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wiens. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
wiens, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
wiens in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
wiens you have here. The definition of the word
wiens will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
wiens, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
Dutch
Etymology
Genitive masculine singular of wie.
Pronunciation
Determiner
wiens
- (interrogative) whose
- Wiens auto is dat? ― Whose car is that?
- (relative) whose
Martin Van Buren is de enige Amerikaanse president wiens moedertaal niet het Engels was. Zijn eerste taal was het Nederlands.- Martin Van Buren is the only American president whose mother tongue was not English. His first language was Dutch.
Usage notes
Wiens has come to replace its female equivalent, wier, in both singular and plural. While wiens is the genitive masculine singular of wie, wier is the genitive feminine singular and the genitive plural. Although the use of wier has become largely archaic and dialectal, it is still recommended by grammarians. Example sentences of different usage:
- Hij is de enige president wiens moedertaal niet het Engels was. — He is the only president whose mother tongue was not English. (genitive masculine singular)
- Zij is de enige presidente wier moedertaal niet het Engels was. — She is the only president whose mother tongue was not English. (genitive feminine singular)
- Zij zijn de enige presidenten wier moedertaal niet het Engels was. — They are the only presidents whose mother tongue was not English. (genitive plural)