hij
/ɦɛi̯/
The Dutch word for "he" is hij. Wiktionary also lists ie.
Meaning: personal pronoun "he" (pron)
Ways to say it
| Dutch | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| hij | /ɦɛi̯/ /i/ |
|
| ie | /i/ | clitic, unemphatic |
The word is a personal pronoun. In natural speech, a shorter version is often used when the pronoun is unstressed and follows another word closely.
Which one should you use?
hij is the standard form, whereas ie is a clitic used when the pronoun is unemphatic and follows another word closely in natural speech.
How does it change in a sentence?
hij is the subject form. Note that for the object form "him," Dutch uses hem.
How do you pronounce it?
/ɦɛi̯/
Did you know?
- Because Dutch has masculine and feminine grammatical genders, hij can be used to refer to an object that an English speaker would call 'it'.
- In some dialects or older forms of Dutch, the tiny word ie might actually be a relative of the word 'je', meaning 'you'.
- In some Dutch dialects, the word for 'he' can sound more like ie even in stressed positions, blending the boundary between the formal hij and the informal clitic.
Examples in context
- Hij is al weg.He has left already.This sentence shows how to use hij to indicate someone has already departed.Tatoeba #659397 by martinod, translation #293096 by CK
- Hij is een dj.He is a DJ.This sentence uses hij to identify someone's profession.Tatoeba #1400170 by DjWLaan, translation #288669 by CK
- Hij is zo gay.He is so gay.This sentence uses hij to describe a person's sexual orientation.Tatoeba #7323754 by MarijnKp, translation #473187 by bRa1nST0rM
- Hij werkt bij een grote bank.He works at a big bank.
- Hij is mijn beste vriend.He is my best friend.
- Hem ken ik nog van vroeger.I still know him from the past.
- 9546 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Julia and Levi are talking about a friend at a cafe.
- JuliaWaar is Mark?Where is Mark?
- LeviHij is in de supermarkt.He is in the supermarket.
- JuliaKomt hij snel terug?Is he coming back soon?
- LeviJa, hij is bijna klaar.Yes, he is almost finished.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “he” translations and entries hij, ie, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries hij, ie, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
