When to use no article

What this topic is about: “no article” in Dutch

In Dutch you often do not use de / het / een in situations where English still uses the or a.

Think of it as: you are talking about something in general, not one specific item/person.

Quick decision check: should I drop the article?

1. Is it plural? (children, travelers, shoes) → usually no article.
2. Is it a name? (person/place) → no article.
3. Is it a month/day? → no article.
4. Is it uncountable? (water, coffee, luggage, information) → often no article.
5. Is it a profession or nationality after “to be” (zijn)? → often no article.
6. Is it a fixed phrase? (op straat, op school, per jaar) → learn it as a chunk.

Plural without an article: general meaning

If you mean “some / in general”, Dutch typically uses plural + no article.

• Daar lopen de kinderen. → Daar lopen kinderen. (some children)
• Op het vliegveld zie ik de reizigers. → Op het vliegveld zie ik reizigers. (travelers in general)

Use de if you mean a specific group both speaker and listener can identify.

• De kinderen zijn al thuis. (those children we know about)

Names (people & places): normally no article

• Zijn naam is Piet Jansen.
• Ik woon in Amsterdam.

Note: Some countries/regions do take an article (e.g. de Verenigde Staten), but most city names do not. At A2, follow what you see in your course.

Months and days: no article

• In juli ga ik op vakantie.
• Morgen is maandag.

If you add details, the article still usually stays away:

• In juli dit jaar ben ik vrij.

Uncountable nouns: talk about the substance, not “one unit”

Many nouns are “mass nouns”: you don’t count them as separate items. Dutch often uses no article when you mean the substance in general.

Tip: If you can naturally add “some” in English, Dutch often uses no article.

Professions: often no article after “zijn” (to be)

When you say what someone is (job/role), Dutch often drops the article.

• Mijn vader is agent.
• Mijn moeder is dokter.

Use an article when you mean one specific person in that role (not the profession).

• Mijn moeder is de dokter van onze praktijk. (the doctor there)
• Hij is een dokter die veel reist. (one doctor, as an individual)

Nationalities: no article in the “label” meaning

• John is Engelsman.

Use an article if you mean “one (specific) Englishman” in a group.

• Er is een Engelsman in het team. (one English person)

Fixed expressions: learn them as ready-made phrases

Some common phrases simply come without an article. Don’t overthink them—memorize them.

• op straat
• op school
• per jaar

Self-check: article or no article?

• Plural? → usually no article: Ik koop schoenen.
• Uncountable? → usually no article: Ik drink water.
• Month/day? → no article: In juli… / Het is maandag.
• Name? → no article: in Amsterdam / Piet Jansen
• Profession/nationality after zijn? → often no article: Hij is manager. Zij is Nederlandse.

If your meaning is specific (this one, that one, the one we both know), then de/het often returns.