ELONIO

Singular units of measure

Visiting the tailor

Let's start with some basic vocabulary for the tailor (de kleermaker) and sewing (naaien).

The tailor sews the trousers.
De kleermaker naait de broek.
He sews the fabric with needle and thread.
Hij naait de stof met naald en draad.

Singular units of measure

In English, we pluralize measurements (like "two meters" or "five centimeters"). In Dutch, nouns expressing a unit of measurement remain in their singular form when preceded by a number.

The tailor buys three meters of fabric.
De kleermaker koopt drie meter stof.
The needle is five centimeters long.
De naald is vijf centimeter lang.

Adjusting clothes

If a piece of clothing is too loose (wijd), a tailor can fix it. You will use two separable verbs for this:

  • inkorten (to shorten)
  • innemen (to take in)

Notice how the singular measurement rule applies when describing exactly how much the clothing is adjusted.

He is going to shorten the sleeves by five centimeters.
Hij gaat de mouwen vijf centimeter inkorten.
He takes the dress in by three centimeters.
Hij neemt de jurk drie centimeter in.

Currency and time

This singular rule also applies to currency (like euro) and certain units of time (like jaar or uur). Even when you mean "twenty euros" or "ten years", you use the singular noun in Dutch.

The tailor charges twenty euros to shorten the dress.
De kleermaker vraagt twintig euro om de jurk in te korten.
She has already been sewing for ten years.
Zij naait al tien jaar.
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