de of het hersenletsel?
het hersenletsel
brain damage
noun · /ˈɦɛr.sə(n)ˌlɛt.səl/
It is “het hersenletsel”.
Pronunciation, example sentences and the rest of the entry: hersenletsel
Forms
- Article
- het hersenletsel
- How common
- in everyday Dutch
In a sentence
Het ongeluk veroorzaakte ernstig hersenletsel.
The accident caused serious brain damage.
Artsen constateerden licht hersenletsel na de val.
Doctors diagnosed mild brain damage after the fall.
Draag een helm om hersenletsel te voorkomen.
Wear a helmet to prevent brain damage.
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 hersenletsel” rather than as “hersenletsel” 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.