B1.22 - Going to the emergencies

Indefinite pronoun: Alle - Al - Allen - Allemaal

Onbepaald voornaamwoord: Alle - Al - Allen - Allemaal

Onbepaalde voornaamwoorden alle, al, allen, en allemaal worden gebruikt met telbare en niet-telbare zelfstandige naamwoorden, of in formele en informele contexten.

(Indefinite pronouns alle, al, allen, and allemaal are used with countable and uncountable nouns, or in formal and informal contexts.)

Quick decision: which word do I need?

What you want to say Use Typical English idea
All + plural noun alle all / all the
All + uncountable noun alle all (information, water)
All + my/your/his… al all my/your/his…
All people (formal) allen everyone / all of us (formal)
All of us / all of you (emphasis, often spoken) allemaal all (of you/us), everyone (informal)

1) alle: with nouns (things) — plural or uncountable

  • Plural countable noun → alle + noun (plural)
  • Uncountable noun → alle + noun (singular)

Correct

  • Alle wonden zijn schoongemaakt.
  • Alle informatie in dit rapport is gecontroleerd.

Common mistake

  • Al wonden → Alle wonden

2) al: before possessives and determiners (a compact “all my/your/the”)

  • Use al when “all” belongs to something introduced by mijn/jouw/uw/zijn/haar/ons/jullie/hun.
  • Also possible before de/het (more formal/written): al de…

Examples

  • Kunt u al uw medische gegevens bij de hand houden?
  • Ik heb al mijn aantekeningen gedeeld met het team.
  • (Formal) al de documenten liggen in de projectmap.

Pay attention

  • al here means all, not “already”. Context tells you which one it is.
  • Compare: Ik heb al mijn gegevens ingevuld. (all my) vs. Ik heb mijn gegevens al ingevuld. (already)

3) allen: “everyone” (people) in formal situations

  • allen = the whole group of people, often in serious, official, or written language.
  • It stands on its own (no noun after it).

Examples

  • Allen werden snel gered.
  • Ik dank u allen voor uw inzet.

Typical confusion

  • alle + noun: alle patiënten
  • allen alone: allen (meaning: all the people)

4) allemaal: “all of you/us/them” with emphasis (very common in speech)

  • Use allemaal when you refer to a whole group and you want to emphasize “every single one”.
  • Often used with a personal pronoun: jullie, we, ze.

Examples

  • Jullie moeten allemaal rustig blijven.
  • We hebben allemaal hetzelfde besluit genomen.
  • Ze kwamen allemaal op tijd.

Mini self-check (fast and reliable)

  1. Is there a noun after it?
    • Yes → usually alle (plural/uncountable) or al (before mijn/uw/de/het).
    • No → you probably need allen (formal people) or allemaal (spoken/emphasis).
  2. Does it mean “everyone” (people)?
    • Formal tone → allen
    • Everyday speech / emphasis → allemaal
  3. Is there a possessive (my/your/our)?
    • Yes → al (al mijn, al uw, al onze)

What to pay attention to in real conversations

  • ER / healthcare context: al uw gegevens (polite and efficient), alle wonden (clinical/plural).
  • Meetings / professional settings: allen sounds more formal; allemaal sounds more spoken and direct.
  • Word order changes meaning with al (“all”) vs al (“already”). If you mean “already”, it often sits near the verb: Ik heb het al gedaan.
  1. Alle is used for countable plural nouns and for uncountable nouns.
  2. Al is used with possessive pronouns, nouns, and articles.
  3. Allen is used for people in formal language.
  4. Allemaal is used with a personal pronoun and for the entire group or everything that has been mentioned.
Gebruik  (Use )Voorbeeld (Example)
Alle  Alle wonden zijn snel behandeld. (All wounds were treated quickly.)
Al Al mijn medische gegevens. (All my medical records.)
Allen Allen werden snel gered (All were rescued quickly.)
Allemaal We moesten allemaal snel handelen. (We had to act quickly, all of us.)

Exercise 1: Multiple choice

Instruction: Choose the correct answer

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1. Kunt u ___ uw medische gegevens bij de hand houden, zodat we u sneller kunnen helpen?

Could you ___ keep all your medical information at hand, so that we can help you faster?

2. ___ wonden zijn schoongemaakt en verbonden.

___ wounds have been cleaned and dressed.

3. ___ werden snel gered uit de auto na het ongeval.

___ were quickly rescued from the car after the accident.

4. Jullie moeten ___ rustig blijven, dan kan ik goed bekijken wat er aan de hand is.

You need to ___ stay calm, then I can take a good look at what is going on.

Exercise 2: Rewrite the phrases

Instruction: Rewrite the sentences with the word in brackets: choose the correct form (alle, al, allen, allemaal) and adjust the sentence slightly if necessary so that it becomes natural Dutch.

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Show/Hide translation Show/Hide hints
  1. Hint Hint (Allen) De deelnemers aan de training waren op tijd binnen.
    ⇒ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ Example
    Allen deelnemers aan de training waren op tijd binnen.
    (All participants in the training were inside on time.)
  2. Hint Hint (Allemaal) We hebben in de vergadering hetzelfde besluit genomen.
    ⇒ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ Example
    We hebben allemaal hetzelfde besluit genomen tijdens de vergadering.
    (We all made the same decision during the meeting.)
  3. Hint Hint (Alle) De documenten voor het project liggen op je bureau.
    ⇒ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ Example
    Alle documenten voor het project liggen op je bureau.
    (All documents for the project are on your desk.)
  4. Hint Hint (Al) Ik heb mijn medische gegevens al ingevuld voor het gesprek.
    ⇒ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ Example
    Ik heb al mijn medische gegevens ingevuld voor het gesprek.
    (I have already filled in all my medical details for the appointment.)

Exercise 3: Multiple Choice

Instruction: Choose the correct sentence.

Fetching your corrections... Please don't close this page yet.

1.
Incorrect: with a plural countable noun you use 'alle', not 'al'.
2.
Incorrect for this exercise: 'allemaal' is more informal and emphasizes the whole group; here we practice the formal 'allen'.

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Yoni De Ketelaere

Bachelor in International Business Management

HOGENT

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Belgium


Last Updated:

Tuesday, 09/06/2026 15:50