Sign inSign up

Trouwens, is die paraplu van jou of de mijne?

Trouwens, is die paraplu van jou of de mijne?
By the way, is that umbrella yours or mine?

Breakdown of Trouwens, is die paraplu van jou of de mijne?

zijn
to be
die
that
of
or
van
of
de paraplu
the umbrella
de mijne
mine
trouwens
by the way
jou
you
Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Dutch grammar and vocabulary.

Start learning Dutch now

Questions & Answers about Trouwens, is die paraplu van jou of de mijne?

Why is it van jou and not jouw?

After a preposition like van, Dutch uses the stressed object pronoun (jou). The form jouw is a possessive determiner and must modify a noun: jouw paraplu. So:

  • van jou = of you / yours (no noun after it)
  • jouw paraplu = your umbrella
  • van jouw paraplu = of your umbrella But not: van jouw (when no noun follows)
Why do we say de mijne? Why the article?

De mijne is a nominalized possessive pronoun (meaning “mine”). When the noun is left out, Dutch adds a definite article and an -e ending:

  • For singular de-words and all plurals: de mijne
  • For singular het-words: het mijne You cannot say just mijne on its own; it needs de/het.
Can I say van mij instead of de mijne?

Yes. Both are idiomatic:

  • Is die paraplu van jou of van mij? (parallel structure)
  • Is die paraplu van jou of de mijne? (elliptical, slightly crisper) There’s no real difference in meaning; de mijne can sound a touch more definite or tidy.
Why die paraplu and not dat paraplu?

Because paraplu is a common-gender noun (de paraplu). As a demonstrative before a noun:

  • die goes with de-words and plurals: die paraplu, die boeken
  • dat goes with het-words singular: dat boek Note: As a standalone pronoun, dat can refer to anything: Dat is jouw paraplu, but not dat paraplu.
What would change if the noun were neuter?

You’d use dat and het mijne:

  • Is dat boek van jou of het mijne? (because boek is het boek) Plural still takes die and de: Zijn die boeken van jou of de mijne?
When do I use deze vs die?
  • deze = this (near the speaker)
  • die = that (farther away or not in reach) So you could also say deze paraplu if you’re holding it. Both are perfectly normal context-dependent choices.
Can I drop paraplu and just say Is die van jou of de mijne?

Yes, very natural when it’s obvious you’re talking about an umbrella. Other idiomatic variants:

  • Is die van jou of van mij?
  • Is dat de jouwe of de mijne?
Can I make both sides parallel with possessive pronouns: de jouwe vs de mijne?

Yes: Is die paraplu de jouwe of de mijne? This balances both sides with nominalized possessives. Remember:

  • de/het jouwe
  • de/het mijne Choose de or het according to the gender/number of the omitted noun (for paraplu, it’s de).
How do these possessive pronouns agree with gender/number?
  • Singular de-word (e.g., de jas): de jouwe / de mijne
  • Singular het-word (e.g., het boek): het jouwe / het mijne
  • Any plural (e.g., de sleutels): de jouwe / de mijne
Is the comma after Trouwens necessary, and where else can trouwens go?

A comma is standard because trouwens is a sentence adverb. You can also place trouwens mid- or end-sentence:

  • Is die paraplu trouwens van jou of de mijne?
  • Is die paraplu van jou, trouwens? All are fine; the comma helps readability.
How formal is trouwens? Are there alternatives?

Trouwens is neutral to informal, like English “by the way.” A more formal alternative is overigens:

  • Overigens, is die paraplu van jou of de mijne? In speech, trouwens is the go-to.
Why does the verb come first in the question?

Yes/no questions in Dutch place the finite verb first (inversion):

  • Statement: Die paraplu is van jou.
  • Question: Is die paraplu van jou? No auxiliary like English “do” is needed.
Should I use of or ofwel?
Use of for ordinary “or.” Ofwel … ofwel … is a marked either–or construction and sounds more formal or contrastive. Here, plain of is perfect.
What’s the difference between jou and jouw, and how do they sound?
  • jou = stressed object pronoun (after prepositions like van): van jou
  • jouw = possessive determiner (before a noun): jouw paraplu Pronunciation is effectively the same for both in most accents (roughly “yow”); the spelling shows the function.
Why is it de jouwe (with -e) and not de jouw?
The nominalized possessive takes an -e and a definite article: de/het jouwe, de/het mijne, etc. Without a following noun, you must add the -e and article: de jouwe, not de jouw.
Any tips for pronunciation of the whole sentence?
  • Trouwens: roughly TROW-uhns (primary stress on the first syllable)
  • die: dee
  • paraplu: pah-rah-PLEW (stress on the last syllable)
  • van: vahn
  • jou: yow
  • de: duh
  • mijne: MINE-uh (Dutch ij like English “eye”) Natural speech will stress the contrasts: van JOU or de MIJNE.
How would I make this polite/formal with u?

Use van u or the nominalized de/het uwe:

  • Trouwens, is die paraplu van u of de mijne?
  • Fully parallel: Trouwens, is die paraplu de uwe of de mijne?