The Diminutive Suffix -je
Dutch speakers love diminutives! They are used to make things sound small, cute, casual, or friendly. You will hear them constantly, especially when talking about food, drinks, or ordering in a café.
To form a basic diminutive, simply add -je to the end of a noun.
Crucially, all singular diminutives are het words, regardless of the original noun's gender. For example, de kop (the cup) becomes het kopje.
| I want a cup of coffee, please. | Ik wil een kopje koffie, alstublieft. |
| We order a little cake in the café. | We bestellen een taartje in het café. |
Plural Diminutives: -jes
To make a diminutive plural, simply add -s to get -jes.
Just like all plural nouns in Dutch, plural diminutives always take the definite article de, even though their singular form uses het.
| The waiter takes two cups of tea. | De ober pakt twee kopjes thee. |
| We are eating four pieces of cheese. | We eten vier stukjes kaas. |
Portions and New Meanings
Sometimes a diminutive is used so often that it becomes the standard way to refer to a single portion or item. For example, het ijs means ice cream in general, but een ijsje is a single serving of ice cream. Similarly, het snoep is candy in general, but een snoepje is one piece of candy.
| The child is eating an ice cream. | Het kind eet een ijsje. |
| The girl wants a candy. | Het meisje wil een snoepje. |