Language Learning Part VI: The Diminutive

I was going to name this post "What do these Dutch vocabulary words and phrases have in common?" to keep you bright and alert this Monday morning. But I'll spare you...

There is no better time to learn Grammar Lesson 28 in my Dutch for Self-Study book than when zwanger. This last grammar lesson reviews the diminutive ending for nouns; usually the diminutive ending implies the object is "small". This ending is some form of "je", and it can make anything small..a "hond" is a dog and a "hondje" is a little dog.

I don't think there anything similar in English, unless you count the less proper "doggIE" that kind of implies a little dog. Nevertheless, you get the idea. Anyway, I recieved a list of baby things I should have ready for the baby's arrival. Behold - here is the diminutive at work...I'll give the Dutch and my English translation.

1 babymutsje (a baby hattie)
6 rompertjes of hemdjes (6 roperies or shirties...hey! OneSIES!)
4 truitjes (4 sweateries)
3 pakjes of broekjes met voetjes (3 packagies or pantsies with footSIES)
2 paar sokjes (2 pair sockies)
10 spuugdoekjes (10 spit-up clothies)
6 hydrofiel washandjes (6 special quick drying cloth washclothies)
2 dekentjes (2 blankIES)
and on and on and on...

In the list of 23 items, only 7 don't have a diminutive. I think babIES must wear and use small thingIES.