The formal pronoun hen (after prepositions)
In formal written Dutch, you must strictly distinguish between the plural object pronouns hun and hen (them). Although often ignored in speech, this rule is crucial in professional and academic writing.
Use hen whenever the pronoun directly follows a preposition (like naar, aan, voor, or van).
| In two weeks we will send the publication to them. | Over twee weken sturen wij de publicatie naar hen. |
The formal pronoun hun (indirect objects)
Use hun when "them" functions as an indirect object without a preposition. This usually represents the recipient of an action—if you can mentally insert "to" or "for" before "them," use hun.
| This academic journal assigns them a difficult task. | Dit vakblad wijst hun een lastige taak toe. |
The formal pronoun hen (direct objects)
Use hen when "them" acts as a direct object (directly receiving the action of the verb, with no "to" or "for" implied).
| The authors want to publish their research in the academic journal, so we guide them. | De auteurs willen hun onderzoek in het vakblad publiceren, dus wij begeleiden hen. |
Comparing hen and hun
If you include a preposition like aan, you must use hen:
| We assign the submission to them for a strict review. | Wij wijzen de inzending aan hen toe voor een strenge beoordeling. |
If you drop the preposition, the indirect object takes hun:
| The researchers read the text and give them useful feedback. | De onderzoekers lezen de tekst en geven hun nuttige feedback. |
Direct objects always take hen:
| The teacher criticizes the methodology and warns them. | De docent bekritiseert de methodologie en waarschuwt hen. |
In academic writing, you will often find sentences that use both forms side-by-side. Notice how the direct object takes hen while the prepositionless indirect object takes hun:
| We criticize them and send them the publication. | Wij bekritiseren hen en sturen hun de publicatie. |
