Breakdown of Iedere medewerker is vandaag afwezig.
ieder
every / each
de medewerker
the employee
afwezig
absent
Questions & Answers about Iedere medewerker is vandaag afwezig.
Why does ieder have an -e at the end (iedere) here?
You add an -e to ieder (and elk) when it comes before a de-word. Since medewerker is a de-word (de medewerker), it becomes iedere medewerker. You only use the short forms (ieder or elk) before singular het-words, like ieder kind.
Could I say elke medewerker instead of iedere medewerker?
Yes, absolutely. In most contexts, elk(e) and ieder(e) mean exactly the same thing ("every" or "each") and are completely interchangeable. Iedere can sometimes sound a tiny bit more formal, but both are very common.
If the sentence is about all the employees, why is the verb singular (is)?
Just like "every" in English, the Dutch words ieder and elk look at a group one individual at a time. Because of this, they always take a singular noun (medewerker, not medewerkers) and a singular verb (is, not zijn).
What is the literal meaning of afwezig?
It literally means "away-being". It is made up of af (off/away) and -wezig, which comes from the verb wezen (an alternative word for zijn, meaning "to be"). Its exact opposite is aanwezig (present), which literally means "on-being" or "at-being".
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