B1.41 - At the laboratory

Both, beiden & allebei

Beide, beiden & allebei

Beide, beiden en allebei hebben dezelfde betekenis, maar ze worden op verschillende manieren gebruikt in het Nederlands.

(Beide, beiden and allebei have the same meaning, but they are used in different ways in Dutch.)

Choose the right word: what is the reference?

Step 1: Ask yourself: “Am I talking about two things or two people?”

  • Two things / two items / two departments → usually beide or (informal) allebei.
  • Two people as the subject (“they both …”) → beiden (formal/neutral) or allebei (informal).

Shortcut: If you can replace it with English “both of them” (people), Dutch often uses beiden.

Beide: “both” + a noun (most common in writing)

  • Use beide when it directly supports a plural noun.
  • Works for people or things as long as a noun follows (or is clearly present).
Pattern Example
beide + plural noun Ik heb beide rapporten gelezen.
object with a noun We moeten beide afdelingen informeren.
people + noun Beide onderzoekers waren aanwezig.

Common pitfall: Beiden rapporten is wrong because beiden is not used with “rapporten”.

Beiden: only for people (and usually = “both of them”)

  • Beiden refers only to people.
  • It typically behaves like a plural pronoun: “both (of them)”.
  • Often used when the people are the subject and you add what they both did.
Meaning Example
They both (people) De twee onderzoekers hebben beiden de procedure gecontroleerd.
Both of them (people) Ik heb ze gesproken; beiden waren het ermee eens.

Don’t use it for things: De twee experimenten zijn beiden succesvol. → use beide / allebei.

Allebei: informal “both” (very common in conversation)

  • Allebei is slightly more informal than beide.
  • You can use it for people or things.
  • With a noun, you usually say: allebei de + plural noun.
Pattern Example
allebei de + plural noun Allebei de experimenten zijn afgerond.
pronoun support (them/us/etc.) Ik gebruik ze allebei elke dag.

Typical mistake: Allebei experimenten → add de: allebei de experimenten.

Where does it go in the sentence?

  • If it comes before a noun, it sits right in front of it: beide rapporten, allebei de rapporten.
  • If it refers to the subject, it often comes near the verb group:
Focus Example
subject = two people De onderzoekers hebben beiden het protocol gevolgd.
object = two things (with noun) Ik heb beide documenten ondertekend.

Self-check (fast and reliable)

  1. Is it people only and you mean “both of them”? → beiden.
  2. Does a plural noun follow (reports, departments, researchers)? → beide.
  3. Is it a spoken / informal context? → allebei is fine (often allebei de + noun).

Goal: Choose based on (1) people vs things and (2) noun vs pronoun use.

  1. Beide is used before a noun or for a noun.
  2. Beiden refers only to people and is used with a plural subject.
  3. Allebei is informal, used for things or people when it is supported by a pronoun or noun.
Gebruik (Usage)Voorbeeld (Example)
Beide (Both)Ik heb beide artikelen gelezen. (I have read both articles.)
Beiden (Both (people))De onderzoekers hebben beiden het laboratoriumonderzoek zorgvuldig uitgevoerd. (The researchers have both carried out the laboratory research carefully.)
Allebei (Both)Allebei de experimenten zijn succesvol afgerond. (Both experiments have been completed successfully.)

Exceptions!

  1. You can use beide or allebei to refer to people or objects, provided it is supported by a pronoun or noun in the same sentence.
  2. When you use allebei before a noun, you add "de", which is an informal usage.

Exercise 1: Multiple choice

Instruction: Choose the correct answer

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1. Ik heb ____ onderzoeksrapporten doorgestuurd naar de afdeling Kwaliteit.

I have forwarded ____ research reports to the Quality department.

2. De twee onderzoekers hebben ____ de veiligheidsprocedure gecontroleerd.

The two researchers have ____ checked the safety procedure.

3. ____ experimenten wijzen op hetzelfde verband.

____ experiments point to the same relationship.

4. We moeten ____ informeren voordat we conclusies trekken uit het onderzoek.

We must ____ inform before we draw conclusions from the research.

Exercise 2: Rewrite the phrases

Instruction: Rewrite the sentences with the correct word: beide, beiden or allebei (note: "beiden" is used only for people).

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Show/Hide translation Show/Hide hints
  1. Hint Hint (beide) Ik heb de twee rapporten al gelezen.
    ⇒ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ Example
    Ik heb beide rapporten al gelezen.
    (I have already read both reports.)
  2. Hint Hint (beiden) De twee collega’s hebben de presentatie voorbereid.
    ⇒ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ Example
    De twee collega’s hebben beiden de presentatie voorbereid.
    (The two colleagues both prepared the presentation.)
  3. Hint Hint (allebei) De twee vergaderingen beginnen om negen uur.
    ⇒ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ Example
    Allebei de vergaderingen beginnen om negen uur.
    (Both meetings start at nine o’clock.)
  4. Hint Hint (beide) Hij heeft twee opties: thuiswerken of op kantoor werken. Hij vindt ze allebei goed.
    ⇒ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ Example
    Hij heeft twee opties: thuiswerken of op kantoor werken. Hij vindt beide opties goed.
    (He has two options: working from home or working at the office. He thinks both options are good.)

Exercise 3: Multiple Choice

Instruction: Choose the correct sentence in each question.

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1.
Incorrect: with a noun you must support 'both' with 'the' — so 'both of the experiments'.
2.
Incorrect: 'both' refers to people in the subject and is used incorrectly here with 'the method' as the direct object; that results in an unusual sentence structure.

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Yoni De Ketelaere

Bachelor in International Business Management

HOGENT

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Belgium


Last Updated:

Tuesday, 23/06/2026 23:29