Erheen / Ernaartoe in Dutch

When do you use ERHEEN or ERNAARTOE in Dutch?

It's best to explain the use of erheen and naartoe by showing you a few examples. In the sentences below, the subject is going somewhere.

• Ik ga naar de markt. I go to the market.
• Ik ga erheen. I go there.
• Ik ga ernaartoe. I go there
• ------------------------------------
• Morgen gaan we naar de camping. Tomorrow we go to the camping.
• Morgen gaan we erheen. Tomorrow we go there.
• Morgen gaan we ernaartoe. Tomorrow we go there.
• ------------------------------------
• Jullie gaan nooit naar het gemeentehuis. You never go to the city hall.
• Jullie gaan er nooit heen. You never go there.
• Jullie gaan er nooit naartoe. You never go there.

So, when you have a place to go to, but you don't name the actual place (you replace it by "er" for example), you'll have to use heen or naartoe.

This happens every time you use an undefined word as a place. For example: er, daar, hier, ergens, nergens.

• Wij gaan nooit ergens naartoe. We never go anywhere.
• Kijk, deze stad lijkt me leuk. Daar ga ik heen! Look, this city seems fun to me. I go there!
• Dit pad leidt nergens naartoe. This path leads nowhere.

What is the difference between erheen and ernaartoe?

There is no difference between erheen and ernaartoe in Dutch. Both words are correct and interchangeable.