groen
/ɣrun/
The English word green is groen in Dutch.
groen is used to describe something that has green as its colour. It can function as an adjective or as a noun referring to the colour itself. In specific political contexts, the phrase groene jongen can refer to a member of a green party.
Meaning: having green as its colour (adj)
Which one should you use?
While groen is the standard form, groene is an inflected version used in specific grammatical constructions. For a more specific and formal description of the colour emerald green, you can use Smaragdgroen.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective changes depending on its position in a sentence. Use the form groen when the adjective follows a verb and is not directly modifying a noun, such as in De auto is groen. However, use the inflected form groene when the adjective precedes a noun that has a definite article, such as in de groene boom.
How do you pronounce it?
/ɣrun/
Did you know?
- If you describe a person as being groen in a metaphorical sense, you might actually be saying they are inexperienced or naive rather than literally green-skinned.
- Dutch has a specific term groenvoer to describe 'green fodder' or fresh grass used as animal feed, treating the color as a category of food.
- In Dutch culture, groen is often used in the term groene vingers to describe someone who is talented at gardening, exactly like the English 'green thumb'.
Examples in context
- De zee is groen.The sea is green.This sentence shows how to use groen to describe the colour of the sea.Tatoeba #7489100 by MarijnKp, translation #2504015 by _undertoad
- De rok is groen.The skirt is green.This sentence shows how to use groen to describe the colour of a skirt.Tatoeba #7913823 by MarijnKp, translation #1331556 by CK
- De jurk is groen.The dress is green.This sentence shows how to use groen to describe the colour of a dress.Tatoeba #3175098 by PaulP, translation #801728 by CM
- De bladeren van de boom zijn groen.The leaves of the tree are green.
- Hij draagt een groene das.He is wearing a green tie.
- De smaragdgroene jurk staat haar prachtig.The emerald green dress suits her beautifully.
- Het smaragdgroene juweel is van hoge kwaliteit.The emerald green jewel is of high quality.
- Die auto is echt groen!That car is really green!
- Ik heb een groene trui gekocht.I bought a green sweater.
- Mijn nieuwe tas is grasgroen en past perfect bij mijn outfit.My new bag is grass green and matches my outfit perfectly.
- We hebben een grasgroene bank gekocht voor onze woonkamer.We bought a grass green couch for our living room.
- 183 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lisa and Noah are looking at a new plant in a shop.
- LisaIs dit blad groen?Is this leaf green?
- NoahJa, het is heel groen.Yes, it is very green.
- LisaIk vind deze plant mooi.I think this plant is beautiful.
- NoahHij ziet er goed uit.It looks good.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “green” translations and entries groen, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
