bepaalde

Bepaalde is a Dutch word that functions as both an adjective and a determiner, meaning “certain,” “particular,” or “specific.” It is used to indicate that the noun it modifies refers to a subset that is identifiable in the context, rather than to all members of its class. The term is common in everyday speech and in formal writing alike.

In Dutch grammar, bepalende usage helps mark specificity within noun phrases. It can appear with or without an article: for example, you can say een bepaalde vriend (a certain friend) or de bepaalde vriend (the certain friend). It also occurs in fixed phrases such as bepaalde omstandigheden (certain circumstances) and in the prepositional phrase in bepaalde gevallen (in certain cases). The word contrasts with onbepaalde, which expresses indefiniteness, as in een onbepaalde hoeveelheid (an indefinite amount).

Etymologically, bepaal is the verb bepalen, meaning to determine or specify. Bepaald, or bepalde when inflected before a noun, carries the sense of specifying or delimiting what is being referred to. The form bepaalde is used before most nouns and changes according to standard Dutch adjective inflection rules, typically taking an -e ending after definite determiners or in common attributive position.

Usage notes: bepaalde is versatile and widely used across registers, from everyday conversation to scholarly prose. While it shares semantic territory with the definite article (de/het) and with onbepaalde constructions, it does not replace the articles themselves; rather, it strengthens the sense of specificity in the noun phrase.