Saturday, November 14, 2009

De or het?

All diminuitives i.e. words that end in -je use het.

Het meisje - The girl.
Het stoeltje - The little chair.

Although diminuitives are used in English to indicate that something is small, this is not always the case in Dutch. The Dutch add -je to a word to express that something is pleasant and nice. It is always a very positive thing.

Someone may tell you that they love your huisje. What they are saying is that they think your house has a cosy and pleasant atmosphere.

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