Questions & Answers about Hij is de jongen.
What does the pronoun hij mean here?
Hij is the Dutch subject pronoun for "he". You use it just like in English when talking about a single male person.
Is the Dutch word is exactly the same as in English?
Yes! They look the same and mean the same thing. In Dutch, is is the form of the verb zijn (to be) that goes with the singular pronouns hij, zij, and het. So, hij is directly translates to "he is".
Why do we use de before jongen instead of het?
In Dutch, nouns use either de or het for the word "the" depending on their gender. Jongen (boy) is a male person, which falls under the "common" gender category. All common gender words use de. As a handy tip: almost all words for people use de.
The lesson mentions unstressed pronouns like je and ze. Does hij have a shorter version too?
Yes, it does! In casual spoken Dutch, you will often hear ie instead of hij when the word isn't being emphasized. However, in formal writing and standard sentences like this one, you will always see the full word hij.
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