Learn Dutch: De sinaasappel is fruit.

De sinaasappel is fruit.

The orange is fruit.

Breakdown of De sinaasappel is fruit.

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Questions & Answers about De sinaasappel is fruit.

How do I make this sentence negative to say "The orange is not fruit"?

This lesson is about using geen to negate nouns. Because fruit is a noun and doesn't have a specific article like de or het in front of it, you must use geen instead of niet. The negative sentence is: De sinaasappel is geen fruit.

In English I would usually say "The orange is a fruit". Why isn't there an een before fruit?

Unlike in English, the Dutch word fruit is strictly an uncountable noun (just like "water" or "sand" in English). You cannot say een fruit. Instead, you just say De sinaasappel is fruit. If you want to talk about a single piece, you have to say een stuk fruit (a piece of fruit).

Sinaasappel is a really long word for "orange"! Is there a trick to remembering it?

Yes! It helps to break it down, as it literally means "China's apple". Sina is an old word for China, the s shows possession, and appel means apple. The Dutch gave it this name because sweet oranges originally came to Europe from China.

Do I pronounce fruit the exact same way I do in English?

No, it sounds quite different! You have to use the Dutch ui sound, so it does not rhyme with "boot". The ui is a unique Dutch vowel that sounds a bit like saying the English "ow" but with your lips tightly rounded.