Adjectives With Fixed Prepositions

Level 3

Some adjectives need their own preposition: Sy is bang vir honde. (She is afraid of dogs.) Ek is trots op jou. (I'm proud of you.)

How It Works

Common pairs.

  • bang vir: afraid of
  • lief vir: fond of, love: Ek is lief vir jou. (I love you.)
  • trots op: proud of
  • kwaad vir: angry with (a person)
  • gewoond aan: used to
  • moeg vir: tired of, fed up with
  • jaloers op: jealous of
  • bekommerd oor: worried about
  • tevrede met: happy with, satisfied with
  • allergies vir: allergic to

For it. Use a daar-word instead of dit: Ek is gewoond daaraan. (I'm used to it.) Moenie daarvoor bang wees nie. (Don't be afraid of it.) See daar + preposition.

Questions. For a thing, use waar + preposition: Waarvoor is jy bang? (What are you afraid of?) For a person, put the preposition before wie: Vir wie is jy kwaad? (Who are you angry with?)

Word order. The safest order is adjective first, then the prepositional phrase: Sy is bang vir honde. With some adjectives, such as bang, the phrase can also come first: Hy is vir niks bang nie. (He is afraid of nothing.)

Before an action. When the adjective is followed by an action, use om te: Ek is bang om alleen te loop. (I'm afraid to walk alone.)

Examples (6)

  1. Sy is bang vir honde.

    She is afraid of dogs.

    Word by Word: She is afraid for dogs.

  2. Ons is baie trots op jou.

    We are very proud of you.

    Word by Word: We are very proud on you.

  3. Ek is lief vir jou.

    I love you.

    Word by Word: I am fond for you.

    Lief vir is the usual way to say I love you.

  4. Hy is kwaad vir sy broer.

    He is angry with his brother.

    Word by Word: He is angry for his brother.

  5. Ek is nou gewoond aan die koue.

    I'm used to the cold now.

    Word by Word: I am now used to the cold.

  6. Sy is allergies vir grondboontjies.

    She is allergic to peanuts.

    Word by Word: She is allergic for peanuts.

Common Mistakes

  • Using van for afraid of.

    Sy is bang van honde.
    Sy is bang vir honde.

    English says afraid of, but Afrikaans uses vir: bang vir.

  • Using van for proud of.

    Ek is trots van jou.
    Ek is trots op jou.

    Proud of is trots op.

  • Using met for angry with someone.

    Hy is kwaad met sy broer.
    Hy is kwaad vir sy broer.

    You are kwaad vir a person. About a thing, use oor: kwaad oor die nuus.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

Adjectives With Fixed PrepositionsLevel 3

Learn This First

Some adjectives always go with a fixed preposition, like verbs do.

Words in This Pattern

banglieftrotskwaadgewoond