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De or het tante?

← Dutch words

de tante

aunt (sister or sister-in-law of a parent)

/ˈtɑn.tə/

Forms

Singular
de tante
Plural
de tantes
Diminutive
het tantetje

Why de?

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

The rules for de and het, with the exceptions

Meaning in English

  1. aunt (sister or sister-in-law of a parent)
  2. a woman, especially an older or assertive one

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