The safest way to show whose something is in Dutch is to put _van_ after the thing: _het boek van Sara_ (Sara's book). With names you can also put the owner first and add _-s_, as in _Peters fiets_. In conversation you will hear _Peter z'n fiets_ or _Anna d'r tas_. The big trap for English speakers is the apostrophe, because Dutch uses it far less than English does.
The pattern
Put _van_ + the owner after the thing: that works with every owner. With names, you can also put the owner first and add the possessive _-s_ (an ending that shows who owns something).
- _van_ fits people, places and things: _de fiets van Peter_, _de tas van mijn collega_, _het dak van het station_.
- Name ending in a consonant that is not an s-sound: add _-s_: _Peters fiets_, _Daans jas_.
- Name ending in an s-sound (such as s, x or z): add only an apostrophe: _Thomas' fiets_, _Max' auto_.
- Name ending in a vowel written with one letter (a, i, o, u or y): add _'s_: _Anna's fiets_, _Otto's hond_.
- Name ending in an unstressed _e_ (the "uh" sound), in a vowel written with two letters, or in _é_: just add _-s_: _Lottes fiets_, _Maries tas_, _Renés boek_.
- The _-s_ form is most common with names and family words: _oma's verjaardag_, _papa's auto_. You may also see it with other words for people (_mijn buurmans hond_), but that sounds formal. With ordinary nouns, _van_ is the safe choice.
- In speech: owner + _z'n_ (his) or _d'r_ (her) + thing: _Peter z'n fiets_, _Anna d'r tas_.
Examples
| Dit is het boek van Sara. | This is Sara's book. |
|---|---|
| De fiets van mijn buurman staat voor de deur. | My neighbour's bike is outside the front door. |
| Daans fiets is kapot. | Daan's bike is broken. |
| Zaterdag vieren we Priya's verjaardag. | On Saturday we are celebrating Priya's birthday. |
| Joris' moeder werkt bij de gemeente. | Joris's mother works for the municipality. |
| Heb jij Lottes sleutels gezien? | Have you seen Lotte's keys? |
| Ahmed z'n auto staat bij het station. | Ahmed's car is parked at the station. |
| Fatima d'r tas ligt nog in de trein. | Fatima's bag is still on the train. |
| Ik heb de hond van de buren uitgelaten. | I walked the neighbours' dog. |
| Is dit de jas van Mei? | Is this Mei's coat? |
Why it works this way
Think of _van_ as "of" or "from": the book belongs on Sara's side. Older Dutch had case endings, rather like German, and the _-s_ on names is one of the few that survived. Because it is a leftover, it mostly sticks to names and family words, while most other nouns use _van_.
In Dutch, the apostrophe is not a sign of ownership. It is a spelling helper. In _Anna's_ it keeps the last a long, the same trick as in _auto's_ (see [Plurals with -s](#/lesson/plural-s)). _Maries_ needs no help, because _ie_ stays long anyway. In _Thomas'_ the apostrophe stands in for an extra s you would not hear: _Thomas'_ sounds exactly like _Thomas_. There is more in [When Dutch uses an apostrophe](#/lesson/apostrophe).
_z'n_ and _d'r_ are spoken forms of _zijn_ and _haar_ from [Possessive pronouns](#/lesson/possessive-pronouns). _Peter z'n fiets_ literally says "Peter his bike". They follow the owner, not the thing: a man gets _z'n_ and a woman gets _d'r_. If your language uses one word for both, like Spanish "su", check this twice. Use these forms when talking or texting friends, not in an email to the _gemeente_.
One meaning, three styles: _de tas van Yara_ (always fine), _Yara's tas_ (shorter, fine in writing), _Yara d'r tas_ (spoken).
Remember: _van_ is your safety net. Unsure about the _-s_ or the apostrophe? Say _de fiets van Thomas_ and you cannot go wrong.
Watch out
- Not: _Peter's fiets_ Say: _Peters fiets_ (after a consonant, Dutch adds no apostrophe)
- Not: _Thomas's fiets_ Say: _Thomas' fiets_ (after an s-sound, write only the apostrophe)
- Not: _Yaras tas_ Say: _Yara's tas_ (after a final a, the apostrophe keeps the vowel long)
- Not: _de buurman's hond_ Say: _de hond van de buurman_ (Dutch has no English-style 's; after _de_ + noun, _van_ is the normal choice)
- Not: _Fatima z'n jas_ Say: _Fatima d'r jas_ (Fatima is a woman, so it is her coat)
Quick check
- Use the -s form of Daan: _... broer woont in Utrecht._
- Choose the right spelling: _Dat is (Emmas / Emma's) telefoon._
- Fix the sentence: _Bas's fiets staat buiten._
- Spoken Dutch, fill in _z'n_ or _d'r_: _Sanne is een vriendin van mij. Sanne ... moeder werkt in het ziekenhuis._
Answers
- _Daans_ (Daan ends in a consonant, so just add -s)
- _Emma's_ (Emma ends in a, so the apostrophe keeps the vowel long)
- _Bas' fiets staat buiten._ (Bas already ends in an s, so only an apostrophe)
- _d'r_ (_een vriendin_ is a woman, so it is her mother)
Use it today
Pick three things around you at work or at home that belong to someone else, and name each one twice: once with _van_ (_de mok van Priya_) and once with _-s_ (_Priya's mok_). If you live with someone, try the spoken version at dinner: _Daan z'n telefoon ligt nog in de keuken._