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Diminutives Rules
Diminutives Rules
Noun+ je
! Depending on the phonetics of the noun, many diminutives do not simply get -
je but rather -tje, -etje, -pje, or -kje.
Nouns ending in a single a, i, o, or u are written with two vowels in the diminutive,
to keep their vowels long (see rules for keeping vowels long/short).
de oma het omaatje the grandma
Nouns ending in a single y (usually English words) get an apostrophe before -tje,
to keep the vowel long.
de baby het baby'tje the baby
The popular Italian dessert 'tiramisu' also gets an apostrophe instead of a double
vowel. Because the u is not pronounced in a Dutch way but in an Italian way (the
way the Dutch pronounce oe), we cannot double the vowel. In this word, double
uu would lead to a wrong pronunciation.
de tiramisu het tiramisu'tje the tiramisu
Exceptions:
! The final consonant of the noun is doubled in order to keep the vowel short.
There are a few diminutives that do not follow the normal rules:
Different meanings