Learn Dutch: Ik zie de gele bus. - I see the yellow bus.

Because the adjective comes right before the noun it describes (bus), it gets an extra -e at the end. This is a common rule in Dutch: adjectives placed in front of a noun usually get an -e.

Why is gele spelled with only one 'e' in the middle, when the basic word is geel?

This is because of Dutch spelling rules for long vowels. When we add the -e ending, the word splits into syllables like ge-le. Since the first syllable ends in a vowel, that vowel automatically sounds 'long'. We drop the extra e because writing geele is unnecessary.

Does gele get an -e because bus is a de word?

Yes! Adjectives before a de word always get the -e ending. The only time an adjective does not get an -e is when it comes before a singular het word with een or no article in front of it. Since we are saying de bus, we must say de gele bus.

Why is the verb zie and not zien?