Verbs With Fixed Prepositions

Level 3

Many verbs come with a fixed preposition: Ech waarden op de Bus. (I am waiting for the bus.) Learn the verb and its preposition as one unit.

How It Works

1. Learn them as pairs
Here are common verbs with their preposition:

  • waarden op + accusative: wait for. Ech waarden op de Bus.
  • denken un + accusative: think of, think about. Ech denken un dech.
  • sech freeën op + accusative: look forward to. Mir freeën eis op d'Vakanz.
  • sech freeën iwwer + accusative: be happy about. Si huet sech iwwer de Besuch gefreet.
  • sech interesséiere fir + accusative: be interested in. Hatt interesséiert sech fir Musek.
  • sech erënneren un + accusative: remember. Ech erënnere mech un dee Summer.
  • schwätzen iwwer + accusative: talk about. Mir schwätzen iwwer de Film.
  • Angscht hu virun + dative: be afraid of. Den Hond huet Angscht virum Donner.
  • froen no + dative: ask about someone or something. Et huet een no dir gefrot.
  • rechne mat + dative: expect, count on. Mir hunn net mat esou vill Leit gerechent.

2. The preposition decides the case
The verb does not choose the case; its preposition does. Fir is always accusative, and mat, vun and no are always dative. Op, un and iwwer can take either case, but in these verb pairs they take the accusative: op de Bus, un d'Vakanz. Virun takes the dative here: virun dem Donner, shortened to virum Donner. See Two-Way Prepositions.

3. Some are reflexive
Sech freeën, sech interesséieren and sech erënneren need a reflexive pronoun as well as the preposition: Ech freeë mech op de Weekend. See Reflexive Verbs With Sech.

4. The n-rule still applies
Un, vun and virun lose their final n before most consonants: Ech denken u meng Bomi. Ech hu keng Angscht viru Spannen. Before a vowel or d, t, z, n and h the n stays: un dech, un eis Rees.

5. Replacing the object
For a person, keep the preposition and use a pronoun: Ech waarden op hien. For a thing or an idea, use a do- word: Ech waarden dorop. See It With Prepositions. To ask about the object, use a wou- word: Wourop waarts du? See Questions With Wou-.

Examples (6)

  1. Ech waarden op de Bus.

    I'm waiting for the bus.

    Waarden goes with op, where English says for. Den becomes de before B by the n-rule.

  2. Mir freeën eis op d'Vakanz.

    We're looking forward to the holidays.

    Sech freeën op is reflexive: eis is the reflexive pronoun for mir.

  3. Ech denken dacks u meng Bomi.

    I often think of my grandma.

    Un loses its n before m by the n-rule.

  4. Hatt interesséiert sech fir Fussball.

    She is interested in football.

  5. Den Hond huet Angscht virum Donner.

    The dog is afraid of thunder.

    Virum is virun + dem: with Angscht hunn, virun takes the dative.

  6. Mir schwätzen iwwer de Film.

    We're talking about the film.

    Iwwer takes the accusative in schwätzen iwwer.

Common Mistakes

  • Copying the English preposition.

    Ech waarde fir de Bus.
    Ech waarden op de Bus.

    English waits for something, but Luxembourgish waits op something. Learn each verb together with its own preposition.

  • Using the accusative after virun in Angscht hunn virun.

    Ech hunn Angscht virun den Hond.
    Ech hunn Angscht virum Hond.

    In this expression virun takes the dative: virun dem Hond, shortened to virum Hond.

  • Leaving out the reflexive pronoun.

    Ech freeën op de Weekend.
    Ech freeë mech op de Weekend.

    The verb is sech freeën op, so it needs mech, dech, sech and so on. Freeën drops its n before m.

How It Connects

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

Verbs With Fixed PrepositionsLevel 3

Learn This First

Before Verbs With Fixed Prepositions, learn Reflexive Verbs With Sech and Two-Way Prepositions.

Words in This Pattern

waardenopdenkenunfreeënsech