Beide, beiden & allebei

What is the difference between beide, beiden & allebei? Discover it and test yourself with the free exercises below.

1. Beide

The word beide can be used as both in English. You can use this word in two ways: independently or in front of a noun. Let's just look at some examples.

Independent use (referring to things)

• A. Heb je de artikelen gelezen? Ja, ik heb ze beide gelezen. Did you read the articles? Yes, I read them both.

• B. Ik heb twee documentaires gezien. Beide waren erg interessant. I have seen two documentaries. Both were very interesting.

In front of a noun:

• C. Ik heb beide artikelen gelezen. I have read both articles.

• D. Beide jongens dragen een spijkerbroek. Both boys wear jeans.

2. Beiden

The word beiden can also be translated as both in English. You can use this word only to refer to people. But be aware: you always use beide (without -n) in front of a noun, also when it comes to a person (like in sentence D above).

• E. De jongens dragen beiden een spijkerbroek. The boys are both wearing jeans.

• F. Je hebt ons beiden uitgenodigd. You invited us both.

• G. Beiden zijn getrouwd. Both are married.

• H. Mijn buren zijn beiden op vakantie. My neighbours are both on a holiday.

But: Beide buren zijn op vakantie (because there is a noun right behind).

3. Allebei

You can use allebei for both things and people. The word has a lot of overlap with beide and beiden, but the use is a little bit different.

If you use it in front of a noun, you can use allebei like beide, but you'll have to add de. This is a bit informal.

• C. Ik heb beide artikelen gelezen. Ik heb allebei de artikelen gelezen. I have read both articles.

• D. Beide jongens dragen een spijkerbroek. Allebei de jongens dragen een spijkerbroek. Both boys wear jeans.

To refer to people or objects, you can use allebei when it's supported by a pronoun or noun in the same sentences that refers to the same thing. Look at the underlined words:

• A. POSSIBLE Heb je de artikelen gelezen? Ja, ik heb ze beide gelezen. Heb je de artikelen gelezen? Ja, ik heb ze allebei gelezen. Did you read the articles? Yes, I read them both.

• B. NOT POSSIBLE Ik heb twee documentaires gezien. Beide waren erg interessant. I have seen two documentaries. Both were very interesting. This is possible: Ze waren allebei erg interessant.

• E. POSSIBLE De jongens dragen beiden een spijkerbroek. De jongens dragen allebei een spijkerbroek. The boys are both wearing jeans.

• F. POSSIBLE Je hebt ons beiden uitgenodigd. Je hebt ons allebei uitgenodigd. You invited us both.

• G. NOT POSSIBLE Beiden zijn getrouwd. Both are married. This is possible: Ze zijn allebei getrouwd.

• H. POSSIBLE Mijn buren zijn beiden op vakantie. Mijn buren zijn allebei op vakantie. My neighbours are both on a holiday.