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De or het automaat?

← Dutch words

de automaat

a machine that performs automated tasks

/ˌɑu̯.toːˈmaːt/

Forms

Singular
de automaat
Plural
de automaten
Diminutive
het automaatje

Why de?

  • No reliable spelling rule decides this one, so de automaat is learned together with the word.
  • Every plural takes de, so it is de automaten whatever the singular takes.
  • Every diminutive takes het: het automaatje.

The rules for de and het, with the exceptions

Meaning in English

  1. a machine that performs automated tasks
  2. an automatic, a car with an automatic transmission
  3. an automaton
  4. a vending machine

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