Twintig mensen wachten.

In Dutch, the numbers from twintig onward are normally written as single words when they stand alone as numbers: twintig (20), dertig (30), veertig (40), etc.

For compound numbers, Dutch also usually writes them as one word, for example:

• eenentwintig = 21
• vijfendertig = 35

So twintig is just the normal spelling.

Mensen is the plural of mens, meaning person or human being.

This is an irregular plural. You just have to learn it:

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

Dutch has several plural patterns, and -en is very common, but the stem sometimes changes too. In this case, mens → mensen is the standard plural form.

Because the subject is plural: twintig mensen.

In the present tense, Dutch verbs usually work like this:

• ik wacht = I wait
• jij wacht = you wait
• hij/zij wacht = he/she waits
• wij wachten = we wait
• jullie wachten = you (plural) wait
• zij wachten = they wait

Since twintig mensen is grammatically plural, the verb takes the plural form wachten.

Yes. In Twintig mensen wachten, the whole phrase twintig mensen is the subject.

The main parts are:

• Twintig mensen = subject
• wachten = verb

Even though twintig is a number, the noun phrase as a whole refers to multiple people, so it acts as a plural subject.

Because English and Dutch build this kind of sentence differently.

In English, you say:

• Twenty people are waiting.

In Dutch, the simple present tense often covers both:

• Twintig mensen wachten.

So wachten can mean:

• wait
• are waiting

Dutch does not need a separate word like are here.

It can mean either, depending on context.

In Dutch, the present tense often translates into English in two ways:

• Ik lees. = I read / I am reading
• Twintig mensen wachten. = Twenty people wait / Twenty people are waiting

In normal English, Twenty people are waiting sounds more natural, but Dutch just uses the present tense wachten.

Because Dutch, like English, usually does not use an article directly before a plural noun when it is preceded by a number.

Compare:

• de mensen = the people
• mensen = people
• twintig mensen = twenty people

So twintig mensen is correct, just like English twenty people, not the twenty people unless you mean a specific group already known from context.

Yes. Er wachten twintig mensen is also correct and very natural Dutch.

It means something like:

• There are twenty people waiting
• Twenty people are waiting

The difference is mainly about sentence structure and focus:

• Twintig mensen wachten. puts twintig mensen first.
• Er wachten twintig mensen. is an existential-style sentence, similar to English there are...

Both are grammatical.

The word order here is the normal Dutch main-clause order:

subject + verb

So:

• Twintig mensen = subject
• wachten = verb

This is the same basic pattern as in a simple English statement:

• Twenty people wait.

Dutch main clauses often place the finite verb in the second position, and here the subject happens to come first, so the sentence looks very straightforward.

A rough English-friendly guide would be:

• Twintig ≈ TVIN-tukh or TWIN-tikh
• mensen ≈ MEN-suh(n)
• wachten ≈ WAKH-tuh(n)

A few important points:

• The w in Dutch is softer than English w, sometimes a bit between English w and v.
• The g/ch sound in twintig and wachten is a throaty sound that English does not really have.
• The final -en is often pronounced lightly in everyday speech.

You do not need perfect pronunciation at first; getting the stress roughly right helps a lot:

• TWIN-tig MEN-sen WACH-ten

No. Mensen means people or human beings, not specifically male people.

Useful contrasts:

• mensen = people
• mannen = men
• vrouwen = women

So Twintig mensen wachten means Twenty people are waiting, not Twenty men are waiting.

It is formally present tense, but like English, Dutch present tense can sometimes refer to the future if the context makes that clear.

For example:

• Morgen wachten twintig mensen op je. = Tomorrow twenty people will be waiting for you.

Without context, though, Twintig mensen wachten is normally understood as present time: Twenty people are waiting / Twenty people wait.

You would need both a singular noun and a singular verb.

For example:

• Eén mens wacht. = One person is waiting.

However, in everyday Dutch, persoon is often more natural than mens when talking about counting people:

• Eén persoon wacht.
• Twintig mensen wachten.

So while één mens wacht is grammatical, één persoon wacht may sound more natural in many situations.