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De or het centrum?

← Dutch words

het centrum

city centre, town centre

/ˈsɛn.trʏm/

Forms

Singular
het centrum
Plural
de centra
Diminutive
het centrumpje

Why het?

  • Nouns ending in -isme, -ment, -um and -sel usually take het.
  • Every plural takes de, so it is de centra whatever the singular takes.
  • Every diminutive takes het: het centrumpje.

The rules for de and het, with the exceptions

Meaning in English

  1. city centre, town centre
  2. the centre, middle of focal part (e.g. of activity)
  3. centre (UK)
  4. a centre, centralised facility; also, gathering place

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