Questions & Answers about Het meisje is hier.
Why does this sentence use het for a girl instead of de?
In Dutch, words that end in -je are diminutives (words that mean 'little'). Every diminutive is a neuter word, so it always gets the article het. Even though a girl is female, the grammar rule for -je words takes priority, making it het meisje.
If meisje is a het word, which pronoun do I use to say 'She is here'?
You would use zij or ze (she) to say Zij is hier. Even though meisje is grammatically neuter and uses het, we still use female pronouns for a girl in everyday speech because we are talking about a female person.
Why is the verb is used here?
Is is the form of the verb zijn (to be) used for he, she, and it (hij, zij, het). Since het meisje represents a single person we are talking about, it takes this third-person form, exactly like 'is' in English.
Does the verb is stay the same if I say 'I am here' or 'You are here'?
No, the verb zijn (to be) changes depending on the pronoun. While we say het meisje is (the girl is), you must use ben for 'I' (ik ben hier) and bent for 'you' (jij bent hier).
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