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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.