B1 · The passive
Men, je, ze: how to say “one”
the general “one”
Topic 89 of 90 · about 7 minutes
Your goal
You can decide whether to use men, je, ze or the passive when you talk about people in general.
In Gent kun je lekker eten.In Ghent you can eat well.
Ze zeggen dat het een strenge winter wordt.They say it is going to be a harsh winter.
Men moet zich vooraf aanmelden.You have to register beforehand.
Done at 8 of 10, including 3 of 4 written yourself · about 5 min
Explainer video
Watch first – then practise
The essentials
RememberConversation: je or ze. Writing: men or the passive.
men is formal, je and ze are everyday — and often the passive is the better choice.
- Signal words
- men
- je
- ze
- er wordt
- zeggen
The form
The forms and what they mean
Each row gives the meaning first, then the form in Dutch.
| one (formal) | men |
| one, you (anybody, me included) | je |
| they (the others, “that lot”) | ze |
| no doer at all | er wordt … |
| you can / one can | je kunt / men kan |
| they say / one says | ze zeggen / men zegt |
The rules one by one
The form this topic is about
men is formal and mostly used in texts.
Men verzoekt u niet te roken.You are asked not to smoke.
je means anybody, the speaker included.
Met de fiets ben je er in tien minuten.By bike you are there in ten minutes.
ze means other people or an authority.
Ze bouwen een nieuw station.They are building a new station.
More rules (2)
The passive leaves out the doer.
Er wordt veel gefietst in Nederland.In the Netherlands people cycle a lot.
After men the verb is singular.
Men zegt dat het waar is.They say that it is true.
Example sentences
6 more example sentences
Hoe zeg je dat in het Nederlands?How do you say that in Dutch?
Ze hebben de brug gesloten.They have closed the bridge.
Daar wordt niet gerookt.Nobody smokes there.
Van sport word je moe.Sport makes you tired.
Men verwacht veel regen.People expect a lot of rain.
Ze verkopen hier goede kaas.They sell good cheese here.
The trap English speakers fall into
Watch out
If you turn every English “one” or “you” into men, you sound like an official letter in conversation. Everyday Dutch uses je or ze. Note that English “they” for the unnamed others is ze, not zij.
Lesson
The full explanation
Read it all · about 1 min
Dutch has men for the general “one”: Men zegt dat het morgen gaat sneeuwen. “They say it is going to snow tomorrow.” The word is formal, just as “one” is in English, and it turns up mainly in written texts, instructions and news reports.
In conversation people usually say je when anybody is meant, the speaker included: Hier kun je goed eten. “You can eat well here.” English does the same with “you”. If other people are meant, a group or the authorities, it is ze: Ze gaan de weg repareren. “They are going to repair the road.” That is English “they” in the same sense.
A fourth possibility is the passive: Hier wordt Nederlands gesproken. It leaves out the doer completely and sounds neutral.
A closer look
Four ways for one word
English spreads the general “one” over “one”, “you” and “they” — and Dutch does much the same: je for what is generally human, ze for the others, men for the formal register, and the passive for a notice with no doer. If you think of je first, you will be right in conversation almost every time.
Exceptions and special cases2
Exception
When a je could be misunderstood
then it is better to use men or the passive.
Men kan zich hier inschrijven.One can register here.
Why? je can also mean “you” in the strict sense.
Exception
When a reflexive pronoun is needed
then after men it is zich, after je it is je: Je moet je aanmelden.
Men moet zich legitimeren.One has to identify oneself.
Why? The pronoun follows the subject.
Worth knowing2
Worth knowing
je twice
In Je moet je aanmelden the word je occurs twice: first as “you, one”, then as the reflexive “yourself”. English does the same with “you have to register yourself”, so this is less strange than it looks.
Je moet je haasten.You have to hurry.
Worth knowing
ze without a face
ze needs no reference in the sentence before: Ze hebben de prijzen weer verhoogd. It means “they”, whoever sets the prices — exactly like “they have put the prices up again” in English.
Ze gaan hier een school bouwen.They are going to build a school here.
The verbs on this page, in every form: worden · zijn · moeten · zeggen · hebben · kunnen · fietsen · bouwen · aanmelden
Related topics
- Het wordt gemaakt: the passive with worden
- Er wordt gedanst: the impersonal passive
- ik, jij, hij: personal pronouns as subject
- me, je, zich, ons: reflexive pronouns
Now write it yourself9 sentences on this topic, typed and checked instantly.
Words you will need2
They appear in this topic’s examples and exercises and are new at this point on the learning path.
- strengstrict
- instappento get on, to board
Missing a word? Look it up in the dictionary