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Questions & Answers about Overal lopen de mensen.
Why is it lopen de mensen instead of de mensen lopen?
In Dutch, the main verb must almost always be in the second position of the sentence. Because this sentence starts with the location overal (everywhere), the verb lopen must come right after it to stay in the second spot. The subject (de mensen) is pushed to the third position. This swapping of the subject and verb is called inversion.
Can I just say De mensen lopen overal?
Yes, you can! That is the standard subject-first word order. By putting overal at the beginning of the sentence instead, you are just putting extra emphasis on where the people are walking.
Why does it translate to 'are walking' if lopen just means 'walk'?
Dutch does not have an exact equivalent for the English 'are walking' (the continuous tense) that is used as frequently. The simple present tense verb lopen translates to both 'walk' and 'are walking', depending on what makes the most sense in English.
Is mensen a plural word?
Yes, mensen means 'people' and takes a plural verb (lopen). The singular form is mens, which translates to 'human' or 'person'.