What does the “-je” ending mean in Dutch?
Prinsesje Petronella wil leren beeldhouwen
A2 Dutch listening practice · Dutch from the Netherlands · Picked for people who know a little
A spoiled royal demands sculpting lessons in this puppet sketch, introduced as «Prinsesje Petronella» (“little Princess Petronella”). That -je ending on prinsesje is the Dutch diminutive, and the Dutch bolt it onto almost everything.
It can mean “small” (een huisje, a little house), “cute” or affectionate (prinsesje), or just cosy and casual (een biertje, “a beer”; een uurtje, “an hour or so”). The ending shifts with the word: -je, -tje, -pje, -etje. Sprinkle them on and your Dutch instantly sounds friendlier, and very, very Dutch. Even a bratty princess gets one.
How common are the words?
How common are the words in this A2 Dutch listening practice video?
How common in written Dutch
How common in spoken Dutch
Harder words in this video
These words are harder than A2. Here is what they mean.
Source: wordfreq 3.1.1 (general) · SUBTLEX-NL 2014 (spoken). These numbers are close, not perfect.
- ▸Everywhere in spoken Dutch: een biertje, een momentje, lekker weertje.
- ▸For affection or smallness: prinsesje, hondje, mannetje.
- ▸In cosy Dutch invitations to grab a drink or a bite.
- ▸In Dutch lessons on -je, -tje, -pje, -etje.