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De stoel is geel.

De stoel is geel.
The chair is yellow.
FromLesson 28inHardcore Dutch
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Breakdown of De stoel is geel.

zijn
to be
de stoel
the chair
geel
yellow

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.

More from this lesson

zevenWij lopen zeven kilometer in het park.Ik sta elke dag om zeven uur op.uitdoenOmdat ik morgen vroeg moet opstaan, doe ik het licht nu uit.aandoenHij doet de verwarming aan, want het is koud.Ik doe het licht aan als het buiten donker is.
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