---
title: "Adjectives with a fixed preposition"
level: B1
chapter: "Small words"
canonical: https://www.dutchfluency.com/grammar/adjective-prepositions
updated: 2026-10-09
author: Dutch Fluency
license: CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
---

# Adjectives with a fixed preposition

Many Dutch adjectives (describing words) come with a fixed preposition, a small word like _op_ or _voor_ that belongs to them: you are _trots op_ (proud of) your child and _bang voor_ (afraid of) the dentist. The preposition is often not the one English uses, so learn each pair as one chunk. When a whole clause (a sentence part with its own verb) follows, you usually add _er_: _Ik ben er trots op dat ik geslaagd ben._

## The pattern

> The preposition belongs to the adjective and is often not the English one. Before a clause, Dutch usually adds _er_ to the main sentence and keeps the preposition after the adjective.

- With _op_: _trots op_ (proud of), _boos op_ (angry with someone), _jaloers op_ (jealous of), _gek op_ (crazy about)
- With _voor_: _bang voor_ (afraid of), _verantwoordelijk voor_ (responsible for)
- With _in_: _goed in_ (good at), _geïnteresseerd in_ (interested in)
- With _met_: _blij met_ (happy with)
- With _over_: _tevreden over_ (satisfied with; _tevreden met_ also occurs)
- Before a clause or _om te_: _Ik ben er niet goed in om nee te zeggen._

## Examples

| Sanne is **trots op** haar zoon, want hij heeft zijn zwemdiploma gehaald. | Sanne is proud of her son, because he got his swimming certificate. |
| Daan is **bang voor** honden, maar hij is **gek op** katten. | Daan is afraid of dogs, but he is crazy about cats. |
| Fatima is heel **blij met** haar nieuwe fiets. | Fatima is very happy with her new bike. |
| Mijn buurvrouw is **boos op** me, omdat ik mijn fiets voor haar raam heb gezet. | My neighbour is angry with me because I parked my bike in front of her window. |
| Priya is erg **goed in** plannen, dus zij maakt het rooster. | Priya is very good at planning, so she makes the rota. |
| Ben je **geïnteresseerd in** een taalcursus bij de bibliotheek? | Are you interested in a language course at the library? |
| Lotte is **verantwoordelijk voor** de koffie op kantoor. | Lotte is responsible for the coffee at the office. |
| Carlos is een beetje **jaloers op** zijn collega, die maar vier dagen per week werkt. | Carlos is a bit jealous of his colleague, who only works four days a week. |
| De huisarts is **tevreden over** mijn bloeddruk. | The GP is satisfied with my blood pressure. |
| Emma is **er trots op dat** ze haar inburgeringsexamen in één keer heeft gehaald. | Emma is proud that she passed her civic integration exam at the first attempt. |

## Why it works this way

In these pairs the preposition has mostly lost its literal meaning: the _op_ in _trots op_ has nothing to do with "on". Dutch and English simply settled on different words. Some pairs match (_geïnteresseerd in_, _verantwoordelijk voor_), but word-for-word translation will often let you down.

The _er_ is about word order. In standard Dutch, the preposition after these adjectives does not stand directly in front of a _dat_ clause. Instead, _er_ goes before the adjective as a placeholder, the preposition stays after it, and the clause follows at the end. Before an _om te_ phrase, _er_ is common too, as in _Ik ben er niet goed in om nee te zeggen._ The same _er_ replaces "it" for things: _Ik ben er trots op._ After _er_, _met_ becomes _mee_: _Ik ben er blij mee._ See [er plus a preposition](https://www.dutchfluency.com/grammar/er-plus-preposition) for more, and [verbs with a fixed preposition](https://www.dutchfluency.com/grammar/verbs-with-prepositions) for the same idea with verbs.

A few adjectives often leave out both _er_ and the preposition before a clause, especially _bang_, _blij_ and _boos_: _Ik ben bang dat de trein vertraging heeft._ The same happens before _om te_: _Ik ben bang om te vallen._ In speech you will also hear _trots dat_, but _er trots op dat_ is the safe choice.

A different preposition can change the meaning:

- _boos op Bas_ (angry with Bas) versus _boos over de vertraging_ (angry about the delay)
- _blij met je cadeau_ (happy with your present) versus _blij voor je_ (happy for you)

Remember: strong feelings aimed at someone or something often take _op_: _trots op_, _boos op_, _jaloers op_, _gek op_, and also _verliefd op_ (in love with). Picture the feeling landing on its target. This is a hook, not a rule: _bang voor_ and _blij met_ go their own way.

## Watch out

- Not: _Ik ben trots van jou._ Say: _Ik ben trots op jou._ (English "of" is _op_ here)
- Not: _Ze is jaloers van haar zus._ Say: _Ze is jaloers op haar zus._ (_jaloers_ takes _op_)
- Not: _Hij is boos met zijn baas._ Say: _Hij is boos op zijn baas._ (angry with a person is _boos op_)
- Not: _Ik ben trots op dat ik Nederlands spreek._ Say: _Ik ben er trots op dat ik Nederlands spreek._ (in standard Dutch the preposition does not go straight before _dat_, so add _er_)
- Not: _Ik ben blij met het._ Say: _Ik ben er blij mee._ (for "it", use _er_, and _met_ becomes _mee_)

## Quick check

1. Fill in the gap: _Yara is jaloers ... haar zus, want die heeft een vaste baan._
2. Choose: _Bas is goed (in / op / aan) koken._
3. Fix the sentence by adding one word: _Mei is verantwoordelijk voor dat de vergadering op tijd begint._
4. Choose: _Ahmed heeft een nieuwe telefoon. Is hij er blij (met / mee)?_

## Answers

1. _op_: you are _jaloers op_ someone, even though English says "of".
2. _in_: "good at" is _goed in_.
3. Add _er_: _Mei is er verantwoordelijk voor dat de vergadering op tijd begint._ The clause needs _er_ as a placeholder.
4. _mee_: after _er_, _met_ becomes _mee_.

## Use it today

Today, tell a colleague, partner or neighbour one thing you are _blij met_, for example _Ik ben blij met mijn nieuwe werkplek_. Then write one true sentence that starts with _Ik ben er trots op dat ik_ about something you managed in Dutch this week.

## Questions learners ask

**How do you say proud of in Dutch?**

Dutch says trots op, not trots van: "Ik ben trots op jou." If a whole clause follows, add er: "Ik ben er trots op dat ik geslaagd ben."

**Why do Dutch speakers say er trots op dat?**

In standard Dutch, the preposition after an adjective like trots does not stand directly in front of dat. Dutch puts er before the adjective as a placeholder, keeps op after it, and lets the clause follow at the end.

**Is it boos op or boos over in Dutch?**

Both are correct, with different meanings: you are boos op a person and boos over a thing or situation. "Ik ben boos op Bas" means you are angry with Bas, while "Ik ben boos over de vertraging" means you are angry about the delay.

From the Dutch Fluency Grammar: https://www.dutchfluency.com/grammar. Shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.