van
Of and from
Van means of or from: die dak van die huis, 'n vriend van my, Ek kom van Pretoria.
How It Works
Of: parts and belonging. die dak van die huis (the roof of the house), 'n vriend van my (a friend of mine). For people, noun + se is more common: my broer se fiets (my brother's bike).
Material. Die stoel is van hout. (The chair is made of wood.)
From: starting points. Ek kom van Pretoria. (I'm from Pretoria.) With tot it marks a range: van Maandag tot Vrydag (from Monday to Friday). To stress movement away from somewhere, add af: van die dak af. See van ... af/na ... toe.
After certain verbs. The most important is hou van (like): Ek hou van sokker. Others include praat van (talk about).
No van in measures. English a cup of coffee has no van in Afrikaans: 'n koppie koffie. See measure noun + noun.
Van with dit becomes daarvan: Ek hou daarvan. (I like it.) See daar/hier + preposition.
Examples (6)
- Die dak van die huis is rooi.
The roof of the house is red.
Word by Word: The roof of the house is red.
- Sy is 'n goeie vriendin van my.
She's a good friend of mine.
Word by Word: She is a good friend of me.
- Ek kom van Pretoria.
I'm from Pretoria.
Word by Word: I come from Pretoria.
- Die winkel is oop van Maandag tot Saterdag.
The shop is open from Monday to Saturday.
Word by Word: The shop is open from Monday until Saturday.
- Hierdie stoel is van hout.
This chair is made of wood.
Word by Word: This chair is of wood.
- Ek hou van jou.
I like you.
Word by Word: I hold of you.
Hou van is the everyday way to say like.
Common Mistakes
Adding van between a measure and what it measures.
'n Koppie van koffie, asseblief.'n Koppie koffie, asseblief.After measures and containers, Afrikaans puts the two nouns side by side, with no van.
Saying van dit for of it.
Ek hou van dit.Ek hou daarvan.Standard Afrikaans joins van and dit into daarvan.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Van is a basic preposition used before a noun with die or a name.
Related Patterns
- Noun + sePossession with Se
Se is usually more natural than van for things people own.
Level 1 - uitOut of
Uit also marks where someone comes from, especially countries.
Level 1 - totUntil: Tot
Van ... tot marks a range: from ... to.
Level 2 - van ... af/na ... toeVan ... Af and Na ... Toe
Van ... af stresses movement away from a starting point.
Level 3 - hou vanLiking: Hou Van
The most common verb that takes van.
Level 1 - A Cup Of: 'n koppie koffie
Measures such as 'n koppie koffie take no van.
Level 2
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Words in This Pattern
Practice van in Bubblegum
Poppy, your AI tutor, writes Afrikaans lessons at your level. Tap any grammar point in a lesson to see its full explanation.
