Breakdown of Hij heeft nul broers.
hij
he / it (referring to a 'de'-word)
hebben
to have
de broer
the brother
nul
zero
Questions & Answers about Hij heeft nul broers.
Is it normal to say nul broers instead of "no brothers"?
It is perfectly correct, but usually, a Dutch speaker will just say Hij heeft geen broers (He has no brothers). Using nul emphasizes the exact number zero, which makes sense when you are answering a specific question about exactly how many brothers someone has.
Why is the plural of broer formed with an -s instead of -en?
While -en is the most common plural ending in Dutch, many family words take an -s instead. Because of this rule, broer becomes broers, just like vader becomes vaders and moeder becomes moeders.
Why is the verb heeft instead of hebt?
The verb hebben (to have) is highly irregular. While you keep the 'b' for 'you' to make jij hebt, the form for hij (he), zij (she), and het (it) drops the 'b' and changes to heeft.
How is the oe in broers pronounced?
The Dutch oe sounds very similar to the "oo" in the English word "boot". It is a single, clear vowel sound, so broer rhymes roughly with the English word "tour".
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