When something is dichtbij, it means it's not far away. You can use it to talk about places or things that are close to you.
For example, if the supermarket is just around the corner, you can say: 'De supermarkt is dichtbij.' This tells you it's a short walk or drive.
You can also use it to describe where someone lives. If your friend lives on the same street, you could say: 'Mijn vriend woont dichtbij.' It simply means 'nearby' or 'close by'.
When something is dichtbij, it means it's not far away. You can use it to describe how close a shop is, or how near a friend lives.
For example, if the supermarket is just around the corner, you would say 'De supermarkt is dichtbij.'
It's a useful word for giving directions or describing locations.
You'll hear and use this word often in everyday Dutch conversations.
dichtbij in 30 Sekunden
- Not far away.
- Indicates closeness in space.
- The opposite of 'ver' (far).
Beispiele nach Niveau
De supermarkt is dichtbij.
The supermarket is close by.
Woon jij dichtbij?
Do you live nearby?
Het station is niet dichtbij.
The station is not close by.
Kom je dichtbij mijn huis?
Are you coming close to my house?
De bushalte is dichtbij het park.
The bus stop is close to the park.
Is het restaurant dichtbij het hotel?
Is the restaurant close to the hotel?
Ze werkt dichtbij haar huis.
She works close to her home.
De school is dichtbij de kerk.
The school is close to the church.
De supermarkt is dichtbij.
The supermarket is close by.
Woon jij dichtbij het strand?
Do you live near the beach?
Het station is heel dichtbij, op loopafstand.
The station is very close, within walking distance.
Zijn kantoor is dichtbij mijn huis.
His office is near my house.
De bushalte is hier dichtbij.
The bus stop is close by here.
We zijn dichtbij de finish.
We are close to the finish line.
Is er een goed restaurant dichtbij?
Is there a good restaurant nearby?
Ik werk dichtbij, dus ik kan lopend komen.
I work close by, so I can come walking.
De apotheek is dichtbij, slechts een paar straten verderop, mocht je medicatie nodig hebben.
The pharmacy is close by, just a few streets away, should you need medication.
Het was een hele lange reis, maar gelukkig is ons hotel nu dichtbij, ik zie de lichten al in de verte.
It was a very long journey, but fortunately our hotel is now close by, I already see the lights in the distance.
Hoewel de supermarkt dichtbij is, besloot ik toch online te bestellen om tijd te besparen.
Although the supermarket is close by, I still decided to order online to save time.
Met de feestdagen zo dichtbij, is het een goed moment om na te denken over cadeautjes voor iedereen.
With the holidays so close by, it's a good time to think about gifts for everyone.
Wees voorzichtig met die elektrische draden; het gevaar is dichtbij als je niet oplet.
Be careful with those electrical wires; danger is close if you don't pay attention.
De deadline komt snel dichterbij, dus we moeten echt opschieten met dit project.
The deadline is approaching quickly, so we really need to hurry up with this project.
Toen de crisis dichterbij kwam, merkten we dat mensen voorzichtiger werden met hun uitgaven.
As the crisis drew closer, we noticed people became more cautious with their spending.
Hij heeft altijd een boek dichtbij, voor het geval hij even tijd heeft om te lezen.
He always has a book close by, in case he has a moment to read.
Wird oft verwechselt mit
While 'bij' can mean 'near', it's a preposition with many uses (at, with, by). 'Dichtbij' specifically focuses on proximity as an adjective/adverb.
'Naast' implies direct adjacency ('next to'), whereas 'dichtbij' is a more general 'near' or 'close by'.
'Nabij' is a more formal or slightly older word for 'dichtbij'. Use 'dichtbij' for everyday conversations.
Leicht verwechselbar
'Bij' can mean 'at', 'with', or 'near'. It's often used similarly to 'dichtbij' but has a broader range of meanings and grammatical uses.
'Dichtbij' specifically emphasizes proximity and is often used as an adverb or adjective, while 'bij' is a preposition that can indicate location (at, near) or association (with). 'Dichtbij' implies 'very near', while 'bij' just means 'near' or 'at'.
Ik woon bij het station. (I live near/at the station.)
Both 'dichtbij' and 'naast' relate to proximity. 'Naast' is more specific about positioning.
'Naast' means 'next to' or 'beside', indicating direct adjacency. 'Dichtbij' means 'near' or 'close by', which is a less precise distance.
Het boek ligt naast de lamp. (The book is next to the lamp.)
'Nabij' is a more formal or slightly archaic synonym for 'dichtbij'.
While 'nabij' means the same thing ('near' or 'close by'), it's less common in everyday spoken Dutch and tends to appear in written or more formal contexts. 'Dichtbij' is the standard, everyday word.
De fabriek is nabij de rivier. (The factory is near the river.)
Similar in meaning to 'dichtbij', both express closeness.
'Vlakbij' means 'very close' or 'right nearby', often implying an even shorter distance or more immediate proximity than 'dichtbij'. It adds a slight emphasis of 'right there'.
Het park is vlakbij mijn huis. (The park is right nearby my house.)
This is an antonym, sometimes confused due to the concept of distance.
'Afgelegen' means 'remote' or 'secluded', indicating a far distance. It's the opposite of 'dichtbij'.
Het huis staat op een afgelegen plek. (The house is in a remote location.)
So verwendest du es
Dichtbij is commonly used to describe proximity in terms of location. For example, 'Het park is dichtbij' (The park is nearby). It can also be used with 'van' to specify proximity to something: 'Het is dichtbij van het station' (It's close to the station).
A common mistake is confusing 'dichtbij' with 'naast'. While both imply proximity, 'naast' specifically means 'next to' or 'beside' (e.g., 'Hij zit naast mij' - He is sitting next to me), whereas 'dichtbij' is more general for 'nearby' or 'close'. Another mistake is using it as a verb, which it is not. Always use a form of 'zijn' (to be) with 'dichtbij'.
Häufig gestellte Fragen
10 FragenWhile both mean 'near' or 'nearby', dichtbij is much more common in everyday spoken Dutch. Nabij is a bit more formal or literary. For example, you'd usually say 'Het is dichtbij' (It's close by) rather than 'Het is nabij'.
You can use dichtbij like this:
- 'Het station is dichtbij.' (The station is close by.)
- 'Woon je dichtbij het strand?' (Do you live close to the beach?)
- 'Kom eens wat dichtbijer.' (Come a bit closer.)
Mostly, yes. Dichtbij primarily refers to physical proximity. You wouldn't typically use it for abstract closeness like 'a close friend', for which you'd use 'goede vriend' or 'hechte vriend'.
Yes, it often works as an adverb modifying a verb, especially verbs of motion. For instance: 'De auto parkeerde dichtbij.' (The car parked nearby.) Or 'Kom dichtbij!' (Come closer!)
The most common opposite of dichtbij is ver weg (far away) or simply ver (far). For example: 'Het is dichtbij.' (It's close by.) vs. 'Het is ver weg.' (It's far away.)
No, dichtbij itself is not a separable verb prefix. However, you can combine it with verbs, as shown in the examples, acting as an adverbial phrase.
For 'closer', you can say dichterbij. For 'closest', you would say het dichtstbij.
- 'Kun je wat dichterbij komen?' (Can you come a bit closer?)
- 'Dat is het restaurant dat het dichtstbij is.' (That is the restaurant that is closest.)
You often see dichtbij used with the preposition bij (near/at) when specifying what something is close to. For example: 'Ik woon dichtbij bij het park.' (I live close to the park.) Note that the second 'bij' is often omitted in casual speech when the context is clear.
Primarily for locations. For time, you'd use words like binnenkort (soon) or recent (recently) instead of dichtbij.
It's pronounced roughly like 'dikh-bye'. The 'ch' sound is similar to the 'ch' in Scottish 'loch', and 'ij' is like the 'i' in 'hi' or 'my'.
Teste dich selbst 18 Fragen
The house is close to the supermarket.
Do you live near the station?
The bus stop is nearby, you don't have to walk far.
Read this aloud:
Is het restaurant dichtbij?
Focus: dichtbij
Du hast gesagt:
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Read this aloud:
Ik woon dichtbij mijn werk.
Focus: woon dichtbij
Du hast gesagt:
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Read this aloud:
De winkel is niet ver, het is dichtbij.
Focus: niet ver, dichtbij
Du hast gesagt:
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De winkel is heel ___ het station.
We are looking for a word meaning 'close to' the station. 'Dichtbij' fits this meaning.
Wonen jullie ___ het centrum van de stad?
The question asks if they live 'near' the city center. 'Dichtbij' is the correct word for this.
Mijn werk is niet ver, het is ___.
If work is not far, then it must be 'close'. 'Dichtbij' means close.
Zij woont te ___ om elke dag te komen.
This sentence structure implies that living 'too close' might make daily visits difficult or unnecessary for some reason in context. However, for a simple A2 fill-in-the-blank, 'dichtbij' is a grammatically plausible option that connects to 'niet ver'. A native speaker might say 'te dichtbij' to imply *too* close for a reason.
Is er een supermarkt ___ hier?
The question asks 'Is there a supermarket close by here?'. 'Dichtbij' is the correct word.
De bakkerij is ___ het park.
We are looking for a word to describe the location of the bakery relative to the park, meaning 'near' or 'close to'. 'Dichtbij' is the appropriate choice.
Write a sentence describing something that is close to your house, using 'dichtbij'.
Well written! Good try! Check the sample answer below.
Sample answer
De supermarkt is dichtbij mijn huis. (The supermarket is close to my house.)
Translate the following sentence into Dutch: 'Is the park nearby?'
Well written! Good try! Check the sample answer below.
Sample answer
Is het park dichtbij?
Complete the sentence: 'Ik woon ... het station.' (I live ... the station.)
Well written! Good try! Check the sample answer below.
Sample answer
Ik woon dichtbij het station.
Waar woont de vriendin van de spreker dichtbij?
Read this passage:
Mijn vriendin woont in Amsterdam. Ze woont dichtbij het Vondelpark. Ze kan elke dag naar het park lopen. Het is erg handig voor haar.
Waar woont de vriendin van de spreker dichtbij?
De tekst zegt 'Ze woont dichtbij het Vondelpark.' (She lives close to the Vondelpark.)
De tekst zegt 'Ze woont dichtbij het Vondelpark.' (She lives close to the Vondelpark.)
Wat betekent 'niet ver weg' in deze context?
Read this passage:
De bakker is niet ver weg. Je kunt erheen lopen. Het is echt dichtbij.
Wat betekent 'niet ver weg' in deze context?
'Niet ver weg' betekent 'not far away', which is synonymous with 'dichtbij' (nearby).
'Niet ver weg' betekent 'not far away', which is synonymous with 'dichtbij' (nearby).
Wat zoekt de spreker?
Read this passage:
Ik zoek een restaurant. Is er een goed restaurant dichtbij hier?
Wat zoekt de spreker?
De spreker zegt: 'Ik zoek een restaurant.' (I am looking for a restaurant.)
De spreker zegt: 'Ik zoek een restaurant.' (I am looking for a restaurant.)
/ 18 correct
Perfect score!
Summary
Use 'dichtbij' to express that something is close by or nearby.
- Not far away.
- Indicates closeness in space.
- The opposite of 'ver' (far).
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