Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Dutch grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about De stoel is geel.
What does de mean?
De is the definite article in Dutch, equivalent to the in English. It’s used with all common-gender nouns.
Why is stoel preceded by de and not het?
Dutch has two definite articles: de for common-gender nouns (formerly masculine or feminine) and het for neuter nouns. Stoel (chair) is common gender, so it takes de.
How can I tell whether a noun takes de or het?
There’s no perfect rule, but many noun endings hint at gender. Words ending in -ing, -heid, -schap, -tie, -ij, etc., are usually common gender (de). Neuter nouns often end in -je, -ment, -sel, -um, or are English loanwords. Ultimately you memorize exceptions.
Why isn’t geel written as gele in De stoel is geel?
When an adjective follows a form of zijn (to be) as a predicate, it stays in its base form: geel. Only attributive adjectives (directly before a noun) take -e: de gele stoel.
Can I say de geel stoel instead of de gele stoel?
No. Attributive adjectives must get the -e ending when the noun has a definite article (de/het) or is plural. So you say de gele stoel, never de geel stoel.
How do I turn De stoel is geel into a question?
Invert the subject and the verb: Is de stoel geel? Don’t forget the question mark and rising intonation in speech.
How do you pronounce stoel?
Stoel is pronounced [stul], where oe sounds like English oo in “food,” and the st is as in “stop.”
What if I want to say a chair is yellow instead of the chair is yellow?
Use the indefinite article een (pronounced like the u in “fun”): Een stoel is geel.