Prepositions

🌸 VOORSETSELS

Prepositions | Grade 9 Afrikaans

1. What are Voorsetsels?

Voorsetsels are prepositions in Afrikaans.

They are words that show the relationship between people, places, objects, actions, or time.

In English, examples include in, on, under, beside, before, after, and with.

Examples:

• Die boek is op die tafel. (The book is on the table.)

• Die kat slaap onder die bed. (The cat sleeps under the bed.)

• Ek gaan na die skool. (I go to school.)

• Sy praat met haar vriendin. (She talks with her friend.)

Important: Afrikaans prepositions don’t always translate directly into English. You need to learn which preposition goes with which word or expression.

2. Common Voorsetsels

These are the most important prepositions from your textbook.

3. Prepositions and Their Uses

AAN — To / on / at

Used in expressions relating to something, belonging, communication, or participation.

Examples:

• Ek dink aan jou. (I think of you.)

• Sy neem deel aan die kompetisie. (She participates in the competition.)

AGTER — Behind

Used to indicate something behind another object or person.

Example:

- Die hond loop agter die seun. (The dog walks behind the boy.)

BY — At / with / near

Often used to show location, visiting, or where something happens.

Examples:

• Ek bly by my ouers. (I live with my parents.)

• Ons koop kos by die winkel. (We buy food at the shop.)

IN — In

Used for location, belief, interest, or entering something.

Examples:

• Ek stel belang in geskiedenis. (I am interested in history.)

• Sy woon in Suid-Afrika. (She lives in South Africa.)

LANGS — Next to / beside

Used to indicate something beside another object or person.

Example:

- Ek sit langs my vriendin. (I sit next to my friend.)

MET — With

Used to show association, communication, agreement, or disagreement.

Examples:

• Sy is getroud met hom. (She is married to him.)

• Ek is tevrede met my punte. (I am satisfied with my marks.)

NA — To / after

Used to indicate direction, time, or certain actions.

Examples:

• Ek luister na musiek. (I listen to music.)

• Ek sien uit na die vakansie. (I look forward to the holiday.)

OM — Around / at / approximately

Used for time, direction, and certain expressions.

Examples:

• Die winkel is om die hoek. (The shop is around the corner.)

• Ek staan om sesuur op. (I wake up at six o’clock.)

ONDER — Under / below

Used to indicate something below another object.

Example:

- Die kat slaap onder die tafel. (The cat sleeps under the table.)

OP — On / at

Used to indicate position, location, or certain feelings.

Examples:

• Ek is trots op jou. (I am proud of you.)

• Sy is verlief op hom. (She is in love with him.)

OOR — Over / about

Used for topics, arguments, complaints, or movement over something.

Examples:

• Ons praat oor die eksamen. (We talk about the exam.)

• Die seun spring oor die muur. (The boy jumps over the wall.)

PER — By / per

Used to indicate a means of transport, measurement, or occurrence.

Examples:

• Ek het dit per ongeluk gedoen. (I did it by accident.)

• Ons reis per trein. (We travel by train.)

TEEN — Against / by

Used for opposition, time, or protection.

Examples:

• Die medisyne beskerm teen siektes. (The medicine protects against diseases.)

• Hy staan teen die muur. (He stands against the wall.)

TOT — Until / to

Used to indicate an ending point in time or place.

Examples:

• Ek wag tot môre. (I wait until tomorrow.)

• Ons werk van Maandag tot Vrydag. (We work from Monday to Friday.)

UIT — Out of / off

Used to show movement outward or removal.

Examples:

• Ek klim uit die motor. (I get out of the car.)

• Sy trek haar skoene uit. (She takes off her shoes.)

VAN — From / of

Used to show origin, possession, or the topic of something.

Examples:

• Ek hou van katte. (I like cats.)

• Van môre af gaan ek studeer. (From tomorrow onwards I will study.)

VIR — For

Used for purpose, recipients, or certain expressions.

Examples:

• Ek is bang vir spinnekoppe. (I am scared of spiders.)

• Sy is lief vir haar kat. (She loves her cat.)

VOOR — Before / in front of

Used for position or time.

Examples:

• Ek wag voor die skool. (I wait in front of the school.)

• Dit is kwart voor agt. (It is quarter to eight.)

BO — Above

Used to describe something above another thing.

Example:

- Die vliegtuig vlieg bo die wolke. (The aeroplane flies above the clouds.)

4. Important Prepositions That Are Easy to Confuse

These are especially useful for your Afrikaans tests!

NA vs. VIR

OP vs. OOR

AAN vs. VAN

MET vs. BY

5. Prepositions in Sentences

In tests, you may be asked to fill in the missing preposition.

Here are examples of how to identify the correct one:

6. Summary for Your Test ♡

⭐ Important exam tips

• Memorise expressions as pairs, rather than learning the preposition alone. For example, trots op, not just op.

• Don’t translate directly from English. English says married to, but Afrikaans uses getroud met.

• Pay attention to the difference between praat met (talk with someone) and praat oor (talk about something).

• Na usually expresses direction or a relationship such as listening to something, while ná can mean after.

• Prepositions can have several different meanings depending on the sentence.