Prepositions in Dutch
Dutch prepositions are small words with big consequences: op maandag but in juni, wachten op but denken aan. This guide covers the core set, the place and time rules, and 30 fixed combinations with example sentences.
The small words that matter
You can know a thousand Dutch words and still say ik wacht voor de bus. It sounds close. It is wrong. Prepositions are where Dutch quietly differs from English, and this page shows exactly where.
The core prepositions
Learn these 24 first. Each with an example you can use today.
| Dutch | English | Example |
|---|---|---|
| in | in | Ik woon in Utrecht. (I live in Utrecht.) |
| op | on | Het boek ligt op de tafel. (The book is on the table.) |
| aan | on / at | We zitten aan tafel. (We are at the table.) |
| bij | at / near / with | Ik ben bij de dokter. (I am at the doctor’s.) |
| met | with | Ik kom met de fiets. (I come by bike.) |
| zonder | without | Koffie zonder suiker, graag. (Coffee without sugar, please.) |
| voor | for / before / in front of | Dit cadeau is voor jou. (This present is for you.) |
| na | after | Na het werk ga ik sporten. (After work I go exercise.) |
| naar | to | We gaan naar Amsterdam. (We are going to Amsterdam.) |
| van | from / of | Dit is de auto van mijn buurman. (This is my neighbour’s car.) |
| uit | out of / from | Zij komt uit Polen. (She is from Poland.) |
| tot | until | De winkel is open tot zes uur. (The shop is open until six.) |
| om | at (time) / around | De les begint om negen uur. (The class starts at nine.) |
| over | about / over / in (time) | We praten over het weer. (We talk about the weather.) |
| onder | under | De kat zit onder de stoel. (The cat sits under the chair.) |
| boven | above | De lamp hangt boven de tafel. (The lamp hangs above the table.) |
| tussen | between | Het station ligt tussen twee parken. (The station lies between two parks.) |
| achter | behind | De tuin is achter het huis. (The garden is behind the house.) |
| naast | next to | Zij zit naast mij. (She sits next to me.) |
| tegen | against | De fiets staat tegen de muur. (The bike stands against the wall.) |
| door | through / by | We lopen door het park. (We walk through the park.) |
| langs | along / past | We fietsen langs de rivier. (We cycle along the river.) |
| tijdens | during | Tijdens de les is je telefoon uit. (During class your phone is off.) |
| sinds | since | Ik woon hier sinds 2022. (I have lived here since 2022.) |
Place: in, op, aan or bij?
English uses ‘in’ and ‘at’ for almost everything. Dutch splits it up. The pattern: in for enclosed spaces and cities, op for surfaces, islands and some institutions, aan for borders and edges (water, tables, streets as an address), bij for being at someone’s place or near something.
| Dutch | English | Why |
|---|---|---|
| in de stad, in Nederland | in the city, in the Netherlands | enclosed area |
| op straat, op school, op Texel | in the street, at school, on Texel | surface, institution, island |
| op het werk | at work | institution rule |
| aan zee, aan de Maas | at the seaside, on the Maas | edge of water |
| aan de Kerkstraat 12 | at Kerkstraat 12 | address as a line |
| bij de bakker, bij mijn ouders | at the baker’s, at my parents’ | at a person’s or business’s place |
Time: om, op, in or over?
This one is exam material. Om for clock times, op for days and dates, in for months, seasons and years, over for ‘from now’. So: om drie uur, op maandag, op 5 juni, in juni, in de zomer, in 2026, over een week. One trap: ‘s morgens, ‘s middags and ‘s avonds take no preposition at all.
| Dutch | English |
|---|---|
| om half negen | at half past eight |
| op maandag / op 5 juni | on Monday / on June 5th |
| in juni / in de winter / in 2026 | in June / in winter / in 2026 |
| over tien minuten | in ten minutes (from now) |
| tijdens de vergadering | during the meeting |
| van negen tot vijf | from nine to five |
The fixed combinations (vaste voorzetsels)
Here is the real reason prepositions feel hard: certain verbs and adjectives demand one specific preposition, and it rarely matches English. You wait FOR a bus in English; in Dutch you wait ON it: wachten op de bus. There is no rule to derive these. Learn each pair as one unit, the way you learned ‘depend on’.
Verb + preposition
The 20 you will need first, each in a real sentence.
| Dutch | English | Example |
|---|---|---|
| wachten op | to wait for | Ik wacht op de trein. (I am waiting for the train.) |
| denken aan | to think of | Ik denk vaak aan mijn familie. (I often think of my family.) |
| denken over | to think about (consider) | Ik denk na over je voorstel. (I am thinking about your proposal.) |
| luisteren naar | to listen to | Zij luistert naar muziek. (She listens to music.) |
| kijken naar | to look at / watch | We kijken naar een film. (We are watching a film.) |
| zoeken naar | to search for | Hij zoekt naar zijn sleutels. (He is looking for his keys.) |
| vragen om | to ask for | Mag ik om hulp vragen? (May I ask for help?) |
| vragen aan | to ask (someone) | Vraag het aan de docent. (Ask the teacher.) |
| houden van | to love | Ik hou van stroopwafels. (I love stroopwafels.) |
| genieten van | to enjoy | We genieten van het weekend. (We enjoy the weekend.) |
| beginnen met | to start with | We beginnen met de les. (We start the lesson.) |
| stoppen met | to stop (doing) | Hij stopt met roken. (He is quitting smoking.) |
| praten over | to talk about | Ze praten over het nieuws. (They talk about the news.) |
| klagen over | to complain about | Hij klaagt over het weer. (He complains about the weather.) |
| lijken op | to look like | Zij lijkt op haar moeder. (She looks like her mother.) |
| letten op | to pay attention to | Let op het verkeer. (Watch the traffic.) |
| zorgen voor | to take care of | Ik zorg voor mijn oma. (I take care of my grandma.) |
| geloven in | to believe in | Zij gelooft in zichzelf. (She believes in herself.) |
| feliciteren met | to congratulate on | Ik feliciteer je met je verjaardag. (I congratulate you on your birthday.) |
| bedanken voor | to thank for | Bedankt voor je hulp. (Thanks for your help.) |
Adjective + preposition
Ten combinations that show up in every conversation.
| Dutch | English | Example |
|---|---|---|
| blij met | happy with | Ik ben blij met mijn nieuwe baan. (I am happy with my new job.) |
| trots op | proud of | Ze is trots op haar dochter. (She is proud of her daughter.) |
| bang voor | afraid of | Hij is bang voor spinnen. (He is afraid of spiders.) |
| goed in | good at | Jij bent goed in Nederlands. (You are good at Dutch.) |
| verliefd op | in love with | Hij is verliefd op zijn buurvrouw. (He is in love with his neighbour.) |
| tevreden met | satisfied with | We zijn tevreden met het resultaat. (We are satisfied with the result.) |
| allergisch voor | allergic to | Ik ben allergisch voor noten. (I am allergic to nuts.) |
| geïnteresseerd in | interested in | Zij is geïnteresseerd in geschiedenis. (She is interested in history.) |
| jaloers op | jealous of | Wees niet jaloers op anderen. (Don’t be jealous of others.) |
| klaar met | done with | Ik ben klaar met mijn huiswerk. (I am done with my homework.) |
One level up: er + preposition
When Dutch replaces a thing with ‘it’ after a preposition, the two words merge and flip: over het boek becomes erover, van de muziek becomes ervan, aan het weekend becomes eraan. So: Ik denk eraan (I am thinking of it), We praten erover (we talk about it). If you know your fixed combinations, these come almost free: the preposition stays the same.
Drill them until they are automatic
Reading a table is step one. Step two is building real sentences until wachten op comes out without thinking. The Dutch Daily sentence trainer is free and needs no account.
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
What are the most common Dutch prepositions?
The core set: in (in), op (on), aan (on/at), bij (at/near), met (with), voor (for/before), na (after), naar (to), van (from/of), uit (out of), om (at, for times), over (about), onder (under), tussen (between). Most daily sentences use one of these.
Why are Dutch prepositions hard for English speakers?
Two reasons. Place and time work differently (op maandag but in juni, om drie uur), and many verbs demand a fixed preposition that does not match English: wachten op (wait for), denken aan (think of), vragen om (ask for). Those fixed pairs have to be memorised as units.
What is the difference between om, op and in for time?
Om for clock times (om drie uur), op for days and dates (op maandag, op 5 juni), in for months, seasons and years (in juni, in de zomer, in 2026). Over means ‘from now’: over een week is ‘in a week’.
What are vaste voorzetsels?
Fixed prepositions: verb or adjective combinations that always take one specific preposition, like wachten op, luisteren naar, trots op and bang voor. There is no rule that predicts them, so learn each pair as a single unit and practise it in full sentences.
How can I practice Dutch prepositions?
Build full sentences instead of memorising lists. The free Dutch Daily sentence structure trainer lets you practise word order and preposition placement without an account, and the app drills fixed combinations in real conversations.
Wil je ze meteen in een zin oefenen? Dat kan gratis bij de zinstructuur-trainer.
Of doe het gratis oefenexamen · geen account nodig.