Breakdown of Men bewaart de cultuur in onze samenleving.
in
in
onze
our (de-words, plurals)
men
one / people (general)
de cultuur
the culture
bewaren
to keep / preserve
de samenleving
the society
Questions & Answers about Men bewaart de cultuur in onze samenleving.
What exactly does men mean here, and what verb form does it use?
Men is a formal indefinite pronoun, similar to "one" or "people in general" in English. It always takes the third-person singular verb form (just like hij or zij), which is why we use the singular form bewaart.
Is men commonly used in everyday spoken Dutch?
Not really. Men is quite formal and is mostly used in writing, news broadcasts, or formal speeches. In casual conversation, Dutch speakers usually use je (you, in a general sense) or ze (they) instead.
I thought bewaren meant "to keep" or "to save". Can it also mean "to preserve"?
Yes! While you often see bewaren used for keeping leftovers in the fridge or saving a computer file, it is also the standard verb for "to preserve" or "to guard" when talking about abstract concepts like culture, peace (de vrede bewaren), or secrets.
Why is it onze samenleving and not ons samenleving?
Samenleving is a de-word (de samenleving). When saying "our", you must use onze with de-words and plural nouns, and ons with singular het-words. As a helpful rule, almost all Dutch nouns ending in -ing are de-words.
The word samenleving looks like it's made of multiple words. How is it built?
It is a compound built from samen (together) and leven (to live). Adding the suffix -ing turns the verb into a noun. So, it literally translates to "living together," which perfectly describes a society.
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