Dutch diminutives
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Find a teacherBesides plural nouns, the Dutch language also has 'verkleinwoorden' (small nouns). These are used frequently and not only used for small things, but for many other things. They can also refer to a certain attitude. You can make a noun smaller by adding '-je', '-tje', '-etje', '-pje'.
Situation | Example | Translation |
---|---|---|
You want to indicate that something is small. | Het boompje is aan het groeien. | The little tree is growing. |
You want to refer to a certain attitude. | In het zonnetje met een glaasje wijn. | Enjoying the sunshine with a glass of wine. |
There are rules for determining which ending fits the noun to form the diminutive. Most nouns do not only get '-je' as an ending but also need extra letters.
Noun | Verkleinwoord | Example | Translation |
---|---|---|---|
Het huis (the house) | Het huisje (the little house) | Het huisje staat langs de weg. | The little house is next to the road. |
Het kind (the child) | Het kindje (the little child) | Het kindje is geboren. | The little child is born. |
The ending '-tje' is added to nouns that have:
Noun | Diminutive | Example | Translation |
---|---|---|---|
Het ei (the egg) | Het eitje (the little egg) | Het eitje wordt gekookt. | The little egg is getting cooked. |
De auto (the car) | Het autootje (the little car) | Het autootje rijdt hard. | The little car drives fast. |
De deken (the blanket) | Het dekentje (the little blanket) | Het dekentje is warm. | The little blanket is warm. |
Het been (the leg) | Het beentje (the little leg) | Het beentje is gebroken. | The (little) leg is broken. |
'-etje' is added to nouns that have:
A short vowel ending followed by a single 'r', 'l', 'n', 'm', 'ng'. Except nouns that:
Noun | Diminutive | Example | Translation |
---|---|---|---|
Het gezin (the family) | Het gezinnetje (the little family) | Het gezinnetje gaat op vakantie. | The little family goes on holiday. |
Het ding (the thing) | Het dingetje (the little thing) | Het dingetje is kwijt. | The little thing is lost. |
Have a look at 'het gezinnetje'. The consonants at the end get doubled to keep the short vowel.
'-pje' is added to nouns that have:
Noun | Diminutive | Example | Translation |
---|---|---|---|
De arm (the arm) | Het armpje (the little arm) | Het armpje is kort. | The little arm is short. |
Het museum (the museum) | Het museumpje (the little museum) | Het museumpje is niet groot. | The little museum is not big. |
'-kje' is added to nouns that end in '-ng'. The last consonant of the noun, 'g', disappears.
Noun | Diminutive | Example | Translation |
---|---|---|---|
De koning (the king) | Het koninkje (the little king) | Het koninkje gaat naar Zweden. | The little king goes to Sweden. |
De ketting (the necklace) | Het kettinkje (the little necklace) | Het kettinkje is mooi. | The little necklace is pretty. |
There are some diminutives that are an exception to the rules mentioned above. The table below shows the irregular diminutives.
Noun | Diminutive | Example | Translation |
---|---|---|---|
Het schip (the boat) | Het scheepje (the little boat) | Het scheepje vaart. | The little boat sails. |
Het pad (the path) | Het paadje (the small path) | Het paadje eindigt hier. | The small path ends here. |
Het vat (the barrel) | Het vaatje (the little barrel) | Het vaatje is gevuld. | The little barrel is filled. |
De jongen (the boy) | Het jongetje (the little boy) | Het jongetje zwemt. | The little boy swims. |
Het gat (the hole) | Het gaatje (the little hole) | Het gaatje is niet groot. | The small hole is not big. |
Het glas (the glass) | Het glaasje (the little glass) | Het glaasje is vol. | The small glass is full. |
Het blad (the leaf) | Het blaadje (the little leaf) | Het blaadje viel van de boom. | The little leaf fell from the tree. |
The plural of diminutives is formed by adding an '-s'.
Diminutive + s
Dimunitive | Plural | Example | Translation |
---|---|---|---|
Het huisje (the little house) | De huisjes (the little houses) | De huisjes zijn ver weg. | The little houses are far away. |
Het dekentje (the little blanket) | De dekentjes (the little blankets) | De dekentjes zijn warm. | The little blankets are warm. |
Het gezinnetje (the little family) | De gezinnetjes (the little families) | De gezinnetjes kennen elkaar al lang. | The little families have known each other for some time. |
Het museumpje (the little museum) | De museumpjes (the little museums) | De museumpjes zijn oud. | The little museums are old. |
Het kettinkje (the little necklace) | De kettinkjes (the little necklaces) | De kettinkjes zijn mooi. | The little necklaces are pretty. |
Het glaasje (the small glass) | De glaasjes (the small glasses) | De glaasjes zijn kapot. | The small glasses are broken. |
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Hello,
I'm offering informal Dutch and English lessons based on conversation and will conduct my lessons for as much as possible in the target language.
I use text, weblinks to tv shows to get us talking and am a fan of the TPRS method.
There's a lot of information on that method online. Basically it's getting to know the structure Dutch and English through simple conversation. (questions about 1 or several sentences on any topic)
I have some useful weblinks to tv shows in Dutch (with subtitles in Dutch) adjusted to your level and the shows are entertaining too. :-)
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I've been teaching for about a year now on another platform to students from all over the world and really enjoy having the experience again as I used to be a vocal coach back in the days when I attended conservatory in the Netherlands.
I hope to see you here on Co language. :-)
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After only two lessons I already feel more confident in speaking Dutch! Less provides me with a lot of new words and helps me in improving my communication skills. I am very happy to follow his teaching method with questions and answers!
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Learn to communicate in Dutch from the first lesson! Enjoyable classes with teaching materials tailored to your needs. First 30 min. class for free. My name is Karin and I'm from Holland, but I live on the Canary Islands. I love teaching DUTCH and have done so for more than 20 years. I have a Diploma in English Philology. I also have two methodology degrees: the CELTA (Certificate of English Language Teaching to Adults of the University of Cambridge) and the FCTBE (Foundation Certificate for Teachers of Business English of the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry).
I have taught at a Business School and ten companies. In the last two years I've mainly been giving private lessons and I've developed a variety of online self-study DUTCH courses. My schedule is flexible and I adapt myself to the needs and interests of my students so that they reach their objectives in the shortest possible time.
Enjoyable classes, with teaching materials tailored to your needs.
How do the classes work? A class lasts 45 minutes. I'll send you the materials we are going to use in class beforehand so you can print them. After the class I'll send you audios of the notes we made, vocabulary etc. My speciality is communication, from beginner level to advanced. So, you will speak some Dutch in the first class already! Why wait any longer? Let's get started! :-)
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Karin is a very good teacher for beginners. Her methodology seems to work well and she is very dedicated to each of her students. I would highly recommend her if you're looking for a native Dutch professor.
Karin L.
Thank you for your great review, Aude. I enjoy our classes too!
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My name is Brenda and I am born in the Netherlands. At the moment I live in Nijmegen, the oldest city of the Netherlands. A lot of foreign students live here because it is a university city.
I have been interested in languages from an early age. That is why I have learned English, German, French and Spanish. But in my area I am mainly known for my excellent Dutch language skills and my eye for spelling and grammar.
Other things that interest me are cooking and baking and being creative. As a volunteer I have given guided tours and I have done workshops in both English and Dutch. I also love walking in nature or enjoying the beach and the sea!
I am currently learning Turkish, so I fully understand what you are experiencing as a language student. That’s why I am very patient. We practice as much as what you need. Is there something you don’t understand? Feel free to ask again, then we can approach the material in a different way so that it is clear for you.
I also know from experience how great it feels when you can communicate with someone in the local language! So let's go for this challenge together!
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Brenda is a very friendly and easy-going teacher. She is very well-organised and flexible. During each lesson time just flies cause it's really enjoyable. I am an absolute beginner and I was afraid to start learning a new language from scratch but now I'm confident that I will make it. She can help you learn the language really fast with no stress or tension. Looking forward to my next lesson!
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English teacher with ten years teaching experience in Italy. Speaks English and Italian.
Hi, I'm Jason, I'm English and live in Central Italy where I teach English to students of all levels, all ages and all abilities. English for school, for exams or tests, for work or for business.
My methods are based on building your confidence to speak English, developing your listening skills so you can understand English and helping you understand the grammar rules of the English language.
Why in this way? Because generally my students have the best results when they are able to speak in English as soon as possible. Then, once you can converse in English and understand simple conversation you can develop all your language skills very quickly.
Of course, for some students, grammar and written English is a priority and I can help you develop these skills first if that is what you need.
For others they need to learn specific vocabulary for their work, I have given courses in business, medicine and tourism that can be adapted for all types of work situations.
I am teaching students from 3 to 70 years old and my lessons are adapted for every individual so they have the best opportunity to realize their goals.
If you are interested then please contact me for a chat and a free trial lesson.
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I have started with English courses because I needed to improve my English language for work. After two weeks of lessons with Jason, I have noticed that my langauge skills have improved a lot. Jason is always well prepared for each lesson and he has a great, interesting and useful teaching materials. Jason has a good speaking and teaching style which keeps me interested during lessons. Thanks Jason for the great lessons ! I highly recommend Jason as great teacher which gives his best for the students !
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I born in İstanbul and I still live here. I hold a bachelor degree in cinema and television at İstanbul Şehir University. During my university years, my stories were published in Turkish literary magazines. After my graduation I specialized in children's book illustration and literature. I recently founded children's book publishing house in Turkey. The name is Yıldız Tozu Publishing and my books: Cangül: Ruh Kuşları" and "Gökyüzü Kaptanı" were released.
I am currently editor-in-chief in the company. Also I have experience in teaching Turkish. Furthermore, I speak English very well, it is advantage for students who are beginners.
It is important why you want to learn Turkish because I design the course content depends on your needs and interests. In my class, I am going to suggest a grammar book and I will use movies, stories, picture books and songs as a learning materials. I like to do lesson in creative way; therefore, I believe you will enjoy learning Turkish in my class.
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Esra is a very friendly, creative and professional teacher. As chief editor in a publishing house, you can be assured that she will often provide you with illustrations, images but also with movies and Turkish literature to make the lessons more fun and easier for you to get used to the sound and pronounciation of the Turkish language. We can recommend Esra very much!
Esra O.
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Thank you Nadja!
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Hi,
First of all, I would like to congratulate you on the decision to learn or improve a new language. Whether it is Estonian, English or Russian, beginner, advanced or Business language - you are in the right place.
My name is Martin and I am coming from a tiny country in the Northern Europe called Estonia. One of my biggest hobbies is teaching and educating others, that is why for the past 3 years I have been living and working in Istanbul while teaching English to different age groups: kindergarten, school, university as well as adults. I have had students from Beginners to Advanced as well as several businessmen and CEOs of international companies located in Istanbul. What is more, for the last 2 years I have been teaching Estonian, English and Russian online through Skype that gave me chance to meet people from all over the world and help them on their journey of learning foreign languages in a comfortable and enjoyable environment.
We are going to have a 20-30-minute trial lesson during which we can get to know each other, set expectations towards the lessons and schedule the timetable. The next step is simple - we start learning the language of your choice! As simple as it is :)
During the lessons we will focus on making you speak even with the limited vocabulary because speaking is the key to learning a new language quickly and in a fun way!
Cannot wait to receive your in-mail and help you on your journey to learn and speak a foreign language.
Martin
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Martin is super patient. There are very interesting and sometimes challenging topics and he explains all that very clearly. I wish I was a better student, but I will do my best to improve! See you the next time!
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I just started lessons with Monique, for now I'm really happy, she is pedagogue, encouraging and I also really like her method. I would recommend her 100%.
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Linda is a nice, flexible and professional teacher. She is always well prepared for the lesson and she can explain Dutch grammar very well. I enjoy learning with Linda because I can also choose the topics that interest me the most.
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As non-native parents it is certainly not easy to teach your children Dutch or to help with the fluency of the new language. Who wants some extra exercise for his children? I can help you with that. As their vocabulary becomes more and more extensive and their sentences become increasingly fluid, your children will get more and more self-confident. To speak well the Dutch language will surely benefit them now and later.
Do your children need some help with their homework, especially with their Dutch, then I can help with that.
Even as non-native-speaking adults, it is sometimes difficult to have enough exercise. That is why also adults who want to make progress in speaking the Dutch language are welcome here! We can practice the everyday language together.
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I'm a Liesbet's student for almost a year now and I must say that I've been making progress each week since the first lesson. The teaching methodology and materiels are diversified enough to cover every aspects of learning a second language. I really appreciate to work with an organized teacher who gives well-prepared lessons. Thank you Liesbet.
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Hello! My name is Emilia and I am an experienced language tutor and translator from/to Bulgarian, Spanish, English and Dutch. My biggest passion are foreign languages and I have passed this passion to many of my students throughout the years. Despite the fact I have a Master's degree in Economics and International Business and I've worked few years as an economist, my heart always takes me back to my teaching and translation jobs. With more than 15 years of teaching experience, a great level of patience and dedication to my work, and a great number of happy students, I am here to help you learn Bulgarian, Spanish and Dutch at your own pace and convenience. Hope to hear from you soon! Best regards, Emilia
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Emilia is a great teacher. Very experienced and very flexible and adaptable to my specific needs. The lessons with her are going very smooth and with no stress and I really enjoy learning new language with her. Thank you Emilia!!!
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Hello,I would love to help you improve your knowledge of English.I adapt the lessons following your wishes : are you a beginner and need to get some basic knowledge with grammar and easy texts or do you want to improve your conversation skills. I can help you either way.Looking forward to meeting you !
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I have been with franscoise for nearly 20 lessons now. She has excellent command of English so it is easy to learn the Dutch expression equivalent to the one in english. She can focus on routine grammar stuff as well as useful daily conversation phrases such as “don’t jump the queue “ etc . She can definitely tailor the programme according to my need but in a discreet manner . Franscoise would give me homework such as exercise from the text or essay to help me consolidate what I have learnt , or simply prepare for the next lesson. She travelled a lot and has international perspective as well as cultural sensitivities but keeping her sense of humour. A kind and understanding person to be with. Definitely has a passion to teach and to share. Definitely not a money grabber ! Lucky to have her in my journey of Dutch learning.
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I want to help people to improve the level of their chosen language.
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wat een uitstekende leraar! In addition to being competent, Nancy is always on time and does not hesitate to exceed the class hour to complete the lesson.
Nancy C.
Thank you Thibaut for your kind words. It was a pleasure to be able to help you.
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Hello
My name is Anco Peeters,. I am born in The Netherlands and a native speaker of the Dutch language..
I started my career as a schoolteacher and as a gymnastic instructor.
Later I started working in the ICT sector. Now I am a freelance instructor and consultant who teaches mainly networking and telephony.
I am also an NLP Practitioner
My hobbies are: Yoga, traveling, fitness, walking, meeting people
I would love to teach the Dutch language in an informal way with the accent on learning to speak the language. Grammar is also important. We can talk about any topic. I would like to help you making progress and have a lot of experience in creating an individual plan for every student based on your needs
Would love to see you for a trial lesson
Kind regards
Anco
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Enthousiast and engaged teacher. Plans a lesson around your needs and focuses on details specific to you. Finds helpful material for the lessons but also for the time between. Easy to talk to and can be reached easily too.
Anco P.
Hi Mia, thank you for this feedback. We will continue in this way until you are ready for your exam!
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Hello there,
I'm Eveline Debouvere, polyglot and a world citizen! It would be my pleasure to help you improving your Dutch or German language skills. Tell me what you want to learn and I'll adapt my course to your needs. As I am working as a sales person for the Scandinavian and German markets in a medium-sized company, I am able to improve my own language skills every day. Knowing the importance of learning languages in a good, but fun way makes it easier to teach myself. On top of that I've already taught different languages to different students. All of them were amazed by the way the course is adapted to their needs during the teaching process.
Do you want to find this out yourself? Please contact me!
Until then I wish you all the best!
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It was great. We went through the first introduction round, then through important base of language - alphabet and "double sounds" to improve my pronunciation. Then we read article - to improve my pronunciation and understanding. It was a great lesson and I am looking forward to the next one.
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