Question 1

Why is it beiden with an -n at the end, rather than just beide?

Accepted Answer

You add the -n to beide when two conditions are met: it refers specifically to people, and it stands on its own as a pronoun rather than coming right before a noun. Here, beiden stands alone and refers to hen (them, meaning people), so it needs the -n. If it came before a noun, like beide studenten (both students), the -n would be dropped.

Question 2

Why do we say hen beiden instead of translating "both of them" word-for-word?

Accepted Answer

Dutch does not use a literal translation like beide van hen for "both of them". Instead, you just put the object pronoun right before the word for "both". For example, hen beiden (them both), ons beiden (us both), or jullie beiden (you both).

Question 3

Why is hen used here instead of hun or ze?

Accepted Answer

Hen is the direct object pronoun for "them" (referring to people). Because they are the ones receiving the action of being motivated, they are the direct object. You could also use ze, which is more common in everyday spoken Dutch, but hen is slightly more formal. You cannot use hun, because hun is only used for indirect objects (like "to them") or as a possessive ("their").

Question 4

Why does the verb motiveren go at the very end of the sentence?

Accepted Answer

This is because of the verb kunnen (can). When you use a modal (helping) verb in a Dutch sentence, the conjugated verb (kunnen) takes the normal second position, and the main action verb (motiveren) is pushed to the very end of the clause.

Hoe kunnen we hen beiden motiveren?

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