Word
Hij heeft gelukkig altijd deodorant bij zich.
Meaning
Fortunately, he always has deodorant with him.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
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
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?