Men

How to make impersonal statements using the word "men".
# false friends
# pronouns

Explanation

How to use "men" in Dutch

Men (one)

You can use men (one) if the subject is not a specific person. Men is combined with a verb in he/she/het-form, because it is a singular pronoun.


Example:

  • Men kan op de website meer informatie vinden.
  • One can find more information on the website.

Men can also be used as they (ze) when it is not clear who "they" are.

  • Men wil graag dat hier meer parkeerplekken komen.
  • Ze willen graag dat hier meer parkeerplekken komen.
  • They want more parking spaces here.

Je (you)

In everyday speech, Dutch speakers often use je instead of men. This je doesn't mean the person you're talking to. It means anyone, people in general, just like you in English. Men sounds more formal and is mostly used in writing.

  • Je weet maar nooit. (You never know.)
  • In Nederland fiets je veel. (In the Netherlands, you cycle a lot.)

In short: men is formal and mostly written, je is what you say in everyday speech, and ze refers to a group of people you don't name.

Here you can read more about Dutch pronouns!

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