Editing Dutch grammar (section)

====Plurals with vowel change====

A number of common nouns inherited from [[Old Dutch language|Old Dutch]] have a short vowel in the singular but a long vowel in the plural. When short {{lang|nl|i}} is lengthened in this way, it becomes long {{lang|nl|e}}.

* {{lang|nl|dag}} {{IPA|/dɑx/}} "day" → {{lang|nl|dagen}} {{IPA|/ˈdaːɣə(n)/}} "days"
* {{lang|nl|gebrek}} {{IPA|/ɣəˈbrɛk/}} "lack, deficiency" → {{lang|nl|gebreken}} {{IPA|/ɣəˈbreːkə(n)/}} "deficiencies"
* {{lang|nl|schip}} {{IPA|/sxɪp/}} "ship" → {{lang|nl|schepen}} {{IPA|/ˈsxeːpə(n)/}} "ships"
* {{lang|nl|slot}} {{IPA|/slɔt/}} "lock" → {{lang|nl|sloten}} {{IPA|/ˈsloːtə(n)/}} "locks" (also the plural of {{lang|nl|sloot}} "ditch")

Other nouns with this change include: {{lang|nl|bad}} "bath", {{lang|nl|bedrag}} "(money) contribution", {{lang|nl|bevel}} "command", {{lang|nl|blad}} "sheet of paper; magazine" (not "leaf"), {{lang|nl|(aan)bod}} "offer", {{lang|nl|dak}} "roof", {{lang|nl|dal}} "valley", {{lang|nl|gat}} "hole", {{lang|nl|gebed}} "prayer", {{lang|nl|gebod}} "commandment", {{lang|nl|gen}} "gene", {{lang|nl|glas}} "glass", {{lang|nl|god}} "god", {{lang|nl|hertog}} "duke", {{lang|nl|hof}} "court", {{lang|nl|hol}} "cave; burrow", {{lang|nl|lid}} "member", {{lang|nl|lot}} "lottery ticket", {{lang|nl|oorlog}} "war", {{lang|nl|pad}} "path", {{lang|nl|schot}} "shot", {{lang|nl|slag}} "strike, battle", {{lang|nl|smid}} "smith", {{lang|nl|spel}} "large game; spectacle" (not in the sense of a smaller everyday game), {{lang|nl|staf}} "staff", {{lang|nl|vat}} "vat, barrel", {{lang|nl|verbod}} "ban, prohibition", {{lang|nl|verdrag}} "treaty", {{lang|nl|verlof}} "permission", {{lang|nl|weg}} "road, way".

The noun {{lang|nl|stad}} {{IPA|/stɑt/}} "town, city" has [[Diaeresis (diacritic)|diaeresis]] in the plural alongside lengthening: {{lang|nl|steden}} {{IPA|/ˈsteːdə(n)/}} "towns, cities". The plural of nouns ending in the suffix {{lang|nl|-heid}} {{IPA|/ɦɛit/}} "-ness, -hood" is irregular {{lang|nl|-heden}} {{IPA|/ɦeːdə(n)/}}.