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De or het water?

← Dutch words

het water

water (H₂O)

/ˈʋaː.tər/

Forms

Singular
het water
Plural
de waters
Diminutive
het watertje

Why het?

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

The rules for de and het, with the exceptions

Meaning in English

  1. water (H₂O)
  2. body of water (such as a lake, ditch or stream)
  3. bodily fluid (especially amniotic fluid)

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