---
title: "Om, op, in: talking about time"
level: A1
chapter: "Small words"
canonical: https://www.dutchfluency.com/grammar/time-prepositions
updated: 2026-10-09
author: Dutch Fluency
license: CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
---

# Om, op, in: talking about time

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](https://www.dutchfluency.com/grammar/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](https://www.dutchfluency.com/grammar/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

1. Choose _om_, _op_ or _in_: De film begint ... negen uur.
2. Choose _om_, _op_ or _in_: Priya is ... 8 oktober jarig.
3. Choose _om_, _op_ or _in_: Het sneeuwt soms ... januari.
4. Fill in _'s ochtends_, _'s middags_, _'s avonds_ or _'s nachts_: Lotte werkt ... in het ziekenhuis. (at night)

## Answers

1. _om_ (a clock time)
2. _op_ (a date)
3. _in_ (a month)
4. _'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._

## Questions learners ask

**How do you say "at 8 o'clock" in Dutch?**

You say om acht uur. Dutch uses om for clock times, not op, and the word uur stays singular.

**Is it op maandag or in maandag in Dutch?**

It is op maandag, because Dutch uses op for days and dates, like op 5 mei. In everyday speech you can also leave op out: Ik werk maandag means you work this Monday.

**How do you say "in the morning" and "at night" in Dutch?**

Use 's ochtends for in the morning, 's middags for in the afternoon, 's avonds for in the evening and 's nachts for at night. You do not put in in front of these forms.

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