Zo'n in Dutch

When you first come across "zo'n", you might be a little bit confused. Because why does "zo'n" have a apostrophe? And when can you use it? After reading this article, you will be able to use "zo'n" with confidence!

There are three groups

1. Regular singular words: Zo'n

If have a regular singular noun, like for example "stoel" (chair), you can use zo'n as such a.

• Ik wil ook zo'n stoel.
• I also want such a chair (a chair like that).

Another example:

• Ik heb nog nooit zo'n grote vis gezien.
• I have never seen such a big fish.

Now why that apostrophe? It's because "zo'n" used to be "zo een", but nowadays zo een sounds very formal (and a bit weird).

You can also use zo'n to make an estimation

• Er waren zo'n honderd mensen op het feest.
• There were around one hundred people at the party.

Be careful: always pronounce zo'n as zoon. Don't pronounce it like two words.

Plurals: Zulke

For plurals, you use zulk(e). It has the same meaning as zo'n.

• Hé, wat grappig. Ik heb ook zulke koffiekopjes.
• Hey, how funny. I also have such coffee cups.

Singular words that are not countable: Zo'n & Zulk(e)

There are nouns that are not really countable. Like weer (weather) or water (water). For these nouns, you can choose zo'n or zulk(e).

• Ik heb nog nooit zulke/zo'n lekkere thee geproefd!
• I have never tasted such a delicious tea!

• Het is zulk/zo'n lekker weer. Zullen we naar buiten gaan?
• It's such a nice weather. Shall we go outside?

If you don't know when to put the -e behind zulk, read our article about the extra e.