Breakdown of De man en de vrouw kussen elkaar in het park.
de man
the man
de vrouw
the woman
en
and
in
in
het park
the park
elkaar
each other
kussen
to kiss
Questions & Answers about De man en de vrouw kussen elkaar in het park.
Does the word elkaar change if it was two men or two women kissing?
No, elkaar stays exactly the same. It does not change based on gender. It simply means "each other" and is used for any plural subject.
Why does elkaar come before in het park?
In Dutch, the direct object (the receiver of the action, which is elkaar here) usually comes right after the main verb (kussen) and before phrases that describe where the action happens (in het park).
I sometimes hear people say mekaar. Could I use that here instead of elkaar?
Yes, you could say De man en de vrouw kussen mekaar. Mekaar means the exact same thing, but it is informal and mostly used in spoken Dutch. Elkaar is the standard word for written Dutch.
Why is the verb kussen used here instead of kust?
Because the subject is plural. Even though de man and de vrouw are singular on their own, joining them with en (and) makes a plural subject ("they"). Therefore, you need the plural verb form kussen.
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