De hond is groot.

to be

Breakdown of De hond is groot.

• de hond: the dog
• groot: big

Questions & Answers about De hond is groot.

Why do we say "de hond" instead of "het hond"?

In Dutch, nouns can take either the definite article de or het, depending on their gender and number. Around three-quarters of Dutch nouns use de, including hond, which is a masculine (or common) noun. There isn’t always a straightforward rule to determine which article goes with which noun, so you’ll often learn them as you go along.

How do I pronounce "hond" correctly?

The word hond is pronounced similarly to "hont" in English, where the o has a short vowel sound, and the d at the end sounds more like a light t. Try breaking it down slowly: ho-nt.

Is "hond" always masculine, or could it be feminine?

In modern Dutch, words that take de are often referred to as the “common gender.” This includes both historically masculine and feminine words. Because hond uses de, it’s typically lumped into the same group that includes many masculine and feminine nouns. However, in everyday usage, you don’t usually worry about distinguishing masculine from feminine.

Can I say "De hond is zeer groot" or "De hond is heel groot"?

Yes! Both zeer and heel can translate roughly as "very." "De hond is zeer groot" and "De hond is heel groot" have nearly the same meaning, highlighting that the dog is not just big but very big. You can use them interchangeably, though “heel” is more common in everyday speech.

Why is the adjective placed after "is"?

Dutch follows the Subject-Copular-Complement pattern (similar to English). Here, "De hond" (Subject) "is" (Copular verb) "groot" (Complement). The copular verb is links the subject to the description, so the adjective naturally appears after is. This structure is normal in both languages.