De or het bed?

Forms

Singular

het bed

Plural

de bedden

Diminutive

het bedje

Why het?

• Many nouns that start with ge-, be-, ver- or ont- take het, as long as they do not end in -ing, -heid, -te or -de.
• Every plural takes de, so it is de bedden whatever the singular takes.
• Every diminutive takes het: het bedje.

The rules for de and het, with the exceptions

Meaning in English

1. bed (furniture for sleeping)
2. patch, bed
3. layer, often a substratum
4. bed of a body of water