de of het zelfmedelijden?
het zelfmedelijden
self-pity
noun · /ˈzɛlf.meː.dəˌlɛi̯.də(n)/
It is “het zelfmedelijden”.
Pronunciation, example sentences and the rest of the entry: zelfmedelijden
Forms
- Article
- het zelfmedelijden
- How common
- in everyday Dutch
In a sentence
Zelfmedelijden helpt je niet verder.
Self-pity doesn't help you move forward.
Hij voelde alleen maar zelfmedelijden.
He only felt self-pity.
Geef niet toe aan zelfmedelijden.
Don't give in to self-pity.
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 zelfmedelijden” rather than as “zelfmedelijden” 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.