mannen

Mannen is a term that appears in several Germanic and Scandinavian languages, where its meaning and grammatical role vary by language. In Dutch, mannen is the plural form of the noun man, meaning “men.” The standard phrase for “the men” is de mannen, since Dutch uses a preposed definite article with plural nouns.

In Swedish and Norwegian, mannen is the definite singular form of the noun for “man,” meaning “the man.” It is formed by adding a definite suffix to the stem man (in Swedish) or mann/mann (in Norwegian), depending on the language’s inflection. Examples include Swedish: Mannen arbetar hemma; Norwegian: Mannen spiser middag.

Etymology and cognates: These forms descend from the Proto-Germanic root for male humans, related to the English word man. Through language-specific processes—such as suffixation in Swedish and Norwegian, or plural formation in Dutch—the same basic root yields different grammatical outcomes in each language.

Usage and context: The form mannen commonly appears in everyday speech to refer to a specific adult male in Scandinavian languages, or as part of the plural for “man” in Dutch. Because it is a language-specific form, its exact meaning must be inferred from the surrounding words and language context. In cross-linguistic references, mannen is often noted for illustrating how similar roots diverge into distinct grammatical systems.