---
title: "Erop, ervan, daarmee: er plus a preposition"
level: B1
chapter: "Word order"
canonical: https://www.dutchfluency.com/grammar/er-plus-preposition
updated: 2026-10-09
author: Dutch Fluency
license: CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
---

# Erop, ervan, daarmee: er plus a preposition

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](https://www.dutchfluency.com/grammar/split-er-preposition). You will need this most with [Verbs with a fixed preposition](https://www.dutchfluency.com/grammar/verbs-with-prepositions), and questions use the same trick with _waar_: [Waarmee, waarover, waaraan](https://www.dutchfluency.com/grammar/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

1. Fill in _er_ plus _met_ as one word: _Je hebt een nieuwe laptop! Wat ga je ... doen?_
2. Choose: _Ik heb Lotte gebeld, want ik wilde (met haar / ermee) praten._
3. Choose: _Op zaterdag werken? (Er / Daar) heb ik echt geen tijd voor._
4. Fill in _er_ plus _tot_ as one word: _Het nieuwe rooster heeft ... geleid dat iedereen later begint._

## Answers

1. _ermee_: _met_ becomes _mee_ after _er_.
2. _met haar_: Lotte is a person, so you keep the pronoun.
3. _Daar_: in this job _er_ cannot start a sentence, _daar_ can.
4. _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._

## Questions learners ask

**What does erover mean in Dutch?**

Erover means "about it" or "about them" when you are talking about a thing. Dutch uses er plus a preposition instead of a preposition plus het, so "I'm thinking about it" is "Ik denk erover na".

**When do you use daar instead of er in Dutch?**

Use daar when the thing is stressed or comes at the start of the sentence, as in "Daar heb ik geen zin in" (I'm not in the mood for that). Er is unstressed and cannot start the sentence in this use.

**Why is it ermee and not ermet in Dutch?**

After er, daar, hier and waar, the preposition met changes to mee, so you say ermee, daarmee, hiermee and waarmee. In the same way tot becomes toe: ertoe and daartoe.

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