Learn Hardcore Dutch: De één leest een boek, de ander luistert naar muziek. - One is reading a book, the other is listening to music.

The nouns (like persoon, man, vrouw) are understood from context and are left out. So they behave like English one / the other rather than like full noun phrases.

Why do we need de in de één and de ander?

Because we are talking about specific, contrasted individuals, not just “one person” in general.

één alone = one (numeral): Één leest een boek is not idiomatic here.
de één = the one (of the two we’re talking about)
de ander = the other (of those two)

It’s very similar to English: you normally say “the one reads a book, the other listens to music”, not “one reads a book, other listens to music”.

What is the difference between één and een?

They look similar but are different:

één (with accent) = the number “one”
- Stressed in speech.
- Used when you really mean the numeral or want to contrast with higher numbers.
- Example: Ik heb er maar één. – I only have one.
een (without accent) = the indefinite article “a / an”
- Unstressed in speech.
- Example: Hij leest een boek. – He is reading a book.

The accent on één helps you see “this is the numeral, not the article”.

So why is it één at the beginning, but een boek later in the sentence?

Because those two words play different roles:

de één: here één is the number “one”, standing for “one person” → the one (person).
een boek: here een is just the article “a” → a book.

So:

De één = The one (person)
leest een boek = is reading a book

Can I write De een leest een boek, de ander luistert naar muziek without the accent on één?

Yes, native speakers often do.

In everyday writing, De een … de ander … (no accent) is very common.
The accent in één is mainly to avoid ambiguity with een (the article).

In this specific pattern de een … de ander …, the meaning is already clear from context, so many people leave the accent off. As a learner, it’s perfectly fine (and often clearer) to include the accent: De één … de ander ….

Why is it de ander and not de andere here?

Because in this fixed contrast de één … de ander …, ander is used as a kind of pronoun meaning “the other (person)”, not as an adjective modifying a noun.

Compare:

de andere man – the other man (adjective + noun)
de andere – the other one (adjective used as a noun)
de ander – also the other (person), but here it’s a set form that pairs with de een.

In this idiom, Dutch specifically uses:

de (één / een) … de ander

So de andere in this exact sentence would sound odd unless you also changed the first part to de ene (see next question).

What is the difference between de één … de ander and de ene … de andere?

Both are possible, but there is a nuance:

De één leest een boek, de ander luistert naar muziek.
- Very common fixed pattern.
- Slightly more neutral/generic: one (person) does X, the other does Y.
De ene leest een boek, de andere luistert naar muziek.
- Also correct.
- Often feels a bit more like “the one vs the other”, with a clearer sense that we have two specific, contrasted people.

In everyday speech, de een / de ander (or de één / de ander) is probably more frequent, but you will hear both.

Why is there just a comma between the two parts, and no en?

Dutch allows two coordinated main clauses to be joined with just a comma when the relationship between them is very clear:

De één leest een boek, de ander luistert naar muziek.

You could also add en:

De één leest een boek, en de ander luistert naar muziek.

Both are correct. The version with only a comma is a bit more compact and is very natural in written Dutch when you have a nice parallel structure like this.

Is De één leest een boek en de ander luistert naar muziek also correct?

Yes, it’s perfectly correct and idiomatic:

De één leest een boek en de ander luistert naar muziek.

Adding en just makes the coordination explicit. The meaning is the same; it’s mostly a stylistic choice.

Why do we say luistert naar muziek and not luistert muziek?

Because in Dutch, luisteren (to listen) normally requires the preposition naar when you specify what you listen to:

naar muziek luisteren – to listen to music
naar de radio luisteren – to listen to the radio
naar hem luisteren – to listen to him

So luistert naar muziek corresponds exactly to English “listens to music”.
*luistert muziek is ungrammatical in standard Dutch.

Can we leave out naar and just say De ander luistert?

Yes, but then you’re not saying what the person is listening to:

De ander luistert. – The other (person) is listening. (to something, not specified)
De ander luistert naar muziek. – The other (person) is listening to music.

So omitting naar muziek is fine grammatically, but you lose that part of the meaning.

Why is there no article before muziek (not naar de muziek)?

Because muziek is used in a general, non-specific sense, like English “music” without an article:

Hij luistert naar muziek. – He is listening to music (in general).

If you say:

Hij luistert naar de muziek.

then you mean “the music” in a specific situation, e.g. the music that is playing right now or that you already talked about. In your sentence, we just mean music in general, so no article.

Does de één … de ander always refer to exactly two people?

It contrasts two sides or groups, but not necessarily “exactly two individuals”.

Two common uses:

Literally two people
- De één leest een boek, de ander luistert naar muziek.
  → One person is reading; the other is listening.
Two groups / “some … others …”
- De één vindt dit leuk, de ander haat het.
  → Some people like this, others hate it.

So grammatically it’s a two-way contrast, but each “side” can represent one person or many people.

Are de één and de ander gendered? Do I need different forms for men and women?

No, de één and de ander are gender‑neutral. They can refer to:

two men
two women
a man and a woman
any mix of people

You do not change the form based on gender.

How do you pronounce één versus een?

Approximate pronunciations:

één (numeral “one”): [eːn]
- Long clear ee sound, stressed.
- Similar to the vowel in English “say” but without the glide at the end.
een (article “a/an”): usually [ən] or [ə]
- Very short, reduced vowel (like English “a” in “a book”).
- Often almost swallowed in fast speech.

So in your sentence:

De één – clearly stressed [deːn]
een boek – unstressed [ən buk] (or similar), with a weaker vowel.