de of het handbereik?
het handbereik
arm's reach
noun · /ˈɦɑnd.bəˌrɛi̯k/
It is “het handbereik”.
Pronunciation, example sentences and the rest of the entry: handbereik
Forms
- Article
- het handbereik
- How common
- in everyday Dutch
In a sentence
De afstandsbediening ligt altijd binnen handbereik.
The remote control is always within reach.
Houd je telefoon buiten handbereik tijdens het eten.
Keep your phone out of reach during dinner.
Is alles wat je nodig hebt binnen handbereik?
Is everything you need within reach?
Why this article
No rule predicts it
This one has to be memorised. No spelling pattern marks it as neuter, which is exactly why it is worth learning as “het handbereik” rather than as “handbereik” on its own.
The rules that do work
- • Every plural takes “de”, without exception.
- • Every diminutive ending in -je takes “het”, without exception.
- • Nouns ending in -ing, -heid, -tie, -teit or -schap take “de”.
- • Roughly two thirds of all nouns take “de”, so it is the better guess.
Other nouns whose article has to be memorised
Stop guessing de and het
Woordje has a practice mode for exactly this: it shows a noun and asks for the article, and keeps asking until you stop getting it wrong.