Dutch verb prefixes: be-, ver-, ont-, op-, af-, uit- and more
What Dutch verb prefixes mean. Inseparable be-, ver-, ont-, her-, er- and separable op-, af-, aan-, uit-, mee-, terug-, weg-, with patterns and examples.
Dutch builds a huge number of verbs from a small number of basic ones by adding a prefix. From komen (come) you get aankomen (arrive), meekomen (come along), terugkomen (come back), opkomen (come up), voorkomen (occur, prevent) and ontkomen (escape). If you know what the prefixes tend to mean, you can often guess a new verb's meaning, and you'll remember it much more easily. This guide covers the main prefixes, how they behave in a sentence, and what they usually add.
One honest warning first: prefix meanings are tendencies, not rules. Many verbs have drifted far from their literal meaning. Ontmoeten (meet) and verstaan (understand, hear) don't break down neatly. Use the patterns as memory hooks, not as a translation machine.
Two kinds of prefix
Dutch verb prefixes come in two types, and the difference affects stress, word order and the past participle.
| Inseparable | Separable | |
|---|---|---|
| Prefixes | be-, ge-, ver-, ont-, her-, er- | op-, af-, aan-, uit-, in-, mee-, terug-, door-, over-, toe-, weg- and more |
| Stress | on the verb: betálen | on the prefix: ópbellen |
| Present tense | stays together: Ik betaal. | splits: Ik bel je op. |
| Past participle | no ge-: betaald | ge- in the middle: opgebeld |
| With te | te betalen | op te bellen |
- Ik betaal de rekening. — I'm paying the bill.
- Ik heb de rekening betaald. — I've paid the bill.
- Ik bel je morgen op. — I'll call you tomorrow.
- Ik heb je gisteren opgebeld. — I called you yesterday.
See separable verbs and separable or inseparable for the word-order rules in detail. The rest of this post is about meaning.
Inseparable prefixes
be-: making a verb transitive
Be- often turns a verb that needs a preposition into a verb that takes a direct object. The meaning stays close, but the grammar changes:
- antwoorden op een vraag → een vraag beantwoorden — to answer a question
- spreken over een plan → een plan bespreken — to discuss a plan
- kijken naar een huis → een huis bekijken — to look at/view a house
- klimmen op een berg → een berg beklimmen — to climb a mountain
- wonen in een huis → een huis bewonen — to live in/occupy a house
Examples:
- Ik beantwoord je mail morgen. — I'll answer your email tomorrow.
- We bespreken het plan in de vergadering. — We'll discuss the plan in the meeting.
Be- also makes verbs from nouns and adjectives: veilig (safe) → beveiligen (to secure), de dank (thanks) → bedanken (to thank). And some be- verbs simply have to be learned: betalen (to pay), begrijpen (to understand), beginnen (to begin).
ver-: change, wrong, away
Ver- is the most productive inseparable prefix, with three main meanings.
1. Becoming or making different (often from an adjective):
- beter → verbeteren — to improve
- lang → verlengen — to extend
- klein → verkleinen — to make smaller
- warm → verwarmen — to heat
- veranderen — to change (from ander, other)
2. Doing something wrong (usually reflexive):
- zich verslapen — to oversleep: Ik heb me verslapen. — I overslept.
- zich vergissen — to be mistaken: Je vergist je. — You're mistaken.
- zich verspreken — to make a slip of the tongue
- verdwalen — to get lost: We zijn verdwaald. — We got lost.
3. Away, or the reverse direction:
- kopen → verkopen — buy → sell
- huren → verhuren — rent → rent out
- verhuizen — to move house
- verdwijnen — to disappear
ont-: away, undo, begin
- Away, escaping: ontsnappen (to escape), ontkomen (to get away): De hond is ontsnapt. — The dog has escaped.
- Undoing, the opposite: ontdooien (to defrost), ontkoppelen (to disconnect), ontsmetten (to disinfect), ontdekken (to discover, literally "uncover").
- Starting something: ontstaan (to come into being), ontbranden (to ignite).
- Not transparent: ontmoeten (to meet), ontvangen (to receive).
her-: again
Her- usually means "re-" or "again":
- herhalen — to repeat: Kunt u dat herhalen? — Could you repeat that?
- herkennen — to recognise
- herschrijven — to rewrite
- heropenen — to reopen
- herstellen — to repair, to recover
- zich herinneren — to remember: Ik herinner me die dag nog goed. — I still remember that day well.
er- and ge-
Er- is rare and has no clear meaning today. You'll mostly see it in erkennen (to acknowledge) and ervaren (to experience): Hij erkent zijn fout. — He acknowledges his mistake. Don't confuse the prefix with the separate word er (the word er).
Ge- as a verb prefix has no meaning you can use either: gebruiken (to use), geloven (to believe), gebeuren (to happen). Just note that these verbs don't get an extra ge- in the participle: gebruikt, geloofd, gebeurd.
Separable prefixes
Separable prefixes are mostly prepositions or adverbs, and their meaning is often more concrete. Here are the main ones.
| Prefix | Core meaning | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| op- | up; completely | opstaan (get up), opruimen (tidy up), opeten (eat up), ophalen (pick up), opschrijven (write down) |
| af- | off; finished | afmaken (finish), afwassen (do the dishes), afzeggen (cancel), afspreken (arrange), afrekenen (pay the bill) |
| aan- | on, towards, arriving | aandoen (put on, switch on), aankomen (arrive), aannemen (accept), aanbieden (offer) |
| uit- | out, off | uitgaan (go out), uitdoen (take off, switch off), uitstappen (get off), uitleggen (explain), uitnodigen (invite) |
| in- | in, into | instappen (get in), invullen (fill in), inpakken (pack), inleveren (hand in) |
| mee- | along, with | meegaan (go along), meenemen (take along), meedoen (take part) |
| terug- | back | terugkomen (come back), terugbellen (call back), teruggeven (give back) |
| door- | through; continue | doorgaan (continue; go ahead), doorwerken (keep working), doorlezen (read through) |
| over- | over, across, again | overstappen (change trains), overmaken (transfer money), overschrijven (copy out) |
| toe- | towards; adding; closed | toevoegen (add), toegeven (admit), toestaan (allow), toenemen (increase) |
| weg- | away | weggaan (leave), weggooien (throw away), weglopen (run away) |
Some examples in sentences:
- Ik sta elke dag om zeven uur op. — I get up at seven every day.
- Heb je je huiswerk al afgemaakt? — Have you finished your homework yet?
- Doe je jas maar uit. — Take your coat off.
- We moeten in Utrecht overstappen. — We have to change trains in Utrecht.
- Wil je de oude kranten weggooien? — Would you throw away the old newspapers?
- Het feest gaat niet door. — The party is off (isn't going ahead).
Notice that op- and af- often add the idea of completion: eten is eating, opeten is eating it all; maken is making, afmaken is finishing. Af on its own even means "finished": Het schilderij is af. — The painting is finished. Similarly, toe can mean "closed": De winkel is toe. — The shop is closed (informal).
Two useful pairs with mee- and tegen-: meevallen (to turn out better than expected) and tegenvallen (to be disappointing): Het examen viel mee. — The exam wasn't as bad as I expected.
Same prefix, two meanings
Some prefixes, especially door-, over-, onder- and voor-, can be separable or inseparable. The stress tells you which, and the meaning changes:
| Separable (stress on prefix) | Inseparable (stress on verb) |
|---|---|
| vóórkomen — to occur: Dat komt vaak voor. — That happens often. | voorkómen — to prevent: We willen problemen voorkomen. — We want to prevent problems. |
| óndergaan — to set: De zon gaat onder. — The sun is setting. | ondergáán — to undergo: Hij moet een operatie ondergaan. — He has to have an operation. |
| óverkomen — to come over: Mijn ouders komen over uit Canada. — My parents are coming over from Canada. | overkómen — to happen to: Wat is je overkomen? — What happened to you? |
Inseparable verbs with over- include overwegen (to consider), overleven (to survive) and overnachten (to stay the night): We overnachten in een hotel. — We're staying the night in a hotel.
Quick summary
- Inseparable prefixes (be-, ge-, ver-, ont-, her-, er-) are unstressed, never split off, and the participle has no ge-: betaald, veranderd, ontdekt.
- be- makes a verb transitive (een vraag beantwoorden); ver- means change, doing wrong or away (verbeteren, zich verslapen, verkopen); ont- means away, undo or begin (ontsnappen, ontdooien, ontstaan); her- means again (herhalen).
- Separable prefixes are stressed, split off in main clauses, and take ge- in the middle: opgebeld, afgemaakt.
- op- and af- often mean "completely" or "finished"; mee- = along, terug- = back, weg- = away.
- voor-, onder-, over-, door- can be either type; stress and meaning differ.
- Meanings are tendencies; always check new verbs.
Practise it
Learn how Dutch builds new words in Word formation, practise participles with and without ge- in Perfect tense, and use everyday separable verbs like opstaan in Daily routine.