Veertien mensen zitten in de bus.

In Dutch, the numbers from 13 to 19 are single words:

• dertien = 13
• veertien = 14
• vijftien = 15

So veertien is just the normal Dutch word for fourteen.

A rough pronunciation is vair-TEEN, with the stress on the second part.

Mensen is the irregular plural of mens.

• de mens = the person / the human being
• mensen = people

So you simply have to learn this plural form. It is very common.

Dutch does not always need a separate word like English there.

This sentence is a straightforward statement with veertien mensen as the subject:

• Veertien mensen zitten in de bus.

But Dutch very often also uses er in an existential sentence:

• Er zitten veertien mensen in de bus.

That version is often more natural if you are introducing the fact that fourteen people are in the bus.
So both can work, but:

• Veertien mensen zitten in de bus = focuses more on fourteen people
• Er zitten veertien mensen in de bus = more like English There are fourteen people on the bus

Dutch often uses posture verbs such as:

• zitten = sit
• staan = stand
• liggen = lie

In many situations, Dutch prefers one of these instead of a more general verb like zijn.

So zitten can literally mean that the people are seated. In practice, it is also very natural when talking about people being in a vehicle.

Compare:

• Veertien mensen zijn in de bus. → understandable, but less natural here
• Veertien mensen zitten in de bus. → natural Dutch

Usually, yes: it suggests they are seated.

But Dutch sometimes uses zitten a bit more broadly in contexts like vehicles or enclosed spaces. Still, the basic idea is being seated / being in a sitting position.

If the people were standing, Dutch would normally say:

• Veertien mensen staan in de bus. = Fourteen people are standing in the bus.

So the choice of verb can give extra information.

Dutch main clauses normally follow the verb-second rule.

Here the first element is the subject:

• Veertien mensen = first element
• zitten = verb in second position
• in de bus = rest of the sentence

So the order is perfectly normal for a Dutch statement.

If you moved another element to the front, the verb would still stay second:

• In de bus zitten veertien mensen.

That is also correct.

Because bus is a de-word in Dutch.

• de bus = the bus

You usually have to learn the article together with the noun:

• de bus
• de man
• het huis

There is no simple universal rule that lets you always predict de or het, so memorizing the noun with its article is important.

Dutch and English do not always use the same prepositions.

Dutch normally says:

• in de bus = literally in the bus
• in de trein = in the train
• in de auto = in the car

English often uses on for public transport, but Dutch commonly uses in because the idea is being inside the vehicle.

So in de bus is the normal Dutch choice.

Yes, but the meaning changes.

• in de bus = in the bus, a specific bus
• in een bus = in a bus, any bus / one bus

So the original sentence refers to a particular bus that speaker and listener can identify, or that has already been mentioned.

Because the number itself already functions as a determiner.

In English, you also say:

• fourteen people

not

• the fourteen people unless you mean a specific known group

Dutch works the same way:

• veertien mensen = fourteen people
• de veertien mensen = the fourteen people, a specific group

So the sentence without de is the normal indefinite form.

Yes, but it sounds more formal or official.

• mensen = normal everyday word for people
• personen = more formal, bureaucratic, or technical

So in ordinary speech, mensen is the natural choice:

• Veertien mensen zitten in de bus.

It is grammatical and natural, but in many contexts Dutch speakers would very often say:

• Er zitten veertien mensen in de bus.

That sounds especially natural when you are simply stating how many people are in the bus.

The version without er is still fine, especially if you want to emphasize veertien mensen.

The past tense of zitten here is zaten:

• Veertien mensen zaten in de bus. = Fourteen people were sitting in the bus.

And with er:

• Er zaten veertien mensen in de bus.

That second version is also very common.

Mensen is roughly pronounced MEN-suh(n).

In many varieties of spoken Dutch, the final -n in -en is weak or not fully pronounced, especially in casual speech. So it may sound closer to:

• mense

But in careful pronunciation, you may still hear the -n. As a learner, either a clear -en or a softer ending is usually fine.