In Dutch, "about it" is _erover_, not _over het_, and "with it" is _ermee_. When "it" or "them" follows a preposition (a word like on, with or about) and means a thing, Dutch uses _er_ plus the preposition instead. For people you keep the normal pronoun: _Ik denk aan hem._
The pattern
For things, a preposition plus "it" or "them" becomes _er_ plus the preposition. For people, you keep the preposition and the normal pronoun (_hem_, _haar_).
- _over het_ becomes _erover_, _van het_ becomes _ervan_. When they stand together, you write them as one word. "Them" works the same way for things, so _ermee_ can mean "with it" or "with them".
- _Daar_ (there, that) replaces _er_ when the thing is stressed or comes first: _Daar heb ik geen zin in._ It also replaces _dat_: not _met dat_ but _daarmee_.
- _Hier_ (here, this) replaces _dit_: _hiermee_ means "with this".
- _Met_ becomes _mee_ (_ermee_, _daarmee_, _hiermee_) and _tot_ becomes _toe_ (_ertoe_, _daartoe_). Most other prepositions simply attach: _eraan_, _ernaar_, _erin_.
- People keep the pronoun: _Ik wacht op haar_, _Ik praat met hem_.
Examples
| Ik heb de brief van de gemeente gelezen en ik denk erover na. | I have read the letter from the council and I am thinking about it. |
|---|---|
| Fatima heeft een tweedehands fiets gekocht en gaat ermee naar haar werk. | Fatima has bought a second-hand bike and goes to work on it. |
| Die oude kasten? Ik weet niet wat ik ermee moet doen. | Those old cupboards? I don't know what to do with them. |
| Houd je van drop? Ja, ik houd ervan. | Do you like liquorice? Yes, I love it. |
| Pak deze sleutel: hiermee open je de fietsenstalling. | Take this key: you open the bike shed with this one. |
| Een feestje op maandagavond? Daar heb ik geen zin in. | A party on a Monday evening? I'm not in the mood for that. |
| Bas mist zijn oma en denkt vaak aan haar. | Bas misses his grandma and often thinks about her. |
| Het slechte weer heeft ertoe geleid dat veel treinen niet reden. | The bad weather led to many trains not running. |
Why it works this way
Compare these pairs:
- _Ik wacht op de bus._ becomes _Ik wacht erop._
- _Ik wacht op Yara._ becomes _Ik wacht op haar._
- _Ik denk aan de afspraak._ becomes _Ik denk eraan._
- _Ik denk aan Daan._ becomes _Ik denk aan hem._
_Er_, _daar_ and _hier_ are place words. Dutch points at a thing as if it were a spot: _erop_ is literally "there-on" and _ervan_ "there-of". English once worked like this too and still keeps a few fossils: therefore, thereby, herewith, hereby. Dutch simply kept the system for daily use. A person is not a spot you point at, so people keep _hem_ and _haar_. The technical name for _erop_ and _daarmee_ is pronominal adverb: an adverb that stands in for a pronoun.
The three place words differ in strength. _Er_ is the quiet, unstressed one, and in this job it cannot open a sentence. _Daar_ is the stressed, pointing version: "that, not something else". _Hier_ points to something close: "this". Dutch speakers often react by starting with the thing, which is why you hear _Daar ben ik het mee eens_ and _Daar weet ik niets van_ all the time. Sometimes _er_ even points ahead to a whole clause, as in the _ertoe ... dat_ example above.
In those _daar_ sentences, _daar_ and its preposition stand apart, and _er_ often splits from its preposition too: see [Splitting er and its preposition](#/lesson/split-er-preposition). You will need this most with [Verbs with a fixed preposition](#/lesson/verbs-with-prepositions), and questions use the same trick with _waar_: [Waarmee, waarover, waaraan](#/lesson/waar-plus-preposition).
Remember: thing after a preposition? Think "therefore" and use _er_, _daar_ or _hier_. Person after a preposition? Keep _hem_ or _haar_.
Watch out
- Not: _Het pakket komt vandaag, dus ik wacht op het._ Say: _Het pakket komt vandaag, dus ik wacht erop._ (no _het_ after a preposition)
- Not: _Wat doe je ermet?_ Say: _Wat doe je ermee?_ (_met_ becomes _mee_ after _er_)
- Not: _Joris is mijn nieuwe buurman en ik heb ermee gepraat._ Say: _Joris is mijn nieuwe buurman en ik heb met hem gepraat._ (people keep the pronoun)
- Not: _Er heb ik geen zin in._ Say: _Daar heb ik geen zin in._ (_er_ cannot start the sentence here)
- Not: _Ik ben het eens met dat._ Say: _Daar ben ik het mee eens._ (_dat_ after a preposition becomes _daar_)
Quick check
- Fill in _er_ plus _met_ as one word: _Je hebt een nieuwe laptop! Wat ga je ... doen?_
- Choose: _Ik heb Lotte gebeld, want ik wilde (met haar / ermee) praten._
- Choose: _Op zaterdag werken? (Er / Daar) heb ik echt geen tijd voor._
- Fill in _er_ plus _tot_ as one word: _Het nieuwe rooster heeft ... geleid dat iedereen later begint._
Answers
- _ermee_: _met_ becomes _mee_ after _er_.
- _met haar_: Lotte is a person, so you keep the pronoun.
- _Daar_: in this job _er_ cannot start a sentence, _daar_ can.
- _ertoe_: _tot_ becomes _toe_ after _er_.
Use it today
React to a plan or a question today with a _daar_ sentence, such as _Daar heb ik zin in!_ or _Daar weet ik niets van._ Then describe one thing you use every day: _Dit is mijn fiets en ik ga ermee naar mijn werk._