de of het sterrenbeeld?
het sterrenbeeld
constellation
noun · /ˈstɛ.rə(n)ˌbeːlt/
It is “het sterrenbeeld”. The plural is “de sterrenbeelden”, and like every Dutch plural it takes “de”.
Pronunciation, example sentences and the rest of the entry: sterrenbeeld
Forms
- Article
- het sterrenbeeld
- Plural
- de sterrenbeelden
- Diminutive
- het sterrenbeeldje
- Also means
- astrological sign
- How common
- in everyday Dutch
In a sentence
Wat is jouw sterrenbeeld?
What is your zodiac sign?
Mijn sterrenbeeld is Tweelingen.
My zodiac sign is Gemini.
Kun je dat sterrenbeeld zien aan de hemel?
Can you see that constellation in the sky?
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 sterrenbeeld” rather than as “sterrenbeeld” 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.