Latest / Learn Dutch with Fexingo / Dutch Prepositions: Tussen, Tegen, Bij
Transcript
- Lucas: Hey Luna, welcome back to Learn Dutch with Fexingo. Luna: Hey Lucas! Ready for more prepositions? Last time we did voor, achter, naast. I think I've got those down. Lucas: That's great! Today we're adding three more: tussen, tegen, and bij. These are super common. Luna: Tussen... that sounds like 'between'? I remember from somewhere. Lucas: Exactly! Tussen means between. For example: Het staat tussen de stoelen. It is between the chairs. Luna: Het staat tussen de stoelen. Between the chairs. Okay. Lucas: Yes. Now try saying: The book is between the books. Luna: Het boek is tussen de boeken? That feels right. Lucas: Perfect! You already have it. Now tegen. Tegen means against, like leaning against something. Luna: Tegen. Against. So 'the bike is against the wall'? Lucas: De fiets staat tegen de muur. Exactly. Luna: De fiets staat tegen de muur. That sounds like a classic Dutch scene. Lucas: Right? And bij means at, near, or by. For example: Ik ben bij het station. I am at the station. Luna: Ik ben bij het station. Simple! So if I say 'I am at the supermarket', it's Ik ben bij de supermarkt. Lucas: Yes, exactly. Bij de supermarkt. Perfect. Luna: Let me practice all three. Tussen... tegen... bij. Can I make a sentence with each? Lucas: Go for it. Luna: De kat is tussen de stoelen. De hond staat tegen de deur. Ik ben bij de dokter. Lucas: Wow, you nailed it. All correct. Let's do a mini scene. Say you're at a café and you tell me where you are. Luna: Ik ben bij het café. En de fiets staat tegen de muur. Lucas: En de koffie staat tussen de suiker en de melk. Luna: that's a lot of things. De koffie staat tussen de suiker en de melk. Lucas: Exactly. You can use these prepositions to describe almost any location. They're really handy. Luna: I can see that. I think between, against, at — these cover a lot. By the way, if Fexingo has been helping you make actual progress with Dutch, a couple of dollars a month is genuinely what keeps these going. Buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. Lucas: Yeah, it really helps keep the show ad-free and lets us keep making these episodes for you. Luna: Totally. So, back to practice. Can you give me a sentence with 'tussen' that includes two specific items? Lucas: Sure: De appel is tussen de banaan en de peer. The apple is between the banana and the pear. Luna: De appel is tussen de banaan en de peer. That's a nice one. And 'tegen' — the chair is against the table? Lucas: De stoel staat tegen de tafel. Yes. Luna: De stoel staat tegen de tafel. Got it. And 'bij' — I am at work? Lucas: Ik ben bij het werk. Or simply 'op het werk' is more common, but 'bij het werk' works too. Luna: Right. So bij is flexible. Thanks, Lucas. I think I'll remember these three. Lucas: Great job today! Keep practicing tussen, tegen, and bij. See you next time on Learn Dutch with Fexingo. Luna: See you! Practice makes perfect.