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De or het sleutel?

de sleutel

a key

/ˈsløː.təl/

Article and plural

Singular
de sleutel
Plural (meervoud)
de sleutels
Diminutive
het sleuteltje

Why de?

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

The rules for de and het, with the exceptions

Check the article of another noun

What de changes

SingularPlural
this, thesedeze sleuteldeze sleutels
that, thosedie sleuteldie sleutels
which (the … that)de sleutel die …de sleutels die …
ouronze sleutelonze sleutels

Meaning in English

  1. a key
  2. a wrench, a spanner
  3. a clef

Remember sleutel with Spreek

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