Spoken Dutch Possessives
In written Dutch, possession is usually shown using van (de hond van Jan) or an -s suffix (Jans hond). But everyday spoken Dutch relies heavily on a much more informal shortcut: placing an unstressed possessive pronoun directly after the possessor.
Possessor + Unstressed Pronoun + Possessed Object
Feminine Possessors: "d'r"
If the possessor is female, use d'r (the unstressed form of haar). Instead of de hond van mijn oma, you will usually hear mijn oma d'r hond.
| My grandma's dog is going to the boarding kennel. | Mijn oma d'r hond gaat naar het pension. |
| My sister's dog whines in the dog crate. | Mijn zus d'r hond jankt in de bench. |
Masculine and Neuter Possessors: "z'n"
If the possessor is masculine or a neuter noun (a het-word), use z'n (the unstressed form of zijn).
| The neighbor's dog has a new collar. | De buurman z'n hond heeft een nieuwe halsband. |
Because baasje (owner) is a diminutive and therefore a het-word, it takes z'n regardless of the owner's actual gender.
| The owner's dog has the heaviest collar! | Het baasje z'n hond heeft de zwaarste halsband! |
Plural Possessors: "hun"
When the possessors are plural, use hun (their) directly after the noun.
| The caretaker grabs the dogs' food. | De verzorger pakt de honden hun voer. |
| The animals' stay in the dog crates is going perfectly. | De dieren hun verblijf in de benches gaat perfect. |
Your questions are stored by us to improve Elon.io