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Questions & Answers about De mens heeft water nodig.
What does De mens mean in this sentence?
De mens literally translates as “the human” or more broadly “humankind”. It can refer to a single human being or humanity as a whole, depending on context. Here it’s used in a general sense: “Humans need water.”
Why is the definite article de used before mens?
In Dutch you use de with mens when talking about humans in a general or abstract sense. This is called the generic use of the definite article. Just like in English you might say “Man needs air to breathe”, Dutch says “De mens heeft lucht nodig.”
Could we say Een mens instead of De mens?
Yes, Een mens heeft water nodig is grammatically correct, but the nuance changes. Een mens means “a (single) person”, emphasizing an individual rather than humanity as a whole.
What if I want to talk about more than one person? How do I say “People need water”?
Use the plural mensen and the matching verb form:
“Mensen hebben water nodig.”
Here hebben is the third-person-plural form of hebben.
Why is the verb heeft and not heb or hebben?
Heeft is the third-person-singular present tense of hebben (to have). Since de mens is singular, you use heeft. Compare:
- Ik heb (I have)
- Jij hebt / U hebt (you have)
- Hij/Zij/De mens heeft (he/she/the human has)
- Wij/Jullie/Zij hebben (we/you plural/they have)
Why is nodig placed at the end of the sentence?
In Dutch, nodig hebben (“to need”) is not a single separable verb but a verb-plus-adjective construction: hebben + object + nodig. The normal word order is: Subject – Verb – Object – Adverbial/Adjective complement. Hence:
De mens (S) heeft (V) water (O) nodig (complement).
Why is there no article before water?
Water is an uncountable noun in Dutch (mass noun). Uncountable nouns generally appear without an article when you speak in general terms. You wouldn’t say de water or een water here, just water.
Could I say De mens heeft het water nodig? If so, what changes?
Yes, you can say De mens heeft het water nodig, but that makes the reference specific. It translates to “Humans need the water” (e.g. the water in this region or in your glass). The definite article het narrows it down from water in general to a particular water.