Breakdown of Hij heeft gelukkig altijd deodorant bij zich.
hij
he / it (referring to a 'de'-word)
hebben
to have
altijd
always
bij
at / near / by
zich
oneself
gelukkig
fortunately
de deodorant
the deodorant
Questions & Answers about Hij heeft gelukkig altijd deodorant bij zich.
Why does this sentence use zich instead of hem for "him"?
When a preposition describes a physical location relative to the subject, Dutch uses a reflexive pronoun. Since the subject is hij, the correct pronoun is zich. If you used hem here, it would literally mean he has deodorant with a completely different guy!
Could I emphasize that he has it on his own person by saying bij zichzelf?
No, you cannot use zichzelf here. When a preposition describes literal physical location or spatial possession (like having an item in your pocket), Dutch requires the simple reflexive zich. Zichzelf is used for emphasis with actual reflexive actions (like washing oneself) or figurative meanings, not for spatial locations.
Why use bij instead of met to mean "with" in this context?
Why are both gelukkig and altijd placed before the direct object deodorant?
Gelukkig is a sentence adverb expressing an opinion about the whole situation, so it goes early in the sentence. Altijd is an adverb of time, which also belongs early. They both must appear before deodorant because it is an indefinite direct object (meaning he has "some" deodorant, not a specific one). In Dutch, indefinite objects are pushed toward the end of the clause, right before any prepositional phrases.
Learn Hij heeft gelukkig altijd deodorant bij zich 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