# kop ('man')



## frank.heuer0

Hi,

I don't speak Dutch but as I understand it the word _kop_ in Dutch means 'head' but it can also be used to refer to a person. _Kop _has neuter gender which means that its article should be _het kop_. 
My question is: when you use it to refer to a person, does the article change? Does _het kop_ become _de kop _because _man _has common gender and its article is _de man? _
I'm writing a paper on Ducth for one of my classes and woudl really appreciate your help. The paper is due TOMORROW!!! 
Thanks,
Frank


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## Frank06

Hi,



frank.heuer0 said:


> I don't speak Dutch but as I understand it the word _kop_ in Dutch means 'head' but it can also be used to refer to a person. _Kop _has neuter gender which means that its article should be _het kop_.


It's *de* kop, but *het* hoofd.



> My question is: when you use it to refer to a person, does the article change? Does _het kop_ become _de kop _because _man _has common gender and its article is _de man?_


Not sure if I understand. As far as I know, _kop_ isn't used to refer to a person. *De kopman* is, but that's another issue.

One could say, though, "Zij is een knappe kop", but even in a phrase as "Zij is de knappe kop van de klas" (which is an odd sentence, I know), the article remains *de*.

On the other hand, *het hoofd* can refer to a person (e.g. het hoofd van de familie), but then the article also remains the same, viz. *het* hoofd.

I am not sure if I understood your question well, but I hope this might help you a bit.

Groetjes,

Frank


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## frank.heuer0

Thanks a lot Frank06. The dictionary I'm working with is really old and although it does show the gender of the nouns, it's not really clear to me as a non-speaker of Dutch.I think that's why I got the gender for_ de_ _kop _wrong.  
The fact that it has the same gender as _de man_ helps prove the point I'm trying to make in my paper.   
Thanks for the other example as well. I think I'm gonna use it somehow. 
Frank.


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## Suehil

Beware!   The gender of a noun does not change when (or because) it is used for a person.  'Het persoon' means 'the person' and always remains neuter.   

'Het meisje', 'de deern', 'de meid', 'het stuk', and 'de schoonheid' are all words that can be used for a girl.


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## Frank06

*Hi,*

*To split or not to split. *
*To moderate is to **over-moderate**?**
*Sigh...*

*Well, I decided to split this thread and move the part about the plural of compound nouns to **a new thread*. 
*It is a different topic and the plural of compound nouns is interesting enough to deserve a thread on its own.*

*Groetjes,*

*Frank*
*Moderator DF*


***


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## Grytolle

Suehil said:


> Beware!   The gender of a noun does not change when (or because) it is used for a person.  'Het persoon' means 'the person' and always remains neuter.


Except that it's always "de persoon"


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## Lawrencelot

Grytolle said:


> Except that it's always "de persoon"


You can choose to use de or het persoon. In Holland most people use de but het persoon is still correct.


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## HKK

Lawrencelot said:


> You can choose to use de or het persoon. In Holland most people use de but het persoon is still correct.



Het persoon?   Do you perhaps mean 'het personage'?


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## Lawrencelot

Hm I've checked with Van Dale and apparently I'm wrong. I thought persoon was one of those words where both het and de are correct, like with the word deksel.


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