---
title: "Two objects and short pronouns"
level: B1
chapter: "Word order"
canonical: https://www.dutchfluency.com/grammar/object-order
updated: 2026-10-09
author: Dutch Fluency
license: CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
---

# Two objects and short pronouns

Short object pronouns such as _hem_, _haar_, _het_ and _je_ come early in a Dutch sentence: right after the verb and the subject, before time words and before nouns. So you say _Ik heb hem gisteren gezien_ and _Ik geef haar het boek_. With two nouns, the person comes before the thing (_Ik geef mijn moeder bloemen_), unless you use _aan_: then the person usually comes after it (_Ik geef bloemen aan mijn moeder_).

## The pattern

> Short pronouns go straight after the verb and subject, before time words and nouns. With two objects, the person comes before the thing, unless you use _aan_: then the person usually comes last.

- An object pronoun (a short word for the person or thing the action is aimed at) goes before time words: _Ik heb hem gisteren gezien._
- It also goes before a noun object: _Ik geef haar het boek._
- In a subordinate clause (a side clause after a word like _dat_ or _omdat_), it sits right after the subject: _Weet je dat ik hem gisteren heb gezien?_
- Two nouns, no _aan_: person, then thing. _Ik geef mijn moeder bloemen._
- With _aan_: thing, then _aan_ plus person. _Ik geef bloemen aan mijn moeder._
- If the thing is _het_ and the person is a noun, most speakers use _aan_: _Ik geef het aan mijn moeder._ If both are pronouns, _het_ usually comes first: _Ik geef het hem._

This happens with verbs like _geven_, _sturen_, _lenen_, _vertellen_, _uitleggen_ and _laten zien_. For the pronoun forms themselves, see [object pronouns](https://www.dutchfluency.com/grammar/object-pronouns).

## Examples

| Ik heb **hem** gisteren op het station gezien. | I saw him at the station yesterday. |
| Bas belt **je** vanavond terug. | Bas will call you back tonight. |
| Ik geef **haar** het boek na de les. | I'll give her the book after class. |
| Kun je **me** het zout even aangeven? | Could you pass me the salt? |
| Lotte laat **ons** morgen haar nieuwe fiets zien. | Lotte is showing us her new bike tomorrow. |
| Priya heeft **haar buurvrouw een taart** gegeven. | Priya gave her neighbour a cake. |
| Priya heeft **een taart aan haar buurvrouw** gegeven. | Priya gave a cake to her neighbour. |
| De huisarts heeft **het** al aan Ahmed uitgelegd. | The GP has already explained it to Ahmed. |
| Het pakketje? Ik heb **het hem** gisteren gegeven. | The parcel? I gave it to him yesterday. |

## Why it works this way

Dutch likes to put what you already know early and what is new towards the end, where the main stress usually falls. A pronoun points to something you have just mentioned, so it carries no news and slips in right behind the verb. A time word or a fresh noun is more likely to be the news, so it waits.

Nouns are freer than pronouns: _Ik heb de film gisteren gezien_ and _Ik heb gisteren de film gezien_ are both correct. A pronoun can stand later only when you stress it for contrast: _Ik heb gisteren hém gezien, niet zijn broer._ The forms _me_, _je_, _ze_ and _het_ cannot carry stress, so they stay early (more in [stressed and unstressed pronouns](https://www.dutchfluency.com/grammar/stressed-unstressed)).

The two-object part will feel familiar from English: "I give my mother flowers" and "I give flowers to my mother" work the same way. The Dutch word for that "to" is _aan_, not _naar_. As a tendency, speakers pick the version that ends with the most important information, so _aan mijn moeder_ at the end puts the weight on who gets the flowers.

Remember: old news first, new news last. A pronoun is old news, so it skips the queue and stands right behind the verb.

## Watch out

- Not: _Ik bel morgen je._ Say: _Ik bel je morgen._ (_je_ cannot be stressed, so it goes before the time word)
- Not: _Ik geef mijn moeder het._ Say: _Ik geef het aan mijn moeder._ (_het_ comes before a noun object, so let _aan_ carry the person)
- Not: _Daan stuurt een kaartje zijn oma._ Say: _Daan stuurt zijn oma een kaartje._ (without _aan_, the person comes first)
- Not: _Ik geef het boek naar Fatima._ Say: _Ik geef het boek aan Fatima._ (after _geven_, "to" is _aan_)

## Quick check

1. Fix the sentence: _Het formulier? Joris heeft vorige week het ingevuld._
2. Choose the right word: _Mei geeft een cadeau (aan / naar) haar collega._
3. Fix the sentence without adding a word: _Yara stuurt een berichtje haar broer._
4. Choose the correct sentence: _Ik geef de buurman het._ or _Ik geef het aan de buurman._

## Answers

1. _Joris heeft het vorige week ingevuld._ (_het_ goes before the time word)
2. _aan_ (giving something to someone uses _aan_)
3. _Yara stuurt haar broer een berichtje._ (without _aan_, the person comes first)
4. _Ik geef het aan de buurman._ (_het_ cannot follow a noun object)

## Use it today

Think of the next birthday on your calendar and write three sentences about your present: one with the person first (_Ik geef Sanne een plant._), one with _aan_, and one with a pronoun and a time word (_Ik geef haar zaterdag de plant._). Say them out loud on your way there.

## Questions learners ask

**Where do object pronouns go in a Dutch sentence?**

Unstressed object pronouns like hem, haar, het and je go early, right after the verb and subject, so before time words and before noun objects: Ik heb hem gisteren gezien. A pronoun stressed for contrast can stand later.

**Is it "Ik geef mijn moeder bloemen" or "Ik geef bloemen aan mijn moeder"?**

Both are correct. Without aan the person comes before the thing; with aan the person usually comes after it, which puts a little more weight on who receives it.

**How do you say "give it to someone" in Dutch?**

Use aan, not naar: Ik geef het aan mijn moeder. The short word het goes before the aan phrase, and if the person is also a pronoun, het usually comes first: Ik geef het hem.

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