De or het vak?

Forms

Singular

het vak

Plural

de vakken

Diminutive

het vakje

Why het?

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

The rules for de and het, with the exceptions

Meaning in English

1. a subject, discipline, class, notably in education
2. a compartment (e.g. a shelf, a section)
3. a profession
4. a trade, craft