There is no clear difference between _elk_ and _ieder_ (each and every). They are practically interchangeable. There is, however, a tendency to use:
- _ieder_ for persons
- _elk_ for things
- _elk_ when we are talking about a small group of people or things
Dutch | Application | English
elk | singular | each
ieder | singular | every
_Elk(e)_ and _ieder(e)_ before a noun
When we place _elk_ or _ieder_ before a noun (e.g. _elke keer_, 'each time'), we have to inflect it according to the gender of the noun. Before neuter nouns (het-words), we say _elk_ or _ieder_. Before de-nouns, we have to add _-e_: _elk e_ and _ieder e_.
We only use elk(e) and ieder(e) before singular nouns.
Inflection | Before what type of noun?
elk / ieder | het-nouns
elke / iedere | de-nouns
The example below illustrate how _elk_ and _ieder_ are inflected according to the nouns they precede.
[ de dag]
Ik fiets elke dag naar mijn werk. | [the day]
I cycle to work every day.
[ het bibliotheekboek]
Elk bibliotheekboek heeft een unieke code. | [the library book]
Each library book has a unique code.
[ de deelnemer]
Iedere deelnemer ontvangt een officieel attest. | [the participant]
Every participant will receive an official certificate.
[ het meisje]
Op Valentijnsdag stuurt hij ieder meisje in zijn klas een kaart. | [the girl]
On Valentine's Day, he sends a postcard to every girl in his class.
_Elk van_ and _ieder van_
_Elk_ and _ieder_ are rarely used independenty. If they are, they usually take the form _elk van_ or _ieder van_ (each of, every one of).
Recall that _elk_ and _ieder_ are singular pronouns.
Ieder van hen moest zich legitimeren. | Every one of them had to identify himself.
Ik heb het met elk van jullie besproken. | I discussed it with each of you.
We generally use _elk_ when we the group we refer to is relatively small. That is why you will not often hear " _ieder_ van mijn vier collega's".
Independent _elk_ and _ieder_
We find independent _elk_ and _ieder_ in a few fixed expressions:
Ieder voor zich. | " Each for oneself."
[Each has to decide for oneself or has to serve one's own interests].
Voor elk (or _ieder_) wat wils. | Something to each person's liking.
Predicative _elk_ and _ieder_
_Elk_ and _ieder_ can also occur somewhere\* after the noun they refer to. If they do, they provide us with some extra information, which is not essential. This information could be omitted.
De boeken hebben elk een unieke code. | The books each have a unique code.
The pronoun serves to stress that by 'the books', we mean _'each individual_ book'. Without 'each', we could think that we only have one unique code for all books together.
De schilderijen hebben elk € 20.000 gekost. | The paintings costed € 20,000 each.
De leerlingen hadden ieder een gedicht geschreven. | The students each wrote a poem.
Without the pronouns, it could seem as if the paintings were bought for a total of € 20,000 together and that the students collectively wrote one poem.
Of course, we could also simply write: "Elk schilderij heeft € 20.000 gekost" and "Iedere leerling had een gedicht geschreven."
(\*) For the exact position in a sentence, see [word order: miscellaneous box](#/lesson/WordOrder.28).