de of het plichtsbesef?
het plichtsbesef
sense of duty
noun · /ˈplɪxts.bəˌsɛf/
It is “het plichtsbesef”.
Pronunciation, example sentences and the rest of the entry: plichtsbesef
Forms
- Article
- het plichtsbesef
- How common
- in everyday Dutch
In a sentence
Hij heeft een sterk plichtsbesef.
He has a strong sense of duty.
Zij mist elk plichtsbesef.
She lacks any sense of duty.
Zijn plichtsbesef is bewonderenswaardig.
His sense of duty is admirable.
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 plichtsbesef” rather than as “plichtsbesef” 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.