When English says how you travel, it strips the article away: "by train," "by car," "by bike," "on foot." Dutch does almost the opposite — it keeps the article and uses met for most vehicles: met de trein, met de auto, met de bus. The two-wheelers you sit astride take op instead (op de fiets, op de motor), and "on foot" is its own little idiom (te voet or simply lopend). This page lays out the whole system, and it warns you off the three errors English speakers make most: dropping the article, using bij for vehicles, and inventing met voeten for "on foot."
Met de + vehicle — the default
For anything you ride inside — train, bus, tram, metro, car, boat, plane, taxi — Dutch uses met de (or met het for neuter nouns) plus the vehicle, with the article intact. English "by train" becomes met de trein, "by car" becomes met de auto. The article is not optional; met trein sounds broken to a native ear.
| Dutch | English |
|---|---|
| met de trein | by train |
| met de bus | by bus |
| met de tram | by tram |
| met de metro | by metro/underground |
| met de auto | by car |
| met de boot | by boat/ferry |
| met de taxi | by taxi |
| met het vliegtuig | by plane (het vliegtuig → met het) |
Ik ga meestal met de trein naar mijn werk, dat is sneller dan de auto.
I usually go to work by train, that's faster than the car. 'met de trein', article kept.
Zullen we met de bus gaan of lopen we?
Shall we go by bus or walk? 'met de bus', not 'met bus'.
We zijn met het vliegtuig naar Spanje gevlogen.
We flew to Spain by plane. Neuter noun → 'met het vliegtuig'.
Op de fiets / op de motor — the two-wheelers
There is one consistent exception: vehicles you sit on top of rather than inside take op, not met. The bicycle and the motorbike are the everyday examples: op de fiets, op de motor. The image is the same as op for surfaces — you are seated on the saddle, not enclosed. You will also hear met de fiets, which is acceptable and common, but op de fiets is the more idiomatic "by bike."
Ik kom wel even op de fiets langs, het is maar tien minuten.
I'll just pop by on my bike, it's only ten minutes. 'op de fiets'.
Hij gaat altijd op de motor naar het strand in de zomer.
He always goes to the beach by motorbike in summer. 'op de motor'.
In Nederland gaat bijna iedereen op de fiets naar school.
In the Netherlands almost everyone cycles to school. 'op de fiets'.
Te voet / lopend — on foot
"On foot" is a fixed idiom: te voet (slightly formal, set phrase) or, far more common in speech, simply lopend ("walking," from lopen). What you must not do is build a literal "with feet" — met voeten is not Dutch for this. Both te voet and lopend work; lopend is what people actually say day to day.
Het is hier vlakbij, we gaan gewoon lopend.
It's nearby, we'll just walk / go on foot. 'lopend' = on foot.
De pelgrims legden de hele route te voet af.
The pilgrims covered the whole route on foot. 'te voet' (set, slightly formal).
Per — the formal register
In timetables, official notices, and formal writing you'll meet per + vehicle without the article: per trein, per bus, per post ("by post"). This is the register of the railway company and the printed sign, not of conversation. In speech you stick with met de trein; per trein on a poster is normal but per trein in a casual chat sounds stiff.
| Conversational (met de + article) | Formal (per, no article) |
|---|---|
| met de trein | per trein |
| met de bus | per bus |
| met de boot | per boot / per veerpont |
De goederen worden per trein vervoerd.
The goods are transported by rail. (formal) 'per trein' on official notices.
Quick contrast: the whole system
| Mode | Dutch | Register |
|---|---|---|
| train / bus / car / boat | met de trein / bus / auto / boot | everyday |
| plane (neuter) | met het vliegtuig | everyday |
| bike / motorbike | op de fiets / op de motor | everyday |
| on foot | lopend / te voet | everyday / slightly formal |
| train, bus (timetable) | per trein / per bus | formal |
Common Mistakes
❌ Ik ga met trein naar Amsterdam.
Incorrect — Dutch keeps the article: 'met de trein', not 'met trein'.
✅ Ik ga met de trein naar Amsterdam.
I'm going to Amsterdam by train.
❌ We gaan bij de bus naar het centrum.
Incorrect — vehicles take 'met de', not 'bij': 'met de bus'.
✅ We gaan met de bus naar het centrum.
We're going to the centre by bus.
❌ Ik kom met voeten, het is vlakbij.
Incorrect — 'on foot' is 'te voet' or 'lopend', never 'met voeten'.
✅ Ik kom lopend, het is vlakbij.
I'll come on foot, it's nearby.
❌ Hij gaat met de fiets op zijn werk.
Incorrect — two-wheelers idiomatically take 'op de fiets'; and 'at work' as a destination is 'naar zijn werk'. 'Hij gaat op de fiets naar zijn werk.'
✅ Hij gaat op de fiets naar zijn werk.
He goes to work by bike.
❌ Zullen we per trein gaan dit weekend?
Misregistered — 'per trein' is formal/written; in conversation say 'met de trein'.
✅ Zullen we met de trein gaan dit weekend?
Shall we go by train this weekend?
Key Takeaways
- met de + vehicle, article kept, is the default: met de trein, met de bus, met de auto, met de boot, met het vliegtuig. Never drop the article.
- op de fiets / op de motor for two-wheelers you sit on — you're on the saddle, not inside. (Met de fiets is also acceptable, but op de fiets is more idiomatic.)
- on foot = lopend (everyday) or te voet (set, slightly formal) — never met voeten.
- per trein / per bus (no article) is the formal, timetable register; keep it out of casual speech.
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Start learning Dutch→Related Topics
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