De or het schaap?
het schaap
sheep (a woolly ruminant animal of the genus Ovis)
/sxaːp/
Article and plural
- Singular
- het schaap
- Plural (meervoud)
- de schapen
- Diminutive
- het schaapje
Why het?
- No reliable spelling rule decides this one, so het schaap is learned together with the word.
- Every plural takes de, so it is de schapen whatever the singular takes.
- Every diminutive takes het: het schaapje.
The rules for de and het, with the exceptions
Check the article of another noun
What het changes
| Singular | Plural | |
|---|---|---|
| this, these | dit schaap | deze schapen |
| that, those | dat schaap | die schapen |
| which (the … that) | het schaap dat … | de schapen die … |
| our | ons schaap | onze schapen |
Meaning in English
- sheep (a woolly ruminant animal of the genus Ovis)
- sheep (unthinking follower)
- a member of a priest's or minister's congregation
Remember schaap with Spreek
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