tijdens

During

Level 2

Tijdens means 'during' or 'in the course of'. It is a preposition used to place an action within the timeframe of a specific event or activity.

How It Works

The preposition tijdens is the standard way to express that something happens while an event is taking place.

1. Usage with Nouns
It always precedes a noun or noun phrase that represents a bounded event (something with a beginning and an end). Common examples include de les (the lesson), de vakantie (the holiday), or de vergadering (the meeting).

2. Word Order
When a sentence starts with a phrase using tijdens, it triggers inversion, meaning the verb comes before the subject. For example: Tijdens de film sliep hij. (During the film, he slept.)

3. Formal Alternative
In very formal or legal writing, you might see gedurende. However, tijdens is the most natural choice for daily life and standard writing.

4. Referring Back to Events
Unlike many other Dutch prepositions, tijdens cannot easily combine with er to form a pronominal adverb like 'ertijdens'. To refer back to a previously mentioned event ('during that'), it is most common to use a phrase like in die periode (in that period) or op dat moment (at that moment). A form like daartijdens is not standard.

Examples (4)

  1. Je mag niet praten tijdens de les.

    You are not allowed to talk during the lesson.

    Word by Word: You may not talk during the lesson.

    Here, 'tijdens' is followed by the noun phrase 'de les'.

  2. Tijdens de vakantie heb ik veel boeken gelezen.

    During the holiday, I read many books.

    Word by Word: During the holiday have I many books read.

    Notice the inversion: the verb 'heb' comes before the subject 'ik' because the sentence starts with a time phrase.

  3. Hij werd ziek tijdens de vergadering.

    He became ill during the meeting.

    Word by Word: He became sick during the meeting.

    The event 'de vergadering' acts as the timeframe for the action.

  4. Wat doe jij meestal tijdens het weekend?

    What do you usually do during the weekend?

    Word by Word: What do you mostly do during the weekend?

    Even though 'weekend' is a time period, it is treated as a bounded event here.

Common Mistakes

  • Using 'tijdens' as a conjunction (followed by a verb).

    Tijdens ik sliep, regende het.
    Terwijl ik sliep, regende het.

    If you want to follow the word with a full clause (subject + verb), you must use terwijl (while) instead of 'tijdens'.

  • Using 'tijdens' for specific clock times.

    Ik kom tijdens drie uur.
    Ik kom om drie uur.

    For specific points on a clock, use om. 'Tijdens' requires an event or a duration.

How It Connects

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

tijdensLevel 2During

Learn This First

To use 'tijdens' (during), you need to be able to construct basic noun phrases using the Dutch article system (de/het) and have a basic grasp of time-related vocabulary to describe when an event occurs.

Words in This Pattern

tijdens