Lesson 17

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    From Wikibooks, under CC BY-SA 4.0, as the source states it. This page at Wikibooks.

    Lesson 17

    Beginner level    Intermediate level    Advanced level
    Cycle 1 Cycle 2 Cycle 3 Cycle 4 Cycle 5 Cycle 6
    Main Lesson 1 Lesson 2 Lesson 3 Lesson 4 Lesson 5 Lesson 6 Lesson 7 Lesson 8 Lesson 9 Lesson 10 Lesson 11 Lesson 12 Lesson 13 Lesson 14 Lesson 15 Lesson 16 Lesson 17 Lesson 18 Lesson 19 Lesson 20 Lesson 21 Lesson 22 Lesson 23 Main
    Practice Lesson 1A Lesson 2A Lesson 3A Lesson 4A Lesson 5A Lesson 6A Lesson 7A Lesson 8A Lesson 9A Lesson 10A Lesson 11A Lesson 12A Lesson 13A Lesson 14A Lesson 15A Lesson 16A Practice
    Examples Vb. 1 Vb. 2 Vb. 3 Vb. 4 Vb. 5 Vb. 6 Vb. 7 Vb. 8 Vb. 9 Vb. 10 Vb. 11 Vb. 12 Vb. 13 Vb. 14 Vb. 15 Vb. 16 Examples
    Quiz Quiz
    Main page Introduction Pronunciation Vocabulary Index News

    Advanced level: cycle 5

    Lesson 17 ~ Lesson 17

    Voorzetselbijwoorden ~ Prepositional adverbs


    • Formation of pronominal adverbs
    • Formation of separable verbs
    • Formation of inseparable verbs

    Advanced level

    Welcome to the first lesson of the advanced level of this course. You should have a pretty good understanding of Dutch grammar, a good basis in syntax and a considerable vocabulary by now. This means that you should be able to practice your Dutch on your own through books, websites, videos, TV programs etc. etc.

    The advanced level will concentrate on a number of special topics that will deepen your command of the language. This part of the course is the least developed in terms of practice or cultural context and is more aimed at being a reference source for you to come back to when you run into things you do not quite understand when using your Dutch out there on your own.

    Bijwoorden

    Dutch word translation prep. prep.
    adv.
    pron. adv.
    e.g.
    sep. verbs
    e.g.
    insep. verbs
    e.g.
    in in yes yes erin inrijden ―
    binnen inside yes yes erbinnen binnenkomen ―
    door through, by yes yes erdoor doorlopen doorlopen
    bij near yes yes erbij bijkomen ―
    op on, upon yes yes erop opkomen ―
    open open no yes ― opendraaien openbaren
    dicht closed no yes ― dichtnaaien ―
    naast beside yes yes ernaast ― ―
    over over yes yes erover overlopen overkomen
    boven above yes yes erboven bovenblijven ―
    tegen against yes yes ertegen tegenspreken ―
    zonder on, upon yes yes erzonder[1] ― ―
    tegenover opposite yes yes ertegenover tegenoverstellen ―
    voor for, before yes yes ervoor vóórkomen voorkómen
    achter behind yes yes erachter achterstellen achterhalen
    achterop on the back of yes yes erachterop achteropraken ―
    neer down no yes ― neerzien ―
    beneden down, dowstairs yes yes erbeneden ― ―
    uit out (of) yes yes eruit uitstellen ―
    buiten outside (of) yes yes erbuiten buitensluiten ―
    benevens next to yes no ― ― ―
    via via yes no ― ― ―
    sinds since yes no ― ― ―
    vanwege bcause of yes no ― ― ―
    onder under yes yes eronder onderlopen ondervragen
    met with yes no ― ― ―
    mee along, with no yes ermee meemaken ―
    langs along yes yes erlangs langslopen ―
    om around, in order to yes yes erom omlopen omarmen
    aan on, at yes yes eraan aanlopen aanvaarden
    af off no yes eraf aflopen ―
    van of, from yes yes ervan ― ―
    heen towards, away no yes erheen heengaan ―
    weer again no yes ― weerkeren weerstaan
    behalve except yes no ― ― ―
    gezien in view of yes no ― ― ―

    We have seen two major groups of words in the Dutch language: naamwoorden (nouns, adverbs, pronouns etc.) and werkwoorden (transitive verbs, intransitives, copula's, auxiliaries). The third group that comprises all the rest is known as bijwoorden (adverbs) and again they occur in a number of forms. Unfortunately it is not possible to classify them quite as thoroughly as the other two groups. In fact it is a bit of a miscellaneous rest group, a kind garbage can into which anything is flung that does not fit in the other two.

    We have already seen a few groups of words that fall under the denominator bijwoord in the more extensive sense of the word and we will examine a few more

    1. prepositional adverbs, like in, voor, mee, toe, heen, af etc.
    2. prepositions like in, op, bij, over, met, tot
    3. conjunctions (including subjunctions)
    4. modal adverbs (particles) like wel, maar, eens, ...
    5. adverbs of place and time, like nu, toen, dan or daar, waar
    6. interjections, like oh, hoi, ach, dag, nou

    Prepositions and prepositional adverbs

    Prepositions are often hard to translate exactly because which one is used in which case often differs between the languages.

    Historically, prepositions developed from adverbs that were put before an object to clarify the meaning of a case ending. Later they supplanted the use of the case endings completely.

    In Dutch many prepositions have an—often identical—adverbial form, the prepositional adverb, that occurs either as part of a separable verb or as the prepositional part of the pronominal adverb or simply by itself. As we have seen both of those compounds play a considerable role in Dutch grammar. Thus the separation between prepositions and adverbs is not as sharp in Dutch as it is in some other languages. In a sense Dutch is a rather adverbial language: adverbs play a major role.

    Another role that prepositional adverbs sometimes play is that of complement of a copula (predicate):

    De licht is aan en blijft aan
    De bal is uit.

    However, there are also prepositions that are just that: prepositions and not adverbs. They are historically from a later date and have often resulted from nouns or participles that got used as prepositions. They cannot be used to form pronominal adverbs, separable verbs or predicates.

    Conversely, there are adverbs that never became prepositions, but they do get used to form compound verbs, pronominal adverbs and predicates, e.g. af:

    pronominal adverb: eraf - er niet af
    separable verb: afschieten - hij schoot af
    predicate: het is nog niet af


    Below is a list of the most common prepositions and prepositional adverbs to give an idea how they are used. The table gives an overview of the various roles that prepositions and their adverbs can play.

    There is a number of forms that were formed by prefixing be- and often end in -(e)n, cf.

    in - binnen
    uit - buiten
    over - boven
    ne(d)er - beneden

    English has a few comparable forms like before, between, beside, below and behind

    IN, BINNEN

    Illustration
    noicon
    binnen
    noicon
    in

    In translates mostly as its cognate in

    hij woont in dat huis - he lives in that house
    hij gelooft in spoken - he believes in ghosts

    Its identical adverb in often occurs pronominal replacement: erin, daarin (in it, in there) etc. as well as in separable verbs as will be shown below.

    Notice that Dutch does not have an equivalent of into but uses in as prepositional adverb to express the concept of movement 'into' something.

    An alternative is to use binnen which often translates into inside

    hij is binnen - he is inside
    binnenlopen:
    e.g. Hij liep het huis binnen. ‘’He entered the house.’’
    binnen twee minuten - within two minutes

    To emphasize movement naar can be added:

    hij liep naar binnen - he walked in
    hij liep er naar binnen - he entered it

    Notice that Dutch grammar has no hangups about ending sentences in 'prepositions'. A word like binnen is not considered a preposition unless it actually precedes a noun. Otherwise it is an adverb and there is no law against ending a sentence in an adverb...

    Compounds
    Pronominal adverbs
    • erin, hierin, daarin, waarin, ergens in, nergens in, overal in, ergens anders in, nergens anders in
    • erbinnen, hierbinnen, daarbinnen, waarbinnen
    Separable verbs
    inademen
    e.g. Ik adem in. I breathe in.
    inlopen
    e.g. Hij loopt het huis in. He walks into the house.

    Notice that Dutch uses the preposition in to denote a state of rest, but the prepositional adverb to denote movement:

    in het huis - in the house
    het huis in - into the house

    The prepositional adverb is usually part of a separable verb:

    hij liep het huis in <- het huis inlopen.
    Inseparable verbs
    None.


    UIT, BUITEN

    Illustration
    noicon
    binnen
    noicon
    buiten

    uit is represented by out of or from

    uit dit erts wordt goud gewonnen - out of this ore gold is produced
    hij komt uit Utrecht - he is from Utrecht

    buiten usually means outside

    buiten de stad - outside the city
    hij is buiten - he is outside
    hij ging naar buiten - he went ouside'
    Compounds
    Pronominal adverbs
    • eruit, hieruit, daaruit, waaruit
    • erbuiten, hierbuiten, daarbuiten, waarbuiten
    Separable verbs

    Both uit and buiten have separable verbs. Uit often means off in these.

    e.g. uitdraaien:
    Hij draaide de radio uit. He turned the radio off.
    e.g. uitdoen:
    Zij deed het licht uit. She switched off the light.
    Zij deed haar jas uit. She took her coat off.

    Buiten often means out in verbs:

    e.g. buitensluiten - to lock out
    Inseparable verbs
    none


    DOOR

    Illustration
    noicon
    door
    noicon
    doorheen

    door is a cognate of through and often corresponds to it:

    Het licht valt door het raam. The light shines through the window.

    In many cases the correct translation is by particularly when it is used with the passive voice:

    Hij is door de wol geverfd. lit. He has been dyed by the wool. (He is a veteran, old hand.)

    Together with heen the meaning is through and through or passage through:

    Hij stak de naald door het vel heen. He stuck the needle (all the way) through the skin.
    Compounds
    Pronominal adverbs
    • erdoor, hierdoor, daardoor, waardoor, ergens door, nergens door, overal door, ergens anders door, nergens anders door
    Dat is nergens anders door te vervangen
    That cannot be replaced by anything else.
    Separable verbs
    e.g. dóórhakken:
    Hij hakte de knoop door. He cut the knot through.
    Inseparable verbs
    doorzíén:
    e.g. Hij doorzag de list. He saw through the ruse.

    Notice that the separable version has stress, the inseparable one does not.


    BIJ

    Illustration
    noicon
    bij

    Although the word is cognate of by it often is used rather differently. It indicates a location slightly to the side of something.

    Schiphol ligt bij Amsterdam - Schiphol is near Amsterdam
    bij de les blijven - stay with the lesson
    bij slecht weer - in the case of bad weather
    het is bij vijven - it is around five o'clock
    hij bleef erbij - he stuck to it
    Compounds
    Pronominal adverbs
    • erbij, hierbij, daarbij, waarbij, ergens bij, nergens bij, overal bij, ergens anders bij, nergens anders bij
    Separable verbs
    e.g. bijkomen:
    Hij kwam eindelijk bij. He finally regained consciousness.
    bijwerken:
    Ik heb het bijgewerkt. I have updated it.
    Inseparable verbs
    none


    OP

    Illustration
    noicon
    op
    noicon
    boven

    Although cognate of up it usually translates as on or upon

    hij is op vakantie - he is on vacation
    het boek ligt op de tafel - the book lies on the table.
    op je gezondheid - a toast to you health (not : up your .. etc.)
    Compounds
    Pronominal adverbs
    • erop, hierop, daarop, waarop, ergens op, nergens op, overal op, ergens anders op, nergens anders op
    • Dat past nergens anders op. That doesn't fit on anything else.
    Separable verbs
    e.g. opnemen:
    Hij nam op. He picked up, answered (the phone); he recorded; he absorbed.
    ophoepelen:
    Ach , hoepel toch op! Ow, get lost!, lit. to hoop up; to get lost
    Inseparable verbs
    None.


    NAAST

    Illustration
    noicon
    naast

    naast translates mostly into next to, beside

    Jan en Elly wonen naast John en Heleen. Jan and Elly are the neighbors of John and Heleen.
    Zij wonen ernaast.
    Compounds
    Pronominal adverbs
    • ernaast, hiernaast, daarnaast, waarnaast, ergens naast, nergens naast, overal naast
    Separable verbs
    None.
    Inseparable verbs
    None.


    OVER

    Illustration
    noicon
    over

    over translates mostly as it identical cognate:

    hij vloog over het koekoeksnest - he flew over the cuckoo's nest

    It can also translate as about

    hij praat veel over auto's. He talks a lot about cars.
    Compounds
    Pronominal adverbs
    • erover, hierover, daarover, waarover, ergens over, nergens over, overal over, ergens anders over, nergens anders over
    Hij praat nergens anders over. He talks about nothing else.
    Separable verbs
    e.g. overlopen:
    Het bad liep over. The bathtub overflowed.
    Inseparable verbs
    e.g. overzien
    Ik overzag het slagveld. I oversaw the battlefield.


    BOVEN

    Illustration
    noicon
    onder
    noicon
    boven

    boven translates as its cognate above

    hij zette er een punt boven: he put a dot above it.

    Its identical adverb usually means up, upstairs

    hij is boven : he is upstairs

    To indicate movement Dutch uses naar

    hij liep naar boven - he went upstairs, he went up the hill etc.
    Compounds
    Pronominal adverbs
    • erboven, hierboven, daarboven, waarboven, ergens boven, nergens boven, overal over
    Hij woont hierboven. He lives above here.
    Separable verbs
    none
    Inseparable verbs
    none


    TEGEN

    tegen usually translates as against

    hij was tegen dit wetsvoorstel - he opposed this proposition
    de fiets stond tegen de muur - the bike stood against the wall

    but:

    hij zei tegen haar - he said to her
    Compounds
    Pronominal adverbs
    ertegen, hiertegen, daartegen, waartegen, ergens tegen, nergens tegen, overal tegen, ergens anders tegen, nergens anders tegen
    Separable verbs
    e.g. tegenwerken: to thwart, to work against
    Hij werkte me altijd tegen. He always blocked me.
    tegenkomen - to encounter, to run into
    Inseparable verbs
    None.


    ZONDER

    Illustration
    noicon
    met
    noicon
    zonder

    zonder means without

    hij drinkt koffie zonder suiker
    Compounds
    Pronominal adverbs
    It did not have an adverbial form but increasingly pronominal adverbs like waarzonder are used.[1]
    Separable verbs
    None.
    Inseparable verbs
    None.


    TEGENOVER

    tegenover means on the opposite side of.

    Het hotel staat tegenover het conferentiecentrum. The hotel is opposite the conference center.
    Compounds
    Pronominal adverbs
    • ertegenover, hiertegenover, daartegenover, waartegenover
    Separable verbs
    e.g.: tegenoverstellen - put against, balance, add an objection
    Inseparable verbs
    None.


    VOOR

    Illustration
    noicon
    achter
    noicon
    voor

    This preposition has two meanings, one corresponds to English for

    Dat is voor jóú. That is for you

    But with a different stress pattern is means before either in place or time or in favor of

    Hij is vóór jou. He is before you (in line e.g.)
    Hij stemde vóór de motie. He voted in favor of the motion

    Used as an adverb, it often gets an ending -en:

    Hij liep naar voren. He walked to the front.
    Compounds
    Pronominal adverbs
    • ervoor, hiervoor, daarvoor, waarvoor, ergens voor, nerges voor, overal voor, ergens anders voor, nergens anders voor
    Hij wilde overal voor stoppen. He wanted to stop for everything.
    Separable verbs
    voorlichten - to inform, to apprise
    vóórkomen - to occur
    Inseparable verbs
    voorkómen - to prevent


    ACHTER

    Illustration
    noicon
    achter
    noicon
    voor

    Achter is mostly translated as behind. Some dialects, e.g. in Zeeland and West Flanders have a form bachten in the meaning of behind but it is not considered part of standard Dutch.

    Hij stond achter de tafel. He stood behind the table.

    As adverb it can also translate into back:

    Hij keek naar achter. He looked back

    In that meaning it often gets an ending -en:

    Hij liep naar achteren. He walked to the back.
    Compounds
    Pronominal adverbs
    • erachter, hierachter, daarachter, waarachter, ergens achter, nergens achter, overal achter, ergens anders achter, nergens anders achter
    Het kan overal achter zitten. It could be hidden behind anything.
    Separable verbs
    e.g. achterstellen - to discriminate, to marginalize
    Deze groep is eeuwen lang achtergesteld. This group has been marginalized for centuries.
    Inseparable verbs
    e.g. achterhalen
    Ik achterhaalde de waarheid. I retraced the truth.


    ACHTERIN

    achterin translate mostly into in the back of

    Achterin de auto liggen nog wat boodschappen - In the trunk of the car there a still a few groceries

    It is often used as an adverb together with in:

    Het lag achterin in de auto
    Compounds
    Pronominal adverbs
    None
    Separable verbs
    None
    Inseparable verbs
    None


    ACHTEROP

    achterop is mostly used to indicate the passenger seat of a bike and is used as an adverb. As a preposition it falls apart. (See lesson 23.)

    achter op de fiets - on de back of the bike
    met z'n meisie achterop - with his girl on the back
    Compounds
    Pronominal adverbs
    none
    Separable verbs
    e.g. achteropraken: to run behind, to lose advantage
    Inseparable verbs
    None.


    NE(D)ER, BENEDEN

    Illustration
    noicon
    neer
    noicon
    beneden

    The form beneden can be used as preposition in the meaning of below, under underneath, south of

    beneden de rivieren - south of the rivers (i.e. Rhine, Meuse etc.)
    beneden de Iridiumlaag vind je dinosaurusbotten - below the Iridium layer you find dinosaur bones

    With naar it indicates downward movement:

    hij viel naar beneden - he fell down

    The form neer (<neder) is not used as a preposition but occurs as an adverb with the meaning of down in separable verbs.

    Compounds
    Pronominal adverbs
    • neer: none
    • beneden: hierbeneden, daarbeneden
    Separable verbs
    • beneden: none
    • neer:
    e.g. neerzien op:
    Hij zag neer op die mensen. He looked down upon these people.
    neerzitten bij:
    Hij zat bij de pakken neer. He surrendered to resignation. (He gave up.)
    Inseparable verbs
    None.


    BEZIJDEN

    bezijden is comparable to besides but occurs mostly in the expression.

    bezijden de waarheid - aside of the truth (i.e. not true)
    Compounds
    Pronominal adverbs
    none
    Separable verbs
    none
    Inseparable verbs
    none


    BENEVENS

    benevens is a rather formal alternative to naast (besides, next to).

    benevens de aandelen is er het huizenbezit - besides the stocks is there the real estate
    Compounds
    Pronominal adverbs
    none
    Separable verbs
    none
    Inseparable verbs
    none


    ONDER

    Illustration
    noicon
    onder
    noicon
    boven

    onder is the cognate of under and has similar applications:

    de hond ligt onder de tafel - het dog lies under the table

    It can also be used in the meaning of among:

    onder professoren - in the circle of professors

    Used as adverb it can get an ending -en

    Het is van onderen wit. It is white on the bottom side.
    Compounds
    Pronominal adverbs
    eronder, hieronder, daaronder, waaronder, ergens onder, nergens onder, overal onder, ergens anders onder, nergens anders onder
    Ligt het nergens anders onder? Isn't is hidden underneath anything else?
    Separable verbs
    e.g. óndergaan:
    De zon gaat onder. The sun sets.
    Inseparable verbs
    e.g. ondergáán:
    Hij ondergaat een operatie. He undergoes surgery.


    MET/ME(D)E

    Illustration
    noicon
    met
    noicon
    zonder

    met usually means with.

    hij gaat met zijn vrouw naar Canada - he goes to Canada with his wife

    Its adverbial form is mee (or originally: mede).

    Compounds
    Pronominal adverbs
    met: none
    mee: ermee, hiermee, daarmee, waarmee, ergens mee, overal mee, nergens mee, ergens ander mee, nergens anders mee
    mede: hiermede, daarmede, waarmede
    Separable verbs
    met: none
    mee:
    e.g. meegaan:
    Hij ging mee. He joined.
    Hij ging mee met haar. He accompanied her.

    The older adverb mede still occurs in verbs or a rather formal register, e.g.:

    mededelen - to communicate, to announce
    Er werd medegedeeld dat zij onslagen werden. It was announced that they were fired
    Inseparable verbs
    None.


    NAAR, TOT, TOE, HEEN, WEER

    Illustration
    noicon
    naar
    noicon
    tot

    naar translates mostly as to or at:

    hij kijkt naar het schilderij - he looks at the painting
    hij kijkt ernaar - he looks at it.
    hij gaat naar Kaapstad - he is going to Cape Town

    In the sense of to rather than at naar is often reinforced by adding the adverb toe:

    hij gaat naar Kaapstad toe

    In pronominal replacement the addition is mandatory:

    hij gaat ernaartoe

    Alternatively, however, one can say:

    hij gaat erheen - he is going there

    heen is an adverb that indicates movement. It does not occur as preposition but there are separable verbs:

    heengaan - to leave (usually permanently)
    hij ging heen - he left

    Its opposite is weer (from: we(d)er- that means back or again)

    heen en weer - back and forth

    It occurs in separables like:

    weerkeren
    hij keerde weer - he came back
    de wederkomst - the second coming

    It is related to with as in withstand and forms inseparable verbs as in English:

    weerstaan - withstand

    toe is the adverbial form of the preposition tot that mostly means until or to:

    dit is geldig tot het eind van de maand - this is valid until the end of the month
    dit dient tot versterking van de dijk - this serves to reinforce the dyke
    dit is waartoe het dient - this is the purpose it serves

    Another meaning of toe is closing, narrowing. Somewhat archaic is:

    doe dat eens toe - please would you close that

    It also occurs in expressions like:

    af en toe - occasionally, now and then

    and it occurs in a separable verb like:

    zich toespitsen - become more acute - coming to climax
    e.g. Het geweld spitst zich toe. The violence is exacerbating.

    A leftover of the old case system are expressions like

    tot bloedens toe -- until blood was flowing
    tot vervelens toe -- ad nauseam

    Notice that the verb appears as a genitive case: bloedens, vervelens. Although uncommon this genitive is still somewhat productive.

    Compounds
    Pronominal adverbs
    • naar: ernaar, hiernaar, daarnaar, waarnaar, ergens naar, nergens naar, overal naar, ergens anders naar, nergens anders naar
    • naartoe: ernaartoe, hiernaartoe, daarnaartoe, waarnaartoe, ergens naartoe, nergens naartoe, overal naartoe, ergens anders naartoe, nergens anders naartoe
    • heen: erheen, hierheen, daarheen, waarheen, ergens heen, nergens heen, overal heen, ergens anders heen, nergens anders heen
    • weer: none
    • tot: none
    • toe: ertoe, hiertoe, daartoe, waartoe
    Separable verbs
    • naar: none
    • naartoe: none
    • heen: e.g. heenbrengen - to take away
    • weer: e.g. weerkeren - to return
    • tot: none
    • toe: e.g. toedoen - to close; to contribute to its cause, to be complicit
    Inseparable verbs
    • weer: e.g. weerstaan - to withstand


    TUSSEN

    Illustration
    noicon
    tussen

    tussen means mostly between

    tussen Maryland en Noord-Carolina ligt Virginia. Between Maryland and North Carolina lies Virginia
    Compounds
    Pronominal adverbs
    • ertussen, hiertussen, daartussen, waartussen, ergens tussen, nergens tussen, overal tussen
    Separable verbs
    e.g. tussenvoegen - to insert.
    Er was een spatie tussengevoegd. A space had been inserted
    Inseparable verbs
    None.


    VAN, AF

    van translates mostly into of and from:

    van verse tomaten is een heerlijke soep te bereiden - a delicious soup can be made of fresh tomatoes
    het westen van het land - the west of the country
    hij komt van ver - he comes from far
    hij viel van zijn stoel - he fell off his chair

    When a downwards motion or fall is implied as in the latter case, the adverb af (cognate of off) can be added:

    hij viel van de trap - he fell off the stairs
    hij viel eraf - he fell off
    het water komt van die berg af - the water comes from that mountain
    het komt ervanaf - it comes off of it

    af does not occur as proposition, but is part of separable verbs:

    Compounds
    Pronominal adverbs
    • van: ervan, hiervan, daarvan, waarvan, ergens van, nergens van, overal van, ergens anders van, nergens anders van
    • af: eraf, hieraf, daaraf, waaraf
    Separable verbs
    van: none.
    af : e.g. afvallen - lose weight, fall off (sailing)
    Inseparable verbs
    none.


    AAN

    Illustration
    noicon
    aan

    aan has various translations such as to, at, on or is implied in an English verb. It typically implies a touching or reaching until contact is made.

    Zij plakten een affiche aan de muur - They stuck a poster on the wall
    Hier komt deze laag aan de oppervlakte - Here this layer reaches the surface
    Aan deze feiten valt niet te twijfelen - These facts can not be doubted
    Er valt weinig aan te doen - There is little we can do about it
    Wat is er aan de hand? - What is at hand? What is happening?
    Hij zit aan het schilderij - He is touching the painting
    Hij zit eraan - He is touching it
    Nergens aan zitten! - Hands off!

    A prepositional object with aan replaces an indirect object:

    Hij gaf hem een book - He gave him the book
    Hij gaf een boek aan hem - He gave a book to him

    af is the opposite of aan in:

    af en aan - off and on

    But uit can also be the opposite:

    Is het licht aan of uit? - Is the light on or off?
    Compounds
    Pronominal adverbs
    • eraan, hieraan, daaraan, waaraan, ergens aan, nergens aan, overal aan, ergens anders aan, nergens anders aan
    Separable verbs
    e.g. aankomen - to arrive, gain weight
    Hij is gisteren aangekomen. He arrived yesterday.
    Hij is tien kilo aangekomen. He gained 10 kilos.
    Inseparable verbs
    e.g. aanbidden - to worship
    In het Oude Egypte werd de god Horus aanbeden. In Ancient Egypt the god Horus was worshipped.


    OM

    om can mean around:

    hij deed een nieuwe band om de velg - he put a new tire around the rim
    om de burcht ligt een gracht - there is a moat around the castle

    In this meaning it is often reinforced with heen:

    er ligt een gracht om de stad heen
    er ligt een gracht omheen

    It can also have less literal meaning of about, because of, for:

    dit werd om onduidelijke redenen afgelast - this was cancelled for unclear reasons

    There are separable verbs:

    omdoen - wrap around
    e.g. Zij deed een sjaal om. She put a shawl around her neck.

    Under German influence om can also imply change, inversion.

    hij liet zich ompraten - he allowed himself to be persuaded to change his mind
    wegomlegging - detour
    Compounds
    Pronominal adverbs
    • erom, hierom, daarom, waarom, ergens om, nergens om, overal om, ergens anders om, nergens anders om
    Hij gaf nergens om. He did not care about anything
    Separable verbs
    e.g. ómwentelen - to roll over, roll away
    e.g. ómdoen -wrap around
    Zij deed een sjaal om. She put on a shawl
    Inseparable verbs
    e.g. omhélzen - to embrace
    Zij omhelsden elkaar. They embraced each other.


    LANGS

    Illustration
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    langs

    langs evokes a parallel position or motion and is mostly translated by along.

    langs de rivier loopt een weg - there is a road along the river
    hij liep erlangs - he passed by it
    Compounds
    Pronominal adverbs
    • erlangs, hierlangs, daarlangs, waarlangs, ergens langs, nergens langs, overal langs, ergens anders langs, nergens anders langs
    Separable verbs
    e.g. langskomen - drop by
    Hij kwam gisteren langs - He dropped by yesterday
    Inseparable verbs
    None.


    MIS

    Illustration
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    raak
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    mis

    As in English this adverb conveys the meaning of 'wrong', 'flawed'. It is not used as a preposition. Its antonym is raak.

    Compounds
    Pronominal adverbs
    none
    Separable verbs
    e.g. mísschieten - to shoot and miss
    Hij schoot mis. He missed the target
    Inseparable verbs
    e.g. misléíden - to mislead
    e.g. misvórmen - to warp, to disfigure


    Appendix

    1. ↑ a b mostly limited to the South