De or het laken?
het laken
bedsheet
/ˈlaːkə(n)/
As a noun: Article and plural
- Singular
- het laken
- Plural (meervoud)
- de lakens
- Diminutive
- het lakentje
Why het?
- No reliable spelling rule decides this one, so het laken is learned together with the word.
- Every plural takes de, so it is de lakens whatever the singular takes.
- Every diminutive takes het: het lakentje.
The rules for de and het, with the exceptions
Check the article of another noun
What het changes
| Singular | Plural | |
|---|---|---|
| this, these | dit laken | deze lakens |
| that, those | dat laken | die lakens |
| which (the … that) | het laken dat … | de lakens die … |
| our | ons laken | onze lakens |
As a noun: Meaning in English
- bedsheet
- woollen broadcloth (fulled and woven fabric made of wool), very sought-after for clothing in the feudal era
As a verb: Conjugation of laken
| Person | Present | Past | Perfect |
|---|---|---|---|
| ik | laak | laakte | heb gelaakt |
| jij, u | laakt | laakte | hebt gelaakt |
| hij, zij, het | laakt | laakte | heeft gelaakt |
| wij, jullie, zij | laken | laakten | hebben gelaakt |
- Past participle: gelaakt, with hebben.
As a verb: Meaning in English
- to criticize, reproach, denounce
Remember laken with Spreek
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