Dutch nouns are either de-words or het-words, and roughly two in three are de-words. Every plural takes de, whatever the singular was, and every diminutive in -je takes het. There is no reliable rule for the rest.
Examples
- Het brood is nog warm.
- The bread is still warm.
- De melk staat in de koelkast.
- The milk is in the fridge.
- Het broodje is lekker.
- The roll is nice.
The mistake to avoid
Learn the article with the noun. Getting it wrong also breaks the adjective ending that depends on it.
Where this fits in
Food & ordering, Dutch A1: Order at a café or restaurant, ask for the bill, and talk about basic food and drink.