na

After

Level 1

Na is a preposition meaning 'after'. It is used for time (after 5:00) or sequence (after you).

How It Works

The word na is one of the most common ways to express 'after' in Dutch. However, it has very specific rules for usage:

  • Time and Sequence: Used to indicate a point following a specific time, event, or order. Example: na de lunch (after lunch) or na jou (after you).
  • Telling Time (Regional Difference): In the Netherlands, people use over to say minutes past the hour (e.g., vijf over tien). However, in Flemish Dutch (Belgium), it is very common to use na instead: vijf na tien (five past ten).
  • Grammar Rule: As a preposition, it needs an object (a noun or pronoun). If you want to say 'After [subject] [verb]', you must use nadat. Because this is a subordinating conjunction, it triggers subordinate clause word order, moving the verb to the end of the clause.
  • Spelling and Sound: Na ends in a single vowel, which means it has a long 'aa' sound (/aː/), just like in ja. The difference between na (after) and naar (to) is the final 'r', not the vowel length.
  • Separable Verbs: Be aware that na also functions as a separable prefix in verbs like nakijken (to check) or nadoen (to imitate). In these cases, it might appear at the very end of a sentence.

In some specific idioms, you might see na used in the phrase op ... na, which means 'except for' or 'all but' (e.g., op één na = except for one / all but one).

Examples (4)

  1. Na het eten doen we de afwas.

    After dinner we do the dishes.

    Word by Word: After the food do we the dish-wash.

    Here 'na' is followed by the noun phrase 'het eten' to show a sequence of events.

  2. Ik bel je na drie uur terug.

    I will call you back after three o'clock.

    Word by Word: I call you after three hour back.

    In this case, 'na' indicates a specific point in time.

  3. Na jou ben ik aan de beurt.

    After you, it is my turn.

    Word by Word: After you am I at the turn.

    This shows 'na' used with a pronoun to indicate sequence.

  4. We gaan na de film naar huis.

    We are going home after the movie.

    Word by Word: We go after the movie to house.

    This example shows both 'na' (after) and 'naar' (to) in one sentence to highlight the difference.

Common Mistakes

  • Using 'na' (after) where 'naar' (to) is meant.

    Different MeaningIk ga na school.
    Ik ga naar school.

    If you mean 'I am going TO school', use naar. 'Ik ga na school' means 'I am going after school' (but doesn't say where you are going).

  • Using 'na' to introduce a clause with a verb, or using the wrong tense.

    Na ik werk, ga ik sporten.
    Nadat ik gewerkt heb, ga ik sporten.

    You cannot use 'na' directly before a subject and verb; use the conjunction nadat instead. Furthermore, nadat usually requires a perfect tense (like 'heb gewerkt') because the action must be finished before the next one starts.

  • Using 'na' alone where 'daarna' (afterwards) is meant.

    Different MeaningIk kom na.
    Ik kom daarna.

    'Ik kom na' is correct Dutch, but here 'na' is part of the verb 'nakomen' (to follow later), not 'afterwards'. To say 'afterwards' or 'after that', use 'daarna'.

How It Connects

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

naLevel 1After

Learn This First

To use 'na' (after) correctly, you need to understand how to form basic noun phrases using 'de' and 'het', as 'na' is a preposition that typically precedes a noun or a specific time expression.

Words in This Pattern