Inanimate _het, hem_ (it), and _ze_ (them) are the only personal pronouns that turn into [pronominal adverbs](#/lesson/Pronouns.Ad01) when preceded by a preposition.
The same goes for unmarked, singular _ze_ (her), which the Flemish use for singular inanimate feminine nouns. In Dutch, you would use _hem_ as they do not distinguish between feminine and masculine nouns.
preposition + het | | er +preposition
preposition + inanimate hem
preposition + inanimate ze
Note that this only applies to the pronoun _het_, not to the [article](#/lesson/NounsAndArticles.04). The examples below will illustrate the idea.
Examples of _het_ turning into _er_
Hij wacht op het rapport. | He is waiting for the report.
Hij wacht erop.
Not: Hij wacht ~~op het~~. | He is waiting for it.
Het staat op het internet. | It is ('stands') on the internet.
Het staat erop.
Not: het staat ~~op het~~. | It is on it.
Examples of _hem_ turning into _er_
Hij wacht op de trein. | He is waiting for the train.
Hij wacht erop.
Not: Hij wacht ~~op hem~~. | He is waiting for it.
Het staat op de voorpagina. | It is ('stands') on the front page.
Het staat erop.
Not: het staat ~~op hem~~. | It is on it.
Flemish: Singular _ze_ (her) turning into 'er'
In Flanders, we would use the feminine pronoun 'ze' instead of 'hem' because 'voorpagina' is a feminine noun. However, because it refers to an inanimate object, 'ze' also turns into 'er'. Thus, for Flemish students, the last line in the above example should read: "Not: het staat ~~op ze~~."
Examples of _ze_ (them) turning into _er_
Inanimate _ze_ (them) undergoes the same treatment:
Hij wacht op de rapporten. | He is waiting for the reports.
Hij wacht erop.
Not: Hij wacht ~~op ze~~. | He is waiting for them.
Het staat in de kranten. | It is in the newspapers.
Het staat erin.
Not: Het staat ~~in ze~~. | It is in them.
Recall that this only applies to inanimate _ze._ When it refers to persons, we do not replace it by _er_.