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De or het voorouder?

de voorouder

ancestor

/ˈvoːrˌɑu̯.dər/

Article and plural

Singular
de voorouder
Plural (meervoud)
de voorouders
Diminutive
het vooroudertje

Why de?

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

The rules for de and het, with the exceptions

Check the article of another noun

What de changes

SingularPlural
this, thesedeze voorouderdeze voorouders
that, thosedie voorouderdie voorouders
which (the … that)de voorouder die …de voorouders die …
ouronze voorouderonze voorouders

Meaning in English

  1. ancestor

Remember voorouder with Spreek

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