de of het nachtleven?
het nachtleven
nightlife
noun · /ˈnɑxtˌleːvə(n)/
It is “het nachtleven”.
Pronunciation, example sentences and the rest of the entry: nachtleven
Forms
- Article
- het nachtleven
- How common
- in everyday Dutch
In a sentence
Ik geniet van het bruisende nachtleven.
I enjoy the bustling nightlife.
Hoe is het nachtleven in deze stad?
What's the nightlife like in this city?
Zij houdt niet van het nachtleven.
She doesn't like the nightlife.
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 nachtleven” rather than as “nachtleven” 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.