Indefinite pronoun: Alle - Al - Allen - Allemaal

Quick decision: which word do I need?

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.