situation is dangerous.'

Ik spreek geen Nederlands ... 2	I don't speak Dutch ...
... maar ik kan het wel verstaan 2 3	... but I do understand it ('het'/'it' = Dutch)
't Eten - 't was lekker	The food - it was (tasty) good
't Eten - 't was koud	The food - it was cold
De auto - hij is stuk 2	The car - it is broken, doesn't go
De dag - hij was lang 2	The day - it was long
't Schip - 't is gezonken	The ship - it (she?) has sunk ->>
't Sneeuwt	It is snowing
't Is begonnen	It has started, it has begun
't Is te laat	It's too late
't Is jouw beurt 2 3	It's your turn
't Is er nooit van gekomen 2 3	It never came about, it never happened (it never went beyond plans)
't Geeft niet 2 3 4	It doesn't matter, it's all right, 'never mind'
't Is niet logisch 2 3	It's not logical
't Is te gecompliceerd 2	It's too complicated
't Is meer dan duizend dollar 2 3	It's more than a thousand dollars
't Is meer dan een miljoen euro 2	It's more than a million euros ->>
't Is moeilijk te vinden 2 3	It's hard to find
't Kan vriezen en 't kan dooien	'It may freeze or it may thaw' - things can go either way
't Went 2	You get used to it

Het vroor dat 't kraakte 2	It was freezing [so hard] that it cracked (ice, I assume) - 'Het' = the weather / 't = the ice

Als 't regent wordt de wedstrijd afgelast	If it rains the match will be canceled
't Heeft de hele dag geregend 2 3	It's been raining all day
't Is een taak voor de overheid 2	It is a task for the government
't Gaat niet om 't geld!	It's not about the money
't IJzer smeden als 't heet is 2 3	['Smith,' forge] Work the iron when it's hot
Wie 't weet mag 't zeggen 2	['Who knows it'] The person who knows (it - the answer) may say it - it can also mean: 'It's anybody's guess

... en toen werd 't donker 2 3 4	... and then it got dark
Toen 't donker werd gingen we naar huis	When it got dark we went home
't Weerbericht zegt dat 't morgen gaat regenen	The weather forecast says (that) it's going to rain tomorrow
't Is er nooit van gekomen 2 3	It never came about (we were planning it, but it never happened)
Je hebt 't goed gedaan	You have done (it) well (singular 'you')
Jullie hebben 't goed gedaan	You guys have done (it) well
Hij heeft 't verkeerd gedaan	He has done it wrong, in the wrong way
Zij hebben 't verkeerd gedaan	They have done it wrong, in the wrong way
Ik heb 't niet gedaan	I have not done it
We hebben 't niet gedaan	We have not done it
Ik heb 't wel gedaan	I did do it
Is 't 't geld waard? 2 3	Is it worth the money?
Is 't 't waard?	Is it worth it?
Al is de leugen nog zo snel, de waarheid achterhaalt haar wel 2 3 4	(saying) ['However quick a lie may be, the truth will overtake it'] - Lies won't last, truth will come out eventually

Sometimes Dutch uses the placeholder 'het' where English leaves it out

Ik kan 't niet verklaren 2	I can't explain (I don't understand)
Ik kan 't niet uitleggen 2	I can't explain (I can't tell you, I can't put it in words)
Ik wil 't weten 2	I want to know
Ik weet 't niet 2	I don't know
Ik snap 't 2 3	I understand
Hij bedoelt 't goed 2	He means well
Heb je 't koud? 2 3	[Do you have it cold?] - Are you cold?
Ik herinner me 't niet. 2	I don't remember [it.]
Ik kan me 't niet herinneren. 2	I [can't] don't remember [it.]
(Ik kan 't me niet herinneren. )	I [can't] don't remember [it.])
Nou herinner ik 't me weer. 2	Now I remember [it] [again.]

Synomyms, Alternates and Related Words

When used with a preposition, English placeholder 'it' is not 'het' in Dutch but 'er'

See the 'er' disambiguation page.

Kijk er eens goed naar 2 3	Look sharp at it, take a moment to inspect it closely
Ik ben er trots op 2 3	I'm proud of it

Like placeholder 'it' being translated as 'er' when a preposition is involved, placeholder 'that' with a preposition is not 'dat' but 'daar' ->> and placeholder 'what' with a preposition is not 'wat' but 'waar' ->>. See also: Placeholders with Prepositions

Daar heb ik geen tijd voor 2	I don't have time for that
Waar hou(d) je van?	What do you like?

Extreme Examples

de brand	'the fire'
het brandt 2	'it [burns] is burning'

'brand' and 'brandt' sound exactly the same:

de regent	'the governor of the Dutch Indies'
het regent 2 3 4	'it is raining'

The stress in regent is in different places

Dutch Vocabulary Overview - Dutch Grammar Overview - Listen to and Read Dutch

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