| Dutch
| Application
| English
|
| men
| singular
| one
|
Men (one)
When the subject is not specific, we can use men (one). In Dutch, it is a rather formal form but still a lot more common than its English equivalent 'one'. It goes without saying that men is a singular pronoun.
| Men kan aangetekende postpakketten ook bij het postkantoor afhalen.
| One can also pick up registered mail at the post office.
|
| Bij het bezoeken van een moskee moet men zijn schoenen uitdoen.
| When visiting a mosque, one has to remove one's shoes.
|
As you can see, the Dutch do not have a possessive pronoun for men. They simply use zijn (his).
When 'they' is not clearly defined, the Dutch often use men. The Dutch can also use ze (they). Both pronouns (men and ze) are equally correct. Men is only a bit more formal than ze.
| Draagt men in Nederland klompen?
| Do they wear wooden shoes in Holland?
|
| Dragen ze in Nederlands klompen?
|
|
| Men zegt dat de economie weer aantrekt.
| They say that the economy is recovering.
|
| Ze zeggen dat de economie weer aantrekt.
|
|
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