Dutch uses _om_ for clock times, _op_ for days and dates, and _in_ for months, seasons and years: _om acht uur_, _op maandag_, _in juni_. Parts of the day have their own little form with no preposition, such as _'s avonds_ (in the evening). And from ... until is _van ... tot_.
The pattern
Use _om_ for a time on the clock, _op_ for a day or a date, and _in_ for a month, a season or a year.
- _om_ + clock time: _om acht uur_, _om twaalf uur_. The word _uur_ stays singular. More in [telling the time](#/lesson/telling-time).
- _op_ + day or date: _op zaterdag_, _op 5 mei_, _op mijn verjaardag_. With a day of the week, Dutch often drops _op_: _Ik werk zaterdag_ usually means this Saturday.
- _in_ + month, season or year: _in juni_, _in de winter_, _in 2024_. Seasons keep their article (the word for "the").
- Parts of the day, with no preposition in front: _'s ochtends_ (in the morning), _'s middags_ (in the afternoon), _'s avonds_ (in the evening), _'s nachts_ (at night). _'s morgens_ means the same as _'s ochtends_. You will also hear _in de ochtend_, but the _'s_ forms are the everyday choice.
- _van ... tot_ means from ... until: _van negen tot vijf_. To include the last day, say _tot en met_ (up to and including): _van maandag tot en met vrijdag_.
Examples
| Mijn trein vertrekt om acht uur. | My train leaves at eight o'clock. |
|---|---|
| Sanne heeft op vrijdag vrij. | Sanne is off on Fridays. |
| Fatima is op 3 maart jarig. | Fatima's birthday is on 3 March. |
| Ahmed heeft in juli vakantie. | Ahmed has his holiday in July. |
| Het regent veel in de herfst. | It rains a lot in autumn. |
| Lotte en Bas trouwen in 2027. | Lotte and Bas are getting married in 2027. |
| Joris drinkt 's ochtends koffie. | Joris drinks coffee in the morning. |
| Yara is 's middags thuis. | Yara is at home in the afternoon. |
| 's Avonds kijkt Emma tv. | In the evening, Emma watches TV. |
| Carlos werkt van negen tot vijf. | Carlos works from nine to five. |
Why it works this way
Think of zooming out on a calendar. A clock time is a tiny point, a day is one square, and a month, season or year is a big block of squares. English does the same with at, on and in, so only one word really changes: at becomes _om_. A handy picture: _om_ can also mean around (_om de hoek_, around the corner), and clock hands go round all day. German speakers get a gift: German um, am and im become _om_, _op_ and _in_.
You can combine them: _op maandag om acht uur_, _om tien uur 's avonds_.
The _'s_ in _'s avonds_ is a fossil, short for _des_, an old form of the word for "the". Treat the whole thing as one fixed word. At the start of a sentence, the _'s_ stays small and the next word gets the capital: _'s Avonds_. See [when Dutch uses an apostrophe](#/lesson/apostrophe).
Remember: small, medium, large. A clock time gets _om_, a day gets _op_, and a month, season or year gets _in_.
Watch out
- Not: _De les begint op acht uur._ Say: _De les begint om acht uur._ (clock times take _om_)
- Not: _De winkel is open van negen naar zes._ Say: _De winkel is open van negen tot zes._ (_naar_ is for going somewhere; until is _tot_)
- Not: _Mijn verjaardag is in 12 juni._ Say: _Mijn verjaardag is op 12 juni._ (a day number makes it a date, so _op_)
- Not: _Ik fiets graag in zomer._ Say: _Ik fiets graag in de zomer._ (English can drop the, Dutch keeps _de_)
- Not: _Ik sport s'avonds._ Say: _Ik sport 's avonds._ (apostrophe first, then s, then a space)
Quick check
- Choose _om_, _op_ or _in_: De film begint ... negen uur.
- Choose _om_, _op_ or _in_: Priya is ... 8 oktober jarig.
- Choose _om_, _op_ or _in_: Het sneeuwt soms ... januari.
- Fill in _'s ochtends_, _'s middags_, _'s avonds_ or _'s nachts_: Lotte werkt ... in het ziekenhuis. (at night)
Answers
- _om_ (a clock time)
- _op_ (a date)
- _in_ (a month)
- _'s nachts_ (at night)
Use it today
Check the opening hours of your supermarket and say them out loud: _De supermarkt is open van acht tot tien._ Then tell someone your own week: _Op maandag werk ik van negen tot vijf._