Disambiguation: Dutch 'Van' - Multiple Meanings and Related Words

Van

of - possession, association etc. "William of Orange"
from - point of origin or departure "from 9 to 5"
by - "a painting by Van Gogh"
various

1. van = of (possession, association)		'possessive-S'

	der = of the (old-fashioned)		van in 'units'

2. van = from (point of origin or departure)		van in Dutch names

3. van = by (works of artists, 'made by')		van = 'by' in verbs of change

4. various other meanings of van

Verbs with van:			houden van = to love, to like		weten van = to know of

		van plan zijn = to plan, intend		last hebben van = to be bothered, troubled by

Compound Words with van		Dutch 'of' and English 'van'

1. 'van' = 'of'

'Van' in most cases can be translated as 'of' - which can mean many things, but all in the same field: ownership, possession, asociation, relationship, parts of something larger, constituting parts, specifying, further defining etc.
English often uses an apostrophe-S for the possessive, but in Dutch that is less common.

De hond van de buren is doodgegaan 2 3 4	[The dog of the neighbors'] - The neighbors' dog died
Het cadeau van Bob 2	Bob's present ('cadeau' can also be written as 'kado')
't Huis is van haar 2	The house is [of her] hers
also: Het is haar huis	It's her house
't Geld is van hun 2	The money is theirs
also: Het is hun geld 2	It's their money
also: Het is hun eigen geld	It's their own money

de volledige werken van Vondel	the complete works of Vondel
De vrouw van m'n vader	My Dad's wife (after a divorce)
De man van m'n moeder 2	My Mom's husband (after a divorce)
't geheim van de smid 2	[The blacksmith's secret] - A knack, special technique
de letter van de wet 2	[The letter of the law] - A literal reading, strict interpretation of the law

't Nederland van na de oorlog	[The Netherlands of after the war] Postwar Holland
Het Delft van Vermeer 2	[The Delft of Vermeer] Vermeer's Delft
Willem van Oranje	William of Orange (the Dutch George Washington)
Jacoba van Beieren 2	Jacoba of Bavaria (Bayern)
Godfried van Bouillon 2 3 4	Godfrey of Bouillon
Karel van Marie	Mary's Charles

De Straat van Gibraltar 2	The Strait of Gibraltar
Het Nauw van Calais 2	The Narrows of Calais (The Strait of Dover)
't Land van Maas en Waal 2	'The Land of the Meuse and the Waal'
De Bocht van Helgoland 2	The Bight (Bay) of Heligoland
De Golf van Biskaje 2	The Bay of Biscay
De Baai van San Francisco	San Francisco Bay

Twee jaar van m'n leven 3	Two years of my life
De mooiste tijd van m'n leven 2	The best [time] years of my life
In de loop van de dag 2 3	In the course of the day (usually: in the afternoon)
De morgen van de laatste dag 2	The morning of the last day

't Begin van 't einde 2 (3)	The beginning of the end
Op de rand van de afgrond 2	On the edge of the precipice
(de) tak van de familie	Branch of the family
Ik ben zelf niet van adel 2	I am not of the nobility myself ‑>> - 2
Aan de andere kant van de muur	On the other side of the wall
Aan het eind van de straat gaan we rechtsaf	At the end of the street we'll turn right

de dagen van de week	the days of the week ->>
de maanden van het jaar	the months of the year ->>

Een rij van drie mensen 2	a line of three people
poel van verderf 2	pool of vice
Een koekje van eigen deeg 2	['a cookie of (your) own dough'] - 'a taste of your own medicine' - you yourself getting the bad treatment you thought up for (or already meted out to) others

De geur van dennennaalden	The smell of pine needles
Een man van weinig woorden	A man of few words
Dit is het verhaal van mijn familie	This is the story of my family

ten noorden van 2	to the North of
Ik heb wel eens gehoord dat het nooit regent in het zuiden van Californië 2	I've heard sometime that it never rains in [the South of] Southern California

het zinken van het schip	The sinking of the ship (passive sinking)
drie kaarten van dezelfde kleur 2	three (playing) cards of the same suit ->>
vier kaarten van verschillende kleuren 2	four cards of different suits

Vrijheid van meningsuiting	Freedom of [opinion-] expression, freedom of speech
Vrijheid van vergadering 2	Freedom of [meeting, 'gathering'] association
Gewetensvrijheid	Freedom of conscience (to leave or change your religion)
Staat van beleg 2	State of siege
samenloop van omstandigheden	[concurrence of circumstances] coincidence
een kans van één op tien 2	A chance of 1 in 10
onder leiding van 2 3	under the leadership of, led by
onder invloed van 2 3	under influence of, influenced by
Nooit van gehoord 2 3	Never heard of it (or him/her)
Ik heb ervan gehoord 2 3	I've heard of it
Je hebt vast wel eens gehoord van ... 2 3 4	You must have heard of ..., I'm sure you've heard of ...

Possessive with -S

Dutch also has a possessive form with an S-ending, like English has, but it is only used with people's names and a few words like moeder

('mother') and vader

('father.')
Dutch people often write apostrophe-S for this possessive, following the English example, but it should really be without the apostrophe. On the other hand, Dutch does not have something like the somewhat archaic apostrophe-S after an 'of' sometimes seen in English.

De vrienden van m'n vader	The friends of my father's German: Die Freunde meines Vaters
M'n vaders vrienden	My father's friends
De vrienden van Jan	The friends of Jan's
Jans vrienden	Jan's friends
Wims zoontje 2 3	Wim's young son, Wim's little boy
Moeders wil is wet 2	A mother's wishes are the law of the house
Mijn moeders familie komt uit Limburg.	My mother's family is from Limburg
't Is haar moeders schuld 2 3	It's her mother's fault, her mother is to blame
't Is de schuld van haar moeder 2 3 4	It's her mother's fault, her mother is to blame

For names ending in single A, I, O or U there is an apostrophe inserted for the S-possessive, to keep that vowel 'long,' like in plurals ending in those vowels
Saskia's portret 2 3 Saskia's portrait
Pichegru's leger 2 3 (Pichegru's army)
(de) paprika / paprika's - bell pepper(s)

The S-possessive is only used for people's names and the few words mentioned above. 'Amsterdams burgemeester' doesn't sound right, and 'gisterens krant' is certainly wrong. Use the 'van'-construction instead. More examples above

de burgemeester van Amsterdam	Amsterdam's mayor, the mayor of Amsterdam
de krant van gisteren 2 3 4	yesterday's paper, the newspaper from yesterday
De mok van Piet 2	Pete's mug

Officially, names ending in S or an S-sound can add an apostrophe after that S (or Z) for a possessive. The Dutch government publication De Spelling van De Nederlandse Taal (1974) gives something like Frits' kamer - but I don't know how to pronounce that S: a long hiss or something like Fritsus kamer? If I pronounce the S' as a regular S, the next word sounds more like it is Frits' last name than his 'room.'
The other examples in the book: Beets' Gedichten ('poems') and Van Heutsz' veldtochten ('miltary campaigns') are acceptable because the noun is expected.
It would be best to avoid this S-apostrophe for common names ending in -S. You could use the 'van'-construction explained above on this page, or the possessive personal pronouns zijn ('his') - more or haar ('her') - more - which are also used for 'its' - more
Klaas z'n paard 2 3 Klaas' horse

Advanced Stuff: Names ending in a silent S
But - trying out pronunciation I noticed that in names ending in a silent S that S does get pronounced when it's a possessive, and it's not a problem for me. It feels 'natural' and is not awkward.
Louis - Louis' boeken 2 3 Louis' books
(het) taalgevoel 2 3 the intuitive understanding of your native language or a language you're very familiar with

'Der' = of the

In many standard phrases, you'll find the old-fashioned article 'der'

which means 'of the.'

De macht der gewoonte 2 3	The power of (the) habit
De Vlakte der Kruiken	The Plain of the Jars (Laos)
Het Periodiek Systeem der Elementen 2	The Periodic Table of the Elements ->>

- more 'der,' 'des,' ' den,' ' ter' and 'ten'

van in 'units'

When talking about containers or standard amounts, or about weight or volume units and their contents, English almost always inserts an 'of' in between. Dutch usually does not put in a preposition between those words. Dutch uses 'van' in phrases like this only when it's about the material an item is made of, and not about its contents.

een flesje water	a small bottle of water
een tros druiven 2 3	a bunch of grapes
een zakje patat	a small bag of French fries
een pond kaas 2	a pound of cheese
een kopje koffie	a cup of coffee - more 'units'
hoedje van papier	hat of paper, paper hat
het ijzeren masker / het masker van ijzer	the iron mask / the mask of iron
de gouden schaal / de schaal van goud	the golden bowl / the bowl of gold
de wollen muts / de muts van wol	the woollen cap / the cap of wool
ouden van dagen 2	['old of? in? days'] - a polite phrase for 'old people, the elderly'

As you may have seen above, Dutch also uses 'van' when it's only about parts of a whole.

de helft van de bevolking

half (of) the population

2. 'van' = 'from'

Dutch 'van' can also indicate a point of departure, a place of origin (in space) or a starting point (in time) - sometimes combined with 'tot'

('to') - van ... tot

('from ... to')

ver van huis 2	far from home
van 't huis weg	[moving] away from the house
van me af 2 3	away from me
naar me toe 2 3	towards me
Woon je ver van je werk?	Do you live far from your work?
van top tot teen	from [top] head to toe

van nu af aan 2	from now on, starting now, in the future ...
van negen tot vijf	from 9 to 5
van acht tot zes 2	from 8 to 6
van 1940 tot 1945	from 1940 to 1945

tot en met	up to and including
maandag tot en met zaterdag	Monday through Saturday

van Den Haag naar Rotterdam 2	from The Hague to Rotterdam (the journey) ->>
van Gouda tot Schoonhoven 2	from Gouda to Schoonhoven (the area, or the distance)

Blijf van m'n lijf 2	Stay away from my body! (feminist slogan over independence and autonomy)

Verkeer van rechts heeft vaak voorrang 2 3	Traffic from the right often has the right of way
Heb je nog van Piet gehoord?	[Have you heard from Piet] Have you been in touch with Piet?
Heb je nog wat van Piet gehoord? 2	[Have you heard something from Piet] Have you been in touch with Piet?
Dan hoor je het ook eens van een ander 2	[Then] That way you'll also hear it from someone else
Zeg maar wat je zou willen hebben van Sinterklaas 2	Just [say] tell me what you'd like to have from Santa
Van de regen in de drup 2 3 4	[From the rain into a drip] 'From the frying pan into the fire' - a move that didn't improve an already bad situation
Dan zijn we nog verder van huis 2 3	[Then we're even farther from home] - 'Then it will be even worse' - Making an already bad situation worse
De mens lijdt 't meest van 't lijden dat-ie vreest	Man suffers most from the suffering he fears (the fear of suffering)
Wat heb je ervan geleerd? 2 3	What have you learned from it? What did it teach you?
leren van fouten 2 3	learning from mistakes

"Van harte gefeliciteerd" 2 - "Van harte!" 2 and "Hartelijk gefeliciteerd" all mean: [Congratulations from the heart] Warmest congratulations - Birthday

Uit 't diepst van m'n hart

From the [deepest] bottom of my heart

'Van' in Family Names

Many Dutch people have last names with 'van' and the name of a small town, village or hamlet, like for instance Van Wageningen

- probably meaning an ancestor who moved to the big cities came from there. Very few people have names of big cities. Place Names and Dutch Family Names.
In Dutch, this 'van' is written with a lowercase, small 'v' after a first name or an initial. - more

'Little words' in Dutch last names like 'van' 2 and 'de' are written with an undercase first letter after a first name or an initial, but with a capital first letter in all other cases. If there are two or more 'little words' only the first gets an uppercase letter. - Dutch First and Last Names
Jan van Riebeeck 2
Baron Joan Derk van der Capellen tot den Pol 2 (a 1780s reformer)
Van Wageningen
Van der Waal 2 3
Christiaan de Wet 2 3
Generaal De Wet 2
19th Century South-African military leader
Vincent van Gogh 2
een schilderij van Van Gogh
a painting by Van Gogh

Van de hak op de tak springen 2 3	['Jumping from heel to branch'] - in conversation, frequently and (apparenty) at random changing the subject
van 't kastje naar de muur 2	['from the cabinet to the wall'] - sent on pointless errands - Sayings
van Pontius naar Pilatus	['from Pontius to Pilate'] - sent on pointless errands - Sayings
't Kaf van 't koren scheiden	[Separate the chaff from the wheat] - the boys from the men, the sheep from the goats
Ik wil je niet van je werk houden 2 3	I don't want to keep you from your work

3. 'van' = 'by'

Talking about works of art or performances by artists, Dutch uses 'van' to identify the artist - English almost always says 'by.'

Een boek van Vestdijk 2 3	A book by Vestdijk
een schilderij van Van Gogh	a painting by Van Gogh
't Doet me denken aan een boek van Mulisch 2	It makes me think of a book by Mulisch
Vorige week vrijdag was er een concert van ...	Last week Friday there was a concert by ...
De CD ... van ... draai ik ook nog vaak.	I also still often play the CD ... by ...
De film ... van ... vind ik ook erg goed.	I also really like the movie ... by ... (literally: I think it's very good.)
Een paar maanden geleden zijn we naar een optreden van ... geweest. 2	A few months ago we were at a ... [performance] concert.

Maybe by/van is not just activities by artists but all 'statements' made by people:
Ik zoek een uitspraak van de koning	I'm looking for a statement by the king
Ik zoek naar een uitspraak van de koning 2 3	I'm searching for a statement by the king

'Van' = By with Verbs of Change

A few verbs that describe a reaction use 'van' for what brought about the change

Ik werd wakker van de wekker	I was woken up by the alarm clock
schrikken van 2	to be shocked by, unpleasantly surprised by, taken aback by
Ik schrok van de prijs 2	I was taken aback by the price
Ik schrok van 't lawaai 2	I was taken aback by the noise

Ik werd ziek van de herrie	I was sickened by the noise, the noise made me sick
Ik word er gek van	I'm driven nuts by it, it's driving me crazy
Ik werd er helemaal naar van	[I was made to feel horrible by it] - It made me feel sick all over
Ik word er doodmoe van 2	[I'm made to feel very tired by it] - It makes me feel exhausted

Ik word droevig van de toestand in de wereld 2	I'm saddened by what's going on in the world
De mens kan niet alleen van brood leven	Man cannot live by bread alone

4. 'van' - other translations and verbs with 'van'

rood van binnen 2	red on the inside ('rare' meat)
Hij is lang van stof 2	['He's long on material'] ~'He talks at great length' - 'His talking drags on and on'
De bal rolde van de tafel	The ball rolled off the table
De bal rolde van de tafel af 2	The ball rolled from the table
Ik ben er nog moe van 2 3 4	I'm still tired, fatigued from it
Voetjes van de vloer!	Feet off the floor! (Get dancing!)
De kippen zijn van de leg	The chickens are ['off the lay'] not laying eggs
Hij is van slag	He's [off-balance] not his normal self
van de kook 2 3	literally: [off the boil] - 'no longer boiling,' but also figuratively: 'confused, not in their right mind'
Ben je van de trap gevallen? 2 3	Did you fall down the stairs? (usually said in jest, commenting on a short haircut)

Ik sta nergens meer van te kijken 2	[I'm surprised by nothing anymore'] - Nothing surprises me anymore'
opkijken van 2	[to look up for] to be surprised, impressed by
Daar kijkt niemand meer van op 2 3	Nobody is surprised, impressed by that anymore

houden van	to like, to love ->>
Hij houdt niet van spruitjes 2	He doesn't like Brussels sprouts
Ik hou(d) van soep 2 3	I like soup
Hij houdt veel van honden	He loves dogs
Hou(d) jij van opera? - Ik niet.	Do you like opera? - I don't
Daar houd ik niet van 2 3	I don't like that, I don't want that
Hij houdt van jou	He loves you - more 'houden van' - 2

'Weten van' ‑>> usually refers to knowledge about a specific subject or familiarity with an event or incident
Ik weet ervan 2	I know about it
Ik weet er niks van 2	I know nothing about it, I have no knowledge of it
Ik weet er alles van 2	I know all about it (and I don't like it)
Hij weet er meer van 2	He knows more about it (and usually he is not telling)
Hij weet veel van bijen 2	He knows a lot about bees, he's very knowledgeable

Er is mij niets van bekend 2	I know nothing about it

Ik denk van niet 2 3	{I think: not] - I don't think so
Ik hoop van niet	I hope not
Wat denk jij d'rvan? 2	What do you think (of it)? (informal, singular 'you')
Wat zeg jij d'rvan? 2 3	What do you say (of it)?
Wat zegt U ervan? 2	What do you say (of it)? (polite 'you')
Wat zegt U d'rvan? 2 3 4	What do you say (of it)?
Je merkt er niks van 2 3	You [notice nothing] don't/won't notice (it)
Ben je daar zeker van? 2 3 4	Are you sure of that?

Het eten van varkensvlees is verboden	'Eating pork is not allowed'
verboden 2	'not allowed' think of: 'forbidden' (German: 'verboten')
Het drinken van alcohol is toegestaan	'Drinking alcohol is permitted'

Ik trek me er/d'r niks van aan 2 3 4 5	I don't pay attention to it

van plan zijn 2	to plan, to intend, to have in mind
We zijn van plan ...	We are planning ..., the plan is ...
We waren van plan om ...	We were planning ..., the plan was ...
We waren van plan om weg te gaan 2	We were planning on leaving, we were going to leave
We zijn van plan om morgen weg te gaan	We're planning to leave tomorrow
Wat ben je van plan? 2	What's the plan? What are you going to do?
Ik was van plan om het huis wit te verven	I was [planning] going to paint the house white

(het) plan	plan, design, project
plannen 2	plans
plannen maken	to lay, develop plans
Hij verzette zich tegen het plan 2	He opposed the plan
(de) lange-termijnplanning 2	long-term planning ('planning' - Dutch uses the English word)

Van zich laten horen 2 3	['to let hear of yourself'] - to communicate, to be in touch - usually in the negative with: 'niet' 2 (not) or 'niks' / 'niets' ('nothing')
Hij laat niks van zich horen 2	He is not in touch ('We are not hearing from him')
Hij heeft niks van zich laten horen 2	He has not been in touch ('We have not heard from him')
Ze laten niet van zich horen 2	They are not in touch ('We are not hearing from them')
We hadden iets van ons moeten laten horen 2 3	We should have been in touch, we should have contacted

Het is er nooit van gekomen 2 3	It never came about, it never happened (only plans)

last hebben van 2	to be bothered, troubled by (usually pain or feeling sick)
Daar krijg je last van 2 3	'That's going to bother you, that'll cause you trouble'
Ik krijg er last van 2 3	'It's going to make me sick'
Heb je d'r last van? 2 3	Does it bother you, is it giving you trouble?
Ik heb last van m'n maag	My stomach is giving me trouble
Ik heb veel last van m'n maag	My stomach is giving me a lot of trouble
Je hebt er niet echt plezier van 2 3	It's not really giving you pleasure, you're not really enjoying it
Ik krijg er hoofdpijn van 2	[I get a headache from it] It's giving me a headache
Ik word er misselijk van 2 3	It gives me nausea, it makes me nauseous
When the stress shifts to 'van' it means you're (mentally) disgusted, revolted by it
Ik word er misselijk van 2	I'm disgusted, revolted by it
(de) knauw 2 3 4 5 6	serious animal bite
Daar krijg je een knauw van 2 3	[That bites you] - That causes much damage to you (a setback in attitude, outlook - 'It takes a big bite out of your self-confidence'

't Mag niet van haar vader 2 3	It's not allowed by her father, her father doesn't allow it
Het moet van z'n moeder 2 3	It is required by his mother, ~his mother wants it
't Moet van de dokter 2	The doctor orders it, doctor's orders!
Van mij hoeft 't niet 2	For me it's not necessary, ~I don't need it (I don't care)
Kun je ervan rondkomen?	Can you get by on it? Is it enough to live on?

Compound Words with 'Van'

vanmorgen	this morning
vanmiddag	this afternoon
vanavond 2	this evening, tonight
vannacht	tonight /or/ last night

vandaag 2 3	today
but:
morgen 2	tomorrow /or/ morning - more
môge 2	good morning! (slang)

Vandaag eten we vis 2	Today we're [eating] having fish
Vandaag of morgen 2	[Today or tomorrow] Any day now - soon
Vandaag de dag 2	Nowadays, these days, at present

Vanavond gaan we naar de bioscoop	Tonight we'll go to the cinema, see a movie

Ik kon vannacht niet slapen	Last night I couldn't sleep
't Gaat vannacht regenen

vandaan 2	~from: point of departure or origin
Waar vandaan? 2 3	Where from?
Waar kom je vandaan? 2 3	Where are you from? / Where did you come from?
De plaats waar ik vandaan kom	The place I'm from, my home town ‑>>
Waar komt die rotzooi toch vandaan? 2 3 4	Where in the world does all that garbage come from?

vanzelf 2	by itself
vanzelfsprekend	[self-speaking] self-evident
Het wijst zich vanzelf 2	It will be obvious, you'll quickly see how (No need for instructions or a manual)
Als 't niet vanzelf overgaat, ga ik ermee naar de dokter	If it doesn't go away by itself, I'll go see a doctor about it

Ik moet er vandoor 2	I have to go, I'm leaving

Dutch 'Of' and English 'Van'

Dutch 'of'

usually means 'or' - in a few phrases it means 'if' or 'as if' - Disambiguation: 'Of'

Kop of munt?	Heads or Tails? (coin toss)
Wil je kaas of ham op je brood?	Would you like cheese or ham on your bread?
Ik vraag me wel eens af of ...	Sometimes I wonder if ...

English 'van' is a boxlike motor vehicle for transporting small groups of people or delivering goods to customers. The common Dutch word is (het) busje 2 ('small bus') - for delivering small items the somewhat official word is (de) bestelwagen 2 - Dutch uses the English word (de) caravan for a small detachable camper or trailer.

Thank you Martijn Verbeek for pointing out a few missing uses of 'van'

Dutch Vocabulary Overview - Dutch Grammar Overview - Listen to and Read Dutch

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