Learn Dutch: De jongen valt bij de school. - The boy falls at the school.

Bij usually means "at", "near", or "by". In this sentence, it means the boy fell near or at the general location of the school, like on the playground or right outside. If you used in, it would specifically mean he fell inside the school building.

Can bij also translate to "by" in English?

Yes! Translating bij de school as "by the school" (meaning close to it) is also correct. Bij is a very common preposition that can mean "at", "by", "near", or even "with" depending on the context.

Why does valt only have one "l" when the full verb is vallen?

This is due to a Dutch spelling rule. In the full verb vallen, the double "l" tells us to pronounce the "a" as a short sound. When we change it to match "the boy" (he falls), it becomes valt. Because the word now ends in two consonants (l and t), the short "a" sound is already protected, so we drop the extra "l".

Is the word school exactly the same in Dutch and English?

The spelling and meaning are exactly the same, which makes it easy to spot! However, the pronunciation is very different. In Dutch, the sch makes an "s" sound followed by the scraping Dutch "g" sound, and the oo is a long "oh" sound.