Very annoying Dutch riddle

OK, this riddle works if you are Dutch, but maybe it works in other languages too, I don't know exactly:

A man comes to a bridge with a sign saying 1 person at a time to cross the bridge. Still he can't cross the bridge. Why?

There is someone already on it.

Originally posted by piderman
OK, this riddle works if you are Dutch, but maybe it works in other languages too, I don't know exactly:

A man comes to a bridge with a sign saying 1 person at a time to cross the bridge. Still he can't cross the bridge. Why?

He is in a boat passing under the bridge?

-Ray.

Originally posted by piderman
OK, this riddle works if you are Dutch, but maybe it works in other languages too, I don't know exactly:

A man comes to a bridge with a sign saying 1 person at a time to cross the bridge. Still he can't cross the bridge. Why?

Could you give the Dutch version? If it's a play-on-words it might indeed be language-specific.

The riddle can be asked in any language. The answer is actually a Dutch proverb, but I don't know if it exists in other languages. I hope I haven't given away too much with this hint. 🙂

He didn't pay?

Originally posted by piderman
OK, this riddle works if you are Dutch, but maybe it works in other languages too, I don't know exactly:

A man comes to a bridge with a sign saying 1 person at a time to cross the bridge. Still he can't cross the bridge. Why?

Just because he's carrying a sign saying that doesn't mean he's allowed to cross the bridge.

just because he was standing next to the bridge doesn't mean that he told poeple not to go o the bridge. O rmaybe he wasn't a person... hum.. I suck at riddles.. as you can see

Originally posted by piderman
The riddle can be asked in any language. The answer is actually a Dutch proverb, but I don't know if it exists in other languages. I hope I haven't given away too much with this hint. 🙂

There you go - seven zillion answers to this but I bet only one of them's a dutch proverb. 😀

OK, I give you all a few days more before I'll post the answer

Originally posted by piderman
OK, this riddle works if you are Dutch, but maybe it works in other languages too, I don't know exactly:

A man comes to a bridge with a sign saying 1 person at a time to cross the bridge. Still he can't cross the bridge. Why?

either he is not the one person who is alowed to cross, or it is not the time when one person is alowed to cross.

Because he is still alive ?

Originally posted by piderman
The riddle can be asked in any language. The answer is actually a Dutch proverb, but I don't know if it exists in other languages. I hope I haven't given away too much with this hint. 🙂

Luckily, or possibly unluckily there are various lists of english translations of dutch proverbs, eg here:
http://quote.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dutch_proverbs
and a much longer one here:
http://www.worldofquotes.com/proverb/Dutch/1/

The dutch seem to have a lot of proverbs!

Having looked at them I'm none the wiser though.

Originally posted by iamatiger
Luckily, or possibly unluckily there are various lists of english translations of dutch proverbs, eg here:
http://quote.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dutch_proverbs
and a much longer one here:
http://www.worldofquotes.com/proverb/Dutch/1/

The dutch seem to have a lot of proverbs!

Having looked at them I'm none the wiser though.

You actually checked 976 proverbs?
I didn't find mine in the first, and the second is cool: finding the Dutch proverb with the English translation. I did check the obvious places for the translation to stand, but didn't find it. I *didn't* check all though.

Originally posted by piderman
You actually checked 976 proverbs?
I didn't find mine in the first, and the second is cool: finding the Dutch proverb with the English translation. I did check the obvious places for the translation to stand, but didn't find it. I *didn't* check all though.

No - checking 976 proverbs was too much for me. I checked all of the first site.

Hmm - is the answer "you can't cross a bridge until you come to it"? As the sign has no "it" in the text he can't cross the bridge.