de of het tandvlees?
het tandvlees
gum
noun · /ˈtɑnt.fleːs/
It is “het tandvlees”.
Pronunciation, example sentences and the rest of the entry: tandvlees
Forms
- Article
- het tandvlees
- Also means
- tender and, vulnerable spot
- How common
- in everyday Dutch
In a sentence
Mijn tandvlees bloedt soms een beetje.
My gums sometimes bleed a little.
Gezond tandvlees is roze en stevig.
Healthy gums are pink and firm.
Vergeet niet je tandvlees te poetsen.
Don't forget to brush your gums.
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 tandvlees” rather than as “tandvlees” 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.