De or het ambtenaar?
de ambtenaar
civil servant
/ˈɑm(p).təˌnaːr/
Forms
- Singular
- de ambtenaar
- Plural
- de ambtenaren
- Diminutive
- het ambtenaartje
Why de?
- No reliable spelling rule decides this one, so de ambtenaar is learned together with the word.
- Every plural takes de, so it is de ambtenaren whatever the singular takes.
- Every diminutive takes het: het ambtenaartje.
The rules for de and het, with the exceptions
What de changes
| Singular | Plural | |
|---|---|---|
| this, these | deze ambtenaar | deze ambtenaren |
| that, those | die ambtenaar | die ambtenaren |
| which (the … that) | de ambtenaar die … | de ambtenaren die … |
| our | onze ambtenaar | onze ambtenaren |
Meaning in English
- civil servant
Remember ambtenaar with Spreek
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