Indefinite words - Onbepaalde woorden

Indefinite pronouns

Indefinite pronouns refer to non-specific people or things. Iemand, niemand, men, iets and niets are some common examples.

Iemand moet de afwas doen!
Someone has to do the washing-up.

Ik heb niemand gezien.
I haven't seen anyone.

In de eetkamer kan men het avondeten nuttigen.
In the dining room one can take the evening meal.
The evening meal can be taken in the dining room.

Men is used in formal Dutch and is often translated as a passive in English. A construction with men also has a passive pendant in Dutch (e.g. In de eetkamer kan het avondeten genuttigd worden.).

Note that men is a singular entity and requires a single form of the verb.

Er is toch iets wat ik niet begrijp.
There is something I don't understand, though.

Hij weet niets van economie.
He knows nothing of economics. (i.e. He doesn't know anything about economics.).

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Indefinite numerals

Indefinite numerals refer to a vague or unclear quantity of people or things. Some useful examples are sommige, een paar, veel en weinig.

Sommige studenten drinken geen alcohol.
Some students don't drink alcohol.

Alan heeft een paar CD's van Karin geleend.
Alan has borrowed a few CD's of Karin's.

Simone geeft veel geld uit aan cosmetica.
Simone spends a lot of money on cosmetics.

Ik heb weinig geld op mijn rekening.
I have little money in my account.

Note that weinig and veel do not behave like adjectives, i.e. they don't have an -e at the end.

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