Fixed Prepositional Phrases | Dutch Grammar

Some Dutch phrases are frozen: a fixed preposition welded to a fixed noun, with a meaning the parts don't add up to. Op tijd means "on time," but you can't analyse it — you can't swap op for in, you can't make the noun plural, you can't translate it from English and hope. These are not built from grammar; they are stored whole, like single words. This page lists the most common ones, each with its fixed preposition, its meaning, and a natural example. Treat every one as a vocabulary item to memorise — and pay special attention to the preposition, because choosing the wrong one is the number-one error here.

Why these resist analysis

In a normal phrase, the preposition is chosen by logic: in de doos ("in the box") uses in because the thing is inside. In a fixed phrase, the preposition is simply given — there is often no logic to recover. Why op tijd and not in tijd? There's no satisfying answer; it's convention, frozen centuries ago. The English equivalent rarely uses the matching preposition either, which is exactly why word-for-word translation fails. The only reliable strategy is to learn the whole phrase as a unit.

💡

Don't try to derive the preposition from meaning — in fixed phrases it's arbitrary. Memorise the whole phrase, preposition included, the way you'd memorise a single word. "Op tijd" is one chunk, not "op" + "tijd."

Phrases about time and order

op tijd — on time

Zorg dat je op tijd bent, de trein wacht niet.

Make sure you're on time — the train won't wait. (op tijd = on time; the preposition is fixed as 'op')

aan de beurt — (it's someone's) turn

Wie is er aan de beurt? Ik denk dat die mevrouw vóór mij was.

Whose turn is it? I think that lady was before me. (aan de beurt = one's turn, e.g. in a queue)

om beurten — in turns / taking turns

We doen om beurten de afwas.

We do the washing-up in turns. (om beurten = taking turns; note the plural noun 'beurten' here)

ten slotte — finally / lastly

Ten slotte wil ik iedereen bedanken die heeft geholpen.

Finally, I'd like to thank everyone who helped. (ten slotte = finally/in conclusion — written as TWO words)

Spelling trap: ten slotte ("finally, lastly") is written as two words. Don't confuse it with the verb form besloten or write it as one word. (The single word tenslotte is an older/accepted variant meaning "after all," but in modern standard usage the safe, recommended spelling for "finally" is the two-word ten slotte.)

Phrases about mental and physical states

uit het hoofd — by heart / from memory

Ze kende het hele telefoonnummer uit het hoofd.

She knew the whole phone number by heart. (uit het hoofd = from memory — Dutch uses 'head', not 'heart')

in de war — confused / muddled / mixed up

Sorry, ik ben helemaal in de war — welke dag spraken we ook alweer af?

Sorry, I'm completely confused — which day did we agree on again? (in de war = confused/mixed up)

The phrase also applies to tangled things: de draadjes zijn in de war ("the threads are tangled"). The fixed noun is war (an old word for "tangle/confusion") and appears almost only in this expression.

op de hoogte (van) — informed / up to date (about)

Ik houd je op de hoogte van de laatste ontwikkelingen.

I'll keep you informed of the latest developments. (op de hoogte van = informed about; 'hoogte' literally = height)

Ben je al op de hoogte? Ze gaan verhuizen.

Have you heard yet? They're going to move. (op de hoogte = in the know / informed)

Literal vs idiomatic: hoogte means "height," so op de hoogte is literally "at the height" — the image of being "up to the level" of the news. The thing you're informed about attaches with van: op de hoogte *van de situatie*.

Phrases about intention and manner

met opzet — on purpose / deliberately

Hij deed het met opzet, dat zag ik gewoon.

He did it on purpose, I could just tell. (met opzet = deliberately; the opposite is 'per ongeluk', by accident)

naar verluidt — reportedly / allegedly (formal)

De minister stapt naar verluidt volgende week op.

The minister will reportedly step down next week. (naar verluidt = reportedly/allegedly — formal, mostly written/news register)

Register: naar verluidt (formal, slightly dated) belongs to news and formal writing; in casual speech you'd reach for naar wat ik hoor ("from what I hear") or naar het schijnt ("apparently") instead. Beware schijnbaar: it does not mean "apparently/so I hear" but "seemingly (though in fact not so)," so it's a poor casual substitute. The verb verluiden ("to be rumoured") survives almost only in this frozen phrase.

Phrases about position and relation

uit elkaar — apart / separated

Na tien jaar zijn ze uit elkaar gegaan.

After ten years they split up. (uit elkaar gaan = to break up/separate; literally 'out of each other')

Ik kan die tweeling niet uit elkaar houden.

I can't tell those twins apart. (uit elkaar houden = to tell apart / keep separate)

op zoek naar — looking for / in search of

We zijn op zoek naar een groter huis.

We're looking for a bigger house. (op zoek naar = in search of; the object attaches with 'naar')

in plaats van — instead of

Neem de trap in plaats van de lift, dat is gezonder.

Take the stairs instead of the lift, it's healthier. (in plaats van = instead of — three words)

Spelling trap: in plaats van is three words (and in plaats daarvan = "instead of that"). The noun is plaats ("place"), so it's literally "in place of."

Common Mistakes

❌ Zorg dat je in tijd bent.

Incorrect — the fixed preposition is 'op', not 'in': 'op tijd'.

✅ Zorg dat je op tijd bent.

Make sure you're on time.

❌ Ik houd je op de hoogte over de ontwikkelingen.

Incorrect preposition — 'op de hoogte' takes 'van', not 'over': 'op de hoogte van'.

✅ Ik houd je op de hoogte van de ontwikkelingen.

I'll keep you informed of the developments.

❌ We zijn op zoek voor een groter huis.

Incorrect — 'op zoek' takes 'naar', not 'voor': 'op zoek naar'.

✅ We zijn op zoek naar een groter huis.

We're looking for a bigger house.

❌ Neem de trap inplaats van de lift.

Incorrect spelling — 'in plaats van' is three separate words, not one.

✅ Neem de trap in plaats van de lift.

Take the stairs instead of the lift.

❌ Tenslotte wil ik iedereen bedanken.

Better avoided for 'finally' — the recommended standard spelling is the two-word 'ten slotte'; the one-word 'tenslotte' means 'after all'.

✅ Ten slotte wil ik iedereen bedanken.

Finally, I'd like to thank everyone.

Key Takeaways

Fixed prepositional phrases are stored whole — don't derive the preposition from meaning; it's conventional and often arbitrary.
The preposition is the main trap: op tijd, op de hoogte van, op zoek naar, met opzet, uit het hoofd, in de war.
Watch the spacing/spelling: ten slotte (two words, for "finally"), in plaats van (three words).
Several phrases use a noun that survives almost only inside them — war (tangle/confusion), verluiden (to be rumoured) — so the phrase really is the smallest learnable unit.
Register matters: naar verluidt is formal/news; learn it for reading but reach for plainer phrasing in casual speech.

Now practice Dutch

Reading grammar gets you part of the way. The exercises are where it sticks — free, no signup needed.

Start learning Dutch→