Use _in_ when something is inside a space, a town or a country, _op_ when it is on a surface, _aan_ when it hangs on a wall or a hook, and _bij_ when it is near something or at someone's place. Many places also come with a fixed word, like _op school_ and _op het station_, which you simply learn by heart.
The pattern
Use _in_ for inside, _op_ for on a surface, _aan_ for hanging on something and _bij_ for near or at someone's place. Many places also take a fixed preposition (a small word that shows position), so learn those by heart.
- _in_: inside a space, a town or a country: _in de kast_ (in the cupboard), _in Utrecht_, _in Nederland_.
- _op_: on a surface: _op tafel_ or _op de tafel_, _op de grond_ (on the floor). Also many fixed places: _op school_, _op het werk_, _op het station_.
- _aan_: hanging on something, usually a wall or a hook: _aan de muur_, _aan de kapstok_ (on the coat rack). Also fixed: _aan tafel_ (sitting at the table).
- _bij_: near something, or at a person's home or practice: _bij de deur_, _bij mijn ouders_, _bij de huisarts_.
- These words say where something is. Going to a place often needs other words: [Naar, uit, door, langs, over](#/lesson/movement-prepositions).
Examples
| De melk staat in de koelkast. | The milk is in the fridge. |
|---|---|
| Priya woont in Utrecht. | Priya lives in Utrecht. |
| Mijn sleutels liggen op tafel. | My keys are on the table. |
| Joris is op het werk. | Joris is at work. |
| Mei is op het station. | Mei is at the station. |
| De kalender hangt aan de muur. | The calendar is hanging on the wall. |
| We zitten aan tafel. | We are sitting at the table. |
| Ahmed staat bij de deur. | Ahmed is standing by the door. |
| Lotte slaapt vanavond bij haar ouders. | Lotte is sleeping at her parents' place tonight. |
Why it works this way
Picture the object and ask how it is held. Walls around it: _in_. A surface it rests on: _op_. A nail or hook it hangs from: _aan_. Just close by: _bij_. A small change in the picture changes the word:
- _De kat zit op tafel._ The cat is on top of the table.
- _We zitten aan tafel._ We are at the table, ready to eat.
- _Yara is in de supermarkt._ Yara is inside the shop.
- _Yara wacht bij de supermarkt._ Yara is waiting near the shop, probably outside.
The fixed places are habit, not logic. Dutch says _op school_, _op het werk_, _op kantoor_ (at the office) and _op het station_, but _in de supermarkt_ and _in het ziekenhuis_. No rule predicts them, so learn each place with its word as a chunk (a group of words you store as one unit). [Fixed prepositional phrases](#/lesson/prepositional-phrases) has more.
English "at" has no single Dutch partner: it becomes _op school_, _aan tafel_ or _bij de huisarts_. And "on the train" is _in de trein_, because you sit inside it ([Met de trein, op de fiets, te voet](#/lesson/transport-prepositions)). German helps a little: _bij_ works like "bei" and _aan de muur_ is "an der Wand", but "in der Schule" is _op school_. Spanish "en" covers in, on and at, so Spanish speakers often overuse _in_.
Remember: _in_ is a box, _op_ is a shelf, _aan_ is a hook, _bij_ is a neighbour.
Watch out
- Not: _De klok hangt op de muur._ Say: _De klok hangt aan de muur._ (something that hangs takes _aan_)
- Not: _Daan is in school._ Say: _Daan is op school._ (school is a fixed _op_ place)
- Not: _Ik ben in de huisarts._ Say: _Ik ben bij de huisarts._ (at someone's practice: _bij_, you are not inside the doctor)
- Not: _Mijn telefoon ligt in de tafel._ Say: _Mijn telefoon ligt op de tafel._ (it lies on the surface, not inside)
Quick check
- Choose _in_ or _op_: _Fatima woont ... Leiden._
- Fill in _in_, _op_, _aan_ or _bij_: _Bas werkt vandaag niet thuis, maar ... kantoor._
- Choose _aan_ or _op_: _De spiegel hangt ... de muur._
- Fix the sentence: _Carlos is vandaag in de tandarts._
Answers
- _in_: Leiden is a city, so _in_.
- _op_: _op kantoor_ is a fixed chunk, like _op school_.
- _aan_: a mirror hangs on the wall.
- _Carlos is vandaag bij de tandarts._ (at someone's practice: _bij_)
Use it today
Walk through your home and say four sentences out loud: something in a cupboard, something on the table, something on the wall and someone or something by the door. Then tell a friend where you are tonight, for example _Vanavond ben ik bij Sanne._