Breakdown of De collega's hebben ruzie met elkaar.
hebben
to have
met
with
de collega
the colleague
elkaar
each other
de ruzie
the argument
Questions & Answers about De collega's hebben ruzie met elkaar.
Why is elkaar used here instead of a regular pronoun?
Elkaar is the Dutch word for "each other". It is used when an action goes both ways between the people involved. Since the colleagues are arguing with one another, we use the preposition met (with) followed by elkaar to mean "with each other".
The English translation says "are arguing", so why does the Dutch sentence use hebben ruzie?
Dutch often expresses "to argue" with the set phrase ruzie hebben, which literally translates to "to have an argument" or "to have a fight". Because it is a state of having an argument, Dutch uses the verb hebben (to have) instead of a direct translation of "arguing".
Why is there an apostrophe in collega's? Isn't that just for possession?
In English, an apostrophe-s usually shows possession, but in Dutch, it is often used to make nouns plural! Nouns ending in a single open vowel (like a, i, o, u, or y) get an 's to keep the vowel sound long. Without the apostrophe, the "a" at the end of the word would change to a short sound.
Can I put met elkaar before ruzie in the sentence?
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