Verwijzen naar dingen
Dutch uses dit/deze (this/these) and dat/die (that/those) to point to things. The choice depends on distance (near vs far) and the gender of the noun (het-word vs de-word).
| Distance | het-word | de-word / plural | English | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| near (this/these) | dit | deze | this / these | Dit boek is nieuw. This book is new. |
| far (that/those) | dat | die | that / those | Dat huis is groot. That house is big. |
| near (de-word) | — | deze | this | Deze fiets is van mij. This bike is mine. |
| far (de-word) | — | die | that | Die auto is snel. That car is fast. |
| near (plural) | — | deze | these | Deze schoenen zijn mooi. These shoes are nice. |
| far (plural) | — | die | those | Die mensen wonen hier. Those people live here. |
Practice: ___ huis is groot. (this, het-word, near)
Dit — Huis is a het-word and nearby → dit: Dit huis is groot.
Practice: ___ fiets is van mij. (this, de-word, near)
Deze — Fiets is a de-word → deze: Deze fiets is van mij.
Practice: ___ appels zijn vers. (those, plural, far)
Die — Plurals use die for far distance: Die appels zijn vers.
Practice: ___ boek is interessant. (that, het-word, far)
Dat — Boek is a het-word far away → dat: Dat boek is interessant.
<strong>Dit</strong> and <strong>dat</strong> are also used alone, without a noun, to introduce or identify something.
Practice: ___ is mijn zus. (this is — introducing someone)
Dit — Dit is used to introduce or present: Dit is mijn zus.
Practice: ___ weet ik niet. (that — referring back to information)
Dat — Dat refers back to a previous idea: Dat weet ik niet.
Use <strong>hier</strong> for a place near the speaker and <strong>daar</strong> for a place further away.
Practice: Ik woon ___. (here — near speaker)
hier — Hier indicates near the speaker: Ik woon hier.
Practice: ___ staat de supermarkt. (there — farther away)
Daar — Daar staat de supermarkt. Fronted daar triggers inversion.
Practice: Kom ___! (here — giving a command to approach)
hier — Commands to come towards the speaker use hier: Kom hier!
Practice Referring to Things Quiz with dit / dat / deze / die cards
Flashwords uses flashcards, fill-in-the-blank quizzes, and listening exercises to make Dutch stick.
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