Teaching guidelines +/- 15 minutes

Learn Dutch object personal pronouns like mij, jou, hem and their plural forms ons, jullie, hen. This lesson explains their use after prepositions and as noun replacements with clear examples including 'met haar', 'voor ons', and 'aan hem'. Discover the difference between hun and hen and practice with practical phrases to master these essential Dutch grammar points.
  1. Use after a preposition: e.g. 'met haar', 'voor ons'.
  2. Replacing a noun: 'Ik zie Jan' → 'Ik zie hem'.
  3. Usage depending on person and number: 'ik' → 'mij', 'zij' → 'haar'.
Persoon (Person)Enkelvoud (Singular)Meervoud (plural)
1.mij/meons
2.jou/jejullie/je
3.hem/haarhen/hun/ze

Exceptions!

  1. 'hun' is used as an indirect object: 'Ik geef hun een boek'.

Exercise 1: Persoonlijke voornaamwoorden: voorwerp (mij, jou, hem,...)

Instruction: Fill in the correct word.

Show translation Show answers

jou, hen, mij, hem, haar

1. 3. enkelvoud (v):
We gaan met ... naar de stad.
(We are going to the city with her.)
2. 3. enkelvoud (m):
Geef jij de sleutel aan ...?
(Do you give him the key?)
3. 3. enkelvoud (m):
Heb je mijn jas gezien? Nee, ik heb ... niet.
(Have you seen my coat? No, I don't have it.)
4. 3. meervoud:
Ik zie Jan en Kees. Ik zie ... lopen.
(I see Jan and Kees. I see them walking.)
5. 1. enkelvoud:
Heeft u een boodschap voor ...?
(Do you have a message for me?)
6. 2. enkelvoud:
Ik heb een cadeau voor ... gekocht.
(I have bought a present for you.)
7. 2. enkelvoud:
Peter, ik heb iets voor ... meegenomen.
(Peter, I have brought something for you.)
8. 3. enkelvoud (v):
Mijn moeder is ziek. Ik ga naar ... toe.
(My mother is ill. I am going to her.)

Exercise 2: Multiple Choice

Instruction: Choose the correct solution

1. Ik koop een jas voor ___.

(I buy a jacket for ___.)

2. Kun je met ___ naar de winkel komen?

(Can you come to the store with ___?)

3. Ik geef ___ het t-shirt.

(I give ___ the t-shirt.)

4. Wij wachten op ___ bij de paskamer.

(We wait for ___ at the fitting room.)

5. Hij zoekt het jasje voor ___.

(He looks for the jacket for ___.)

6. De verkoopster toont de broek aan ___.

(The saleswoman shows the pants to ___.)

Understanding Dutch Object Personal Pronouns

This lesson focuses on the object forms of Dutch personal pronouns used to replace nouns that receive the action in a sentence. These pronouns commonly appear after prepositions and help avoid repetition.

Key Pronouns and Their Usage

The object pronouns vary depending on the person (first, second, third) and number (singular or plural). For example, in singular: mij/me (me), jou/je (you), and hem/haar (him/her). In plural: ons (us), jullie/je (you all), and hen/hun/ze (them).

Usage After Prepositions

These pronouns often follow prepositions such as in met haar (with her), voor ons (for us), or aan hem (to him). This grammatical structure replaces nouns to make sentences clearer and less repetitive.

Replacing Nouns in Sentences

Object personal pronouns stand in for noun objects, for example, changing Ik zie Jan (I see Jan) into Ik zie hem (I see him). Note that these pronouns are essential to expressing relationships clearly.

Special Note on hun

The pronoun hun is specifically used as an indirect object (dative case), as in Ik geef hun een boek (I give them a book).

Comparison with English

Unlike English where object pronouns remain consistent regardless of their position, Dutch object pronouns change depending on their grammatical role and appear predominantly after prepositions. English uses fixed forms like "me", "you", "him", "her", and "them" similarly but generally has less variation.

Useful Dutch phrases include:

  • met mij — with me
  • voor jou — for you
  • aan hen — to them (direct object)
  • aan hun — to them (indirect object)
Understanding these differences strengthens your practical use of Dutch in daily conversation and writing.

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This content has been designed and reviewed by the coLanguage pedagogical team: About coLanguage

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Kato De Paepe

Business and languages

KdG University of Applied Sciences and Arts Antwerp

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Last Updated:

Thursday, 29/05/2025 16:34