Teaching guidelines +/- 15 minutes

This lesson covers Dutch demonstrative pronouns: 'deze' and 'dit' for nearby objects, and 'die' and 'dat' for distant ones, matching noun gender and number, with examples like deze cirkel (this circle) and dat vierkant (that square).
  1. Use 'deze' and 'dit' for things that are close by, and 'die' and 'dat' for things that are further away.
  2. The demonstrative pronoun agrees with the gender and article of the word.
 de-woordhet-woord
Dichtbij (nearby)dezedit
Veraf (far away)diedat

Exceptions!

  1. Diminutives always have the article 'het' and therefore always use 'dit' or 'dat'.
  2. Plurals always have the article 'de' and therefore always use 'deze' or 'die'.

Exercise 1: Aanwijzende voornaamwoorden (deze, die, dit, dat)

Instruction: Fill in the correct word.

Show translation Show answers

Die, Deze, Dat

1.
... oude boom groeit krom door de wind.
(The old tree grows crooked because of the wind.)
2.
... schilderij heeft een rechte lijn in het midden.
(That painting has a straight line in the middle.)
3.
... huis is hoog.
(That house is tall.)
4.
... tafels zijn breed.
(These tables are wide.)
5.
... straat is erg smal, alleen fietsen kunnen erdoor.
(This street is very narrow, only bicycles can go through it.)
6.
... doos is erg zwaar.
(The box is very heavy.)
7.
... vlag heeft de vorm van een driehoek.
(This flag has the shape of a triangle.)
8.
... tafel heeft de vorm van een rechthoek.
(The board has the shape of a rectangle.)

Exercise 2: Multiple Choice

Instruction: Choose the correct solution

1. ___ cirkel is rood en die cirkel is blauw.

(___ circle is red and that circle is blue.)

2. ___ vierkant ligt dichtbij, maar dat vierkant ligt verder weg.

(___ square is nearby, but that square is farther away.)

3. Ik houd van ___ driehoek hier op tafel.

(I love ___ triangle here on the table.)

4. ___ cirkels aan de overkant van de kamer zijn groter.

(___ circles across the room are bigger.)

5. ___ driehoekje is klein, het is een verkleinwoord.

(___ little triangle is small, it is a diminutive.)

6. ___ vormen hier zijn rond en die vormen daar zijn vierkant.

(___ shapes here are round and those shapes there are square.)

Understanding Dutch Demonstrative Pronouns: deze, die, dit, dat

In this lesson, you will learn how to use the Dutch demonstrative pronouns deze, die, dit, and dat. These words are essential when pointing out specific objects or people, and they agree with the noun they refer to.

Basic Usage

Demonstrative pronouns refer to nouns and help specify which one you mean. In Dutch, the choice between these pronouns depends on two factors:

  • Distance: Whether the object is close to you or far away
  • Grammatical gender and number: Whether the noun uses 'de' or 'het' as its article, or is plural

Distance and Gender Rules

de-word (common gender)het-word (neuter gender)
Neardezedit
Fardiedat

For example, deze and dit are used for things close by, while die and dat indicate things at a distance.

Special Cases: Diminutives and Plurals

  • Diminutives (words that denote smaller versions and always use the article het) take dit or dat.
  • Plurals always use the article de and thus take deze or die.

Examples

  • Deze cirkel is rood en die cirkel is blauw.
  • Dit vierkant ligt dichtbij, maar dat vierkant ligt verder weg.
  • Dit driehoekje is klein, het is een verkleinwoord.

Relevant Differences Between English and Dutch

In English, demonstrative pronouns are this, that, these, and those, which generally indicate proximity and number but not grammatical gender. Dutch demonstratives must agree with the noun’s article (de or het) and also consider distance.

Useful Dutch phrases include:

  • deze stoel – this chair (near and de-word)
  • dat boek – that book (far and het-word)
  • die huizen – those houses (far and plural)

Mastering these pronouns helps you describe your surroundings clearly and accurately in Dutch.

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