Learn Dutch: De hond is hier en het boek is daar. - The dog is here and the book is there.

In Dutch, nouns are divided into two categories or "genders". Common nouns use de (like de hond), and neuter nouns use het (like het boek). They both translate to "the" in English, but you must use the correct one for each noun.

Is there a trick to knowing that boek gets het and hond gets de?

For most basic words, there isn't a strict rule. It is highly recommended to learn every new noun with its matching article from the start (memorize het boek rather than just boek). However, one helpful rule is that all plural nouns always use de, even if they are het words in the singular!

Why does the 'd' at the end of hond sound a bit like a 't'?

In Dutch, when a word ends in the letter d, it is pronounced as a sharp t sound. So hond is pronounced more like "hont". This is a very common Dutch pronunciation rule to watch out for.

How do I use hier and daar?

They work exactly like their English lookalikes "here" and "there". Use hier for something close to the speaker, and daar for something further away.