de of het schapenvlees?
het schapenvlees
mutton
noun · /ˈsxaː.pə(n)ˌvleːs/
It is “het schapenvlees”.
Pronunciation, example sentences and the rest of the entry: schapenvlees
Forms
- Article
- het schapenvlees
- How common
- in everyday Dutch
In a sentence
Ik eet graag schapenvlees.
I like to eat mutton.
Het schapenvlees was heerlijk mals.
The mutton was deliciously tender.
Is er vanavond schapenvlees?
Is there mutton tonight?
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 schapenvlees” rather than as “schapenvlees” 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.