dewoordvorm

Dewoordvorm is a term used in Dutch grammar to refer to the word forms of nouns that are used with the definite article de. Nouns that belong to this class are commonly called de-woorden. In standard Dutch, de-woorden take the definite article de in the singular and in the plural, although the plural form of the noun itself may change according to regular or irregular plural rules. This contrasts with het-woorden, which are typically neuter nouns that use het as the definite article in the singular; in the plural these nouns often also take de.

In practice, the dewoordvorm describes how determiner and noun interact in phrases such as de man, de mannen; de stoel, de stoelen. For adjectives that modify these nouns, the determiner de also governs adjective ending, typically yielding de grote man, de grote mannen. The concept helps learners and linguists categorize nouns by how they pair with the definite article and how their plural forms arise.

The distinction between de-woorden and het-woorden is a traditional feature of Dutch grammar and is frequently emphasized in language education. It informs determiner choice, plural formation, and agreement in adjectives within noun phrases. While most de-woorden share the de article in both number forms, the pluralization of the noun itself can exhibit irregularities, as in de mens → de mensen or de kind → de kinderen, illustrating how plural formation interacts with guaranteed de in the plural.

In modern usage, some pedagogical descriptions treat gender and noun classification as less rigid, focusing on practical usage and common patterns. The term dewoordvorm remains a useful label in linguistic descriptions and dictionaries to indicate the article–noun pairing and associated agreement patterns.

Related terms: de-woord, het-woord, gender in Dutch, definite article, plural formation.