Dutch een (a or an): when to use no article
Use een for one countable thing that is not already identified; use no indefinite article for more than one such thing, for substances and in several common patterns.
Ik koop een boek. (I am buying a book.) The listener does not need to identify which book, so Dutch uses een (a or an). Use no indefinite article when you mean more than one such thing, as in boeken (books), or a substance, as in koffie (coffee).
Choose een for a singular count noun
A count noun names something you can count: one chair, two chairs. Use een for one indefinite item, and use the plural without an article for more than one. A mass noun names an amount or substance, such as water or sugar, and also uses no indefinite article. The form een stays the same with both de-words and het-words.
| Meaning | Pattern | Example |
|---|---|---|
| One indefinite countable item | een + singular noun | Ik koop een boek. (I am buying a book.) |
| More than one indefinite item | Plural noun without an article | Ik koop boeken. (I am buying books.) |
| An unspecified substance | Mass noun without an article | Ik drink koffie. (I drink coffee.) |
Ik heb een broer. (I have a brother.) Here the article een is unstressed. Ik heb één broer. (I have one brother.) Here the numeral means exactly one and is stressed. Writers add the accents when they help distinguish one from two or more; the numeral can be written een when the context is clear.
Adjectives after een follow the Dutch adjective -e rule.
Use bare plurals and mass nouns for general or unspecified meanings
Boeken zijn duur. (Books are expensive.) This is a general statement. Ik koop boeken. (I am buying books.) This refers to an unspecified set. Use the definite article when the listener can identify the set: De boeken op tafel zijn van mij. (The books on the table are mine.)
Koffie is populair. (Coffee is popular.) This is general. Ik drink koffie. (I drink coffee.) This refers to an unspecified amount. De koffie in mijn kopje is koud. (The coffee in my cup is cold.) This identifies a particular amount.
Ik bestel een koffie. (I am ordering a coffee.) Here koffie means one serving, so the substance has gained a countable meaning and takes een.
Use a bare noun to state a profession, nationality or religion
Zij is arts. (She is a doctor.) This neutral statement has no article. The noun arts says what she is. A noun used after zijn (to be) in this way is called a predicate noun.
| Intended meaning | Pattern | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Neutral profession | Bare noun | Hij is dokter. (He is a doctor by profession.) |
| Neutral nationality | Bare noun | Hij is Belg. (He is Belgian.) |
| Neutral religion | Bare noun | Hij is christen. (He is Christian.) |
| Description or evaluation | een + description + noun | Hij is een goede dokter. (He is a good doctor.) |
| One identifiable person in the context | de or het + noun | Hij is de dokter. (He is the doctor.) |
Zij wordt arts. (She is becoming a doctor.) The same bare pattern follows worden (to become).
Zij is een goede arts. (She is a good doctor.) This sentence evaluates what kind of doctor she is, so it uses een. Zij is praktiserend arts. (She is a practising doctor.) Here praktiserend arts names the profession as a whole and stays bare. Choose the article from the meaning; the presence of an adjective alone is not a signal.
Learn fixed no-article phrases as whole units
De kinderen gaan naar school. (The children are going to school.) The fixed phrase naar school has no article. Learn common place and activity phrases as whole units.
| Use | Example |
|---|---|
| A situation | Hij ligt in bed. (He is in bed.) |
| A work context | Ik ben op kantoor. (I am at the office.) |
| An instrument as an activity or skill | Zij speelt piano. (She plays the piano.) |
Ik loop naar het kantoor naast de lift. (I am walking to the office next to the lift.) Here the article points to a particular office.
De piano staat in de kamer. (The piano is in the room.) Here the article points to a concrete instrument. See more Dutch–English article contrasts.
Use geen to negate an indefinite noun
Ik heb geen fiets. (I do not have a bike.) Here geen fiets replaces the affirmative een fiets.
Ik koop geen boeken. (I am not buying any books.) The same word negates a bare plural. Ik drink geen koffie. (I do not drink coffee.) It also negates a mass noun. See niet or geen for the full choice.
- Which Dutch phrase means a house?
- *het huis*
- *een huis*
- *de huis*
- *één huizen*
The indefinite article stays *een* with both de-words and het-words: *een huis* (a house). The definite form is *het huis* (the house).
- What is the indefinite plural of *een boek* (a book)?
- *een boeken*
- *de boeken*
- *boeken*
- *eens boeken*
An indefinite plural has no article, so *een boek* (a book) becomes *boeken* (books). *De boeken* means an identifiable set: the books.
- Which answer uses the neutral bare pattern to state someone's profession?
- *Zij is een verpleegkundige.*
- *Zij is verpleegkundige.*
- *Zij is de verpleegkundige.*
- *Zij verpleegkundige is.*
*Zij is verpleegkundige.* (She is a nurse.) This neutrally states her profession. *Een verpleegkundige* and *de verpleegkundige* can be grammatical with other meanings, but they do not use the bare job pattern asked for here.
- Which sentence uses *koffie* as an unspecified substance?
- *Ik bestel een koffie.*
- *Ik drink koffie.*
- *Ik drink de koffie in mijn kopje.*
- *Ik bestel twee koffies.*
*Ik drink koffie.* (I drink coffee.) This treats coffee as an unspecified substance. *Een koffie* and *twee koffies* count servings, while *de koffie in mijn kopje* identifies a particular amount.
- Which sentence describes what kind of doctor he is?
- *Hij is dokter.*
- *Hij is een goede dokter.*
- *Hij is de dokter.*
- *Hij is goed dokter.*
*Hij is een goede dokter.* (He is a good doctor.) This evaluates what kind of doctor he is. *Hij is dokter.* (He is a doctor by profession.) This neutrally states his profession. *Hij is de dokter.* (He is the doctor.) This identifies him as the doctor in the context.
Test yourself
Question 1 of 5
Which Dutch phrase means a house?