# Plural of compound nouns



## frank.heuer0

*Split from **this thread**.*
*Frank, moderator DF*


Thanks for the examples. I'm working on compounds such as _bleekneus_ 'pale person'_, _domoor 'idiot', etc and I was trying to see what was the relation between the gender of the compound and the words that constitute them. The fact that they used parts of the body to refer to the person caught my attention.
Thanks again.
Jorge


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## Suehil

The gender of a compound noun is always that of the last word in the compound and has nothing to do with the actual meaning.


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## frank.heuer0

Not always and that's exactly what I'm trying to explain: _het oor _and _de domoor_ just being an example. 'ear' is neuter but 'idiot' is non-neuter.


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## frank.heuer0

Oh oh!! I'm taking my examples from an article written by a Dutch linguist and he says that it is _de domoor_. Are you 100% sure that it is neuter because that would mean that other examples may be wrong and that I can no longer trust the author. Do you have acces to an online dictionary that shows the gender of nouns?
Thanks.


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## MaxJ

Suehil said:


> 'Het idioot' and 'het domoor' are both neuter, but 'de domkop' (which means the same) is not.
> I'm afraid 'de domoor' is incorrect.


It's *de idioot,* *de domoor *and* de domkop*.


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## frank.heuer0

Thanks MaxJ. I was starting to freak out. Could it be that _domoor_ is neuter if you're talking about a guy and common if it's a girl? 
Can somebody please post a link to an online dictionary that shows the gender of nouns?  
Thanks


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## Joannes

No, *domoor* always takes *de*.

http://www.vandale.nl/vandale/opzoeken/woordenboek/


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## frank.heuer0

Thanks Joannes!!!


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## Pays-Bas

Hello Jorge,

_Usually _the gender of a compound noun remains the same as the last part of the compound noun because the first part is only a specification of the last part.

*De *sleutel (the key)
 Het huis  (the house)
 ->* De *huissleutel (the house key) _It's still a key!_

However, with the use of neuter body parts in compounds to refer to people (or other living beings), the gender _usually_ changes into the gender of the person.
(I mention _usually_ because it wouldn't be Dutch if there was no exception to this rule either).

Therefore:

*Het *oor
De domme persoon
-> *De *domoor   _It's no longer an ear, it's now a fool_


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## frank.heuer0

Hi again,
Can somebody please tell what the plural of _assistent-beheerder_ _andleerling-verpleegster_ are? Do I pluralize both words or just the right-hand one?


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## Lawrencelot

frank.heuer0 said:


> Hi again,
> Can somebody please tell what the plural of _assistent-beheerder_ _andleerling-verpleegster_ are? Do I pluralize both words or just the right-hand one?


You put an s behind the last word. For other examples you would add -en.


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