Elkaar: 'each other' and 'one another' in Dutch
Use standard elkaar and possessive elkaars (each other's). Check the participants and read preposition phrases by meaning. Choose other forms by register.
Elkaar usually means each other or one another: Sana en Noor helpen elkaar. (Sana and Noor help each other.) The sentence supplies the participants. The form itself does not identify them or guarantee a fully reciprocal meaning in every fixed phrase. Elkaar does not change for person or gender.
Build the reciprocal meaning from a group
Johan en Pieter verdedigen elkaar. (Johan and Pieter defend each other.) With these two people, Johan defends Pieter and Pieter defends Johan. In the clearest B1 pattern, the subject names at least two participants.
| How the group is named | Example |
|---|---|
| Plural pronoun | Wij helpen elkaar. (We help each other.) |
| Two or more coordinated names | Sana en Noor bellen elkaar. (Sana and Noor call each other.) |
| Plural noun phrase | De buren groeten elkaar. (The neighbors greet each other.) |
The group that elkaar refers to is normally grammatically plural and is often the subject. Dutch also permits generic singular subjects and some collective nouns: Je moet elkaar helpen. (People should help one another.) Het stel kuste elkaar. (The couple kissed each other.) Treat these as extensions of the clear plural pattern. Fixed phrases can behave differently again.
Place elkaar as an object or after a preposition
We hebben elkaar gisteren nog gezien. (We saw each other just yesterday.) With one finite verb, elkaar normally follows that verb. With a final infinitive or participle, it stays before the final verb. Do not copy one fixed English slot. When a verb or expression requires a preposition, put that preposition directly before elkaar.
| Function | Pattern | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Direct object | elkaar without a preposition | Ze kennen elkaar. (They know each other.) |
| Indirect object | verb + elkaar + thing | Ze schrijven elkaar een brief. (They write each other a letter.) |
| Object after a preposition | preposition + elkaar | Ze wachten op elkaar. (They wait for each other.) |
The rest of the clause controls the exact word order. Compare this pattern with where short object pronouns sit.
Put elkaars before the possessed noun
De kinderen dragen elkaars jassen. (The children are wearing each other's coats.) Add -s for reciprocal possession and place elkaars at the start of the possessed noun phrase. The possession crosses between members of the group: each coat belongs to another child.
- Use elkaar when there is no possession: Ze kennen elkaar. (They know each other.)
- Use elkaars before a possessed noun: Ze kennen elkaars namen. (They know each other's names.)
- Write elkaars as one word with no apostrophe, not elkaar's.
Choose the form by register, not by the English phrase
We kennen elkaar. (We know each other.) Wanneer zullen wij elkander eindelijk weer eens ontmoeten? (When will we finally meet one another again?) Ze hebben mekaar al jaren niet gezien. (They have not seen each other for years.) These reciprocal forms share a core meaning but differ in Dutch register. English each other and one another both normally become elkaar. Their possessive forms both normally become elkaars. Dutch register determines when you choose elkander or mekaar instead.
| Forms | Register | Example |
|---|---|---|
| elkaar / elkaars | Neutral standard Dutch | We kennen elkaar. We kennen elkaars namen. |
| elkander (formal each other) / elkanders (formal each other's) | Formal and now often archaic | Wanneer zullen wij elkander eindelijk weer eens ontmoeten? We moeten elkanders privacy respecteren. |
| mekaar (informal each other) / mekaars (informal each other's) | Informal and often regional; also found in Belgian Dutch writing | Ze hebben mekaar al jaren niet gezien. Hebben jullie mekaars telefoonnummers al? |
Read preposition phrases as whole units
De klanten kwamen na elkaar binnen. (The customers came in one after another.) Here, na elkaar gives a sequence. It does not say that the customers perform an action toward one another. Learn the meaning of the whole phrase.
| Phrase | Usual meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| met elkaar | with each other; together | Ze praten veel met elkaar. (They talk with each other a lot.) |
| na elkaar | one after another | De gasten kwamen kort na elkaar aan. (The guests arrived shortly one after another.) |
| achter elkaar | behind one another; in a row | Ze werkte drie dagen achter elkaar. (She worked three days in a row.) |
| door elkaar | mixed up; in a jumble | Alle papieren liggen door elkaar. (All the papers are jumbled together.) |
| bij elkaar | together; belonging together | We horen bij elkaar. (We belong together.) |
Some combinations keep a clear mutual relation. Others express a sequence, an arrangement or an established idiom. The full construction determines the meaning.
Contrast elkaar with reflexive pronouns
Johan en Pieter verdedigen elkaar. relates two different members of the group. A reflexive pronoun such as zich points each action back to the same participant: Johan en Pieter verdedigen zich. The reflexive form changes with the subject; elkaar does not.
| Meaning | Dutch sentence | Meaning with two people |
|---|---|---|
| Reciprocal | Johan en Pieter verdedigen elkaar. | Johan defends Pieter, and Pieter defends Johan. |
| Reflexive | Johan en Pieter verdedigen zich. | Johan defends himself, and Pieter defends himself. |
- Fill in the blank: *De twee vriendinnen helpen ___ met de verhuizing.* (each other)
- *zich*
- *elkaar*
- *hun*
- *elkaars*
The plural subject names two people who help one another, so use *elkaar*: *De twee vriendinnen helpen elkaar met de verhuizing.* The reflexive *zich* does not express mutual help here.
- How do you write 'each other's' in 'each other's names'?
- *elkaar's*
- *elkaars*
- *elkaar s*
- *elkanders'*
The neutral possessive form is *elkaars*: one word and no apostrophe. Write *Ze kennen elkaars namen.* (They know each other's names.)
- Which sentence means 'They wash each other'?
- *Ze wassen zich.*
- *Ze wassen elkaar.*
- *Ze wassen hun.*
- *Ze wassen zichzelf.*
*Ze wassen elkaar.* has reciprocal meaning: each washes another member of the group. *Ze wassen zich.* means that each person washes themselves.
- What does *na elkaar* mean in *De klanten kwamen na elkaar binnen*?
- with each other
- against each other
- one after another
- instead of each other
*Na elkaar* expresses a sequence here: the customers came in one after another. This use is not a mutual action.
- Which form is the informal, often regional variant of *elkaar*?
- *elkander*
- *mekaar*
- *elkaars*
- *zich*
*Mekaar* is informal and often regional. *Elkander* is formal and often archaic. *Elkaars* is the neutral possessive form. *Zich* is reflexive.
Test yourself
Question 1 of 5
Fill in the blank: De twee vriendinnen helpen ___ met de verhuizing. (each other)