De spin is klein.

Because spin is a de-word in Dutch. In modern Dutch, singular nouns take either de or het:

• de for common-gender nouns
• het for neuter nouns

Spin is common gender, so it is de spin.

A useful thing to remember:

• singular definite article: de or het
• plural definite article: always de

So:

• de spin = the spider
• de spinnen = the spiders

Because klein is being used after the verb is. In that position, Dutch adjectives usually do not take -e.

Here, is is a linking verb, so klein is a predicative adjective:

• De spin is klein. = The spider is small.

Compare that with an adjective before a noun, where -e is often added:

• de kleine spin = the small spider

So the contrast is:

• de kleine spin
• de spin is klein

This is one of the most important adjective patterns in Dutch.

Yes. In this sentence, the word order is very similar to English:

• De spin = subject
• is = verb
• klein = adjective/complement

So the structure is:

subject + verb + adjective

That is why it feels very familiar to an English speaker:

• The spider is small.
• De spin is klein.

But keep in mind that Dutch word order can change in other sentence types, especially in questions and subordinate clauses.

A simple learner-friendly pronunciation guide would be:

• de ≈ duh
• spin ≈ almost like English spin
• is ≈ iss
• klein ≈ roughly like kline / cline, though the vowel is Dutch

A few notes:

• de is usually unstressed and weak.
• spin has a short vowel, like English spin.
• klein contains ei, a common Dutch spelling for a diphthong. English speakers often approximate it with the vowel in eye.

So the whole sentence is roughly:

duh spin iss kline

That is only an approximation, but it is a good start.

Is is the third-person singular form of the verb zijn, which means to be.

Conjugation of zijn in the present tense:

• ik ben = I am
• jij bent / ben jij = you are
• hij/zij/het is = he/she/it is
• wij zijn = we are
• jullie zijn = you are
• zij zijn = they are

So in De spin is klein, the subject de spin is singular, so Dutch uses is.

You usually make a yes/no question in Dutch by putting the verb first:

• De spin is klein. = The spider is small.
• Is de spin klein? = Is the spider small?

So Dutch often uses inversion for yes/no questions, just like English does here.

Yes. That would be grammatical, but it changes the meaning:

• De spin is klein. = The spider is small.
  A specific spider.

• Een spin is klein. = A spider is small.
  One spider, or a more general statement depending on context.

So the difference is mainly the article:

• de = the
• een = a/an

Both are correct; they just do not mean exactly the same thing.

The plural of spin is spinnen.

So:

• de spin is klein = the spider is small
• de spinnen zijn klein = the spiders are small

Notice two things:

1. spin becomes spinnen
   The n doubles before -en to keep the vowel short.

2. The verb changes:

   • singular: is
   • plural: zijn

Also notice that klein stays klein here, because it is still a predicative adjective after the verb.

Because Dutch does not capitalize all nouns.

Dutch capitalization is much closer to English than to German:

• capitalize the first word of the sentence
• capitalize proper names
• do not capitalize ordinary nouns

So:

• De spin is klein. ✅
• De Spin is klein. ❌ unless Spin were somehow part of a name

In modern Dutch, for most learners, it is enough to know that spin is a common-gender noun, so it takes de.

Historically, Dutch had separate masculine and feminine genders, and some varieties still reflect that in pronouns and grammar. But in standard everyday learning, the most useful distinction is simply:

• de-word
• het-word

So for practical purposes, just remember:

• spin = de-word

Yes, but then it normally changes to kleine:

• de kleine spin = the small spider

That is different from:

• de spin is klein = the spider is small

So Dutch has two common patterns:

1. attributive adjective before a noun

   • de kleine spin

2. predicative adjective after a linking verb

   • de spin is klein

This difference between kleine and klein is very common in Dutch, so this sentence is a good early example of it.