Dutch Pronouns

Dutch Pronouns

A pronoun takes the place of a noun. That is, at least, what most definitions say. If you want to get deeper into this, try the link above.I hope you did not start reading this chapter late at night because it is quite an extensive chapter. Although I may leave out a few obscure pronouns that we hardly ever use, this chapter will give you an overview of all common and less common pronouns in the Dutch language.If you are seriously into studying Dutch, I advise you to read everything but otherwise, simply glance through the pages and use this chapter as a reference.

personalI, me, you, he, him, she, her,etc.possessivemy, mine, your, yours, our,etc.reflexiveI washmyself

reciprocalwe seeeach otherinterrogativewho, what, whichdemonstrativethattree,thishouse

relativethat, which, whom,etc.indefiniteall, everyone, something,etc.exclamativehownice,suchgood wheather, etc.

Pronominal adverbBefore you learn about the nine types of Dutch pronouns, we must discuss a phenomenon, which is very common in Dutch: Thepronominal adverb.Examples of English pronominal adverbs are 'thereof' or 'wherein' (instead of 'of that' and 'in which'). In English, they have become quite uncommon and you can perfectly do without them. In Dutch, however, they are still very much alive.

Pronominal adverbsBefore we continue with what this chapter really is about, pronouns, we have to make a small loop to discuss a related phenomenon: The pronominal adverb.The pronominal adverb, or 'pronoun adverb', is not a complete novelty to English speakers:"Whereofone cannot speak,thereofone must be silent" --Ludwig Wittgenstein"I know a bankwhereonthe wild thyme blows"--William ShakespeareWe use it in modern English too:"I amherebysending you the details of your order.""Therefore, we decided to postpone the project."The mechanismWhereofis another way of saying 'of which'.Herebyis 'by this',thereforeis 'for that', and so on.If the pronounwhat/which, this,orthatis preceded by a preposition (of, by, for), we can replace the pronoun by the adverbwhere, here,orthere.Note that we can only do this to pronouns that refer to inanimate things, not to persons.Which/what where:whereofof what

wherewithwith what

This here:hereonon this

herebyby this

That there:thereofof that

thereforefor that

On the next page, we will look at the Dutch pronominal adverbs.

Dutch pronominal adverbsMany Dutch pronouns do not allow a preposition before them. If a preposition shows up, it immediately turns into a pronominal adverb. On the next page, all Dutch pronouns that behave this way are outlined.Let us first look at how it works exactly.We will take the personal pronounhet(it) as an example. Ifhetis preceded by a preposition, it turns intoer(there).This is what happens:preposition +heter+preposition

If the graphic illustration is a bit too abstract, look at the sentences below and you will see what I mean.Hij protesteerttegen het onrecht.He protests against the injustice.

Hij protesteertertegen."He protests thereagainst."

Not: hij prostesteerttegen het.He protests against it.

We dokenin het water.We dived into the water.

We dokenerin."We dived thereinto."

Not: we dokenin het.We dived into it.

The pronominal adverb does not always occur in one piece. It is usually separated by other words, as the sentences below show us.Hij protesteert al jarentegen het onrecht.He has been protesting against the injustice for years.

Hij protesteerteral jarentegen.He has been protesting against it for years.

We doken meteenin het water.We immediately dived into the water.

We dokenermeteenin.We immediately dived into it.

The separation of the pronominal adverb is aword orderissue, which is discussedhere(note that this link takes you to a page right in the middle of the word order section - don't be alarmed if you do not understand everything!).'Het' is not the only pronoun that can turn into a pronominal adverb ('er'). The same happens to several other pronouns. E.g. 'wat' (turning into 'waar') and 'dat' (turning into 'daar'), to name a few.Continue to the next page to see which other Dutch pronouns are subject to this mechanism.

List of Dutch pronominal adverbsOn the previous page, you could read how a Dutch pronoun turns into a pronominal adverb when it occurs together with a preposition. Below is a list of the Dutch pronouns that are subject to this mechanism. Note that they are all pronouns referring to inanimate things.In the list below, you can read thathetturns into the adverber:

preposition +heter+preposition

Likewise,ditturns into the adverbhier:

preposition +dithier+preposition

And so on.

TypePronounTurns into adverb

Personal pronoun[inaminate]het, hemzeittheyerthere

Demonstrative pronoun[independent]dit, dezethis, thesehierhere

dat, diethat, thosedaarthere

Interrogative pronoun[independent]watwhat, whichwaarwhere

Relative pronoun[inaminate]dat, die, watwhichwaarwhere

Indefinite pronoun*[independent]ietssomethingergenssomewhere

nietsnothingnergensnowhere

alleseverythingoveraleverywhere

(*) For indefinite pronouns, it is not compulsory to use a pronominal adverb.Possessive, reflexive, reciprocal, and exclamative pronouns never turn into pronominal adverbs.The different types of pronouns will be discussed on the following pages. Where applicable, you will be referred back to this page.

Personal pronouns

Now that we have dealt with the promonimal adverbs, we can continue with what this chapter is really about: Pronouns.We will start with the most commonly used pronouns, being the personal pronouns. We use them to replace names of persons or things, e.g. "Wego to school" or "My teacher saidit"Just like in English, we have different pronouns for subjects and objects.Subject pronounsIkwerk in een supermarkt.Iwork in a supermarket.

Wekomen te laat!Weare running late!

Hijis vegetarir.Heis a vegetarian.

Object pronounsThe good news for those who are studying Dutch is that you do not have to distinguish between direct and indirect object pronouns (like, for example, in German).Ik hoordehemop de radio.I heardhimon the radio.

Heb jezeniet gezien?Haven't you seenthem?

Dat heb je aanmijbeloofd.You promised that tome.

As you can see, the Dutch use their personal pronouns in pretty much the same way as the English. The Dutch, however, use different words for stressed and unstressed pronouns. As a result, several pronouns have two versions: a stressed an unstressed version. This will be outlined on the following pages.

Marked subject pronounsRecall that the subject is the agent who acts in a phrase:Iwalk,hehas seen,wego to school, etc.In Dutch, we use different words for stressed and unstressed . As a result, several pronouns have two versions: a marked (stressed) and an unmarked (unstressed) version. If, in a sentence, the emphasis lies on the pronoun, we use a marked pronoun. Unmarked pronouns are more commonly used than their marked equivalents.EnglishDutch - unmarkedDutch marked

IikIk

youjeJij

you[formal]uU

hehijHij

shezeZij

it[het-nouns]hetdit/datSeedemonstratives

it[de-nouns]hijdeze/dieSeedemonstratives

weweWij

youjullieJullie

they[persons]zeZij

they[inanimate]zedeze/dieSeedemonstrative

Subject pronounsOn the next page, you can look at a few examples that illustrate the use of marked and unmarked pronouns.Formal you: UIn Dutch, we have a formal and an informal form of 'you'. We use 'u' to address older people or adults that we do not know. We can also use 'u' in the second plural (instead of 'jullie') but this is very formal.Hoi Maaike, blijfjeeten?Hi Maaike, willyoustay for dinner?

Pardon meneer, kuntueven opzij gaan?Excuse me sir, couldyoustep aside for a moment?

The pronounuis usually written in lowercase.Uin uppercase is very formal, some would say stiff, and not very common anymore.It: Het or hij?We use 'het' for neuter nouns (het-nouns) and 'hij' (he) for de-nouns. 'Hij' is masculine but we also use it for feminine nouns.[Hetboek]Hetstaat op de bovenste plank.[The book]Itis on the top shelf.

[Defilm]Hijdraait momenteel in de bioscoop.[The film]Itis currently shown in the cinema.

You may knowde-nounsare either masculine or feminine. The Dutch do not really know the genders of their words (but the Flemish do!) so they decided to treat all de-nouns as masculine.In the Netherlands, we can use feminine pronouns for abstract feminine nouns, which sounds quite sophisticated. You should only use 'ze' (or 'zij' if the pronoun is stressed or 'marked') when you are really sure that the de-noun you refer to is feminine. When in doubt, 'hij' is always correct.They: Ze, zij, or die?We use unmarked 'ze' (they) for persons and for inanimate objects.However, when we stress the pronoun, we make a distinction: We refer to persons by 'zij' and to inanimate objects by 'die'.Unmarked[Deschoenen]Zestaan je heel goed.[The shoes]Theylook very good on you.

Marked[Deschoenen]Diestaan je heel goed (die andere schoenen niet).[The shoes]Theylook very good on you (those other shoes don't).

Unmarked[Deouders]Zevinden het geen goed idee.[The parents]Theydo not think it is a good idea.

Marked[Deouders]Zijvinden het geen goed idee (maar ik wel).[The parents]Theydo not think it is a good idea (but I think it is).

Marked subject pronouns

As you read on the previous page, the Dutch have several pronouns with a stressed or 'marked' and a regular, unmarked form. I will repeat them here:EnglishDutch - unmarkedDutch - marked

Youjejij

Shezezij

It[het-nouns]hetdit, datSeedemonstratives

It[de-nouns]hijdeze, dieSeedemonstratives

Wewewij

they[persons]zezij

they[inanimate]zedemonstrativesdeze, die

Ik(I),hijfor persons (he), andjullie(plural you) do not have separate words for marked and unmarked pronouns.If we want to stress inanimatehet/hij(it) andze(they), we use ademonstrative pronoun.While the Dutch make no distinction between masculine and feminine nouns, the Flemish usezefor inanimate feminine nouns. If you want to stress inanimateze, you have to use a demonstrative pronoun (just like for inanimatehet, hij, and pluralze)How to use marked pronounsWe use marked pronouns if we want to stress the pronoun in a sentence. This sounds easy enough as you are free to choose which pronouns you wish to emphasize. In your speech, however, you must make sure that you do not place the stress on an unmarked pronoun.To place emphasis on a word in a sentence, the Dutch slightly: increase the pitch (the melody goes up) raise their volume stretch the duration (length) of the wordIf you use an unmarked pronoun, make sure to emphasize another part in the sentence.In the following examples, the word(s) that receive emphasis (and should be pronounced accordingly) are underlined.

Je and jij:UnmarkedJehoeft je geenzorgente maken.Youdo not have toworry.

MarkedJijhoeft je geen zorgen te maken (maarikwel).Youdo not have to worry (butIdo).

Ze and zij:UnmarkedZewilde nietmee.Shedid not want to comealong.

MarkedZijwilde niet mee (maar de anderen wel).Shedid not want to come along (but the others did).

Het and dit/dat:UnmarkedHetstaat nogsteedste koop.Itisstillfor sale.

MarkedDatstaat nog steeds te koop (maar die andere huizen zijn al verkocht).That(one)is still for sale (but the other houses are already sold).

Hij and deze/die:UnmarkedHijisgloednieuw.Itisbrand new.

MarkedDezeis gloednieuw (maar die andere auto niet).This(one)is brand new (but the other car is not).

We and wij:UnmarkedWewaren optijd.Wewere ontime.

MarkedWijwaren op tijd (de anderen niet).Wewere on time (the others were not).

Ze and zij (persons):UnmarkedDat zeggenzealtijd.Theyalwayssay that.

MarkedDat zeggenzijaltijd (niemand anders zegt dat).Theyalways say that (noone else says that).

Ze and deze/die (inanimate):UnmarkedZezijn tijdelijkafgeprijsd.Theyare temporarilydiscounted.

MarkedDezezijn afgeprijsd (maardieniet).Theyare discounted (but those are not)

Het is (it is), het zijn (it 'are')"It are beautiful shoes", is of course really bad English. This is, however, how we say it in Dutch. Yes, really. It is precisely this sort of discrepancies between languages that causes automatic translators such headaches.Where the English say "They are [+noun]", the Dutch say "Het zijn [+noun]." As you can see, singular 'het' (it) does not correspond with plural 'zijn' (are).Het zijninheemse planten.They areindigenous plants.[lit: It are indigenous plants]

Het warenaardige buren.They werenice neighbours.

We only do this when 'they' is linked to a noun. '(Indigenous) plants', and '(nice) neighbours' are nouns.In the examples below,ze(they) is linked to an adjective. Here, we do not see the strange 'it are' phenomenon.[De planten]Ze zijninheems.[the plants]They areindigenous.

[De buren]Ze warenaardig.[the neighbours]They werenice.

'Indigenous', and 'nice' are adjectives.Can you see the difference?Het zijninheemse planten.Ze zijninheems.They areindigenous plants.They areindigenous.

Het warenaardige buren.Ze warenaardig.They werenice neighbours.They werenice..

*We encounter the same phenomenon with the demonstrativesdit and dat.

Object pronounsIf the personal pronoun is not the subject in a sentence, we use an object pronoun. Compare the English subject pronouns 'I' with the object pronoun 'me', 'he' with 'him', 'they' with 'them', etc.Just like we do for subject pronouns, in Dutch, we make a distinction between marked and unmarked pronouns. We use marked pronouns if we want to stress the pronoun in a sentence.To place emphasis on a word in a sentence, the Dutch slightly increase the pitch (the melody goes 'up'), raise their volume, and stretch the duration (length) of the word.

EnglishDutch - unmarkedDutch - marked

mememij

youjejou

you[formal]uu

himhemhem

herhaar [ze]haar

it[het-nouns]hetdit, datSeedemonstratives

it[de-nouns]hemdeze, dieSeedemonstratives

usonsons

youjulliejullie

them[persons]zehun/hen

them[inanimate]zedemonstrativedeze, die

On the next page, you can look at a few examples that illustrate the use of marked and unmarked pronouns.Her: haar or ze?In Holland, marked and unmarked 'her' are both translated ashaar. In Flanders, unmarked 'her' isze.The part of the sentence that receives emphasis is underlined.

Unmarked 'her':HollandIk hebhaarop demarktgezien.I have seenheron themarket.

FlandersIk hebzeop demarktgezien.I have seenheron themarket.

When they stress 'her', the Dutch and the Flemish both usehaar.Stressed 'her':Holland & FlandersHaarheb ik op de markt gezien (niet hem).(It is)herI have seen on the market (not him).

It: het or hem?We usehet(it) for neuter nouns (het-nouns) andhem(him) for de-nouns.Hemis masculine but we also use it for feminine nouns.[Hetboek]Ik hebhetop de bovenste plank gezet.[The book]I putiton the top shelf.

[Defilm]We hebbenhemnog niet gezien.[The film]We have not seenityet.

You may knowde-nounsare either masculine or feminine. The Dutch do not really know the genders of their words (but the Flemish do!) so they decided to treat all de-nouns as masculine.It does sound very sophisticated if you can distinguish between feminine and masculine nouns. You should only use haar(her) when you are really sure that the de-noun you refer to is feminine. When in doubt,hemis always correct.Them for persons: hun or hen?We usehunif the object pronoun is stressed (marked). If you want to be very correct, you make a distinction between the direct object (hen) and the indirect object (hun). To make it more complicated: If an object pronoun is preceded by a preposition (usually aan or voor), we usehen.On one of the following pages, you will read more about the use ofhen and hun.Note, that it is not compulsory to distinguish betweenhenandhun. You are permitted to completely forget abouthen and usehunall the time.

Stressed ('marked') object pronounsWe have separate words for marked and unmarkedme/mij(me),je/jou(you),ze/hun(them). In Flanders, they use unmarkedzenext to markedhaar(her). In the Netherlands, they only usehaar.Hem(him),ons(us), andjullie(plural you) do not have separate words for marked and unmarked pronouns. If we want to stresshet(it) or inanimateze(them), we normally use a demonstrative pronoun.For an explanation about how to place emphasis on a word, seeMarked and unmarked subject pronouns.EnglishDutch - unmarkedDutch - marked

mememij

youjejou

herhaar [ze]haar

it[het-nouns]hetdit, datSeedemonstratives

it[de-nouns]hemdeze, dieSeedemonstratives

them[persons]zehun/hen

them[inanimate]zedemonstrativedeze, die

ExamplesIn the examples below, the part of the sentence that is stressed, is underlined.Me and mij:UnmarkedZezeihet tegenme.Shesaidit tome.

MarkedZe zei het tegenmij, niet tegenjou.She said it tomenot toyou.

Je and jou:UnmarkedIkpraattegenje.I amtalkingtoyou.

MarkedIk praat tegenjou, niet tegenhaar.I am talking toyou, not toher.

Ze and haar:Unmarked [Flanders]*Ik hebzeeenbriefgestuurd.I have sentheraletter.

MarkedHaarheb ik een brief gestuurd (niethem).I have sent a letter toher(not tohim).

(*) Recall that the Dutch do not have a separate unmarked form forhaar(her).Het and dit/dat:UnmarkedIk wilhetnietlezen.I do not want toreadit.

MarkedDitwil ik niet lezen (maar dat andere boek wil ik wl lezen).ThisI do not want to read (but I would like to read that other book).

Hem and deze/dieUnmarkedIk wilhemnietzien.I do not want toseeit.

MarkedDezewil ik niet zien (maar die andere film wil ik wl zien).This(one)I do not want to see (but I would like to see that other movie).

Recall that we only use a demonstrative pronoun (dezeordie) ifhemrefers to an inanimate object. For persons, the marked form is the same as the unmarked form (hem).Ze and hun/hen (for persons):UnmarkedHij ging metzemee.He wentwiththem.

MarkedHij ging methenmee in plaats van metons.He went withtheminstead of withus.

Ze and deze/die (inanimate):Unmarked[de schoenen]Ik draagzeelke dag.[the shoes]I wearthemevery day.

Marked[de schoenen]Diedraag ik elke dag.[the shoes]ThoseI wear every day.

Them: Hen or hun?Thehen-or-hunquestion is something many native speakers do not know the answer to and as you will read below, it is really not so important. However, since you will come across both pronouns, it would be nice if you knew what they are about.'Them' referring to personsIn Dutch, we use two different pronouns for 'them' referring to persons: One for the indirect object (hun) and one for the direct object (hen).We can even make things more complicated: When the pronoun is preceded by a preposition, we always usehen, even though it is not a direct object (which is never preceded by a preposition).Hunis always 'correct'If this is all too complicated, just stick tohunin all cases. This may not be considered 100% correct by some but most Dutch speakers mix uphunandhenany way.

We verwachttenhen.We expectedthem.

Ze vroeghunof ze mee wilden komen.She askedthemwhether they wanted to come along.

Ze vroeg aanhenof ze mee wilden komen.She asked (to)themwhether they wanted to come along.

In the first example, the pronoun is a direct object (hen). In the second, it is an indirect object (hun). In the third, it is also an indirect object but preceded by a preposition (hen).Recall that when the noun is not stressed, we simply use the unmarked pronounze.Wij verwachttenze.We expectedthem.

Ze vroegzeof ze mee wilden komen.She askedthemwhether they wanted to come with us.

Ze vroeg aanzeof ze mee wilden komen.She asked (to)themwhether they wanted to come with us.

Colloquial pronounsIn spoken Dutch, we sometimes pronounce words differently from how we write them. Usually, this simply means that we swallow half of the word. The colloquial pronouns would hardly be worth mentioning if only you would not come across them in written Dutch sometimes. But you probably would, so here they are: Colloquial subject pronounsEnglishDutchDutch colloquial

Iik'k

hehijie

ithet't

The colloquial form 'ie' is often accompanied by an astrophe, e.g.heeft 'ie, orzegt 'ie, or a hyphen, e.g.heeft-ie, orzegt-ie. It never occurs at the beginning of a sentence:Heeftiedat niet gezegd?Hasn'thesaid that?

Is het waar datiegaat verhuizen?Is it true thathe's going to move?

You cannot say "Ie heeft".Colloquial object pronounsEnglishDutchDutch colloquial

ithet't

himhem'em

herhaard'r

'Het', 'hem', and 'ze' turning into 'er'Inanimatehet, hem(it), andze(them) are the only personal pronouns that turn intopronominal adverbswhen preceded by a preposition.The same goes for unmarked, singularze(her), which the Flemish use for singular inanimate feminine nouns. In Dutch, you would usehemas they do not distinguish between feminine and masculine nouns.preposition +heter+preposition

preposition + inanimatehem

preposition + inanimateze

Note that this only applies to the pronounhet, not to thearticle. The examples below will illustrate the idea.Examples ofhet erHij wachtop hetrapport.He is waitingfor the report.

Hij wachterop.Not: Hij wachtop het.He is waitingfor it.

Het staatop het internet.It is ('stands')on the internet.

Het staaterop.Not: het staatop het.It ison it.

Examples ofhem erHij wachtop de trein.He is waitingfor the train.

Hij wachterop.Not: Hij wachtop hem.He is waitingfor it.

Het staatop de voorpagina.It is ('stands')on the front page.

Het staaterop.Not: het staatop hem.It ison it.

Flemish: Singularze(her) turning into 'er'In Flanders, we would use the feminine pronoun 'ze' instead of 'hem' because 'voorpagina' is a feminine noun. However, because it refers to an inanimate object, 'ze' also turns into 'er'. Thus, for Flemish students, the last line in the above example should read: "Not: het staatop ze."Examples ofze(them) erInanimateze(them) undergoes the same treatment:Hij wachtop de rapporten.He is waitingfor the reports.

Hij wachterop.Not: Hij wachtop ze.He is waitingfor them.

Het staatin de kranten.It isin the newspapers.

Het staaterin.Not: Het staatin ze.It isin them.

Recall that this only applies to inanimateze.When it refers to persons, we do not replace it byer.

Possessive pronounsPossessive pronouns indicate to whom an object belongs. If I say this ismypencil, the pencil apparently belongs to me. 'My' is a possessive pronoun.

EnglishDutch

mymijn

yourje /[marked]jouw

your[formal]uw

hiszijn

herhaar

itszijn

ourons/onze

yourjullie/je

theirhun

On the next page, you can see examples of how the possessive pronouns are used.Your: Je / jouwIf we want to stress that the object is owned by you, we usejouwinstead ofje. This is the only possessive pronoun with a marked and un unmarked version.unmarkedJewekker heeft onsallemaalwakker gemaakt.Youralarm clock woke usallup.

markedJouwwekker (niet mijn wekker) heeft ons allemaal wakker gemaakt.Youralarm clock (not my alarm clock) woke us all up.

Its: ZijnWe do not have a translation for 'its' in Dutch, we simply usezijn(his). Here, it does not matter whether the noun is neuter ('het'), feminine, or masculine (both 'de').Hetweer enzijnonvoorspelbaarheid.The weather anditsunpredictability.

Depolitie maaktezijncijfers openbaar.The police publisheditsstatistics.

'De politie' is actually a feminine word but in everyday Dutch, the Dutch do not distinguish between masculine and femine words any more (but the Flemish still do). The Dutch sometimes make this distinction for abstract nouns (which sounds rather sophisticated). When in doubt, in everyday Dutch,zijnis acceptable.

Now that you know thatde politieis feminine, you can also writehaar:De politie maaktehaarcijfers openbaar.The police publishedits('her') statistics.

Our: Ons/onzeOns(our) is inflected according to the noun it precedes. Ade-noungetsonze, ahet-nounons.deautothe caronzeautoour car

deauto'sthe carsonzeautosour cars

hethuisthe houseonshuisour house

dehuizenthe housesonzehuizenour houses

Note that a plural noun is always ade-noun, regardless of whether its singular form takesdeorhetas an article. That is why singular 'het huis' becomes 'ons huis', while its plural form isonzehuizen.Plural your: Jullie or je?For the marked form, we always use 'jullie' but when the possessive pronoun is not stressed, we can use both 'jullie' and 'je'. 'Jullie' is the most common form.Hij heeftjullieboeken bij zich.Not: Hij heeftjeboeken bij zich.He has brought (plural)yourbooks.

We wachten opjullieouders.Not: We wachten opjeouders.We are waiting for (plural)yourparents.

You have to use 'je' if by this, you avoid two instances of 'jullie' in a row.Hebben julliejeboeken bij je?Not: Hebben julliejullieboeken bij je?Have you brought (plural)yourbooks?

Hebben julliejeouders gezien?Not: Hebben julliejullieouders gezien?Have you seen (plural)yourparents?

Possessive pronouns in actionIk hebmijnbaan opgezegd.I quitmyjob.

Dit isjelaatste kans.This isyourlast chance.

Dat isjouwkeuze (niet mijn keuze).That isyourchoice (not my choice).

De boom heeftzijnbladeren verloren.The tree has lostitsleaves.

Het paard enzijnstaart.The horse anditstail.

Hij trektzijnschoenen uit.He takes offhisshoes.

Ze zegthaarburen gedag.She greetsherneighbours.

We doenonswerk.We doourjob.

Ze onthieldonzenamen.She rememberedournames.

Waar zijnjullieouders?Where areyour(plural) parents?

We kennenhunideen.We knowtheirideas.

Independent possessive pronounsJust like in English, the Dutch use independent possessives. An independent possessive does not precede a noun, as in "It ismypencil", but stands alone: "It ismine".The independent possessive is only used when the possessor is a person.

EnglishDutch

minede/het mijne

yoursde/het jouwe

yours[formal]de/het uwe

its-

hisde/het zijne

hersde/het hare

oursde/het onze

yours-

theirsde/het hunne

For 'its' and plural 'yours', the Dutch do not have independent possessive pronouns.In Dutch, the independent possessive pronoun requires an article. This can bedeorhet, depending on the noun it refers to.dejasmijnjasdemijne

hetboekmijnboekhetmijne

Ours: onzeWe say 'het onze' and 'de onze'. In this respect, it behaves the same as an independent adjective.No plural 'yours'The Dutch do not have an independent form for plural 'yours'. Instead, you can use thealternative independent possessive.

Independent possessives in action

Dutch independent possessives are always preceded by a definite article:deorhet. Which article we use, depends on whether the pronoun refers to ahet-noun or a de-noun.dejasthe coatdat isde mijnethat is mine

hetboekthe bookdat ishet mijnethat is mine

deorenthe earsdat zijnde jouwe*those are yours

hetideethe ideadat ishet jouwethat is yours

defietsthe bicycledat isde uwethat is yours (formal)

hetgezichtthe facedat ishet uwethat is yours (formal)

deogenthe eyesdat zijnde zijne*those are his

hetoogthe eyedat ishet zijnethat is his

dekamthe combdat isde harethat is hers

hetoorthe eardat ishet harethat is hers

detentthe tentdat isde onzethat is ours

hetplanthe plandat ishet onzethat is ours

devisiethe visiondat isde hunnethat is theirs

hetdoelthe goaldat ishet hunnethat is theirs

(*) As you can see, it does not matter whether the possessive pronoun refers to a singular or plural word

The alternative possessiveOn the previous page, we discussed the Dutch equivalent of English 'yours', 'mine', 'ours', etc. In Dutch, we have another way of saying that something belongs to someone. In English, we do not say: "This book is of me" but in Dutch this is a very common expression.

EnglishDutch

minevan mij

yoursvan jou

yours [formal]van u

hisvan hem

hersvan haar

oursvan ons

yoursvan jullie

theirsvan hen

In Dutch, we do not have a separate form for 'its'. The translation of 'of it' is 'ervan' (seepronominal adverbs). If we want to stress that something belongs to 'it', we say 'hiervan' (of this) or 'daarvan' (of that).However, its use is more limited than the forms in the table above. You can compare it to English. You can say: "This is the front side of that" (Dutch: "Dit is de voorzijde daarvan"), but you would not say: "This front side is of that". It is the same in Dutch; we do not say "Deze voorzijde is daarvan".ExamplesDie jas isvan mij.That coat is mine.

Het idee wasvan jou.The idea was yours.

Die foto isvan hem.That photo is his.

Die hond isvan haar.That dog is hers.

Dat project isvan ons.That project is ours.

Het kantoor isvan jullie.The office is yours (plural).

De school isvan hen.The school is theirs.

Die/dat van mijSuppose we both possess a mobile phone. We have the same ring tone. One of our phones is ringing. Whose phone is it? I check my bag and learn that I am the person who is being called.Telling you that the phone is mine is not a suitable remark in this case. I want to say that it is MY phone that was ringing, not YOUR phone, which could very well have been the case since we have identical ring tones.Therefore, I look at you and say: "Het is die van mij" (It is the one that belongs to me) and I answer the call.Note that for this construction, we only usedieanddat(that, those), we do not useditanddeze(this, these).[De jas]Het isdie van mij(niet die van jou).[The coat]It is the one that belongs to me (not the one that belongs to you).

[Het idee]Het isdat van jou.[The idea]It is the one that belongs to you.

[De foto]Het isdie van hem.[The photo]It is the one that belongs to him

[De hond]Het isdie van haar.[The dog]It is the one that belongs to her.

[Het project]Het isdat van ons.[The project]It is the one that belongs to us.

[Het kantoor]Het isdat van jullie.[The office]It is the one that belongs to you [plural].

[De school]Het isdie van hen.[The school]It is the one that belongs to them.

Possessive names and nounsAdding a noun or proper name before a possessive pronounIn Dutch, we sometimes add the possessor's name before the pronoun. It is considered very informal, if not colloquial. We only do this for the third person singular and plural:

Dat isLoes haarjas.That is Loes' (her) coat.

Ik hebde buurman zijnsleutel hier liggen.I have the neighbour's (his) key (lying) here.

De atleten hunmedailles.The athletes' (their) medals.

Turning a proper name into a possessive nounNext to possessivepronouns, we also have possessivenouns. We find the same in English, e.g. "Andrew's bicycle". In Dutch, we also add the letter 's' to the proper name.There are two differences between Dutch and English. In Dutch:1. We can only turn proper names into possessive nouns.Andrew's bicycleis possible, butmy neighbour's bicycleis not.2. We only use anapostropheif the name ends in a vowel (with the exception of themute e) or the letters.[Loes]Dat is Loes' jas.That is Loes' coat.

[Oma]Oma's auto.Grandma's car.

[Janneke]Jannekes dochter.Janneke's daughter.

[Tom]Toms sleutelTom's key.

Because Loes ends in 's', we do not add an extra 's'. We simply add an apostrophe. This is identical to English. Oma ends in along vowel(a). Tokeep the vowel long, we add an apostrophe. Janneke ends in amute e. We do not have to add an apostrophe. Tom ends in a consonant. We do not have to add an apostrophe.Colloquial possessivesIn spoken Dutch, the colloquial forms are a lot more common.Normal formColloquial

mijnm'n

zijnz'n

haard'r

M'n(my) andz'n(his) are also often used in written language.

Reflexive pronounsA reflexive pronoun is used when the subject and object of a sentence are one and the same, e.g. 'I wash myself". The subject is 'I' and the object 'myself' are the same person. The action that I carry out reflects back on to me, I undergo the washing myself. Hence, the word 'reflexive' pronoun.Each personal pronoun has its own reflexive form. In Dutch, we have a stressed and an unstressed form. Note that we do not use the marked form (with 'zelf') very often. For example, where we use 'myself' in English, we usually use 'me' in Dutch (not 'mezelf').

EnglishDutch unmarkedDutch marked

myselfmemezelf

yourselfjejezelf

yourselfzichuzelf

itselfzichzichzelf

himselfzichzichzelf

herselfzichzichzelf

ourselvesonsonszelf

yourselvesjejezelf

themselveszichzichzelf

ExamplesAs you can see, there are many reflexive verbs in Dutch that translate to normal (non-reflexive) verbs in English.Ikhebmeverslapen.I overslept

Jeherinnertjedat toch wel?You do recall that, don't you?

Ukuntzichhier inschrijven.You can register yourself here.

Hetheeftzichverstopt.It has hidden itself.

Hijlietzichmeeslepen.He let himself get carried away..

Zenamzichvoor met roken te stoppen.She decided/intended to quit smoking.

Wegevenonsover.We surrender ourselves.

Jullieverveeldenjezeker niet.You (plural) probably were not bored

Zeergerdenzichaan het lawaai.They were annoyed by the noise.

Examples of marked reflexive pronounsWe use the marked form if the object is not really expected to be the same as the subject:Ikhebmezelfgeknipt.I cut my own hair (not someone else's, nor did someone else cut my hair).

HijheeftzichzelfgenezenHe cured himself (the doctor did not cure him).

Wesnijdenonszelfin de vingersWe cut ourselves in the fingers (we are working against our own interests)

Zelf in combination with non-reflexive verbsFor verbs that are not reflexive, we can also usezelfto emphasize that it was the subject himself who did it. In this case, we leave out the reflexive pronoun (me, je, zich, etc.) and simply sayzelf.Ikheb hetzelfgezien.I have seen it myself (with my own eyes).

Hijheeftzelfgeneeskunde gestudeerd.He has studied medicine himself.

Wezullen de taartzelfsnijden.We will cut the pie ourselves.

Reciprocal pronouns

The English reciprocal pronouns are 'each other' and 'one another'. In Dutch we have three reciprocal pronouns:EnglishDutchApplication

each otherelkaarmost common

elkanderformal

mekaarinformal, colloquial

ExamplesWehebbenelkaarnet gesproken.Wejust spoke toeach other.

Belooftutrouw aanelkandertot de dood u scheidt?Doyoupromise to be faithful toeach otheruntil death parts you?

Zehebbenmekaartoch?Theyhaveeach other, don't they?

'Mekaar' is also used in the Dutch expression "hij heeft het goed voor mekaar", meaning "he really made it (materially)".Possessive reciprocal pronounTo turn the reciprocal pronoun into a possessive pronoun, we simply add s:Ze hebbenelkaarshuiswerk gemaakt.They madeeach other'shomework.

We moetenelkandersprivacy respecteren.We have to respecteach other'sprivacy.

Hebben julliemekaarstelefoonnummers al?Do you already haveeach other'sphone numbers?

Interrogative pronouns

In Dutch, we have three interrogative pronouns. Or actually, four, if you count 'wat' and 'wat voor' as two different pronouns.DutchEnglishExample

wiewhoWie is dat?Who is that?

whomTegen wie praat je?Whom are you talking to?

welk(e)which, whatWelke dag is het vandaag?Which day is it today?

which one(s)Welke heb je liever?Which one do you prefer?

watwhatWat maakt het uit?What does it matter?

wat voorwhat kind ofWat voor weer wordt het?What kind of weather will it be?

Wie [who, whom]The Dutch use 'who' in the same way as the English. There is one difference: The Dutch do not have a separate word for 'whom'.Wieis jouw mentor?Whois your mentor?

Met wiezat je al die tijd aan de telefoon?Whomwere you on the phonewithall the time?

Op wieheb jij gestemd?Whomdid you votefor?

Dependentwelkandwelke[what, which]Welk(e)is dependent if it is placed before a noun. Whether we usewelkorwelkedepends on the noun it precedes (de or het):Welkfor singular het-nouns andwelkefor de-nouns and plural nouns (which are always de-nouns).[destof]Voorwelkestof ben je allergisch?[the substance]Whichsubstance are you allergic to?

[hetboek]Welkboek heb je hem gegeven?[the book]Whichbook did you give him?

[deboeken]Welkeboeken heb je hem gegeven?[the books]Whichbooks did you give him?

Independentwelke[which one(s)]When used independently (not preceding a noun), we always usewelke(with a final -e), regardless of whether it refers to a de-noun or a het-noun, or singular or a plural noun.[destof]Voorwelkeben je allergisch?[the substance]Whichone are you allergic to?

[hetboek]Welkeheb je hem gegeven?[the book]Whichone did you give to him?

[deboeken]Welkeheb je hem gegeven?[the books]Whichones did you give to thim?

Wat[what]Watis always used independently: It never precedes a noun. If you want to ask me "Which colour do you like best?", you have to usewelke(see above) because 'which' precedes the word 'colour'.Watheb je gegeten?Whathave you eaten?

Watis het grootste land ter wereld?Whatis the largest country in the world?

Wat turning into waarIf 'wat' is preceded by a preposition, we use apronominal adverb:preposition +watwaar+preposition

In Dutch, we do not say 'by what' or 'to what' but 'whereby' and 'whereto'.Waarherken je dataan?By whatdo you recognize that?

Waarleidt dittoe?Whatdoes this leadto?

Wat voor [what kind of]Wat vooris an unusual construction. Some pronouns are preceded by a preposition but there are none that are followed by it. With the exception ofwat.Wat voormensen werken daar?What kind ofpeople work there?

Inwat voorhuis woon je?Inwhat kind ofhouse do you live?

As you can see in the last sentence,wat voorcan be preceded by a preposition without turning into a pronominal adverb (recall thatwatwithoutvoorwould have turned into a pronominal adverb).

Demonstrative pronounsThe Dutch demonstrative pronouns are:dit(this),deze(this, these),dat(that), anddie(that, those).In order to understand how we use the demonstrative pronouns, we need to distinguish two types of pronouns:TypeCharacteristicExample

dependentwith antecedentThat bookis nice.

independentwithout antecedentThatis nice.

Dependent demonstrative pronounsA dependent demonstrative pronoun is a pronoun that precedes a specific person or thing, differentiating it from other similar members of its class. E.g. I wantthatbook, not the other one. We call 'book' the antecedent.Independent demonstrative pronounsA demonstrative pronoun can also stand alone, meaning it does not have to precede a noun. For example, "Thatis nice ". An independent demonstrative does not need an antecedent.On the following pages, the two types of demonstrative pronouns are explained. On thesummarypage, you can see an overview.

A- Dependent demonstrativesA dependent demonstrative pronoun always precedes the noun (antecedent) it refers to.Just like in English, we make a distinction betweenthisandthat(singular) andtheseandthose(plural). The Dutch, however, add an extra distinction betweende-nouns and het-nouns.Recall that plural Dutch nouns are always de-nouns.EnglishDutch

thisthis house is bigdit:: singular het-nounsdit huis is groot

thisthis bike is yellowdeze:: singular de-nounsdeze fiets is geel

thesethese houses are bigthese bikes are yellowdeze:: plural nounsdeze huizen zijn grootdeze fietsen zijn geel

thatthat house is bigdat:: singular het-nounsdat huis is groot

thatthat bike is yellowdie:: singular de-nounsdie fiets is geel

thosethose houses are bigthose bikes are yellowdie:: plural nounsdie huizen zijn grootdie fietsen zijn geel

ExamplesDe-noun[Defilm]Heb jedezefilm gezien?[the movie]Have you seenthismovie?

[Defilm]Heb jediefilm gezien?[the movie]Have you seenthatmovie?

[Defilms]Heb jedezefilms gezien?[the movies]Have you seenthesemovies?

[Defilms]Heb jediefilms gezien?[the movies]Have you seenthosemovies?

Het-noun[Hetboek]Heb jeditboek gelezen?[the book]Have you readthisbook?

[Hetboek]Heb jedatboek gelezen?[the book]Have you readthatbook?

[Deboeken]Heb jedezeboeken gelezen?[the books]Have you readthesebooks?

[Deboeken]Heb jedieboeken gelezen?[the book]Have you readthosebooks?

B- Independent demonstrativesAn independent demonstrative behaves the same as a dependent demonstrative. The only difference is that we leave out the antecedent:

Dependent demonstrativeIndependent demonstrative

Have you seenthat movie?Have you seenthat?

This mealis very tasty.Thisis very tasty.

These kittensare so cute.Theseare so cute.

Those shoeswere very expensive.Thosewere very expensive.

We can simply repeat the table of the previous page and remove the antecedents:Independent demonstrative pronounsEnglishDutch

thisthishouseis bigdit:: singular het-nounsdithuisis groot

thisthisbikeis yellowdeze:: singular de-nounsdezefietsis geel

thesethesehousesare bigthesebikesare yellowdeze:: plural nounsdezehuizenzijn grootdezefietsenzijn geel

thatthathouseis bigdat:: singular het-nounsdathuisis groot

thatthatbikeis yellowdie:: singular de-nounsdiefietsis geel

thosethosehousesare bigthosebikesare yellowdie:: plural nounsdiehuizenzijn grootdiefietsenzijn geel

When an independent demonstrative pronoun is preceded by a preposition, it turns into apronominal adverb. On one of the next pages, you can see how this is achieved.

ExamplesDeze(singular):Ik hebdeze filmal gezien.I have already seenthis movie.

Ik hebdezeal gezien.I have already seenthis (one).

Deze(plural):Deze katjeszijn zo schattig.These kittensare so cute.

Deze zijnzo schattig.Theseare so cute.

Dit(always singular):Dit verhaalis waargebeurd.This storyreally happened.

Ditis waargebeurd.Thisreally happened.

Dat(always singular):Dat standbeeldstaat er al 300 jaar.That statuehas already been there for 300 years.

Datstaat er al 300 jaar.Thathas already been there for 300 years.

Die(singular):Heb jedie filmgezien?Have you seenthat movie?

Heb jediegezien?Have you seenthat (one)?

Die(plural):Die katjeszijn nog schattiger.Those kittensare even cuter.

Die zijnnog schattiger.Thoseare even cuter.

Independent demonstratives that are linked to nounsWhen an independent demonstrative pronoun is linked to a noun by alink verb, something strange happens: We are only allowed to use 'dit' and 'dat' (which we normally use for 'het'-nouns), even if the antecedent is a 'de'-noun.when an independent demonstrative pronounis linked to a noun with a link verb,we always use singular 'dit' or 'dat'Deze(singular) ditDeze stadis de hoofdstad van Europa.This cityis the capital of Europe.

Ditis de hoofdstad van Europa.Not:Dezeis de hoofdstad van EuropaThisis the capital of Europe.

Deze(plural) ditDeze mensenzijn onze buren.These peopleare our neighbours.

Ditzijn onze buren.Not:Dezezijn onze buren.Theseare our neighbours.

Die(singular) datDie vrouwis onze burgemeester.That womanis our mayor.

Datis onze burgemeester.Not:Dieis onze burgemeester.Thatis our mayor.

Die(plular) datDie kinderenworden topatleten.Those childrenwill become top athletes.

Datworden topatleten.Not:Dieworden topatleten.Those(they) will become top athletes.

On the next page, you can view more examples of this peculiar phenomenon.

Dit is (this is) and dit zijn (this 'are')In Dutch, "This are nice books" is a perfectly correct way to say that you think the books are nice. On the previous page, you already saw a few examples of how we useditanddatwhere we would normally usedezeordie. We normally usedit/datforhet-nouns,deze/dieforde-nouns (including all plural nouns).For Dutch learners, it must look particularly strange when we useditanddatto refer to plural nouns. That is why we will look at this phenomenon again, now focusing on plural nouns. Where the English say 'these are [noun]', the Dutch say 'this are [noun]'. For 'those are [noun]', the Dutch say 'that are [noun]'.As you can see in the example below, singulardit/dat(this/that) does not correspond with plural 'zijn' (are) or 'waren' (were):Dit zijninheemse planten.These areindigenous plants.[lit: This are indigenous plants]

Dat warenaardige buren.Those werenice neighbours.[lit: That were nice neighbours]

We only do this when 'these/those' is linked to a noun. 'Indigenous plants', and '(nice) neighbours' are nouns.If 'these/those' is linked to an adjective, the Dutch use the independent demonstrativesdeze/die.[Deze planten]Deze zijninheems.[these plants]These areindigenous.

[Die buren]Die warenaardig.[those neighbours]Those werenice.

'Indigenous', and 'nice' are adjectives.If we put the examples in one table, it is easy to see the difference.Dit zijninheemse plantenDeze zijninheems.These areindigenous plants.These areindigenous.

Dat warenaardige buren.Die warenaardig.Those werenice neighbours.Those werenice.

Demonstratives turning into hier/daar

An old-fashioned English way of saying "with that" or "for this" is "therewith" or "herefore". We call this apronominal adverb.In Dutch, this old-fashioned form is compulsory.This is what happens:preposition +dit/dezehier+preposition

preposition +dat/diedaar+preposition

Note that this only applies toindependent demonstrativepronouns. A pronoun that precedes a noun (e.g. 'this book', 'that day) is not independent. The examples below will illustrate the idea.Recall that we useditanddatforhet-nouns,dezeanddieforde-nouns (including all plural nouns).Examples ofditanddezeturning intohierDeze(singular) hierIk hebvan deze ervaringgeleerd.I have learnedfrom this experience.

Ik hebhiervangeleerd.Not: Ik hebvan dezegeleerd.I have learnedfrom this.

Deze(plural) hierZe schreefover deze gebeurtenissen.She wroteabout these events.

Ze schreefhierover.Not: Ze schreefover deze.She wroteabout these.

Dit(always singular) hierZe werdendoor dit nieuwsverrast.They were surprisedby this news.

Ze werdenhierdoorverrast.Not: Ze werdendoor ditverrast.They were surprisedby this.

Examples ofdatanddieturning intodaarDie(singular) daarHij ergerde zichaan die stank.He was annoyedby that smell.

Hij ergerde zichdaaraan.Not: Hij ergerde zichaan die.He was annoyedby that.

Die(plural) daarZe zatenachter die gordijnen.They werebehind those curtains.

Ze zatendaarachter.Not: Ze zatenachter die.They werebehind those.

Dat(always singular) daarZe pratenover dat verhaal.They are talkingabout that story.

Ze pratendaarover.Not: Ze pratenover dat.They are talkingabout that.

Summarizing dit, deze, die, and dat Dependent and independent demonstrative pronounsEnglishDutch

thisthis housethis is bigthis bicyclethis is yellowdit/dezedit huis [het huis]dit is grootdeze fiets [de fiets]deze is geel

thatthat housethat is bigthat bicyclethat is yellowdat/diedat huis [het huis]dat is grootdie fiets [de fiets]die is geel

thesethese housesthese are bigthese bicyclesthese are yellowdezedeze huizen [de huizen]deze zijn grootdeze fietsen [de fietsen]deze zijn geel

thosethose housesthose are bigthose bicyclesthose are yellowdiedie huizen [de huizen]die zijn grootdie fietsen [de fietsen]die zijn geel

Independent demonstratives linked to a nounEnglishDutch

thisthis is a nice bookditdit is een leuk boek

thatthat is a nice bookdatdat is een leuk boek

thesethese are nice booksditdit zijn leuke boeken[not: deze zijn leuke boeken]

thosethose are nice booksdatdat zijn leuke boeken[not: die zijn leuke boeken]

More demonstrativesNext to the commonly used demonstrativesdit, deze, dat, anddie, there are a few more demonstrative pronouns that we need to discuss:

EnglishDutch

the thing which, the person whodatgene, degene, diegene

such (a)zo'n & zulk(e)dergelijk(e)

to such an extentzodanig & dusdanig

the samedezelfde, hetzelfde, ditzelfde, datzelfde, diezelfde, deze zelfde,

Diegene and datgeneThe demonstrative pronouns on this page are normally used in combination with arelative pronoun.GeneThe pronouns below stem from the pronoungene, which is an archaic form ofdie('that' or 'those'). This pronoun has nothing to do with the negating adverbgeen.We usedatgenefor things anddiegenefor persons.DatgeneDatgene watmeans 'that which' or 'the thing(s) which'. You will not hear it very often in spoken Dutch but it is common enough in written Dutch to be dedicated a few lines to. Instead ofdatgene, we often saydat watorwat.EnglishDutch

that which[All interchangeable]- datgene wat [formal]- dat wat [common]- wat [common]

Je moet juistdatgenedoenwatze niet verwachten.You should do exactlythat whichthey do not expect.

Je moet juistdatdoenwatze niet verwachten.You should do exactlythat whichthey do not expect.

Je moet juist doenwatze niet verwachten.You should do exactlywhatthey do not expect.

Therelative pronounwat(just like In English) is often the most common form.Datgenewatik eigenlijk wilde zeggen...That whichI actually wanted to say...

Datwatik eigenlijk wilde zeggen...That whichI actually wanted to say...

Watik eigenlijk wilde zeggen...[most common]WhatI actually wanted to say...

Degene and diegeneDegene diemeans 'the person who' or 'that person who'. The Dutch do not really distinguish betweendegene and diegene. They mean roughly the same. For the plural, we use degenenand diegenenTo understand when we have to usediegene, we have to make a distinction between specific persons (that person who) and any person with a specific quality (whoever, any person who).Specific personAny person with a specific quality

That person whosaved the life of a child yesterday should be awarded a medal for bravery.Anyone whosaves the life of a child should be awarded a medal.

In Dutch, we usedegene/diegeneto refer to a specific person. If we are talking about just any person with certain characteristics, we can choose from several demonstrative (and relative) pronouns, includingdegene/diegene. They are all interchangeable.-Referring to a speficic person[that specific person who]Referring to any person with a specific quality[anyone who]

the person who[All interchangeable]- degene die- diegene die[All interchangeable]- degene die- diegene die- hij die- wie

the personswho[All interchangeable]- degenendie- diegenendie[All interchangeable]- degenendie- diegenendie- zij die- wie

ExamplesWe usedegenewhen talking about a specific person:Kandegene diemij midden in de nacht gebeld heeft mij voortaan overdag bellen?Couldthat person whocalled me in the middle of the night from now on call me at daytime?

Ik heb nog altijd contact metdegene dievroeger op me paste.I am still in touch withthe person whoused to baby-sit me.

If we refer to any person with a certain quality, we can usedegene, diegene, hij die,andwie:Degene diehet eerst aankomt, wint een prijs.He who(whoever) finishes first, wins a prize.

Hij diehet eerst aankomt, wint een prijs.

Wiehet eerst aankomt, wint een prijs.

Degenendie zich per post aanmelden, krijgeneen schriftelijke bevestiging.Anyone whoregisters by mail, will receive a written confirmation.

Zij diedie zich per post aanmelden, krijgeneen schriftelijke bevestiging.

Wiezich per post aanmeldt, krijgteen schriftelijke bevestiging.

Such: Zo'n, zulke, and dergelijkeThe most common translations for 'such' arezo'n(singular) andzulke(plural).Dergelijk(e)is a more formal way to say the same.Zo'nandzulkeZo'nandzulk(e)are the Dutch translation for English 'such'. They can function as demonstrative pronouns and as exclamative pronouns:"Such skin types are more sensitive to sun light." [demonstrative]"Such a nice skin you have!" [exclamative]EnglishDutch

such a (singular)zo'n (from 'zo een')

such (plural)zulke

such (uncountable)zulk (het-nouns)

zulke (de-nouns)

ExamplesSingular nouns:zo'nZo'nvakantie doet je goed.Such avacation does one (you) good.

Zij heeft ookzo'njas.She also hassuch ajacket.

Plural nouns:zulkeZulkemensen heb je overal.You findsuchpeople everywhere.

Zulkevlinders vind je niet in Nederland.You do not findsuch(that type of) butterflies in the Netherlands.

Uncountable nouns:zulkandzulke[het weer]Zulkweer hebben we niet vaak.[the weather]We do not often getsuchweather.

[de suiker]Daar gebruikt menzulkesuiker voor.[the sugar]That is what one usessuch(that kind of) sugar for.

DergelijkDergelijk(e)is a slightly more formal version ofzulkandzo'n.Een dergelijkevakantie doet je goed.Such avacation does one (you) good.

Dergelijkevlinders vind je niet in Nederland.You do not findsuch(that type of) butterflies in the Netherlands.

Formal 'such': Dusdanig and zodanigZodaniganddusdanigare formal forms ofzo'n and zulke.They mean 'such' as in 'of such a nature' or 'of such a degree'. The two mean practically the same.We use them in cause-and-effect sentences:formalZe haddenzodanigefouten gemaakt,dathet project moest worden afgelast.The mistakes they had made weresuchthat they had to cancel the project.

Ze haddendusdanigefouten gemaakt,dathet project moest worden afgelast.

commonZe haddenzulkefouten gemaakt,dathet project moest worden afgelast.They had madesuchmistakes, that they had to cancel the project.

As you can see,zodaniganddusdanigare used interchangeably. If you want to know the exact distinction: We use zodanigmore often when we talk about 'of such nature' anddusdanigin the sense of 'of such a degree'.Whether they get -e at the end depends on the word they precede. Beforede-nouns, we add -e at the end. In this respect, they behave likeadjectives.Zodanig/dusdanig and 'zo' (so)In the example above,zodanig/dusdanigprecedes a noun and thus behaves as an adjective. It can also say something about a verb or adjective, which makes it anadverb.In this case, we often use (exclamative)zo.formalZe hadden hetdusdanignaar hun zin,datze besloten langer te blijven.They were enjoying themselvesto such a degree, that they decided to stay longer.

commonZe hadden hetzonaar hun zin,datze besloten langer te blijven.They were enjoying themselvesso much, that they decided to stay longer.

An adverb never receives an extra -e at the endAs you can see,zois the common form.formalDe kinderen warendusdanigmoe,datze meteen in slaap vielen.The children were tiredto such a degreethat they fell asleep immediately.

commonDe kinderen warenzomoe,datze meteen in slaap vielen.The children weresotired that they fell asleep immediately.

Dezelfde and hetzelfdeIn Dutch, 'the same' is written as one word:dezelfdeorhetzelfde. It will probably not come as a surprise that we use dezelfdefor de-words andhetzelfdefor het-words.

EnglishDutch

the same[singular]hetzelfde [het-words]dezelfde [de-words]

the same[plural]dezelfde[plurals are always de-words]

ExamplesSingular de-words:We hebbendezelfde jasgekocht.We boughtthe samecoat.

Dat is toch nietdezelfdeals die ik heb?That is notthe same(one/type) as the one I have, is it?

As the above sentences illustrate,dezelfdecan precede a noun (first phrase) but it can also be used independently (second phrase).Singular het-wordsZe moeten steedshetzelfde werkdoen.They have to dothe samework all the time.

Vandaag doen wehetzelfdeals vorige week.Today we dothe sameas what we did last week.

Plural words (always 'de')Die broers hebbendezelfde ogen.Those brother havethe same(type of) eyes.

Ja, het zijndezelfdeals die van hun moeder.Yes, they arethe sameas their mother's.

Ditzelfde, deze zelfde, diezelfde, datzelfdeZelfdecan also be combined with the demonstrative pronounsdit, deze, die, and dat. They are normally written as one word with the exception ofdeze zelfde.There is no clear distinction between this form and hetzelfde/dezelfde. If we want to say that something is 'the very same as', we often usediezelfde/datzelfde/ditzelfde/deze zelfde.Ditzelfde huisstond op de voorpagina van Het Parool.The [very] samehouse was on the front page of Het Parool (a Dutch newspaper).

Diezelfde regisseurheeft veel documentaires gemaakt over de Sahara.The [very] samedirector has made a lot of documentaries about the Sahara.

Datzelfdekun je zeggen over onze huidige regering.You can saythe [very] sameabout our current government.

Deze zelfde foutmoeten we niet nog eens maken.We shouldn't makethe very samemistake again.

Summarizing the less common demonstrativesDegene, diegene, datgeneThe person who, the thing which

EnglishDutch

the thing which[All interchangeable]datgene wat [formal]dat wat [common]wat [common]

the person who[referring to a specific person][All interchangeable]degene diediegene die

the persons who[referring to specific persons][All interchangeable]degenendiediegenendie

anyone who[referring to a person with a specific quality][All interchangeable]degene diediegene diehij diewie

anyone who[referring to a group of persons with a specific quality][All interchangeable]degenendiediegenendiezij diewie

Zulk(e), zo'n, and dergelijk(e)Such (a)EnglishDutch

such [singular]zo'n (from 'zo een')dergelijk (het-nouns_dergelijke (de-nouns)

such [plural]zulkedergelijke

uncountablezulk (het-nouns)zulke (de-nouns)dergelijk (het-nouns)dergelijke (de-nouns)

Dergelijkis a more formal way to sayzulkorzo'n

Zodanig and dusdanigOf such a nature, of such a degree

EnglishDutch

of such a nature, of such a degree [adjective]zodanig(e) [formal]dusdanig [formal]zulk(e) [common]

of such a nature, of such a degree [adverb]zodanig [formal]dusdanig [formal]zo [common]

Dezelfde and hetzelfdeThe sameEnglishDutch

the same [singular]hetzelfde [het-words]dezelfde [de-words]

the same [plural]dezelfde

You can also useditzelfde, deze zelfde(separate words!),datzelfde,ordiezelfde. They mean roughly the same as dezelfde/hetzelfde.

Relative pronouns

The Dutch have more or less the same pronouns as the English:dat|die|wat|wie|wiens, wier, van wieThere are a few differences in how they are used.Most relative pronouns becomepronominal adverbswhen they are combined with a preposition.PronounDutchEnglish

datHet boekdatik heb gelezen.

Het huis,datin de 17e eeuw werd gebouwd, wordt volgend jaar opgeknapt.The bookthatI have read.

The house,whichwas built in the 17th century, will be renovated next year.

dieDe mandiedaar staat.

De film,dielovende kritieken kreeg, wekt veel discussies op.The manwhostands there.

The movie,whichreceived positive reviews, triggers a lot of debates.

watHet laaststewatik weet is dat ze naar Frankrijk is verhuisd.

Er is nog ietswatik je wilde zeggen.The last thingthatI know is that she moved to France.

There is still something (that) I want to say to you.

wieDe collegamet wieik samenwerk.

Dat is de zieke buurvrouwvoor wiehij zorgt.The colleaguewhomI work with.

That is the ill neighbour (woman),whom he is taking care of.

Genitive relative pronounsThe genitive relative pronoun expresses possession.PronounDutchEnglish

wiensDe man,wiensdochter bij mij om de hoek woont, ...The man,whosedaughter lives around the corner from me, ...

wierDat is de vrouwwierhond altijd bij ons in de tuin rondrent.That is the womanwhosedog is always running around in our garden.

van wieDe man,van wiede dochter bij mij om de hoek woont, ...

Dat is de vrouwvan wiede hond altijd bij ons in de tuin rondrent.The man,whosedaughter lives around the corner of me, ...

That is the womanwhosedog is always running around in our garden.

Dat (that, which)We usedatto refer to het-words:Hetboekdatik wil kopen, is al weken uitverkocht.The bookthatI want to read has been sold out for weeks.

Ik vondhetverhaaldathij aan ons voorlas,maar griezelig.I thought the storythathe read to us was rather creepy.

Hetconcept, datdoor mijn collega is bedacht, is een groot succes geworden.The concept,whichwas designed by my colleague, turned out to be a great success.

Hetvliegtuig, datvoor elke vlucht streng gecontroleerd wordt, verloor tijdens het opstijgen een wiel.The airplane,whichis scrutinously checked before each flight, lost a wheel during take-off.

Dat - which/thatIf you look at the sentences, you can see that the Dutch relative clauses all begin with 'dat', while the English clauses start with either 'that' or 'which'.It is a distinction between two types of relative clauses.The first type gives us extra information. If we omit the relative clause, the sentence will still make sense. For this type of relative clause, the English use 'which'. The Dutch only indicate the 'redundancy' of the extra information by adding an extra comma before the clause.The second type is a necessary part of the sentence. In English, this clause always begins with 'that'. We do not add a comma before this clause (neither in Dutch, nor in English). The Dutch do add a comma at the end of the clause.Datturning intowaarIfdatis preceded by a preposition, it turns into apronominal adverb. This means that we replacedatbywaarand we glue the preposition to the end of it.preposition +datwaar+preposition

Do not confuse this with thedemonstrative pronoundat, which is replaced bydaar.As you can read inthe Dutch pronominal adverb, the pronominal adverb is often separated by other verbs.Het boekwaariknaarop zoek ben.Not: Het boeknaar datik op zoek ben.The bookthatI am looking for.["the book wherefor I am looking"]

Het verhaalwaarwe nachtmerriesvankregen.Not: Het verhaalvan datwe nachtmerries kregen.The storythatgave us nightmares.["The story whereof we got nightmares"]

Het conceptwaarmijn collega beroemdmeeis geworden.Not: Het conceptmet datmijn collega beroemd is geworden.The conceptthatmade my colleague famous.["The concept wherewith my colleague became famous"]

Het vliegtuigwaarweinzaten.Not: Het vliegtuigin datwe zaten.The airplanethatwe were in.["The airplane wherein we were"]

While most prepositions do not change when they become part of a pronominal adverb, there are two exceptions:Met andtot. They turn intomeeandtoerespectively.

Die (that, which, who)While we usedatto refer to het-words, we usedieto refer to de-words and to persons.Recall that plural words are always de-words.Defilmdieik wil zien, komt binnenkort op DVD uit.The filmthatI want to see will soon be released on DVD.

Ik vonddeuitlegdiezij eraan gaf, erg interessant.I thought the interpretationthatshe gave of it, was very interesting.

DePartij van de Dieren, diebij de vorige verkiezingen nog niet bestond, behaalt volgens de peilingen n zetel in het parlement.According to the polls, the Animals' Party,whichdid not exist yet during the previous elections, will obtain one seat in the parliament.

The Dutch relative clauses all begin with 'dat', while the English clauses start with either 'that' or 'which'.Read why.Dieturning intowaarIfdiereferring to something inanimate is preceded by a preposition, we use thepronominal adverbwaar+preposition.

preposition +diewaar+preposition

Do not confuse this with thedemonstrative pronoundie, which is replaced bydaar.The pronominal adverb is often separated by other verbs, as you can read onthe Dutch pronominal adverb.De filmwaarwe hetoverpraten.Not: De filmover diewe het hadden.The filmthatwe were talking about.["... whereabout we were talking"]

De uitlegwaarze onsmeeboeide.Not: De uitlegmet dieze ons boeideThe interpretationwith whichshe got us interested.["...wherewith she got us interested"]

DePartij voor de Dieren,waarhij lidvanis.Not: ...van diehij lid is.The Animals' Party,whichhe is a member of.["...whereof he is a member"]

Die - whoIn relative clauses, the Dutch usediewhere the English say 'who'.Deschaatsers, dievoornamelijk uit het noorden van Nederland komen, trainen vaak in het Thialfstadion in Heerenveen.The ice-skaters,whomainly come from the northern part of the Netherlands, often train in the Thialf Stadion in Heerenveen.

Robin, dieal tot honderd kan tellen, vindt het leuk om met cijfers te spelen.Robin,whocan already count up to hundred, enjoys playing with numbers.

Ifdiereferring to a person is preceded by a preposition, you have to usewie. In English, we would say 'whom'.Unlikediereferring to inanimate things,diereferring to persons does not turn into a pronominal adverb.However, in spoken Dutch, we sometimes violate the rule that pronominal adverbs should not be used for persons. You could hear someone say "De vrouw waarmee ik samenwerk" (the woman whom I work with). The correct phrase is "de vrouw met wie ik samenwerk".

Wat (that, what, which)

We usewat: to refer to a whole phrase: "It is raining,whichmakes her sad" without an antecedent (or to refer to an invisibledat): "[That]whatgoes around, comes around" to refer toalles(everything, all),iets & niets(something and nothing),or weinig(little, few). to refer to an independentindefinite pronounsoradjective, e.g.het enige, het mooie(the beautiful thing),het grootste(the biggest thing).Watreferring to a whole phraseWhen we refer to a whole phrase, we always usewat:Het gaat deze zomer veel regenen,watslecht nieuws is voor de toeristische sector.It is going to rain a lot this summer,whichis bad news for the tourist industry.

Ze letten goed op hun gezondheid,watniet betekent dat ze nooit eens patat eten.They look after their health,whichdoes not mean that they never have fries.

Watwithout antecedentJust like in English, we can usewatwithout an antecedent. You could say that it refers to an invisibledat.[dat]Watze zei, was zeer schokkend.[that]Whatshe said was very shocking.

[dat]Watwe vergaten, was dat er een uur tijdsverschil was.[that]Whatwe didn't remember was that there was an hour time difference.

Watreferring toalles, iets, niets,orweinigDat isiets watik me nog goed kan herinneren.That issomething thatI recall very well.

Is datalles watje hebt gedaan?Is thatall thatyou have done?

Ik hebnietsgevondenwathet probleem kan verklaren.I have not foundanything thatcould explain the problem.

Er is maarweinig watik niet lust!There are onlyvery few things thatI do not like (to eat).

Watreferring to independent indefinite pronouns and adjectivesIn English, adjectives are normally linked to a noun or pronoun. That is why we add 'thing' to the English translation.It is also acceptable to use 'dat', just like in English. However, there is a strong preference for 'wat'.Het laatste watik me kan herinneren, is dat ik tegen die auto aanbotste.The last thing thatI can recall is that I collided with that car.

Het eerste watze na de wedstrijd zei was dat ze honger had.The first thing thatshe said after the match was that she was hungry.

Dat ishet enige watze zei.That isthe only thing thatshe said.

Dat was welhet vreemdste watwe ooit hadden meegemaakt.That really wasthe weirdest (that)thing we ever experienced.

Dat ishet minste watje van ze mag verwachten.That isthe least thatyou could expect from them.

Watturning intowaarIfwatis preceded by a preposition, it turns into apronominal adverb: We substitutewatforwaarand let the preposition follow after it.preposition +watwaar+preposition

Het gaat deze zomer veel regenen,waarwe niet blijmee zijn.It is going to rain a lot this summer,whichwe are not happywith.

Ze letten goed op hun gezondheid,waarze op de lange termijnvoorzullen worden beloond.They look after their health,whichthey will be rewarded for in the long run.

Watwithout an antecedent (see above) never turns into a pronominal adverb.

Wie (who, whom)We usewie:1. as a translation of whom: "The personwith whomI was talking"2. without an antecedent: "(He) whois without sin cast the first stone"Wieas a translation of 'whom'For the relative pronoun 'who' the Dutch saydie. When this pronoun is preceded by a preposition, the Dutch saywie.De buurvrouwvoor wiehij jaren heeft gezorgd.Not: ..voor diehij jaren heeft gezorgd.The neighbourwhomhe has been taking careoffor years.[".. of whom he has been taking care of ]

De klasgenootaan wiehij die vraag stelde.Not: ..aan diehij die vraag stelde.The class matewhomhe asked that questionto.["...to whom he asked that question"]

You may have heard something like "De buurvrouwwaarhij jarenvoorheeft gezorgd" en "De klasgenootwaarhij die vraagaanstelde".Waarvoorandwaaraanarepronominal adverbs, which we should not use when we refer to persons.Wiein the sense of 'he who'Where the English say 'he who', the Dutch saywie. You can also sayhij dieorzij diebutwieis by far the most common.Wiezijn billen brandt, moet op de blaren zitten.Hewhoburns his bottom will have to sit on blisters.

Wieeen kuil graaft voor een ander, valt er zelf in.Hewhodigs a hole (trap) for someone else will fall in it himself.

Wieeen prins wil trouwen, moet veel kikkers kussen.Shewhowants to marry a prince has to kiss many frogs.

The example sentences are Dutch proverbs.

Wiens and wier (whose)If we say 'whose' In Dutch, we have to make a distinction between feminine and masculine owners. If we refer to property of a masculine owner we saywiens, if the owner is feminine or if there are several owners (plural):wier.

Is dat de manwiensvrouw vanavond op televisie was?Is that the manwhosewife was on television tonight?

De jongen,wienszusje bij jou in de klas zit, ...The boy,whoselittle sister is on your class, ...

De actrice,wierfaam in de jaren veertig begon, ...The actress,whosefame started of in the forties, ..

De meisjes,wierouders uit Marokko komen, ...The girls,whoseparents come from Morocco, ...

Whilewiensis still very common,wieris considered rather formal. People often usewienseven if the owner is feminine or plural. Personally, I would rather opt for the alternative below.Van wie de/van wie hetInstead of 'whose', you can also say 'of whom':van wie deorvan wie het:Is dat de manvan wie devrouw vanavond op televisie was?Is that the manwhosewife was on television tonight?

De jongenvan wie hetzusje bij jou in de klas zit, ...The boy,whoselittle sister is on your class, ...

De actrice,van wie defaam in de jaren veertig begon, ..The actress,whosefame started off in the forties, ..

De meisjes,van wie deouders uit Marokko komen, ...The girls,whoseparents come from Morocco, ...

Whether we usevan wie deorvan wie hetdepends, of course, on the noun it precedes (de or het).

Indefinite pronounsThe amount and complexity of indefinite pronouns can be quite overwhelming. In this subchapter, every pronoun will be discussed in detail. If you would like to start with a quick overview, visit thesummarypage first.The indefinite pronounAn indefinite pronoun refers to someone or something that is not specifically or exactly defined, e.g.some, every, all, oreach.Some indefinite pronouns can be used independently: "Everybodyis happy." Other indefinite pronouns act as adjectives,which means that they precede a noun: "Every catis happy."Collective indefinite pronounsAmong the indefinite pronouns, there is a special category: the collective indefinite pronouns:all, every, each, everything, everyone,andeverybody. They are defined as a separate class because they have a few features in common.We will start with the collective indefinite pronouns. After that, we will move on to the rest:any, several, some, something, somebody, nothing, nobody,et cetera.Pronominal adverbsAmong the indefinite pronouns, there are three pronouns that we can turn intopronominal adverbswhen we combine them with a preposition: we can turnallesintooveral,ietsintoergens,andnietscan becomenergens.Remember: If, while going through the following pages, you feel like you are losing track of the overall picture, you can always jump to thesummary.

Collective indefinite pronouns

Collective indefinite pronouns always refer to the whole group (everyone, everything) or to every member of a group (each, every)The Dutch (or English) collective pronoun can behave in three different ways:It can be an independent pronoun, which means it does not precede a noun:Iedereenmoet zijn tanden poetsen.Everyonehas to brush his teeth.

Allesstaat in de bibliotheekscatalogus.Everythingis in the library catalogue.

It can also say something about a noun, by preceding it like an adjective.Alle mensenmoeten hun tanden poetsen.All peoplehave to brush their teeth.

Elk boekheeft een unieke code.Each bookhas a unique code.

Collective indefinite pronouns can also occur somewhere after* the noun they say something about, as a 'little extra' (a 'predicative adjective'). In the following examples, the information provided by the indefinite pronouns is not essential and could be omitted.De mensenmoetenallemaalhun tanden poetsen.The peopleallhave to brush their teeth.

De boekenhebbenelkeen unieke code.The bookseachhave a unique code.

The pronouns serve to stress that 'the people' concernsallpeople and that by 'the books', we meaneachbook. Without 'each', we could think that we only have one unique code for all books together.On the following pages, we will discuss each collective pronoun separately.

Alles & iedereen (everything & everyone)Just like in English,alles(everything) andiedereen(everyone) are independent pronouns: They do not precede another noun.The Dutch do not make a distinction between 'everyone' and 'anyone', they always sayiedereen. The same goes for 'everything' and 'anything', for which the Dutch use the wordalles.DutchApplicationEnglish

allessingulareverything, anything

iedereensingulareveryone, anyone

Iedereen (everyone)Although it refers to a group of people,iedereenis regarded as a singular pronoun. The English pronouns 'everybody' and 'everyone' are also singular but in colloquial English we do come across sentences like "Everyonehas to brushtheir teeth" (instead of the correct form:histeeth). In Dutch, even colloquial Dutch, you will never hear this.Iedereenkan leren fietsen.Everyone (anyone)can learn how to ride a bicycle.

Hij kan metiedereenopschieten.He gets along witheveryone.

Heb jeiedereenverwittigd?Dit you notifyeveryone?

Alles (everything)Just likeiedereen, allesis a singular pronoun.Allesis veranderd.Everythinghas changed.

Ik heballesal gedaan.I have doneeverythingalready.

Pronominal adverballes - overalIf you already went through thepronominal adverbs, you know that we sometimes change the pronoun into an adverb when it is preceded by a preposition. We can (but in this case, do not have to) do the same withalles.For example, instead ofvoor alles('for everything'), we can sayoveral voor('everywhere for'). Note that we writeoveralandvoor as two separate words (unlike most otherpronominal adverbs).

preposition +allesoveral+ preposition

In the examples below, both Dutch sentences are correct.Hij heeft altijdop alleseen antwoord.He always has an answerto everything.

Hij heeft altijdoveraleen antwoordop.

Ik kan met haarover allespraten.With her, I can talkabout everything.

Ik kan met haaroveral overpraten.

Al, alle, allen, allemaal (all)In Dutch we have four ways to say 'all':al, alle, allen,andallemaal. In the table below, you can read how we use each form.

alle1. Before plural nouns, e.g. 'all people', 'all houses'.2. Before uncountable singular nouns, e.g. 'all gold', 'all might'.

alBefore a pronoun or article, e.g. 'all the time', 'all my life', 'all those people'.

alle, allen, allemaalPredicative: After a pronoun as 'extra information', e.g. 'they are all different', 'it is all the same'.

Allemaalcan refer to both person and things,alleonly to things,allenonly to persons.Allemaalis common,alleandallenare formal.

allenIndependent as a synonym foriedereen(everyone). Very formal!Note that 'alle' (without final n) cannot function as an independent pronoun).

AlleWhen 'all' precedes a noun, we usealle.We generally use it before plural nouns:Alle mensenzijn zoogdieren.All peopleare mammals.

Heb jealle lichtenuitgedaan?Did you switch offall lights?

Alle kaartenwaren uitverkocht.All ticketswere sold-out.

We can also use it before a singular noun but only if that noun does not have a plural form (or its plural form has a different meaning):Alle moeitewas voor niets.All effortwas in vain (for nothing).

The Dutch wordmoeitedoes not have a plural form.We willen je metalle liefdehelpen.We would love to help you ("We would like to help you with all love")

Liefde(love) does have a plural form:Liefdes. We only use this to refer to love relationships or persons that you love. In the example above, we use it in a different way: We are talking about the concept of love in general, not about specific relationships or loved ones.Ze wilden metalle geweldhun auto voor hun huis parkeren.They wanted to park their car in front of their house at all costs ('withall violence').

If you want something 'met alle geweld', this means that you will do anything to get your way.Geweld(violence) does not have a plural.

AlIfallprecedes an article or another pronoun, we useal. For example:al je geld (all your money),al die mensen (all those people),al die tijd (all that time).Just likealle, it is used for plural nouns and singular nouns that do not have a plural.Hij heeftal die maandenvoor haar gezorgd.He has been taking care of her (during)all those months.

Hebben jullieal de lichtenuitgedaan?Did you switch offall the lights?

Singular nouns that do not have plural:Ze hebbenal hun geldaan de renovatie van hun huis besteed.They spentall their moneyon the renovation of their house.

Waar heb jeal die tijdgezeten?Where have you beenall that time?

Geld(money) andtijd(time) have plural forms but they mean something else. We use the plural formgeldenwhen we talk about fees or budgets. When we saytijden, we usually refer to hours (like opening hours) or grammatical tenses. We also use it when we talk about historical periods.Alle, allen,andallemaalWe already discussedalleas a pronoun that precedes another noun (see above) but it can also occur somewhere after the noun it says something about.In "The books are all listed in the library catalogue", the information provided by the indefinite pronoun 'all' is not essential and could be omitted. It only serves to stress that 'the books' concernsallbooks.In Dutch, the common form isallemaal. We use it to refer to plural nouns and to singular nouns that do not have plural forms.De boekenstaanallemaalvermeld in de bibliotheekscatalogus.The booksarealllisted in the library catalogue.

De kandidatenzullenallemaalworden uitgenodigd voor een toelatingstest.The applicantswillallbe invited for an admission test.

Je hoefthetnietallemaaluit je hoofd te leren.You do not have to studyit allby heart.

Hij heefthet geldtochallemaalaan een goed doel geschonken?He donatedthe money allto a good cause, did he not?

A formal form is alle(n). It means the exact same asallemaalbut there is one difference: We can only use alle(n) for plural antecedents.When we refer to persons, we useallen, in all other casesalle (without the final n).De boekenstaanallevermeld in de bibliotheekscatalogus.The booksarealllisted in the library catalogue.

De kandidatenzullenallenworden uitgenodigd voor een toelatingstest.The applicantswillallbe invited for an admission test.

AllenAllencan also occur independently, which means that it does not have an antecedent (a noun it refers to). This use of allenis very formal!If we use it this way, it is a synomym foriedereen(everyone). There is, however, a slight difference: Whileiedereen can refer to an indefinite universe,allenhas a more limited scope, which is defined by the context. It practically means the same as 'all of them'.Allenis a plural pronoun.Allenmoesten hun paspoort laten zien.All(of them) had to show their passports

Allenzijn voor de toelatingstest geslaagd.All(of them) passed the admission test..

I would like to stress again that the use ofalleninstead ofiedereenis rather formal.

Elk & ieder (each & every)There is no clear difference betweenelkandieder(each and every). They are practically interchangeable. There is, however, a tendency to use: iederfor persons elkfor things elkwhen we are talking about a small group of people or thingsDutchApplicationEnglish

elksingulareach

iedersingularevery

Elk(e)andieder(e)before a nounWhen we placeelkoriederbefore a noun (e.g.elke keer, 'each time'), we have to inflect it according to the gender of the noun. Before neuter nouns (het-words), we sayelkorieder. Before de-nouns, we have to add-e:elkeandiedere.We only use elk(e) and ieder(e) before singular nouns.InflectionBefore what type of noun?

elk / iederhet-nouns

elke/ iederede-nouns

The example below illustrate howelkandiederare inflected according to the nouns they precede.[dedag]Ik fietselkedagnaar mijn werk.[the day]I cycle to workevery day.

[hetbibliotheekboek]Elk bibliotheekboekheeft een unieke code.[the library book]Each library bookhas a unique code.

[dedeelnemer]Iederedeelnemerontvangt een officieel attest.[the participant]Every participantwill receive an official certificate.

[hetmeisje]Op Valentijnsdag stuurt hijieder meisjein zijn klas een kaart.[the girl]On Valentine's Day, he sends a postcard toevery girlin his class.

Elk vanandieder vanElkandiederare rarely used independenty. If they are, they usually take the formelk vanorieder van(each of, every one of).Recall thatelkandiederare singular pronouns.Ieder van henmoest zich legitimeren.Every one of themhad to identify himself.

Ik heb het metelk van julliebesproken.I discussed it witheach of you.

We generally useelkwhen the group we refer to is relatively small. That is why you will not often hear "iedervan mijn vier collega's".IndependentelkandiederWe find independentelkandiederin a few fixed expressions:Iedervoor zich."Eachfor oneself."[Each has to decide for oneself or has to serve one's own interests].

Voorelk(orieder) wat wils.Something toeachperson's liking.

PredicativeelkandiederElkandiedercan also occur somewhere* after the noun they refer to. If they do, they provide us with some extra information, which is not essential. This information could be omitted.De boekenhebbenelkeen unieke code.The bookseachhave a unique code.

The pronoun serves to stress that by 'the books', we mean'each individualbook' . Without 'each', we could think that we only have one unique code for all books together.De schilderijenhebbenelk 20.000 gekost.The paintingscost 20,000each.

De leerlingenhaddeniedereen gedicht geschreven.The students eachwrote a poem.

Without the pronouns, it could seem as if the paintings were bought for a total of 20,000 together and that the students collectively wrote one poem.Of course, we could also simply write: "Elk schilderij heeft 20.000 gekost" and "Iedere leerling had een gedicht geschreven."

Iets & niets (something & nothing)Ietsandnietsare used exactly like 'something' and 'nothing' in English. The only difference is that the Dutch do not make a distinction between 'something' and 'anything'.Ietsandnietsare singular pronouns.DutchApplicationEnglish

ietssingularsomething, anything

nietssingularnothing

If we combineietsornietswith a preposition (met iets,voor niets), we can use apronominal adverb(see further below).Iets[something] andniets[nothing]Ik wil graagietszeggen.I would like to saysomething.

Moeten weietsmeenemen?Should we bringanything?

We hebben nognietsgedaan.We have not done anything yet.

Nietsis onmogelijk.Nothingis impossible.

Pronominal adverbsergens[somehwere] andnergens[nowhere]Sometimes, we change the pronoun into an adverb when it is preceded by a preposition. For example, instead ofvoor iets('for something'), we can sayergens voor('somewhere for').We do not have to do this. We are perfectly allowed to write a preposition beforeietsorniets. However, if we want, we can use thepronominal adverbsergens(somewhere) instead ofiets(something) andnergens(nowhere) instead of niets. If we do this, the following happens:preposition +ietsergens+ preposition

preposition +nietsnergens+ preposition

Note that(n)ergensis not attached to the preposition.Dat deed meaan ietsdenken.That reminded me ofsomething.

Dat deed meergens aandenken.

Ze wasvoor nietsbang.She was not afraid ofanything.[She was afraid ofnothing]

Ze wasnergensbangvoor.

Ietsandnietsbefore adjectivesIfietsornietsprecedes an adjective, we add -s to the end of the adjective.Er isniets interessantsop tv.There isnothing interestingon TV.

Er isniets anders.There isnothing else.

Kun jijiets betersbedenken?Can you think ofanything better?

Er wasiets vreemdsaan hem.There wassomething strangeabout him.

Iemand & niemand (someone and noone)The Dutch do not make a distinction between 'someone' and 'anyone'. They are both callediemand.Iemandandniemandare singular pronouns.

DutchApplicationEnglish

iemandsingularsomeone, anyone

niemandsingularnoone

Heb je het al aaniemandverteld?Did you already tellanyone?

Ik heb het al aaniemandverteld.I already told it tosomeone.

Nee, ik heb het nog aanniemandverteld.No, I did not tellanyoneyet.

Niemandmag het weten.Nooneis allowed to know.

Beide and allebei (both)For the English word 'both', the Dutch can saybeide(n)orallebei (de). As they always refer to two things or persons, these are all plural pronouns.Just like in English, these pronouns can be dependent, independent, or predicative.BothDutchApplicationEnglish

beide1. Dependent (before a noun), e.g. 'both men wore blue shirts'.

2. Independent (referring to things), e.g. 'both are listed as polluted zones'.both (of them)

beidenIndependent (referring to persons), e.g. 'both have qualified for the next round'.both (of them)

allebeiPredicative, as 'extra' information.

E.g. 'they have both qualified for the next round' (persons) or 'they are both listed as polluted zones' (things).both (of them)

allebei deDependent (before a noun), used in exactly the same way as dependentbeide(see first row).both (of them)

The literal translation of 'both of them' would be 'beide(n) van hen'. In Dutch, it is rather unusual to addvan hen.NeitherDutchApplicationEnglish

geen van beide1. Dependent (before a noun), e.g. 'neither (of them ) wore blue shirts'.

2. Independent (referring to things), e.g. 'neither (of them) are listed as polluted zones'.neither (of them)

geen van beidenIndependent (referring to persons), e.g. 'neither (of them) have qualified for the next round'.neither (of them)

Beidebefore a noun (dependent)When we place 'beide' before a noun, it never receives -n at the end, regardless of whether the noun refers to persons or things.Het heeft opbeide dagengeregend.It was raining (on)both days.

Beide collega'sgaan in mei op vakantie.Both colleagueswill go on holidays in May.

Independent:BeideandbeidenWhen used independently, i.e. not placing it before a noun, we have to choose betweenbeideandbeiden. We use beidefor things,beidenfor persons.Beidestaan in de uitverkoop.Bothare on sale.

Beidenarriveerden te laat.Botharrived late.

In the first example,beidecould refer to shoes, bicycles, or any other goods that could be on sale. In the second example,beidenrefers to persons.PredicativeallebeiWe can also add 'both' as additional information about another pronoun. If we say "they are both females", 'both' gives us extra information about 'they'. We could omit this information as 'both' only serves to emphasize that 'all two of them' are females. We do the same in Dutch.Ik vind zeallebeieven mooi.I think they arebothequally beautiful.

Ze hebbenallebeiveel gevoel voor humor.Theybothhave a good sense of humor.

In the examples above, we could easily omitallebeior 'both'. In the next examples, it is necessary to useallebei.Wie had er gelijk?Ze haddenallebeigelijk.Who was right?They were'bothright.

Heb je de rode of de blauwe fiets gekocht?Ik heb zeallebeigekocht.Did you buy the r