Dutch prepositions of time: om, op, in, over and geleden
When do you use om, op or in with times, days and months in Dutch? Plus sinds, over, geleden, tot, tijdens and binnen, with the most common mistakes.
"At three", "on Monday", "in May": English uses three prepositions for time, and so does Dutch — om, op and in. The match isn't perfect, though, and words like over and geleden catch out almost every English speaker. This post walks you through all the common time prepositions, with the mistakes to avoid.
Om, op and in: the big three
| Preposition | Used for | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| om | clock times | om drie uur, om half acht, om middernacht |
| op | days and dates | op maandag, op 5 mei, op mijn verjaardag |
| in | months, seasons, years, longer periods | in mei, in de zomer, in 2026, in het weekend |
Om for clock times
- De les begint om negen uur. — The lesson starts at nine o'clock.
- We eten om half zeven. — We eat at half past six.
- Ik ga om middernacht slapen. — I go to sleep at midnight.
Remember that half zeven means half past six — "half (on the way) to seven". See numbers and time for all the clock times. For an approximate time, use rond or om … uur of:
- Ik kom rond acht uur. — I'll come around eight.
- Ik kom om een uur of acht. — I'll come at about eight.
Op for days and dates
- Op zaterdag werk ik niet. — I don't work on Saturdays.
- Ze is op 12 maart jarig. — Her birthday is on 12 March.
- Op Koningsdag is het overal druk. — On King's Day it's busy everywhere.
Two extras: you can drop op with a day when you mean one specific day, and 's + day + s means "every":
- Maandag ga ik naar de tandarts. — On Monday (this coming one) I'm going to the dentist.
- 's Maandags sport ik. — On Mondays I do sport.
Op tijd means "on time": De trein is op tijd.
In for months, seasons and years
- Ik ben in juli jarig. — My birthday is in July.
- In de winter is het vroeg donker. — In winter it gets dark early.
- Hij is in 1995 geboren. — He was born in 1995.
- In het weekend slaap ik uit. — At the weekend I have a lie-in.
Months and years take no article, but seasons do: in de zomer, in de herfst.
Parts of the day: 's ochtends, 's avonds
For "in the morning", "in the evening" and so on, Dutch prefers a special form with 's (an old form of des, "of the"):
| Dutch | English |
|---|---|
| 's ochtends / 's morgens | in the morning |
| 's middags | in the afternoon |
| 's avonds | in the evening |
| 's nachts | at night |
- Ik drink 's ochtends koffie. — I drink coffee in the morning.
- 's Avonds kijken we tv. — In the evening we watch TV.
Note the spelling: at the start of a sentence, the capital goes on the next word: 's Avonds, not 'S avonds.
In de ochtend and in de avond also exist and are correct, but the 's forms are more common in everyday speech. For today, use van-: vanochtend (this morning), vanmiddag, vanavond, vannacht. You can also combine a day and a part of the day: zaterdagavond (Saturday evening), op zaterdagavond.
Before, after, since and until
Voor and na
- Ik wil voor het eten even douchen. — I want to have a quick shower before dinner.
- Na de les gaan we iets drinken. — After the lesson we're going for a drink.
- Je moet voor vrijdag betalen. — You have to pay before Friday.
Sinds and al
Sinds means "since", but watch the verb: where English uses the present perfect ("I have lived"), Dutch uses the present tense.
- Ik woon sinds 2020 in Nederland. — I have lived in the Netherlands since 2020.
- Ze werkt sinds januari bij een bank. — She has worked at a bank since January.
For a length of time ("for three years"), the most natural option in the Netherlands is al:
- Ik woon hier al drie jaar. — I've been living here for three years.
You'll also hear sinds drie jaar, especially in Belgium, but al drie jaar is the safe choice.
Tot, totdat and van … tot
Tot means "until" or "till". As a conjunction before a full clause, you can use tot or totdat.
- De winkel is open tot zes uur. — The shop is open until six.
- Tot morgen! — See you tomorrow!
- Ik wacht tot(dat) je klaar bent. — I'll wait until you're ready.
For a range, use van … tot:
- Ik werk van negen tot vijf. — I work from nine to five.
- De winkel is open van maandag tot en met zaterdag. — The shop is open from Monday to Saturday (inclusive).
Tot en met (often written t/m) means "up to and including". Plain tot can leave the last day out, so on opening hours and deadlines t/m matters. For "from … onwards", use vanaf: Vanaf maandag werk ik thuis. — From Monday on, I'm working from home.
Over, geleden, binnen and tijdens
Over = in (from now)
This is the big trap. English "in a week" (a week from now) is over een week in Dutch.
- De trein vertrekt over vijf minuten. — The train leaves in five minutes.
- Over een week ben ik op vakantie. — In a week I'll be on holiday.
Wrong: In een week ben ik op vakantie. In Dutch, in + a period means "in the space of", i.e. how long something takes:
- Ik heb het boek in een week gelezen. — I read the book in (the space of) a week.
Geleden = ago
Geleden works exactly like "ago" and also comes after the time phrase:
- Ik ben twee jaar geleden verhuisd. — I moved two years ago.
- Een week geleden was het nog warm. — A week ago it was still warm.
- Dat is lang geleden! — That was a long time ago!
Binnen = within
- U krijgt binnen drie werkdagen antwoord. — You'll get an answer within three working days.
- Binnen een uur was alles klaar. — Within an hour everything was ready.
Tijdens = during
- Tijdens de les mag je niet bellen. — You can't make calls during the lesson.
- Ik heb tijdens de vakantie veel gelezen. — I read a lot during the holiday.
No preposition for "for" + duration
English "I waited for two hours" has no preposition in Dutch:
- Ik heb twee uur gewacht. — I waited for two hours.
Wrong: Ik heb voor twee uur gewacht. To a Dutch ear that sounds like "I waited before two o'clock". If you want to stress the length, add lang: Ik heb twee uur lang gewacht.
Common mistakes
| Wrong | Right | English |
|---|---|---|
| op drie uur | om drie uur | at three o'clock |
| in maandag | op maandag | on Monday |
| op mei | in mei | in May |
| in de weekend | in het weekend | at the weekend |
| in een uur (= an hour from now) | over een uur | in an hour |
| voor twee jaar geleden | twee jaar geleden | two years ago |
| ik woon hier voor drie jaar | ik woon hier al drie jaar | I've lived here for three years |
About the weekend: het weekend is a het word, and the standard Netherlands phrase is in het weekend. In Belgium you'll often hear tijdens het weekend, so don't be surprised if your Flemish friends say it differently — see Flemish vs Dutch. Note also: op zaterdag, but in het weekend.
- Wat doe je in het weekend? — What are you doing at the weekend?
Quick summary
- om + clock time: om acht uur.
- op + day or date: op maandag, op 5 mei.
- in + month, season, year: in mei, in de zomer, in 2026, and in het weekend.
- 's ochtends, 's middags, 's avonds, 's nachts; vanavond = this evening.
- sinds + starting point with the present tense: Ik woon hier sinds 2020; for a period, use al: al drie jaar.
- over een week = in a week (from now); een week geleden = a week ago.
- tot en met = up to and including; binnen = within; tijdens = during.
- No preposition for "for two hours": Ik heb twee uur gewacht.
Practise it
Practise clock times in Telling the time, days and dates in Months, and weekend plans in The weekend. Once you've got the prepositions, put them in the right place in the sentence with time, manner, place.