Adjective Endings
When an adjective comes directly before a noun, it usually gets an -e added to the end.
In this lesson, we will focus on cases where you always add an -e:
- With singular de words (which are most nouns in Dutch).
- With het words when preceded by het (the).
- With all plural nouns.
Let's look at the adjective nieuw (new) used with the de word auto:
Notice that we say de auto is nieuw (no ending when it comes after the noun), but de nieuwe auto (with an -e when it comes before).
Here are a few more examples with singular nouns:
Spelling Rules for Adjectives
Just like when making nouns plural, adding an -e to an adjective means you have to follow Dutch spelling rules.
If an adjective has a long vowel sound written with double vowels, one vowel drops when you add the -e (for example, zwaar becomes zware and leeg becomes lege).
If an adjective has a short vowel sound followed by a single consonant, the consonant doubles to keep the vowel short (for example, vol becomes volle and wit becomes witte).
Plural Nouns
All plural nouns take the -e ending on the adjective. When a noun becomes plural, its definite article is always de, so the adjective always takes an -e.
