Questions & Answers about Men praat niet terwijl men eet.
How formal is the word men, and what do people use in everyday conversation?
Men is quite formal and translates best to the general English "one" (as in "One does not talk..."). You will mostly see it in writing, on signs, or in formal rules like this one. In everyday spoken Dutch, people usually use je (you) or ze (they) to talk about people in general.
Why do we use the singular verb praat instead of the plural praten if men means "people"?
Grammatically, the pronoun men is always third-person singular. You must conjugate verbs for it exactly like you do for hij (he), zij (she), or het (it). That is why both verbs in this sentence take the singular forms praat and eet.
The English translation says "while eating". Can I just say terwijl eten in Dutch?
No, Dutch doesn't use "-ing" verb forms (gerunds) the same way English does. After a conjunction like terwijl (while), you must build a complete clause with a subject and a conjugated verb. That is why the Dutch sentence literally says "while one eats" (terwijl men eet).
Why is eet placed at the very end of the sentence?