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De or het pijn?

de pijn

pain, ache (physical)

/pɛi̯n/

Forms

Singular
de pijn
Plural
de pijnen
Diminutive
het pijntje

Why de?

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

The rules for de and het, with the exceptions

Meaning in English

  1. pain, ache (physical)
  2. pine (tree)
  3. pain, hurt (psychological)

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