Demonstrative pronouns (deze/die/dit/dat)
A1 Aanwijzend voornaamwoord 15 / 48
In short
Dutch has four “pointing” words. Two depend on gender/number: deze/die go with de-words and all plurals, dit/dat go with het-words. Two depend on distance: deze/dit = near (“this/these”), die/dat = far (“that/those”). They sit where the article would (deze stoel, not de deze stoel) and can also stand alone (Dat is mooi).
The rule
Pick the demonstrative from two questions at the same time:
- De-word/plural or het-word? (the gender you learned in lesson 3)
- de-word or any plural -> deze / die
- het-word (singular) -> dit / dat
- Near or far?
- near (this/these) -> deze / dit
- far (that/those) -> die / dat
So de stoel (chair) gives deze stoel (this chair) / die stoel (that chair), while het boek (book) gives dit boek (this book) / dat boek (that book). In the plural everything is a de-word, so plurals always use deze/die: deze boeken, die stoelen.
Demonstratives replace the article - never use both: say deze stoel, not de deze stoel. Any adjective after them still inflects normally (see lesson 16): deze grote stoel.
As standalone pronouns (no noun follows) the same four words mean “this one / that one”:
- Welke wil je? Deze. - Which one do you want? This one.
- Wie is die? - Who is that (person)?
To open a sentence by identifying or introducing something (often pointing at a whole situation, or before you know its gender), Dutch uses the neutral dit/dat, even before a plural - the verb still agrees with what follows:
- Dat is mooi. - That is beautiful.
- Dit zijn mijn ouders. - These are my parents.
Forms & patterns
The 2 x 2 system
| Near - “this / these” | Far - “that / those” | |
|---|---|---|
| de-word (singular) | deze stoel | die stoel |
| het-word (singular) | dit boek | dat boek |
| plural (always de) | deze stoelen / boeken | die stoelen / boeken |
Article -> demonstrative (same slot)
| Article | Near | Far |
|---|---|---|
| de man | deze man | die man |
| de vrouw | deze vrouw | die vrouw |
| het kind | dit kind | dat kind |
| de mensen (pl) | deze mensen | die mensen |
Examples
| Nederlands | English |
|---|---|
| Deze trui is te klein. | This sweater is too small. (de trui) |
| Die auto is van mijn buurman. | That car belongs to my neighbour. (de auto) |
| Dit huis is nieuw. | This house is new. (het huis) |
| Wil je dat boek lezen? | Do you want to read that book? (het boek) |
| Deze schoenen passen niet. | These shoes don’t fit. (plural) |
| Dat is een goed idee! | That is a good idea! (standalone) |
| Wie is die daar? | Who is that (person) over there? (standalone) |
| Dit zijn mijn collega’s. | These are my colleagues. (introducing) |
Common mistakes
- dit stoel -> deze stoel - stoel is a de-word, so it takes deze/die, never dit/dat.
- deze boek -> dit boek - boek is a het-word; use dit/dat.
- dit kinderen -> deze kinderen - all plurals are de-words, so they always take deze/die.
- de deze auto -> deze auto - the demonstrative replaces the article; don’t use both.
- Deze is mijn moeder (introducing a person) -> Dit is mijn moeder - to present/identify, use neutral dit/dat, not deze/die.
- Deze huis is groot -> Dit huis is groot - mixing near/far is fine, but the gender (het -> dit/dat) must match.
Tips
- Sound hook: dit ~ thIs and dat ~ thAt (same vowels), and both contain a t like het - so the t-words go with het-words.
- Gender hook: deze and die start like de; dit/dat belong to het. First decide de or het, then near or far.
- Near vs far: deze/dit = close to you (this/these); die/dat = further away (that/those).
- When you start a sentence to point something out or introduce people, default to Dit/Dat is… / Dit/Dat zijn… regardless of the noun’s gender.