such a in Dutch: zo'n, zulke and dergelijk(e)

To say "such a" or "such" in Dutch, the everyday words are zo'n before a singular noun and zulke before a plural: zo'n mooie dag (such a nice day), zulke mooie dagen (such nice days). A more formal alternative, mostly written, is dergelijk(e).

Match the word to the noun: zo'n for a singular noun, zulke for a plural or an uncountable de-word, zulk for an uncountable het-word, and dergelijk(e) when you want a formal tone.

• zo'n is short for zo een (literally 'so a'), which is why it is written with an apostrophe. It never changes form: zo'n grote auto (de auto), zo'n groot huis (het huis).
• zulke covers plurals and uncountable de-words: zulke aardige mensen (such nice people), zulke sterke koffie.
• zulk is the form for an uncountable het-word: zulk lekker eten (such tasty food), zulk mooi weer.
• dergelijk(e) is formal and mainly written. Like an adjective it adds -e before a de-word or plural (een dergelijke fout, dergelijke problemen) but stays bare before a singular het-word (een dergelijk probleem).

The adjective after zo'n follows the ordinary indefinite rule — -e with a de-word, no -e with a het-word — exactly as it would after een.

• zo'n mooie tuin (such a beautiful garden) — tuin is a de-word, so the adjective takes -e.
• zo'n mooi cadeau (such a nice present) — cadeau is a het-word, so the adjective stays bare, just as in een mooi cadeau.
• After zulke the noun is plural, so the adjective always takes -e: zulke mooie tuinen.

This is the same pattern explained under the adjective -e ending: the word zo'n hides the een that switches the ending off for het-words.

• zo'n and zulke: normal in both spoken and written Dutch.
• dergelijk(e): formal register — reports, official letters, careful writing. In speech it sounds stiff; zo'n / zulke is the natural choice.
• zo'n has a second, unrelated use before a number, meaning 'about, roughly': zo'n twintig mensen (about twenty people). Context tells the two uses apart.

Two traps stand out. First, do not use zo'n with a plural: standard Dutch needs zulke, so zulke mensen (such people), not zo'n mensen. (You may hear zo'n with a plural in Belgium, but it counts as non-standard.) Second, keep the apostrophe: zo'n comes from zo een. Written without it, zon means the sun (de zon), so zo'n fiets (such a bike) and zon fiets are two different things.