elkaars

Elkaars is a Dutch possessive determiner meaning "each other’s" and is used to express mutual possession among two or more people or things. It precedes the noun it modifies and signals that the thing belongs to all participants in a relationship or interaction. Common examples include elkaars huis (each other’s house) and elkaars mening (each other’s opinion).

Usage and nuances: Elkaars indicates that ownership or association is shared or mutual. It can modify both concrete and abstract nouns and is used with both animate and inanimate referents. It is typical in everyday language as well as formal writing. The construction is compatible with verbs that describe reciprocal actions, such as exchanging or sharing, as in ze wisselden elkaars ideeën uit (they exchanged each other’s ideas) or ze dragen elkaars jassen (they wear each other’s jackets). The form does not change for number or gender.

Examples in context:

- Ze kennen elkaars namen. (They know each other’s names.)

- Ze delen elkaars spullen. (They share each other’s belongings.)

- Ze hebben elkaars mening serieus genomen. (They took each other’s opinions seriously.)

Etymology and status: Elkaars derives from elkaars in combination with the pronoun elkaar, which means “one another” or “each other.” The possessive -s suffixed to elkaars marks mutual belonging. The expression is standard in modern Dutch and widely accepted in both speech and writing. It is primarily used when the possession involves a reciprocal relationship among the involved parties.

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