Dit is het veertiende hoofdstuk.

Word by word:

• Dit = this
• is = is
• het = the
• veertiende = fourteenth
• hoofdstuk = chapter

So the full sentence means This is the fourteenth chapter.

Both dit and deze can mean this, but they depend on the noun they refer to.

• dit is used with het-words
• deze is used with de-words

Hoofdstuk is a het-word: het hoofdstuk.
So if you are referring to hoofdstuk, Dutch uses dit:

• dit hoofdstuk = this chapter

That is why the sentence starts with Dit is ...

Because hoofdstuk is a definite singular noun here: the fourteenth chapter.

In Dutch, hoofdstuk is neuter, so its definite article is het:

• het hoofdstuk = the chapter

When you add an ordinal, you still keep the article:

• het veertiende hoofdstuk = the fourteenth chapter

So het is simply the definite article that belongs with hoofdstuk.

Because Dutch ordinals normally take -e when they come before a noun.

Compare:

• veertien = fourteen
• de/het veertiende hoofdstuk = the fourteenth chapter

This is very common in Dutch:

• het eerste hoofdstuk = the first chapter
• de tweede pagina = the second page
• het derde boek = the third book

So the -e is the normal adjectival ending for an ordinal before a noun.

Dutch usually forms ordinals by adding -de or -ste to the cardinal number.

For veertien:

• veertien = fourteen
• veertiende = fourteenth

A few common examples:

• een → eerste = first
• twee → tweede = second
• drie → derde = third
• vier → vierde = fourth
• tien → tiende = tenth
• veertien → veertiende = fourteenth

So veertiende is just the ordinal form of veertien.

Yes. Hoofdstuk is a neuter noun, so in the singular it takes het:

• het hoofdstuk = the chapter

In the plural, all nouns take de:

• de hoofdstukken = the chapters

This is useful because it affects other words too:

• dit hoofdstuk = this chapter
• dat hoofdstuk = that chapter

This is a very normal Dutch main-clause pattern:

• subject
  • verb
    • rest

So here:

• Dit = subject
• is = verb
• het veertiende hoofdstuk = complement

It works just like English This is the fourteenth chapter.

Dutch main clauses usually put the conjugated verb in the second position, and that is exactly what happens here: is comes right after Dit.

Yes, you could. It means something slightly different in focus.

• Dit is het veertiende hoofdstuk = This is the fourteenth chapter
• Dit hoofdstuk is het veertiende = This chapter is the fourteenth one

The first sentence identifies this as the fourteenth chapter.
The second starts with this chapter and says what number it is.

Both are grammatical, but the original sentence is the most direct equivalent of the English sentence.

Yes, and that is very natural in some contexts.

• Dit is het veertiende hoofdstuk = This is the fourteenth chapter
• Dit is hoofdstuk veertien = This is chapter fourteen

The difference is similar to English:

• the fourteenth chapter uses an ordinal
• chapter fourteen uses a chapter number

Both are correct, but they are phrased differently.

Because hoofdstuk is a het-word, not a de-word.

So the correct definite singular article is:

• het hoofdstuk

Therefore:

• het veertiende hoofdstuk ✅
• de veertiende hoofdstuk ❌

A learner often notices that veertiende still has -e even after het. That is normal. In a definite noun phrase, the ordinal keeps that -e ending.

A helpful rough guide is:

• veertiende ≈ VAYR-tee-un-duh
• hoofdstuk ≈ HOHF-stuk

A few pronunciation notes:

• ee in veer is a long vowel.
• The ie in tiende sounds like ee in English see.
• hoofd has a long oo sound.
• The Dutch g/ch sound does not appear here, so this sentence is easier to pronounce than many Dutch ones.

If you want to sound natural, the sentence stress often falls on veertiende and hoofdstuk:

Dit is het veertiende hoofdstuk.

Yes. Dit is the neuter demonstrative meaning this.

It can refer to:

• something physically near you
• something just mentioned
• something you are showing, reading, or talking about

So in a book context, Dit is het veertiende hoofdstuk could mean:

• you are pointing to a chapter
• you are introducing it
• you are identifying where you are in the book

That is very similar to English This is the fourteenth chapter.