Both, beiden & allebei

Beide, beiden, allebei: the core idea

All three mean “both”, but they differ in what they refer to and how formal they feel.

Step 1: Is there a noun right after it?

• Yes (you say what they are): choose beide.
• Usually: you can also use allebei de + noun (more casual).

Correct

• Ik heb beide rapporten gelezen.
• We moeten beide apparaten testen.
• (Informal) Allebei de vergaderingen zijn verplaatst.

Watch out

• Allebei vergaderingen → allebei de vergaderingen
• Beiden rapporten → beide rapporten (reports are not people)

Step 2: Are you talking about two people without naming them as a noun?

• If it is clearly two people: use beiden (= “the two of them”).
• Beiden often appears after the subject, like an adverb.

Correct

• De onderzoekers hebben beiden de controle uitgevoerd.
• Ze waren beiden aanwezig bij de audit.
• Wij hebben beiden getekend.

Not for things

• De apparaten werken beiden → De apparaten werken allebei / beide.

Step 3: Using “allebei” naturally (and when “de” appears)

• Allebei is common in speech and informal writing.
• With a pronoun, you use allebei without de:

• Ik heb ze allebei gebeld.
• Ze doen het allebei goed.

With a noun right after it, the usual informal pattern is:

allebei de + noun

• Allebei de voorstellen zijn goed onderbouwd.
• Allebei de kandidaten hebben relevante ervaring.

Quick self-check (choose in 5 seconds)

1. Is there a noun right after it? → beide + noun (or informal allebei de + noun)
2. No noun, but it’s two people? → beiden
3. No noun and it can be people or things, often with a pronoun (ze, wij, jullie)? → allebei

Common confusions (and the fix)