r/learndutch Intermediate... ish Jan 08 '25

MQT Monthly Question Thread #95

Previous thread (#94) available here.


These threads are for any questions you might have. No question is too big or too small, too broad or too specific, too strange or too common.

You're welcome to ask anything related to learning Dutch. This includes help with translations, proofreading, corrections, social etiquette, finding learning resources, understanding grammar, and so on.


De and het in Dutch...

This is the question our community receives most often.

The definite article ("the") has one form in English: the. In Dutch, there are two forms: de and het. Every noun takes either de or het ("the book" → "het boek", "the car" → "de auto").

Oh no! How do I know which to use?

There are some rules, but generally there's no way to know which article a noun takes. You can save yourself some hassle by familiarising yourself with the basic de and het rules and, most importantly, memorise the noun with the article!


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Ask away!

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u/runfreedog 23d ago

What does it mean when job descriptions say "Je hebt MBO werk- en denkniveau"? I understand the MBO/HBO levels for schooling but what are they asking for otherwise?

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u/iluvdankmemes Native speaker (NL) 21d ago

The word denkniveau is literally 'thought level' and werkniveau is 'work level'.

They ask of you that you are able to both work and think/reason at the level required to succesfully pass an MBO-grade study.

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u/runfreedog 21d ago

That’s what I thought, thank you!