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### Invariable Adjectives

In Dutch, adjectives placed directly in front of a noun usually get an *-e* ending. However, some adjectives are **invariable** and never change form, regardless of the noun's gender or article.

This applies to many modern loanwords and adjectives ending in a vowel (like *-a*, *-o*, *-i*, or *-y*).

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Notice how the regular adjective (*mooie*) takes its usual *-e* ending, but the invariable color (*kaki*) does not:

{{item:824963}}

### Colors and Styles

Words like *blanco* (blank), *uniseks* (unisex), and *lila* (lilac) follow the exact same pattern.

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{{item:824968}}

Even when used with definite articles (*de* or *het*)—where you would normally expect an *-e* ending on a standard adjective—invariable adjectives stand their ground.

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Invariable adjectives (plastic, roze, gratis)

adjective

adverb

conjunction

determiner

determiner/pronoun

interjection

noun

numeral

particle

preposition

pronoun

sentence

verb

Singular pronouns and 'to be' (ik ben, hij is)

The formal 'you' (u bent)

Definite articles (de, het)

Plural pronouns and 'to be' (wij zijn)

The verb 'to have' (hebben)

Basic word order

Numbers 1 to 10 (een, twee, drie)

Verb stems and the 'I' form (ik werk)

Long vowels in verb stems (maken, ik maak)

Short vowels in verb stems (zitten, ik zit)

Present tense singular (-t)

Present tense plural (-en)

Yes/no questions

Question words (wie, wat, waar)

Noun negation (geen)

Plural nouns (-en)

Plural nouns (-s)

Diminutives (-je)

Adjective modifiers (heel, erg, te)

Verb negation (niet)

Singular possessives (mijn, jouw, zijn, haar)

Plural and formal possessives (ons/onze, jullie, hun, uw)

This and these (deze, dit)

That and those (die, dat)

Asking which (welke, welk)

Numbers 11 to 20 (elf, twaalf, dertien...)

Tens and compound numbers (dertig, veertig...)

Ordinal numbers 1st to 10th (eerste, tweede...)

Telling time: hours and half hours (uur, half)

Telling time: quarters (kwart over, kwart voor)

Question words (hoeveel, waarom)

Irregular verbs (doen, gaan, staan, zien, komen)

Adjective endings (+e)

Adjectives with 'het' words

Prepositions of place (uit, bij)

Subject-verb inversion

Time before place

Modal verbs (willen, kunnen)

Modal verbs (moeten, mogen)

The verb bracket

Separable prefix verbs

The imperative mood (kom, luister)

Singular object pronouns (mij, jou, hem, haar)

Plural and formal object pronouns (ons, jullie, hen, u)

Reflexive verbs and pronouns (zich, me, je)

Position of negation (niet)

The present perfect tense with regular verbs (hebben gewerkt)

The present perfect tense with motion verbs (zijn gegaan)

Irregular past participles (gezien, gedaan)

The present continuous (zijn aan het)

There is / there are (er is, er zijn)

Unstressed there (er)

And, but, or (en, maar, of)

Because (want)

Months of the year

Prepositions of time (om, van ... tot)

Greetings and politeness

Conversational glue

Prepositions with days (op)

Prepositions with seasons (in)

Genitive of time ('s morgens, 's nachts)

Adverbs of frequency (altijd, vaak)

The future tense (gaan)

The future tense (zullen)

Separable verbs with auxiliary verbs

Apostrophe plurals ('-s)

Irregular plurals (-eren)

Complex diminutives (-pje, -etje, -kje)

Possessive 's (Jan's, vaders)

Indefinite pronouns (iets, niemand, alles)

Indefinite subject pronoun (je)

Reciprocal pronoun (elkaar)

Comparative adjectives (-er dan)

Comparatives with spelling change (-der)

Superlative adjectives (-st)

Irregular comparisons (beter, meer, minder)

Expressing preference (graag, liever, het liefst)

Equality comparisons (even ... als)

Fixed prepositions

That clauses (dat)

Because clauses (omdat)

If and when clauses (als)

Inversion after clauses

Separable verbs in clauses

Negation in clauses (niet)

Past tense of to be (was / waren)

Past tense of to have (had / hadden)

Question	Answer
retro	retro
the keychain	de sleutelhanger
We are handing out a retro keychain.	We zijn een retro sleutelhanger aan het uitdelen.
trendy	trendy
the promotional gift	het relatiegeschenk
the logo	het logo
The client wants a trendy promotional gift with a logo.	De klant wil een trendy relatiegeschenk met een logo.
khaki	kaki
Yesterday we ordered beautiful khaki T-shirts.	Gisteren hebben we mooie kaki T-shirts besteld.
blank	blanco
the imprint	de opdruk
They are giving away a blank mug without an imprint.	Zij geven een blanco mok zonder opdruk weg.
unisex	uniseks
This unisex clothing is quite cheap.	Deze uniseks kleding is tamelijk goedkoop.
lilac	lila
We must order a lilac umbrella as a promotional gift.	Wij moeten een lila paraplu als relatiegeschenk bestellen.
The director still has a trendy logo to check.	De directeur heeft nog een trendy logo te controleren.
A blank keychain is a rather cheap promotional gift.	Een blanco sleutelhanger is een vrij goedkoop relatiegeschenk.
You are handing out unisex T-shirts with a retro imprint.	Jullie zijn uniseks T-shirts met een retro opdruk aan het uitdelen.
Are we choosing the khaki bag or the lilac bag?	Kiezen we de kaki tas of de lila tas?
The pink logo fits perfectly on the blank mug.	Het roze logo past perfect op de blanco mok.
I still have a retro imprint to design.	Ik heb nog een retro opdruk te ontwerpen.
cool	cool
That retro logo is cool.	Dat retro logo is cool.
The unisex print is trendy and cool.	De uniseks opdruk is trendy en cool.

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