van
/vɑn/
The English word 'of' is translated to Dutch as van.
van is primarily used as a possessive genitive to indicate belonging to something. It is also used in exclamations to attribute a specific character trait or behavior to a person, such as saying how nice or silly something is of someone.
Meaning: possessive genitive: belonging to (prep)
Which one should you use?
While van is used to mean 'of', it is also the standard word used to say 'from' when indicating a source or origin, such as saying you are coming from a specific place.
How do you pronounce it?
/vɑn/
Did you know?
- In some formal Dutch titles, the use of van in a name historically signaled a connection to nobility or land ownership.
- In Dutch surnames, van is typically not capitalized unless it starts a sentence or follows a first name in certain formal contexts.
- While van means 'of' or 'from', the Dutch word vanwege uses the same root to mean 'because of' or 'due to'.
Examples in context
- Wat dom van me!How silly of me!This sentence shows how to express a realization of one's own silliness using van.Tatoeba #12109975 by PaulP, translation #255325 by CM
- Hoe dom van me!How stupid of me!This sentence demonstrates an exclamation regarding one's own stupidity using van.Tatoeba #12109980 by PaulP, translation #255333 by CM
- Wat aardig van u!How nice of you!This sentence shows how to attribute a nice quality to another person using van.Tatoeba #814055 by simonbr, translation #54423 by CK
- Wil je een kopje thee of koffie?Do you want a cup of tea or coffee?
- Het document bestaat uit verschillende hoofdstukken.The document consists of various chapters.
- Wil je pizza of pasta?Do you want pizza or pasta?
- Ben je moe of wil je nog een aflevering kijken?Are you tired or do you want to watch another episode?
- Gaan we naar de film of liever uit eten? Ik heb meer zin in uit eten dan in een film.Should we go to the movies or rather eat out? I feel more like going out than watching a movie.
- 4626 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Emma and Levi are talking about a book in a cafe.
- EmmaIs dat de tas van de leraar?Is that the teacher's bag?
- LeviNee, het is de tas van Emma.No, it is Emma's bag.
- EmmaOh, ik dacht dat het van jou was, Levi.Oh, I thought it was yours, Levi.
- LeviNee, deze tas is niet van mij.No, this bag is not mine.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “of” translations and entries van, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
