When to use no article

When do you use no article in Dutch?

In English you often need a / an / the.

In Dutch you often use no article at all.

Below you see the main situations where you normally leave the article away.

• Plural nouns (more than one)
• Names (people, cities, countries, etc.)
• Months and days
• Professions
• Nationalities
• Uncountable nouns (e.g. water, koffie)
• Fixed expressions (e.g. op straat, op school)

1. Plural nouns: usually no article

If the noun is plural (meervoud), Dutch often has no article, especially when you talk in general.

Compare with a specific group (then you use an article):

• De kinderen van mijn buurman slapen nog. (those specific children)
• De reizigers op perron 5 moeten instappen. (those travellers)

Self-check: can you replace it with “these / those / the” and you mean a specific group? Then you probably need de. If you talk in general, you often use no article.

2. Names: no article

For most proper names you use no article in Dutch.

Wrong in Dutch:

• De Piet Jansen –> Piet Jansen
• De Amsterdam –> Amsterdam
• De Schiphol –> Schiphol

Note: some country names in Dutch do use an article (e.g. de Verenigde Staten, de Filipijnen). These are exceptions you learn step by step.

3. Months and days: no article in time expressions

When you talk about months and days of the week as time reference, you usually use no article.

Wrong in Dutch in this use:

• In de juli –> In juli
• Op de maandag –> Op maandag

But: you can use an article when you talk about a specific day or month as a thing:

• De maandag is altijd druk op kantoor. (that day in general as a concept)

4. Professions and nationalities: often without article

After the verb zijn (to be) Dutch often leaves out the article with:

• Professions: docent, arts, manager
• Nationalities: Engelsman, Nederlander, Spaans

Wrong in Dutch for this basic pattern:

• Mijn vader is een agent –> grammatically possible, but for your level first learn: Mijn vader is agent.
• Mijn collega is een Engelsman –> again possible, but neutral identity is: Hij is Engelsman.

Practical rule for A2:

• After zijn + profession/nationality: usually no article.
• After werken als: also usually no article.
  Hij werkt als arts.

5. Uncountable nouns: no article in general use

Some nouns are usually seen as a mass, not as separate items. These are often uncountable in everyday use.

• water, koffie, wijn
• bagage, kleding, geld, informatie

In general statements you use no article:

• Zij drinkt water.
• Op Schiphol heb ik veel bagage.
• In de koffer zit kleding.

Wrong or unnatural:

• Zij drinkt een water –> say: zij drinkt water.
• de bagages –> say: bagage (no plural here).

Tip: if in English you say “some water / some information / some baggage”, in Dutch you usually use no article.

6. Fixed expressions with no article

Some very common combinations are used without article. You simply learn them as chunks.

Learn these as ready-made expressions. Do not translate each word from English.

More useful patterns without article:

• naar huis (not naar het huis when you mean “home”)
• op kantoor (at the office, in general)

7. English vs. Dutch: typical traps

As an English speaker, you often add an article in Dutch where it is not needed.

Mental trick:

• Translate your English sentence to Dutch.
• Then check each de / het / een and ask:
  • Is this plural, a name, a month/day, a profession, a nationality, uncountable, or a fixed expression?
  • If yes: delete the article.

8. Step-by-step self check

Use this checklist when you are not sure.

1. Is the noun plural?
   Kinderen, studenten, schoenen
   → talking in general? → no article.
2. Is it a name?
   Maria, Piet Jansen, Amsterdam, Schiphol, Duitsland
   → no article (with some country exceptions).
3. Is it a month or day as time?
   in juli, op maandag
   → no article.
4. Is it a profession or nationality after “zijn / werken als”?
   Hij is arts. Zij is Nederlands. Ik werk als docent.
   → no article.
5. Is it an uncountable noun in a general sense?
   water, kleding, bagage, informatie
   → no article.
6. Is it a fixed expression?
   op straat, op school, per jaar, naar huis
   → learn and use it without article.
7. Otherwise: you probably need de, het or een.

9. What should you be able to do now?

• Recognise the main situations where Dutch uses no article.
• Remove unnecessary de / het / een in your own sentences.
• Trust short Dutch phrases like op straat, in juli, mijn vader is arts, even if they feel “too short” in English.

If you use this overview while you speak or write, your feeling for Dutch articles will grow quickly. In class, you can then focus on fluency and vocabulary instead of rules.