Dutch noun reference · frequency-list position 3,608

de tweeling: meaning and plural

a pair of twins; said of people and other mammals. Check the article, plural, pronunciation and translated examples, then retrieve the noun inside a complete spoken message.

Corpus and license boundary.

The exact spelling appears at position 3,608 in the cited OpenSubtitles-derived Dutch 50k token list. That is a corpus signal, not search volume, CEFR level or proof that the noun sense is equally frequent. Article, forms, glosses, pronunciation and examples are adapted from English Wiktionary via Kaikki under CC BY-SA 4.0. See sources and modifications.

How tweeling is pronounced

IPA: /ˈtʋeː.lɪŋ/ · Syllables: twee·ling

Say the article and noun together—de tweeling—before practising the word in a sentence. This keeps grammatical gender attached to the item you retrieve. Regional speech and sentence rhythm can change the surface sound, so use the transcription as a compact reference rather than as a substitute for listening.

What tweeling means

01

a pair of twins; said of people and other mammals

Dictionary label: masculine

02

each of two twin siblings

Dictionary label: masculine, plural, plural-only

03

a vegetal or object equivalent, e.g. an identical fruit pair

Dictionary label: masculine

An English gloss identifies a sense, not a one-word substitution that works in every context. Look at the surrounding verb, preposition, number and situation in the Dutch example. When several meanings are listed, practise one meaning at a time and state a concrete context before changing to another sense.

Article, plural and diminutive

FormDutchSpeaking use
Singularde tweelingRetrieve the article and noun as one chunk.
Pluralde tweelingenDutch plural nouns take de; also change the verb and quantity where needed.
DiminutivetweelingetjeA smaller, familiar or context-specific form; use only when the meaning fits.

Do not guess the article from the English translation. Learn de tweeling as a single unit, then contrast it with de tweelingen. A diminutive normally uses het, but its pragmatic meaning can be neutral, literal, affectionate or dismissive depending on context.

Translated examples with tweeling

01

Mijn broer en ik zijn een tweeling.

My brother and I are twins.

02

Een tweeling is nooit alleen.

A twin is never alone.

These examples are citation-backed language data. First identify what the noun refers to and which words determine or describe it. Then change only one element—person, quantity, time, place or description—while keeping the article and number consistent. That small variation turns a reference example into active speaking practice without inventing a rule from one sentence.

Four-step speaking drill

  1. Say de tweeling three times, then add one adjective or location that fits the first meaning.
  2. Build a present-tense sentence with a named person, a concrete place and the singular noun.
  3. Change the message to de tweelingen. Update the number, determiner and finite verb instead of replacing only the noun ending.
  4. Ask a follow-up question containing the noun, record the answer, and repeat once with a different detail.

Listen first for meaning and article choice, then for sentence order and pronunciation. Correct the first error that changes the message or blocks the listener. Avoid restarting for every small hesitation: complete the message, note one target, and make the second recording more precise.

Self-check before you continue

  • I retrieve de tweeling as one chunk.
  • The singular or plural matches the determiner, quantity and verb.
  • The selected meaning fits the situation.
  • The sentence includes enough detail for another person to understand the reference.
  • I can ask and answer one question with the noun without reading the page.

Questions about tweeling

What does tweeling mean?

a pair of twins; said of people and other mammals; each of two twin siblings; a vegetal or object equivalent, e.g. an identical fruit pair.

Is it de tweeling or het tweeling?

The cited entry uses de tweeling. Keep the article attached when learning and retrieving the noun.

What is the plural of tweeling?

The cited plural is tweelingen. In a full sentence, also check the determiner, quantity and verb.

Use tweeling in a recorded response

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