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For me, the English prepositions are sometimes still a
problem. Which prepositions go with which verbs? I've never found a
good book for that. I hope this page will help you with what must be
a similar problem for students of Dutch.
Not all verbs use
prepositions, and some English verbs use a preposition where Dutch
doesn't, and vice versa.
It is of course not possible to put all verbs and all possible
verb-preposition
combinations on this page. I hope I have collected the most
important, and may add more as I come across them and record examples.
Feel free to let me know if you think something is missing
having a meal with friends
2
3
I walk with two canes,
I use two canes for walking
Ga je met de auto?
2
Are you going by car?
‑>>
2
3
Drinking (alcohol) to forget
‑>>
2
I was unpleasantly surprised by,
'caught in a thunderstorm' Keep in mind that Dutch 'placeholders' when used with 'loose'
prepositions change:
het
2
3 /
't
'it'
‑>>
to
er
‑>>
- dat
'that'
‑>>
to
daar
‑>>
and wat
'what'
‑>>
to
waar
‑>>
except when the verb with
the preposition is a compound
word, when in the infinitive the preposition is part of the
verb ‑>>
- though there are exceptions -
more about Compound Verbs
- 2
See also dat = 'that'
- conjunction
Ik hoop dat het op tijd is
I hope that it's in time
Related: Verbs and 'Te'
to ring a doorbell
bij
2
to ring a doorbell at
2
3
I rang the doorbell at the
neighbors'
‑>>
aandacht besteden aan
paying attention to
See besteden below
aankunnen op
2
3
to count on, to rely on (you can trust it)
Je kunt erop aan
2
You can count on it
‑>> ff.
met
touching with
touching with a stick (pole?)
achterlaten
2
to leave behind
‑>>
achterlaten
2
in
2
to leave behind in
Ik liet hem achter in Babylon
2
3
I left him behind in Babylon
van
2
2
To put an end to,
to be done with the nagging,
to get rid of the hassle, the pointless, annoying comments
‑>>
afwillen van
2
wanting, desiring to be rid of
‑>>
Ik wil er vanaf
2
3
I want to be rid of it, I want it gone
van
2
2
3
4
giving up meat, become a vegetarian
‑>>
voor
2
2
She's afraid of spiders
dat
2
met
met
(mee
‑>>)
2
What do you mean by that?
to begin, start
‑>>
aan
2
I'm already starting on it
‑>>
met
(mee
‑>>)
2
(saying)
Starting with a clean slate (a fresh start
without baggage)
van
2
2
3
[I understand nothing of it] - I don't understand
any of it, it's a complete mystery to me
met
aan
berusten in
2
3
to be resigned to
van
2
2
3
2
3
4
He was accused of plagiarism
‑>>
2
to spend, (to pay)
aan
to spend on, (to pay to)
2
Don't pay attention to the money
‑>>
2
3
2
3
Don't spend money on it!
‑>>
2
3
4
2
3
I'm spending a lot of time (working)
on my website
voor
2
You know how much it means to him
to pray
‑>>
tot
to pray to (a god)
2
praying to God, the Lord
om
to pray for (asking for)
2
3
praying for rain
blij
zijn
'to be happy, glad'
Ben je nou blij?
Are you happy now? (something happened that the
addressed person wanted but that the
speaker is not happy with)
Ik ben blij dat je gekomen bent
2
I'm glad that you have come
blij
zijn
met
/ mee
‑>>
'to be pleased, happy, content'
Bent U blij met Uw fiets?
2
Are you happy with your bike? (Would you recommend
it?)(formal 'you')
Ben je er blij mee?
2
3
Are you happy with it? (informal 'you')
Ik ben er niet blij mee
2
3
1. I'm not happy with it (an item)
2. I'm not happy about it (a situatiom or an
outcome)
met
2
to share // to divide (numbers)
met
sharing with
door
dividing by
‑>>
to think
‑>>
aan
thinking of/about // bear in mind, pay attention
2
It made me think of a book ...
Ik denk vaak aan je
I often think of you
(with affection)
Zoveel dingen om aan te denken!
2
So many things to keep in mind!
‑>>
van
2
think of, have an opinion about
2
What do you think of it?
What's your opinion?
‑>>
over
2
to think about, consider
2
3
I'm thinking about stopping,
quitting
‑>>
aan
2
2
3
We don't do charity
2
3
Can you do something about it?
‑>>
to threaten
‑>>
op
drinking to (a toast)
2
3
We drink (to) your health (a toast)
uit
2
drinking from
2
3
He drank from the bottle
van
2
2
I'm dreaming of cigars
over
2
2
I dreamed about my Dad,
I had a dream about my Dad
aan
2
3
4
2
3
4
I'm annoyed by the neighbors
met
2
eating with knife and fork
met
eating with friends
van
2
2
eating from a plate
2
3
to congratulate
met
['Heartfelt congratulations on your birthday']
Happy birthday (informal)
‑>>
naar
to go to (travel destination)
2
I'm going to Paris
‑>>
met
going by (means of transportation)
2
Are you going by car?
We gingen naar beneden met de lift
We took the elevator down
over
2
to be about (subject of book, movie etc.)
The book is about dolphins
‑>>
om
to be about (what's important)
2
It's about the money
‑>>
met
/ mee
‑>>
2
3
You're right about that
‑>>
in
2
2
Do you believe (in) it?
Do you think it's true?
2
to give evidence, 'bear witness'
2
van
2
2
3
It doesn't [witness] show good taste, it's a sign of bad taste
aan
giving to
Jan gives a book to Piet
‑>>
om
2
3
He doesn't care about it, it's of no interest
to him
‑>>
to throw ->>
naar
tegen
uit
2
The skipper pulled a handful of wheat from a pocket of
his coat ‑>>
'to have' ‑>> - and also the auxiliary verb for
the
perfect tense of a majority of Dutch
verbs
2
3
2
3
4
She often talks about you
‑>>
2
3
2
3
4
5
Is it of (any) use to you,
is it useful to you?
‑>>
2
I have a great dislike of gossip,
I really dislike gossip
‑>>
2
3
2
3
He likes cats very much, he has a special
talent dealing with cats ('he is cat whisperer')
2
3
2
It has to do with the temperature
‑>>Ben je eraan gehecht?
2
[Have you become] Are you (emotionally)
attached to it?
met
/ mee
‑>>
2
3
4
Who'll help (me) with the dishes,
doing the dishes?
aan
2
3
4
I [helped him find] got him a job
to remember
‑>>
2
3
2
I reminded him [of his promise]
that he'd made a promise ‑>>
to recognize
‑>>
aan
2
I recognized him by his voice
op
hoping for
2
We're hoping for a miracle
van
2
hearing of
2
3
Never heard of it (or him/her)
‑>>
van
2
hearing from
[Have you heard from Piet]
Have you been in touch with Piet?
‑>>
to look
‑>>
zijn
met
/ mee
‑>>
2
3
I'm done with it, I finished the task
zijn
voor
2
2
I'm ready for it, I'm (well-)
prepared (for it)
to come
‑>>
uit
2
[to come from] to be from
2
She's from England
‑>>
voor
2
2
We (have) come for the music
‑>>
to buy
‑>>
van
2
2
3
I got it from you, it was
given to me by you, you gave it to me
Ik krijg er hoofdpijn van
2
It gives me a headache
‑>>
om
laughing about
2
3
They laughed about it, they didn't take it
seriously ‑>>
to lead
‑>>
2
to lend // to borrow
van
2
2
3
I borrowed a bike from the neighbors
aan
2
3
I lent my bike to the neighbors
to learn // to teach
‑>>
van
2
2
3
learning from mistakes
Ik heb 't van jou geleerd
2
[I've learned it from you] -
You taught it to me
letten op
2
3
pay attention to, watch carefully
‑>>
Hij let nergens op
2
3
[He's not paying attention to anything]
~ he's extremely careless
See also: opletten
aan
2
'They are suffering from memory loss' - usually
said when people ignore inconvenient history
van
2
'Man suffers most from the suffering he fears' -
a sentiment somewhat similar to President Roosevelt's 'The only
thing we have to fear is fear itself' - FDR
to listen
‑>>
te maken hebben met
'having to do with'
See under hebben
medelijden hebben met
2
to pity, have pity on
Heb medelijden met de dieren!
2
3
Have pity on the animals!
‑>>
over
2
2
I have not thought that over
neerkijken op
2
to look down on, despise, to view with contempt,
disdain
Ze kijken op ons neer
They look down on us
‑>>
to handle, deal with // to meet
socially, spend time together, associate with
Wie met pek omgaat wordt ermee besmet
2
3
4
(saying)
[He who handles, deals with pitch gets contaminated by it]
- He who touches pitch will be defiled - dealing with evil will
easily change you for the worse
Ze gaan veel met elkaar om
2
3
4
They're spending much time together,
they're seeing a lot of each other
met
/ mee
‑>>
2
2
3
1. 'to pay attention, be careful,
proceed with caution'
2
They should watch out,
they'd better be careful
(de) oppas
babysitter, or person who looks after
older children
met
(mee
‑>>)
2
3
Be careful with fire!
Daar moet je mee oppassen
2
3
4
You should be careful with that,
You'd better be careful with that
(iets) overlaten aan
leaving (something) to
Laat het aan de vakman over
Leave it to the professionals (Dutch uses the
singular 'professional')
Mensen aan hun lot overlaten
2
3
4
Leave people to their fate
(not helping them)
bij
2
Red beets and spinach go together well
‑>>
op
2
3
2
Someone [who watches] to watch over me, someone
who looks after me
om te
We're planning to leave tomorrow
to talk, chat
‑>>
met
talking with
He was talking to Piet
over
2
talking about
2
(saying)
[Talking about little cows and calves]
- chatting about nice but unimportant things
to try, to attempt
‑>>
te
Try to stay awake
op
2
3
4
2
3
4
You can count on him, he's reliable
‑>>
2
3
naar
2
I rushed from [one store to the other]
store to store
to smell (notice or produce a smell)
‑>>
naar
to smell like, of
2
It smells like rain
aan
2
3
He sniffed at the bottle,
he smelled the bottle
naar
He shot an arrow at the tree
op
2
3
Shooting at clay pigeons
aan
I wrote a letter to my mother
over
2
2
3
I have nothing to write about, I don't have
anything to write about
van
2
2
I was shocked, taken aback by the price
in
2
2
We did not succeed (in it)
- we were not successful
smaken naar
2
3
to taste of, taste like
‑>>
t Smaakt naar nootjes
2
[It tastes like nuts]
It has a nutty taste
to play
‑>>
met
/ mee
‑>>
2
3
4
'Playing with fire' - doing dangerous things,
taking stupid risks ‑>>
spijt hebben van
2
to regret, be sorry about
‑>>
Ik heb nergens spijt van
2
3
I regret nothing, I have no regrets about anything
('je ne regrette rien')
to speak
‑>>
met
speaking to
2
[With whom] Who am I speaking to?
Who's calling? (on the telephone)
‑>>
over
2
speaking about
2
There was much [spoken] talk about freedom
op
to vote for
2
Vote for a woman!
tegen
2
Fighting inequality
tijd besteden aan
2
3
4
spending time on
See besteden above
toe zijn aan
- 3 different situations
‑>>
van
2
(the) having to admit to mistakes
met
married to ...
Hij is getrouwd met een Belgische
2
He is married to a Belgian lady,
his wife is Belgian
twijfelen
2
3
to doubt ‑>>
twijfelen
2
3
aan
to doubt, have doubts about
Ik begin aan alles te twijfelen
2
3
I'm starting to have doubts about
everything
voor
2
2
3
Watch out for fakes, beware of
imitations
naar
2
I'm looking forward to the holidays
‑>>
to fall
‑>>
op
2
3
It fell to the ground
Ze is niet op haar mondje gevallen
2
3
['She didn't fall on her mouth'] - She
never hesitates to speak up, she's not shy to speak her
mind ‑>>
op
(#2)
2
He falls for blond girls
‑>>
uit
2
2
3
It fell from the sky
van
2
2
'Did you fall down the stairs?' - often
jocularly asked of a person who has had
a radically short haircut.
aan
2
3
4
I need to hold on to something
(a fixed point) at all times
vastmaken aan
2
3
to (firmly and physically) connect,
attach to
vastzitten aan
2
being fastened, tied to // being committed to
Je zit eraan vast
2
You're stuck with it, you have an obligation
to do it that you can't get out of
met
2
3
4
Fighting ('tilting at') windmills,
like Don Quixote
tegen
2
3
Fighting windmills,
like activists who don't want them built or want them removed
voor
2
2
3
Fighting for money, like prizefighters,
professional fighters
om
2
Fighting over bread
to change
‑>>
over
2
2
I'm surprised at the self-confidence
2
to connect
met
2
in
2
onder
van
2
2
3
He is suspected of
dealing in stolen goods
uit
2
2
3
It's disappearing from the shops
‑>>
met
2
Compared with Russia ...
in
2
2
Y'all were mistaken, wrong about him
naar
to move to
naar
2
3
2
3
I long for my bed, to sleep
uit
2
2
3
4
'release from his suffering,'
i.e. euthanize. Occasionally, 'saving him from an
unpleasant situation'
van
2
2
Deliver us from evil
met
to leave, depart
‑>>
naar
He's leaving for Africa tomorrow
om
van
2
2
3
I'm leaving from Schiphol at 9
uit
2
means leaving for good, not coming back
2
3
I'm leaving Holland
op
2
3
I trust the [healthy thinking]
common sense
vertrouwen
hebben
in
2
to trust, be confident about
‑>>
Ik heb er geen vertrouwen in
2
3
'I'm not confident, I do not trust it,
I don't think it's going to work or end well
om
to ask for
2
3
We're asking for help, assistance
‑>>
(aan
)
to ask (of + about)
‑>>
2
3
Ask an expert, a specialist
(about it)
naar
2
3
They asked [about the way] for
directions
voor
2
2
He feared for his life,
he was afraid he might not survive
to wait
‑>>
op
waiting for
2
3
We're waiting for a taxi
‑>>
tot
waiting till
Let's wait till tomorrow
‑>>
met
/ mee
‑>>
2
waiting with paying, postponing payment
to get used to
‑>>
aan
2
3
2
3
I've gotten used to it,
I'm used to it
van
2
knowledge about a specific subject or
familiarity with an event or incident
2
3
4
5
He knows a little of everything
‑>>
wijten aan
2
3
to blame, to see as the cause of
‑>>
Wij weten 't aan 't weer
we blamed [it on] the weather, we thought it
was caused by the weather
op
2
3
4
I have already pointed it out to you
[so often] many times
naar
2
I want to go home
‑>>
van
2
2
3
What is it that you want of me?
afwillen van
2
wanting, desiring to be rid of -
See above
tegen
to say to
2
3
4
Please [say nothing] don't say anything (about it)
to Piet
‑>>
van
2
2
3
What do you say about it?
What's your opinion on it?
‑>>
bang zijn
2
to be afraid - See bang zijn above
zijn
'to be' ‑>>
af zijn
2
to be ready, finished, done
- See above
2
It's no use anyway
(Whatever you do ...) ‑>>
in
2
2
Would you like a glass of liquor?
‑>>
2
I'm looking for a statement
by the king
naar
2
3
I'm searching for a statement
by the king
over
2
Don't worry about me
to wave
naar
2
Someone waved to me
More about prepostions:
Pictorial
- Overview
- List
Smartphone Versions:
Pictorial
- List
- Aan - Achter - Af - Al - Als - Binnen/Buiten - Daar - Dan - Dat - Door - Eens - Er - Erg - Even - Haast - Het - In - Laat - Maar - Na - Naar - Net - Nog - Of - Om - Onder/Boven - Op - Over - Toen - Uit - Van - Voor - Vroeg - Waar - Wat - Weg - Zo - more
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