Breakdown of Ik ben altijd bang voor die spin.
ik
I
zijn
to be
altijd
always
bang
scared
die
that / those (de-words and plurals)
voor
for (on behalf of)
de spin
the spider
bang zijn voor
to be afraid of
Questions & Answers about Ik ben altijd bang voor die spin.
Why do we use voor here instead of van, if the English translation says "afraid of"?
In Dutch, many adjectives have fixed prepositions that don't match English. The adjective bang (afraid/scared) always pairs with voor when stating what you are afraid of. You can't translate "of" literally here; you just need to memorize the fixed combination bang voor.
Can I also use bang voor if I'm afraid of an abstract concept, or only for physical things like a spider?
Could I put the time word at the end and say "Ik ben bang voor die spin altijd"?
No, that word order sounds unnatural in Dutch. In a standard main clause, adverbs of time like altijd (always) generally come right after the main verb (ben) and before the adjective (bang) or the prepositional phrase.
Why is it die spin and not dat spin?
Because spin is a de-word (de spin). In Dutch, you use die to say "that" with de-words, and dat to say "that" with het-words.
Learn Ik ben altijd bang voor die spin and more in Dutch
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free