hun/jullie

Their/Your (Plural)

Level 1

Hun means 'their' (belonging to them).
Jullie means 'your' (belonging to you all).

How It Works

In Dutch, possessive pronouns show who something belongs to. For plural groups, we use two main forms when they come before a noun:

1. Hun (Their): Used for the third person plural. It refers to a group of people already mentioned. Note that hun mostly refers to people or animals. For things, Dutch often uses zijn (its) for singular objects or ervan for plural objects.
Example: Hun auto is blauw. (Their car is blue.)

2. Jullie (Your - Plural): Used for the second person plural. This is informal and used when addressing two or more friends, family members, or children.
Example: Waar is jullie hond? (Where is your [plural] dog?)

Key Rules:

  • Invariable before nouns: Unlike ons/onze, hun and jullie do not take an -e ending when placed before a noun, even if the noun is plural or a de-word.
  • Independent forms: While hun has independent forms (de hunne or het hunne - 'theirs'), jullie is unique because it has no independent form at all. To say 'yours' (plural) without a noun, you must use a construction like van jullie.
  • Formal Alternative: If you are speaking to a group formally, use uw instead of jullie.
  • Unstressed 'jullie': In fast speech, jullie can sometimes be replaced by the short form je if the plural meaning is clear from the context.

Examples (5)

  1. Hun ouders wonen in Amsterdam.

    Their parents live in Amsterdam.

    Word by Word: Their parents live in Amsterdam.

    'Hun' is used here because the parents belong to 'them'.

  2. Waar hebben jullie jullie fietsen gelaten?

    Where did you (plural) leave your bicycles?

    Word by Word: Where have you your bicycles left?

    The first 'jullie' is the subject (you), and the second 'jullie' is the possessive (your).

  3. Zij hebben hun huis verkocht.

    They have sold their house.

    Word by Word: They have their house sold.

    'Hun' refers back to the subject 'zij' (they).

  4. Is dit jullie nieuwe leraar?

    Is this your (plural) new teacher?

    Word by Word: Is this your new teacher?

    Even though 'leraar' is a singular person, we use 'jullie' because the teacher belongs to a group of students.

  5. De kinderen eten hun boterhammen.

    The children are eating their sandwiches.

    Word by Word: The children eat their sandwiches.

    'Hun' is used for the plural subject 'de kinderen'.

Common Mistakes

  • Using 'hun' as a subject pronoun (they).

    Hun hebben een hond.
    Zij hebben een hond.

    'Hun' is only for possession (their) or indirect objects. Using it as a subject (they) is common in some dialects but is considered grammatically incorrect in standard Dutch. Use zij for 'they'.

  • Adding an -e to 'jullie' or 'hun' before a noun.

    Dit is julliee auto.
    Dit is jullie auto.

    Learners often try to add an -e to match the noun (like with onze), but 'hun' and 'jullie' never change their spelling when they come before a noun.

  • Using 'jullie' for a single person.

    Hoi Mark, is dit jullie boek?
    Hoi Mark, is dit jouw boek?

    'Jullie' is strictly plural. If you are talking to only one person, you must use jouw or je.

How It Connects

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hun/jullieLevel 1Their/Your (Plural)

Learn This First

To understand plural possessive pronouns like 'hun' and 'jullie', you first need to be familiar with the plural subject pronouns they relate to. Additionally, having a basic grasp of singular possessive pronouns establishes the grammatical function of showing ownership before moving to plural forms.

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Words in This Pattern

hunjullie