's ochtends/'s avonds

Times of Day

Level 2

The pattern 's ochtends, 's middags, 's avonds, and 's nachts is the standard way to say 'in the mornings/evenings' when describing a habit or routine.

How It Works

In Dutch, when you want to talk about something you do regularly at a certain time of day, you use a special 'genitive' form. Although the genitive case is mostly dead in modern Dutch, it survives in a closed set of fixed time expressions.

1. The Main Times:

  • 's ochtends or 's morgens: in the morning(s). These two are fully interchangeable.
  • 's middags: in the afternoon(s)
  • 's avonds: in the evening(s)
  • 's nachts: at night / in the night(s)

Alternatively, you can use in de ochtend, in de middag, etc., which is also very common in modern Dutch.

2. Word Order:
Because these are time expressions, they often trigger inversion if they start a sentence. This happens because of the standard Dutch verb-second rule, where the verb must remain in the second position.

3. Habitual vs. Specific:
Use this pattern for things you 'usually' or 'always' do. For a specific 'this morning' or 'tonight', use vanmorgen or vanavond (formed from van + the noun) instead.

4. Limited Extensions:
This pattern is not productive, meaning you cannot use it for every time word. It is common with two seasons: 's zomers (in the summer) and 's winters (in the winter). It is rare for spring and autumn. For days of the week, the adverbial form is usually just the day + -s (e.g., maandags); using 's maandags is also correct and standard, though it is considered more formal or traditional than the shorter form.

5. Capitalization Rule:
If you start a sentence with this pattern, the 's remains lowercase and the first full word is capitalized (e.g., 's Avonds...).

Examples (4)

  1. 's Ochtends drink ik altijd een kop koffie.

    In the mornings, I always drink a cup of coffee.

    Word by Word: In the morning drink I always a cup coffee.

    This shows a daily routine. Note how the verb 'drink' comes second, right after the time phrase.

  2. Het is hier 's nachts heel stil.

    It is very quiet here at night.

    Word by Word: It is here at night very quiet.

    This describes a general state that occurs every night.

  3. We gaan 's middags vaak naar het park.

    We often go to the park in the afternoons.

    Word by Word: We go in the afternoon often to the park.

    The phrase can also appear in the middle of the sentence, not just at the beginning.

  4. 's Avonds kijkt hij meestal televisie.

    In the evenings, he usually watches television.

    Word by Word: In the evening watches he mostly television.

    Note the capitalization: the 's' is lowercase, and 'Avonds' starts with a capital letter.

Common Mistakes

  • Capitalizing the 'S' at the start of a sentence.

    'S avonds lees ik een boek.
    's Avonds lees ik een boek.

    In Dutch, the apostrophe counts as the start, so the following full word must be capitalized instead.

  • Using the habitual form for a one-time appointment.

    Different MeaningIk heb 's middags een afspraak.
    Ik heb vanmiddag een afspraak.

    'Ik heb 's middags een afspraak' is correct, but it means you have an appointment every afternoon. For one appointment this afternoon, use 'vanmiddag'.

  • Forgetting the final -s on the noun.

    's avond
    's avonds

    The pattern requires both the leading 's and the trailing -s to be grammatically correct.

How It Connects

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

's ochtends/'s avondsLevel 2Times of Day

Learn This First

The expressions 's ochtends, 's middags, 's avonds, and 's nachts are fixed adverbial phrases used to describe recurring times of day. They use a shortened form of the archaic genitive article 'des'. To understand them, learners should be familiar with basic Dutch nouns, the concept of definite articles, and basic time-related adverbs.

Words in This Pattern

's ochtends's avondsochtendavond's