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De or het taal?

← Dutch words

de taal

language (form of communication consisting of vocabulary and grammar)

/taːl/

Forms

Singular
de taal
Plural
de talen
Diminutive
het taaltje

Why de?

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

The rules for de and het, with the exceptions

Meaning in English

  1. language (form of communication consisting of vocabulary and grammar)
  2. language (capability to communicate with words)
  3. language (means or manner of expression)
  4. language (specific lect or jargon)
  5. language (particular words of a text or speech act)

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